Our Viticultural Story

Our viticultural story begins in 2011, while traveling in New Zealand. Inspired by the beauty of a vineyard on the shores of Waiheke Island, we decided to search for a special piece of land where we might create our own vineyard.  

We both have strong ties to the Pacific NW: Chip's command tour in the U.S. Navy was at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, and Valerie grew up in suburban Portland. We both love the Columbia Gorge, an emerging viticultural area with ideal soil and climate conditions. We determined we wanted to make our home here, and explored potential locations where we could plant our own roots as well as grapes.

Five years later we found the ideal site — a 56-acre cattle ranch in the heart of the Columbia Gorge AVA, with spectacular views of the mighty river and iconic Mt. Hood.  

After his retirement from the Navy, Chip dove into viticultural studies, both academic and practical. After earning enology-related degrees from the Eastern Institute of Technology (in New Zealand) and Sonoma State, Chip worked as an assistant winemaker at a Virginia vineyard for three years. He turned his hands-on experience into crafting the Night Watch Wines you'll find on this website.

Our vineyard, Foxley Estate, is rooted in a commitment to the land, with grape varieties carefully selected to complement the ancient soils, gravels, and winds unique to this distinctive region.

We planted our vineyard in 2018, and sell our hand-harvested grapes to local winemakers. Fine wine is both an art and a science that begins with the soil and continues though the cultivation of the grapes to the complex winemaking process. We are delighted to partner with dedicated and creative winemakers, and are proud that their labels highlight Foxley Estate as the grapes' origin.

As we share our passion for the land and its bounty, we invite you to explore the Night Watch wines we offer directly to customers. We encourage you to savor the taste of dedication, tradition, and a touch of history in every bottle. 

For inquiries or orders, please reach us at (206) 372-4881. Cheers!