Simple. If you’re in Walla Walla and experiencing mile upon mile of utterly gorgeous countryside sounds good, when Grape Hill is available you stay here. Period. Experience a setting like no other- imagine a secluded beach with mile upon mile of panoramic views, now have it all to yourself, add cool interiors, a fine kitchen, and lots of great things to do within minutes. The inner artist & photographer & chef inside you will come out and want to play! The drive in to the center of Walla Walla is nothing. No bother at all to go wine tasting and then come home to change clothes and be right back in Walla Walla. Probably no more than going to your grocery store. The biggest difference is that you get to Grape Hill and everything slows down. Whether it is winter beside the fireplace watching the clouds through walls of huge windows or summertime dining out at Big Table or staying cool under shade with the misters and listening to the pheasants, Grape Hill is an incredible joy.
Rolling Palouse hillsides, open vistas, and seclusion. Simplicity to bring our shoulders down. True REST, the kind that recharges the batteries with JOY. This special spot keeps altering perceptions...such a huge supply of positive charge. When we visited Sedona we heard lots of talk about energy vortexes. Maybe Grape Hill is one of these?
It can be really hard to leave Grape Hill even for fine restaurants and lovely wine seven minutes away. The kitchen is quite robust (even a sous vide) and with the new grill it is hard to resist the pleasures of cooking-in.
Here, you can hear silence, and then that silence is filled up with sounds you could have missed...a hawks wing, a tractor off in the hills miles away. You see the light as it changes constantly and watch the movement of the wind on the fields. There is Wi-Fi and music and TV and hawks and pheasants and deer on the hillsides.
So...take the Jefferson staircase (alternating steps) upstairs and enjoy the king bed or stay downstairs in the queen, there are joys to discover in each. Great reading spots abound, plenty of places to set your wine glass.
The house is built with eight-inch framing and high insulation factors for green energy efficiency and passive heating/cooling. Except in high summer or winter months it is seldom necessary to turn on either heat or ac, but both are on automatic central systems. Winter months are especially gorgeous and the cold weather provides a perfect reason for enjoying the fireplace.
After finishing building the initial housing structure, we decided to occasionally rent and share this stunning beauty with others. It has gone a little wild, more than planned, but sharing the joy is good stuff.
(Please note that we love kids, but children and smoking inside are absolute no-goes. BTW...no discounted rents ever on first time rentals...please do not make offers. When you come back again, and you probably will, that's when we are happy to extend a hand. One other note- vineyard and wheat farming will include the occasional planting or harvest activity. Our vineyard manager or farm manager will also be by occasionally to check on grapes and wheat. They have no access for inside the house; you might catch a glimpse of them working. Also, we have added one security camera above the front door that is directed at the driveway.)
100 mile+ views changing constantly with the light and the weather. Grape Hill is custom and unique in every sense. Over the next several years, the house and farm will continue to evolve toward a long-term vision that continues to reinforce grace with this special landscape. Our first wine went into bottle in 2008. Big Table was built out in the fields. Call it our Grape Hill slice of Provence...
From miles out, Grape Hill fits in the landscape, a metal industrial agricultural building amongst the fields; perfectly normal sight set in the farm country. We didn't want to make the house the focus, not here at such a special spot.
Once inside, things change.
Think of a chic Tribeca loft or a San Francisco modern. Clean and minimalist, but warm and unpretentious, too. Polished concrete floors and 19 foot ceilings. Eight inch moldings. Two big baths with cherry vanities. A double-head granite shower upstairs in the big loft, an over-sized granite tub with shower downstairs. Flatscreen TVs in both sleeping areas with local channels and streaming shows from your favorite online channels. A big screen TV in the living room for hanging out and enjoying a special movie. Cherry cabinets, granite and glass, stainless steel appliances and unique lighting arrangements...and who would guess it?
Views in every direction are framed by tall windows looking out to the Blue Mountains, Dry Creek, and hundred year old farmsteads in the valley below. You can spend hours on the patio or walking the fields day and night. Amazing stars and awesome sunsets. Bring your passion. Bring new recipes to try. You're in for something special!
