When Walla Walla comes to town, there's plenty to taste
Over 40 wineries from Walla Walla took their show on the road, first in Seattle, then Portland and ending the tour in Boise.
Before the sold out Seattle tasting, there was an educational session with winemaker Bobby Richards of Seven Hills Winery, Mina Williams of Blanc & Rouge Wine Bar and Ryan Aguirre, beverage manager for the Herbfarm Restaurant.
Attending wine seminars with 6 glasses of wine in front of me is a gratifying pursuit. Listening to wine professionals geeking out about wine is another one of my favorite pastimes. And while this seminar was without the glasses in front of the attendees, it did explore a wide range of thought-provoking topics.
Such as when vineyards were planted in the Walla Walla Valley (beginning in the early 1980s), to the different types of soil (loess, cobblestone, basalt) and what is being done to mitigate climate change in the vineyards (treated wastewater for irrigation). This year’s I-didn’t-know-that takeaway — certain rootstocks allow earlier harvests!
One topic that popped up was the impact of the hard seltzers on the wine industry. Remember the wine coolers of the 1980s? That fruit juice with a little wine was very popular. And then in 1991, Congress quintupled taxes on wine. As a result, wine-based beverages were replaced by malt based beverages. The conclusion was fads come and go but wine will always be there.
And speaking of wine, a few facts about Walla Walla and their wine industry. The Walla Walla AVA formed in 1984, making it Washington’s second AVA behind Yakima Valley. There were only four wineries back then — Leonetti in 1977, Woodward Canyon in 1981 and L’Ecole No 41 and Waterbrook in 1983.
The valley encompasses 322,794 acres, of which almost 3,000 are planted to grape vines. There are a lot of onions and wheat in this fertile valley. Red grapes dominate at 95% — with 36% Cabernet, 18% Syrah and 16% Merlot. The remainder is planted to Tempranillo, Cab Franc, Grenache, Malbec, Mourvedre and even Pinot Noir!
Fifty-seven percent of this AVA is in Washington and 43% in Oregon. There is a sub-AVA in the Oregon part of the Walla Walla AVA called The Rocks District of Milton Freewater or The Rocks District for short. Only Oregon wineries are allowed to label their wines “The Rocks District of Milton Freewater.”
The Rocks District is a very different type of soil than other vineyards in Walla Walla Valley. There is a good reason it's called The Rocks District with its fist-sized rocks covering the vineyards. It’s planted to a different mix of vines — 40% Syrah, 32% Cab, 10% Merlot and 7% Grenache.
In the early '80s, there were few vineyards in Walla Walla so the handful of wineries sourced their grapes from the western side of Columbia Valley, i.e., Yakima, Columbia Gorge or Wahluke Slope. And because those established vineyards made award winning wines, certain wineries continue to source from AVAs outside of Walla Walla.
For instance, one of my favorite Chardonnays is from Abeja. Their 2021 Chardonnay doesn’t have an AVA listed but instead it’s labeled Washington State. Vineyard sources for this wine are Abeja Estate in the Walla Walla AVA, Celilo Vineyards planted in 1972 in the Columbia Gorge AVA, and Connor Lee on the upper end of the Wahluke Slope AVA also planted in the 1970s.
Foundry Vineyards sources grapes from the Columbia Gorge (closer to Portland than Walla Walla). Their Washington State Orange Cuvee Pet-Nat is made with the very aromatic, rare Muscat Ottonel grape and blended with a dollop of Pinot Gris and a pinch of Riesling.
Pet-Nat is short for pétillant naturel — a French term for wines that are naturally sparkling, this one was beautiful with just a tickle of bubbles. Foundry Vineyards also sources their delightful dry Riesling grapes from the Columbia Gorge.
Another example of a Walla Walla winery using grapes from older established vineyards was Canvasback’s Riesling. Frenchman Hills Vineyards was first planted in 1998 and has since grown to almost 500 acres in the Royal Slope AVA. They were also pouring three 2019 Cabs that hail from Red Mountain AVA.
Established in 1983, L’Ecole No 41 has been making Chenin Blanc since 1987. The current old-vine Chenin is from three Yakima Valley vineyards all planted in 1979. This crisp, Vouvray-like style would pair very nicely with a cheese board with Havarti, Gruyère, and slices of apples and pears.
Amavi Cellars produces an unusual white wine from their estate vineyards. Their Semillon is blended with a smidge of Sauvignon Blanc and is a shining example of full-bodied Semillon. This crisp, well-balanced wine was impressive.
Grenache Blanc is related to the Grenache Noir grape. Usually found in Rhône blends where it partners up with Roussanne and Marsanne. But at Revelry Vintners it stands alone. This unusual wine is from the venerable Alder Ridge Vineyards in Columbia Valley. My quick scribble noted VG!
Quite a number of rosés and sparkling wines popped up so I soldiered on to find some very good wines for approaching spring and summer dinners, bbqs and more tastings.
Dossier Wine made a stunning Columbia Valley Syrah Rosé from one of my favorite old vineyards, Weinbau, a warm site in the Wahluke Slope AVA. One of Walla Walla’s newest wineries from a partnership of former Seahawk Sidney Rice and Tim Lenihan.
Balboa Winery made an impressive sparkling Columbia Valley Rosé from Walla Walla Grenache and Red Mountain Mourvedre, both of these AVAs are in the Columbia Valley AVA, a very big AVA that encompasses 19 of Washington’s 20 AVAs.
But what really impressed was the family winery, some call it garagist, DuCleaux. They’ve been having fun with Pet-Nat. Previous years have been made with Dolcetto and Grenache. This year, it’s Cinsault from the Rocks District. May be hard to find, but so worth the search.
Revelry’s Rosé Spritz is a blend of Walla Walla Cabernet Franc and Grenache, fermented in stainless steel and bottled for a delightful pet-nat. Also VG!
SMAK had a bubbly and 3 Rosés. Their Winter was a bubbly Syrah Grenache blend that was crisp and citrusy. Visions of freshly caught Dungeness crab danced in my head. The three still wines included Spring, a Sangiovese Rosé; Autumn, a Syrah Rosé and Summer, a Pinot Gris with a lovely pink hue to it from an unusual purple skinned, tight clustered Pinot Gris grapes.
Finally, I have run out of space but have many more thoughts, especially those Walla Walla’s red wines.
Taste Washington, the next big event, complete with seminars with wine glasses in front of you takes place the weekend of March 11 and 12. Many wines to explore from 230 Washington wineries and the 6 seminars. Cheers!
Mary Earl has been educating Kitsap wine lovers for a couple of decades, is a longtime member of the West Sound Brew Club and can pair a beer or wine dinner in a flash. She volunteers for the Clear Creek Trail and is a longtime supporter of Silverdale.
This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: When Walla Walla wineries come to town, there's plenty to taste
