Big news out of Santa Rosa, California today as Jackson Family Wines has acquired from Abeja Winery 61 acres of an existing 117-acre property located in Mill Creek in the eastern region of Washington’s Walla Walla Valley. Abeja will retain ownership of 56 unplanted acres and will plant new vines there next year. Jackson Family Wines and Abeja will jointly announce a name for the vineyard at a later date.

This is the first acquisition in Washington for the Jackson family and complements the company’s existing holdings in the Pacific Northwest, namely in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Over the next several years the family plans to develop a Washington-based operation. Wines produced from the vineyard will be made by winemaker Chris Carpenter and his team as part of a new brand currently under development.

“We know Walla Walla Valley is an exceptional region in North America for growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, and this particular site in Mill Creek possesses ideal conditions in terms of soils, elevation and climate,” says Christopher Jackson, second-generation proprietor of Jackson Family Wines. “We are thrilled by the opportunity to join an esteemed group of vintners in the Walla Walla Valley who have proven the incredible potential for wines from this region. Much like our previous ventures into great winegrowing regions like Willamette Valley in Oregon, Stellenbosch in South Africa, and McLaren Vale in Australia, we are humbled to be among an elite class of wineries and look forward to integrating ourselves into the community even more and producing wines of the highest caliber.”

Carpenter will oversee all winemaking and viticulture and Jackson Family Wines will assume all aspects of farming operations of the 61-acre property as he will be supported by winemaker Gianna Ghilarducci and vineyard manager Rafael Jimenez. We wanted to offer our heartfelt congratulations for Jackson Family on this new venture into Washington.