Welcome to our home in Washington State’s prestigious Red Mountain AVA,
where some of the world’s best 90+ wines are sourced. We’ve since added holdings in Horse Heaven Hills and Columbia Valley with the continued commitment to growing high quality grapes so you can make great wine.
Our Story
Our family story began on a small farm in Brescia, Italy. These deep ancestral roots inspired a passion for farming and fine wine that we have carried with us for generations; it was our last great purpose left to pursue.
In our search to realize this dream, we immediately identified with Red Mountain’s up-and-coming youth. We knew its low rainfall, cleansing winds, and high alkaline soils could be tailored to propagate fine grape varietals. We felt Red Mountain was a place where one could make history.
We set out on our journey to put the Red Mountain AVA in the same breadth to rival the World’s best wine regions.
We’ve assembled a world-class vineyards management and winemaking team from Washington, Italy, and France to balance the best practices from the new and old worlds. It’s no wonder that every wine that is 100% sourced from these vineyards have scored 90+ points. In our more recent entries into the Horse Heaven Hills and Columbia Valley AVA’s, our single minded commitment continues: Grow the best grapes in the World!
Our Vineyards
Red Mountain AVA
559 acres owned, 546 acres planted.
Home of both our Elite and production vineyards. We grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah in Elite. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot in the production parcels.
The Team
Gianfranco Farimbella
VINEYARD MANAGER
Growing up in Brescia, Italy and watching his grandmother and uncles tend to the vines on the family vineyard in Franciacorta, it’s no wonder that Gianfranco developed a passion for viticulture. While his formal education in agronomy eventually led him to study and work in Lombardy, Tuscany and Sardinia, it’s fitting that he ultimately landed in Benton City, WA. Here he shepherds the vines of Red Mountain AVA whose soils are surprisingly similar to those of his birth: shaped by glacier, well-draining gravel and sand, on ideal southern facing slopes. Today, Franco focuses on optimizing the conditions to produce wines that are a delightful balance of his American home and his European birth.
Michele Cherchi
VINEYARD DIRECTOR
Michele grew up in a small, Italian town where every family had their own vineyard and made their own wine. While he confesses the wine was “terrible,” he’s quick to point out that it was at least “homemade.” Michele first developed a relationship with the Aquilini’s while working in Italy, joining them in Canada in 2013 to manage land development for the company. Since moving with Aquilini Wines to Eastern, WA, Michele has brought his critical eye to the operations, focusing on managing the vineyard in the most efficient and effective way.