“Home is where the heart is! This is the first vineyard that I planted, one acre in front and one acre behind my 1868 Walla Walla farmhouse – the original site of K Vintners.” –Charles Smith

Located just east of downtown Walla Walla, Phil Lane Vineyard is literally on Charles’ doorstep. Maybe you’ve been lucky enough to have a tasting in his garage, which now doubles as House of Smith’s wine library and hidden gem of a tasting room. Marked from the road by a giant—what else—capital ‘K’, the vineyards themselves are equal parts pet project and origin story.

Planted with Charles’ signature varietal Syrah, there’s just two acres of active vineyard on site, meaning Phil Lane produces a very limited, and exclusive, amount of wine.

Nestled back behind a small creek, Charles’ OG HQ is surrounded by trees even older than the house itself. The vineyard is named for one Phil Lane Sr., the original landowner who raised his family on the property. Phil Sr.’s colorful past, which includes amateur and professional boxing, being the first Native American to obtain a degree in forestry, not one but two citations from President Lyndon B. Johnson, and a passion for training quarter horses, provides an obvious lineage of excellence for his namesake.

With soil made up of Yakima cobbler loam in an ancient riverbed, vines are trained to grow extra low to take advantage of heat radiating off the rocky ground. Well-draining, Phil Lane manages a slightly cooler climate than other parts of the valley. Did we mention it’s small? Two acres. That’s it. As such, there’s only two wines available from this spot, each as iconic as their birthplace.

High scoring and rewarding those with enough patience to place their allotment in a cellar to properly come of age, K Vintners Phil Lane Syrah has wowed critics and the public alike year after year. James Suckling even anointed it number 11 of his top 100 United States wines in 2020.

For those with a thirst that won’t wait, there’s also Phil Lane Syrah Rosé, (sold out until summer, sorry!) Refreshing yet complex, it’s the rare new world rosé capable of instant gratification while still more than happy to chill a few years in your cellar. Like its Syrah sibling, this rosé is a super limited batch—a collector’s item and critic’s darling—that’ll show you the true potential of American Rosé.

Not bad for some backyard wines, eh? There’s clearly a reason why this vineyard, as Charles is quick to point out, “has my heart”.