First planted in the 1920s to potatoes and alfalfa by the Stephenson family, Red Willow switched to viticulture in the 1970s when Mike Sauer married into the family and planted 30 acres of Concord. With the urging of Dr. Walter Clore of Washington State University, Sauer began planting experimental blocks of Vitis vinifera. In 1973, Sauer planted 3 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon which, after Otis Vineyard in the lower Rattlesnake Hills and Harrison Hill Vineyard in the Snipes Mountain AVA, is one of the oldest plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon still being used for wine production. From the WSU experimental plantings also came Washington's first commercial planting of Cabernet Franc and through a 30+ year relationship with David Lake and Columbia Winery, Red Willow would pioneer the plantings of many new varieties including Barbera, Malbec, Mourvedre, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, Tempranillo and Viognier.