A group of five people walking outdoors near a pond with trees in the background. The group consists of one man and four women and teenagers, all smiling and enjoying a sunny day.
A young boy and an older man posing in front of a red tractor on a farm during the day.

The Lawrence Family Legacy

Lawrence Vineyards is led by Josh and Lisa Lawrence, whose story is deeply tied to the Royal Slope. Josh grew up in Royal City, a small agricultural community southwest of Moses Lake, where farming runs deep. He studied business administration at Pacific Lutheran University, where he met Lisa (Treadwell) Lawrence, a communication major from Olympia.

After college, Josh returned home to farm with his family before moving to Redmond, where he and Lisa married. Lisa built her career in tech marketing and public relations, while Josh worked in sales and later launched a wine importing business.

In 2001, Josh and Lisa returned to Royal City to put down roots and build something lasting. In 2003, they founded Lawrence Vineyards, now a trusted source for many of Washington’s most respected and highest-scoring wineries, with Josh and Lisa’s own winery representing a small part of the estate. In 2006, they launched Gård Vintners, now Gård Estate Wines, to showcase the character and quality of their estate fruit. Gård now features their estate fruit in more than 50 different wines, with five tasting rooms, two inns, and a restaurant, spanning the state from Walla Walla to Prosser to Ellensburg to Woodinville and Royal City.

A man and woman stand close together outdoors, holding glasses of wine, smiling and looking at each other, with a woman holding a wine bottle. They are in a vineyard during daytime.

Josh & Lisa Lawrence, Proprietors

The Lawrence family has been farming the Royal Slope for more than half a century — working the land, learning its rhythms, and growing everything from wheat and forages to apples and cherries, long before wine grapes entered the picture. In 2003, the first vineyard blocks were planted, sparked by Josh Lawrence’s idea to evolve the family farm into a winegrowing estate. 

Today, Lawrence Vineyards, led by proprietors Josh and his wife Lisa, is a Sustainable WA-certified operation spanning 13 sites across 645 acres and three AVAs: Royal Slope, Columbia Valley, and The Rocks District of Milton‑Freewater. Each vineyard reflects decades of hands‑on experience with this land — choosing the right sites, nurturing the soils, and farming with intention. Every block is planted, tended, and harvested with the same care that built the family farm, because we believe great wine begins long before it reaches the cellar.

We invite you to explore our sustainably farmed estate vineyards, rooted in the Royal Slope and shaped by generations of stewardship.

A man wearing a camouflage hat and a black t-shirt holding a wine glass with pinkish-red wine inside, standing in front of large wooden wine barrels in a wine cellar.
A man wearing a camouflage hat and a black t-shirt holding a wine glass with pinkish-red wine inside, standing in front of large wooden wine barrels in a wine cellar.

Matías Kúsulas

With more than 20 harvests across the globe and a wine education that spans distinction in Viticulture and Enology at the University of Chile plus postgraduate studies at Bordeaux and Montpellier, Matías brings a rare blend of vineyard expertise and winemaking insight to Lawrence Vineyards and our winery, Gård Estate Wines. He joined our team a decade ago as Production Winemaker and Viticulturist, drawn to the diversity of sites and the opportunity to farm with intention across multiple AVAs. His leadership, technical depth, and drive for innovation led to his promotion to Head Winemaker in 2021, a role that reflects both his vision and his impact on our wines.

Matías believes every wine begins in the vineyard—its personality shaped long before it reaches the cellar. His innovative work encompasses clonal selection, canopy management, irrigation strategy, and harvest timing, ensuring each block expresses its site and season. That same vineyard‑first approach guides his winemaking for our own Gård Estate Wines, as well as his labels Valo and Massalto, creating a seamless connection between how the grapes are grown and how the wines ultimately take shape.

Viticulturist & Head Winemaker