Cowhorn Vineyard
Applegate Valley
The Cowhorn Vineyard is a pristine biodynamic estate in the heart of Applegate Valley farmed by Bill and Barbara Steele. It's an ideal site for Rhône varietals, with its rocky, well-drained river bench soils, reliably warm temperatures, and dry growing seasons.
Bill manages the entire property in meticulous fashion. As he proudly showed us his setup during a recent visit, we marveled at the systematic integration and automation that he has implemented side-by-side with his staunch biodynamic farming methods. For a guy who looks every bit a soul of the soil, it was a past life from a different world that gave him the skills to pull it all off. "I'm a numbers guy," he explained, "Y'know... Wall Street." Certainly unexpected, but it made total sense in retrospect. More than anything, the estate is a testament to a determined vision and an eye for the small details. We like to think our 2018 Queen D is exemplary of those qualities and a fitting expression of this special piece of land and these wonderful people.