Canoe Ridge Vineyard focuses primarily on Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The estate vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA was first planted in 1989, followed by the opening of its Walla Walla winery, established in 1994. The name comes from the vineyard site on the eastern side of Washington adjacent to the Columbia River. Famed explorers Lewis & Clark named this crest of land; they thought the ridge looked like an overturned canoe. In its two decades of winemaking, Canoe Ridge Vineyard has earned more than twenty-five scores of 90 points or better.