When they first moved to town, Brian Lawenda and Jenni Rodriquez would sit on the patio of the Avennia wine tasting room on Red Mountain and look out on a nearby piece of land.

It was a bit of a mess, Rodriquez recalled. And it had an unusual history.

But there was something special about it.

“My husband would look down there and say, ‘One day, I want to own that,’” Rodriquez said.

Now, they do. They bought the 4.7 acres in 2021 for about $260,000.

They set about cleaning it up, and designing and building a unique, luxurious rental home that takes advantage of the sweeping views and the prime location in the famed wine region.

The home – called the Summit on Red Mountain – will be available starting in May for short-term stays through VRBO, Airbnb and an in-the-works website. It’ll also be available for special events through Amber Lilly Event Rentals and Design.  

It’s 3,000 square feet, with four bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a host of amenities, from a gourmet kitchen to a built-in outdoor barbecue area; an in-ground, sunken hot tub; and a gas fire pit.

“I hope that it becomes a retreat for people who stay there,” Rodriquez said. 

She and Lawenda moved to the Tri-Cities in 2016, and they’re active in the community. 

Lawenda is a U.S. Navy veteran and radiation oncologist, and Rodriquez has a background in marketing, nursing and construction management. They also own the historic Cropp Mansion in Walla Walla.

For the Red Mountain home, they worked with designer and builder Aaron Magula of Dream Builders in Richland. The $1-plus million home is surrounded on three sides by Avennia vineyards, and floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedrooms and living space mean guests can soak in the panoramic views. 

The bathrooms have heated toilet washlets and floors, open wet room showers, and soaking tubs.

The design “is all about enjoying the beauty of where we live,” Rodriquez told the Journal of Business. “We’ve been shocked to find how many people in the Tri-Cities haven’t spent a day up at Red Mountain. We really want people to get excited about what is in our backyard.”

Red Mountain is a top wine region, known for its world-class wine grapes and wineries.

The first vines were planted there in the 1970s.

The property where the Summit on Red Mountain now sits once was home to Blackwood Canyon Vintners, owned by the pioneering winemaker Mike Moore. Moore, who died in 2011 at the age of 55, has been described as eccentric, a maverick and an iconoclast. 

He was widely admired for his skill in growing and making wine, and the bestselling author Tom Clancy even mentioned Moore and his wine in one of his books “Net Force: State of War.”

Rodriquez said she and Lawenda are excited to begin renting out the home, building on the land’s rich heritage. 

“We’re hoping it draws even more people to (the area) to visit the wineries and get to know the winemakers and owners,” she said. “It’s a great community, and we just love being part of it.”

For more information, check out the Summit on Red Mountain on social media.