K Vintners and House of Smith

Charles Smith became intrigued with wine while working in restaurants at the age of 19. He spent a decade touring Europe as a rock band manager in Denmark, then returned to the United States and opened a wine shop on Bainbridge Island. A road trip to Walla Walla in 1999 gave him the opportunity to make wine. His first vintage was 330 cases of 1999 K Syrah, which he sold out of the back of his 1987 Chevy Astro van, and K Vintners opened in December 2001. The first label carried a giant black letter K, the same mark used on K Vintners bottles today.

• Became intrigued with wine while working in restaurants at 19
• Spent a decade touring Europe as a rock band manager in Denmark
• Opened a wine shop on Bainbridge Island; a 1999 road trip to Walla Walla led to his first vintage
• First vintage: 330 cases of 1999 K Syrah; K Vintners opened in December 2001

K Vintners makes small lots of single-vineyard Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and field blends of those grapes, all hand-picked, fermented with naturally occurring yeasts and basket pressed. Featured wines include Royal City Syrah, Ovide Jack's Vineyard, King Coal Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah, Powerline Viognier, Powerline Syrah, and The Creator Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah. The range also includes Cattle King Syrah, Klein Syrah, Milbrandt Syrah, Motor City Kitty (MCK) Syrah, Phil Lane Syrah, The Beautiful Syrah, The Deal Syrah, The Hidden Syrah, Stoneridge Cabernet Sauvignon, and Stoneridge Merlot. Motor City Kitty, named for Smith's tabby cat, began as a holiday barrel release in Walla Walla and is sourced from Dick Boushey's Oldfield Block.

• Hand-picked, fermented with naturally occurring yeasts, and basket pressed
• Featured wines: Royal City Syrah, Ovide Jack's Vineyard, King Coal, Powerline Viognier, Powerline Syrah, The Creator
• Further Syrahs include Cattle King, Klein, Milbrandt, Phil Lane, The Beautiful, The Deal, and The Hidden
• Motor City Kitty (MCK) Syrah is sourced from Dick Boushey's Oldfield Block

Royal City Syrah was first bottled in 2006. In 2005 Smith released three Syrahs sourced from Stoneridge Vineyard, and in 2006 he combined them into one wine, named for Royal City, the nearest town. Stoneridge sits in the Royal Slope AVA, a 30-mile long east-west ridge totaling over 56,000 acres inside the Columbia Valley AVA. The vineyard was first planted in 2000 by the Davis family, lies at an elevation of between 760 and 814 feet, and has a layer of caliche and basalt under the topsoil. Other House of Smith wines from Stoneridge include Old Bones, Skull, King Coal, Broncho, El Jefe, and Stoneridge Cabernet and Merlot.

• Royal City Syrah: inaugural bottling 2006, from Stoneridge Vineyard
• Named for Royal City, the nearest town
• Stoneridge: first planted in 2000 by the Davis family, at 760 to 814 feet
• Other Stoneridge wines: Old Bones, Skull, King Coal, Broncho, El Jefe, Stoneridge Cabernet and Merlot

Phil Lane Vineyard, just east of downtown Walla Walla, is the first vineyard Smith planted, one acre in front of and one acre behind his Walla Walla farmhouse. It is planted with Syrah and has two acres of active vineyard. The vineyard is named for Phil Lane Sr., the original landowner, and yields two wines, Phil Lane Syrah and Phil Lane Syrah Rosé. Across the business, House of Smith sources from over 600 acres, manages all farming, uses native yeast fermentation on all wines, and uses 100% Washington grapes.

• Phil Lane Vineyard: the first vineyard Smith planted, just east of downtown Walla Walla
• Two acres of Syrah; named for Phil Lane Sr., the original landowner
• Two wines: Phil Lane Syrah and Phil Lane Syrah Rosé
• House of Smith: sources from over 600 acres and manages all farming
• Native yeast fermentation on all wines; 100% Washington grapes

Smith renamed the business House of Smith in 2021, and it includes K Vintners, CasaSmith, and SIXTO. SIXTO is a Chardonnay-only label with three single-vineyard wines, Frenchman Hills, Moxee, and Roza Hills, plus Uncovered, a cuvee of all three vineyards. The Roza Hills Chardonnay vines were planted in 1977, the Moxee vines in 1973, and the Frenchman Hills vines in 1998. The name comes from Sextus, Latin for the sixth, since it was Smith's sixth project, and from the film Searching for Sugar Man featuring Sixto Rodriguez. CasaSmith joined in 2012, focusing on single-vineyard Barbera, Primitivo, and Sangiovese. By April 2022 Smith had planted Golden West, a 373-acre Pinot Noir vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA, with a first vintage in 2018. Brennon Leighton is VP of Winemaking at House of Smith.

• Renamed House of Smith in 2021: K Vintners, CasaSmith, SIXTO
• SIXTO: Chardonnay only; Frenchman Hills, Moxee, Roza Hills, and Uncovered
• SIXTO vines planted 1973 (Moxee), 1977 (Roza Hills), and 1998 (Frenchman Hills)
• CasaSmith: joined in 2012; Barbera, Primitivo, Sangiovese
• Golden West: 373-acre Pinot Noir vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA, first vintage 2018

Smith developed and later sold the brands House Wine, Charles Smith Wines, and Substance, the home of Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Boom Boom Syrah, and the Velvet Devil Merlot. On October 17, 2016, Constellation Brands announced an agreement to acquire five Charles Smith Wines brands (Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Velvet Devil Merlot, Boom Boom! Syrah, Eve Chardonnay, and Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon) for approximately $120 million. The deal did not affect Smith's other brands, including his original K Vintners and the Chardonnay specialist Sixto. Smith created Kung Fu Girl beginning with the 2006 vintage; it is harvested from the cool Ancient Lakes region.

• Brands developed and later sold: House Wine, Charles Smith Wines, Substance
• October 17, 2016: Constellation Brands agreement to acquire five Charles Smith Wines brands for approximately $120 million
• The five: Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Velvet Devil Merlot, Boom Boom! Syrah, Eve Chardonnay, Chateau Smith Cabernet Sauvignon
• Kung Fu Girl began with the 2006 vintage; harvested from the Ancient Lakes region

House of Smith Jet City occupies the former Dr. Pepper bottling plant in Seattle's historic Georgetown neighborhood; Smith opened it in 2015, and its two tasting rooms were designed by Olson Kundig Architects. House of Smith Walla Walla, at 35 South Spokane Street just off Main Street, is a converted old auto-repair warehouse. K Vintners Walla Walla, at 820 Mill Creek Road at the base of the Blue Mountains, is the seasonally open original location; for 2026 it is open April 3 through October 24, on Fridays and Saturdays.

• House of Smith Jet City: former Dr. Pepper bottling plant, Georgetown, Seattle; opened 2015
• House of Smith Walla Walla: 35 South Spokane Street, a converted auto-repair warehouse
• K Vintners Walla Walla: 820 Mill Creek Road, the seasonally open original location

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://houseofsmith.com/, https://houseofsmith.com/about/, https://houseofsmith.com/brands/kvintners-wines/, https://houseofsmith.com/brands/sixto-chardonnay-wines/, https://houseofsmith.com/brands/casasmith-wines/, https://houseofsmith.com/visit-us/, https://houseofsmith.com/press/, https://houseofsmith.com/wine-scores/, https://houseofsmith.com/stories/royal-city-syrah-an-instant-classic/, https://houseofsmith.com/stories/vineyard-tales-stoneridge/, https://houseofsmith.com/stories/vineyard-tales-phil-lane/, https://houseofsmith.com/stories/sixto-resurrection-realization/, https://houseofsmith.com/stories/motor-city-kitty-syrah-wine/. Secondary sources: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/constellation-buys-five-of-charles-smith-wines, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000016918/000001691816000104/stzex_99-1.htm, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/vintner-charles-smith-sees-potential-with-pinot-noir-in-washington-state. Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.