Walla walla is one of the most exciting wine regions in the country. Established in 1984, the Walla Walla Valley is an American Viticultural Area that spans 3,000 acres of vineyards and has 130 wineries across southeastern Washington and northeastern Oregon, including The Rocks subregion side in Milton-Freewater. The historic city of Walla Walla, Washington, is a charming and picturesque destination with a lively downtown devoted to the Washington state wine scene. For enterprising vintners, Walla Walla is a place where wine dreams come true. Land has always been cheaper than California, but ultimately, it comes down to the people and the place. Both lend Walla Walla an unstoppable allure.
Despite prime conditions for growing grapes, Walla Walla is a late bloomer in wine terms. The name means “land of many waters” in the indigenous language, a reference to the rivers of the region that allow farming to thrive in this otherwise arid corner of eastern Washington. Before grapes, wheat was the cash crop, followed by apples, berries and sweet onions. In 1977, Leonetti Cellar became the first winery to plant commercially in Walla Walla. The grandchild of immigrant farmers, Leonetti founder Gary Figgins grew up with his grandparents’ Southern Italian cooking and family-made wines. Figgins gained early headlines for his 1978 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine that landed the cover of Wine & Spirits as the best Cabernet in the nation. Leonetti has had a long waiting list for its top wines ever since—exactly the kind of encouragement Walla Walla farmers needed to start planting vines.
Unlike Figgins, the other pioneers of Walla Walla wines did not discover wine at their family tables. Winemaker Rick Small grew up on a wheat farm in northwest Walla Walla and developed a passion for wine on a post-grad trip to Europe. In 1981, Small ditched architecture to plant the first acres of Woodward Canyon Chardonnay in the westside town of Lowden. It was a successful career change for Small: In 1992, Wine Spectator named him “Winemaker of the Year,” transforming his unassuming farmhouse winery into a collector’s favorite known for exceptional estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. General manager Jordan Small and her brother, Sager, joined their dad in the family business and remember years of hard work and leaning on friends and neighbors like Leonetti and L’Ecole No. 41 for support through the early years. “We’re really isolated here,” Jordan Small mused in a V is for Vino documentary about Walla Walla. “People had to work together. They shared information, equipment and tasted wines together … and it’s still going on today. Every new winery has gotten on board with the collaborative aspect of Walla Walla.” Like many farming communities, people help each other out in Walla Walla.
Jean and Baker Ferguson launched L’Ecole No. 41 in the former Lowden schoolhouse next door to Woodward Canyon. In 1988, they convinced their daughter, Megan, and her husband, Marty Clubb, to leave high-power jobs in San Francisco to run the winery. Graduates of MIT’s Sloan School of Management with backgrounds in engineering and two small kids in tow, the Clubbs took over the mom-and-pop operation with zero winemaking experience and big dreams. Marty Clubb started buying grapes and taking crash courses in winemaking at UC Davis, while his wife worked at a bank to pay the bills. In 1991, he secured 2 acres of Walla Walla Valley Cabernet and Merlot from Pepper Bridge Winery. The result would be L’Ecole Pepper Bridge Apogee, a flagship Bordeaux blend that shows off the region’s lush Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Ever the entrepreneur, Clubb started knocking on European and Asian doors to build a global market and connect with the top critics in London. In 2014, his efforts paid off: L’Ecole won Decanter World Wine Award’s International Trophy for Best in Show-Best Bordeaux Blend, surpassing every wine in the world. Decanter Magazine called it a “coup.” Washington state was officially on the world wine map.
Geographically speaking, Walla Walla is a great place to make wine. The climate is dry and sunny with a long growing season to ripen grapes of many varieties. The oldest soils in Walla Walla date back some 17 million years: Ancient lava flows left behind a base layer of basalt that delivers freshness and minerality in the wines. In more recent geological time, a catastrophic Ice Age event known as the Missoula floods slammed the area, leaving alluvial deposits like gravel, sand and silt to add to the complexity. Walla Walla growers were left with an incredible diversity of soils, elevations and micro-climates to plant exceptional Bordeaux and Rhône grape varieties. Reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Grenache account for over 90% of plantings, complemented by limited but high-quality white grapes like Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Roussanne that prefer cooler areas like the foothills of the Blue Mountains. Wine growers are constantly experimenting with what new varieties to plant—and where to plant them.
A strong pull for newcomers to Walla Walla is the opportunity to work with the landscape. Doug Frost is one of only three people in the world to hold both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles (equivalent to two Olympic gold medals in wine circles). In 1985, Frost had an encounter with destiny at the Green Lantern tavern in Walla Walla. “I met the late, great David Lake [a fellow Master of Wine and winemaker at Columbia Winery], and when he poured me a 1983 Semillon, I was gobsmacked,” Frost recalls. “I think good wine is supposed to provide an emotional connection to a place, and you don’t ignore it when it happens.” Wines from Gramercy Cellars, Cayuse, Leonetti and Woodward Canyon kept drawing him back.
In 2018, Frost joined forces with conservationist Brad Bergman to launch Echolands Winery and purchase Taggart Vineyard, a 50-acre property located on the Oregon side of Walla Walla. As the new co-owner and CEO of Echolands, Frost learned firsthand how to prep a vineyard laid bare by the Missoula floods. “Where we planted, there was nothing but loess; deep, windblown, dusty soils that settled for millennia with little organic material but excellent drainage,” says Frost. “We spent the first two years growing and mulching beneficial plants to provide some lively material underneath the vines.” Undeterred by Mother Nature or COVID-19, Frost and Bergman released their first three Walla Walla AVA wines in 2020: Echolands Syrah Les Collines Vineyard, Echolands Seven Hills Vineyard (a Cabernet-based Bordeaux blend) and Echolands Grenache Rivière-Galets Vineyard. Frost and winemaker Brian Rudin strive for elegance, balance and restraint to “echo” Walla Walla’s true nature. Their playful side comes out with wines like Echolands Poét-Nat, a bubbly “pét-nat” style that they have championed in the region.
For their next chapter, Echolands has just opened a new state-of-the-art winery and hospitality center in the Mill Creek area on the eastside of Walla Walla. Located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, the 341-acre Echolands Estate sits at the highest elevations, with spectacular views and a mission to open its doors to the world. Leonetti’s Mill Creek-Uplands Vineyard is just down the road, as are Aluvé, Walla Walla Vintners, Abeja, Armstrong Family, Bledsoe|McDaniels and Figgins Family, making the eastside of Walla Walla a compelling place to hang out. To experience the heart of wine country, The Inn at Abeja winery offers private guest cottages and gourmet breakfasts in an original farmstead setting surrounded by acres of gardens, creeks and vines.
ECHOLANDS CABERNET FRANC
BLUE MOUNTAIN VINEYARD 2021
($45)
97% CABERNET FRANC, 3% MERLOT. RICH CABERNET FRANC CHARACTER OF LAVENDER, ROSE PETAL, HERBS AND BLUE AND RED FRUITS, ALONG WITH ALL THE GENEROSITY AND RICHNESS THAT WALLA WALLA CAN BRING.
L’ECOLE ESTATE FERGUSON VINEYARD 2021
($75)
56% CABERNET SAUVIGNON, 18% MERLOT, 14% CABERNET FRANC, 7% MALBEC, 5% PETIT VERDOT. A CLASSIC SINGLE VINEYARD BORDEAUX BLEND INFLUENCED BY VOLCANIC BASALT SOIL. DENSELY STRUCTURED AND AGE-WORTHY, WITH AROMAS OF CASSIS, BLUEBERRY, BOYSENBERRY, IRON, GRAPHITE AND SANDALWOOD.
FIGGINS ESTATE RIESLING 2023
($90/3-PACK)
100% ESTATE-GROWN RIESLING FROM WINE DIRECTOR CHRIS FIGGINS AND FAMILY OF LEONETTI FAME. WALLA WALLA WHITES REPRESENT ONLY 5% OF ALL PLANTINGS, AND THIS IS SUPER SPECIAL FROM A HIGH ELEVATION BLOCK IN A COOL SITE. BRILLIANT GOLDEN YELLOW WITH NOTES OF CRISP PEAR AND LEMON RIND. PURCHASE THROUGH THE WINERY.
Wine travelers will also get a warm welcome in the city of Walla Walla. It’s a short one-hour flight from Portland or Seattle, and many up-and-coming wineries (nicknamed the “incubators”) are based near the airport in converted hangars that also host artisans and food carts. Downtown Walla Walla is home to some 40 tasting rooms, as well as chef-owned restaurants, shopping and boutique hotels. It’s a destination for foodies, cyclists and nature lovers, a more laid-back version of Napa with a great live music scene. To stay in town, the Marcus Whitman Hotel is a classic choice with comfortable rooms and a James Beard-nominated restaurant. The Finch offers a motel vibe with hip Northwest décor; the friendly staff will happily direct you to the best food trucks, coffee shops and wine bars, all within walking distance of the historic Whitman College campus and Pioneer Park.
Walla Walla is the perfect home base to visit the wineries in the area (consult the Walla Walla Wine Valley’s outstanding digital map and resources to plan ahead). After a day of tasting, a craft brewery or cocktail bar will revive your palate before dinner. Top restaurant choices include Walla Walla Steak Co. (specializing in Northwest-raised cuts); Saffron Mediterranean Restaurant (try the mezze with a small batch cocktail to start); or Eritage Resort, a luxe lodge and farm-to-table restaurant set in the rolling hills north of town. The best taco in town is a hot-button issue, and the standard is high all around: Grandma’s Kitchen is a favorite with Whitman College students, but don’t miss AK’s Mercado. Chef Andrae Bopp worked in world-renowned NYC kitchens like Bouley and Le Bernardin and churns out an inspired range daily, from brisket, short rib and goat-birria to grilled fish and veggie tacos, all made with homemade tortillas.
The Walla Walla Valley turns 40 this year and is well worth the trip, but to try the most limited releases right away, sign up for a winery club and buy direct. *
Helen Gregory has been writing about the good life for over 20 years. Fluent in four languages, she has lived in Italy, India, France, Morocco and South America, and derives inspiration from her love of travel and the many people she has met along the way. An accomplished business owner, Helen shares her life with her husband, Brian, three kids and two dogs.
