Subscribe Free
click here
FEATURES

Home
News Bytes
Archive
Calendar
DIRECTORIES

Restaurants
 Happy Hour
Wine Tastings
Services

SeattleDining.com
Search
 About Us
 Contact Us
 Ad Rates
 Write for
 SeattleDining.com

Seattle Dining
c/o Mixed Media
2226 Eastlake Ave E
Suite 69
Seattle, WA 98102

© 1999-2012
Mixed Media

Wandering Walla Walla

Tucked in Washington’s far Southeastern corner, Walla Walla was once the watchword for missionaries and convicted felons. Now this town’s notorious residents include some of the most innovative winemakers in the world. Near enough to Seattle to make it an easy jaunt, yet far enough away to hold some distant locale caché, Walla Walla holds the distinction of being a top wine region thick in the midst of Washington’s ever-expanding wine industry.

Photo:  The schoolhouse/tasting room at
L'Ecole No. 41 is rich with history and top rated wines.

To track the tremendous growth of wineries in the Walla Walla Valley, the local wine alliance now boasts more than 50 members – a 350 percent increase over five years ago. Increased acreage and a deepening wine culture are often cited for this explosion, however acceptance of Washington wines, and Walla Walla’s in particular, in other areas of the country is what feeds continual sales.

"We get around a lot," says Marty Clubb, winemaker at L’Ecole No. 41. "We are a small business, with ten employees. In the scheme of wineries we are 25th in the State. But we are on the road marketing in Arizona, New York, Boston, D.C., Indianapolis, Chicago, anywhere we can educate anyone about Washington State Wines. And they are blown away with the quality."

What is apparently making critics take notice is the distinctive flair Walla Walla winemakers approach the red Bordeaux ad Rhone-style wines in particular. Innovation comes in different shades of red and white in Walla Walla, but what stands at the center are the grapes. "It’s the fruit stupid," exclaims Ron Coleman, winemaker at Tamarac. Because the fruit is the leading character of the wine, developing long-term, long-lasting relationships with growers tops the list for winemakers. In some cases the wineries own their own estates to ensure good growing practices and ample supply.

"We manage the vineyards for quality," says Marty Clubb, winemaker of L’Ecole No. 41. L’Ecole works the Seven Hills Vineyard which gives the winery silky, elegant and approachable wines in addition to wines with dense and dark fruit qualities. Clubb theorizes the structure of his wine is simply the result of the vines being rooted in fine grain soil.

Christophe Baron, of Cayuse, personally manages five vineyards, 41 acres, employing biodynamic methods. These methods, based on ancestral knowledge and astronomical positions, bring growing grapes back to basics. "It’s all about observation and doing things at the right time to make sure the ground is alive and in balance and harmony with mother nature." He adds "It takes patience. I’m planting now for future generations, say 80 to 100 years from now."

The rocks in Baron’s vineyards have not been extracted, but rather excavated and used as a radiant heat source. "I’m not a winemaker," he states. "I create wine. I’m a farmer. The raw material is what’s important. You can be the best winemaker, but you can’t turn bad grapes into great wine. We live in a time where everything tastes the same. I choose an authentic flavor with character."

"People interfere with good quality," says Caleb Foster, winemaker at Buty Winery. "You have to do the right thing in the right way. It’s more important who’s managing the vineyard than the variety or the winemaker. The design of the wine is done on the vine. At harvest time the wine is 90 percent done, winemakers simply add the last 10 percent in styling."

Remarkably food plays a great deal of importance in Walla Walla. Wine makers keep their eye on how their fruits match with food. Most aim to pair wine with Northwest favorites including salmon, turkey and duck. As a result tannins are toned down to maintain a food-friendly wine.

"There are a lot of tannins in Washington wine," says Foster. "I want tannins in the matrix, but not with teeth. I look to age with fruit."

"We like to make wines that we like to drink and that are priced right for a nice dinner," says Brett Isenhower. "We want a food-friendly wine, not a wine cocktail." This winemaker prefers an unfinished, unfiltered product. "I’m a minimalist," he says. "I want to be gentle to the juice and represent the flavor of the vineyards."

These new world winemakers are also making new inroads. Eric Dunham, winemaker at Dunham Cellars, originally started with Cabernet-style but is smitten with Syrah. "It will be like the merlot gold rush ten years ago," he predicts. "The tastes are great right out of the press pan. It’s a great bridge wine with a softness and fruit forward flavor. Yet we can get all styles our of Syrah from earthy Rhones to jammy Australians."

Photo:  Eric Dunham with his dog, better known to wine lovers as "Three Legged Red."

After visiting over a dozen tasting rooms we were struck with the breadth of Three Rivers Winery’s facility, which includes a gift shop, barrel rooms and cellars. The lodge-style building features a vine to bottle educational feature along with an expansive deck overlooking beautiful land and the winery’s own three-hole golf course.

At the other end of the spectrum, Yellow Hawk has a really cool Native-style tee pee as its tasting room.

Where we sampled

Tasting rooms for the wineries are conveniently grouped in four major pods – West of town, in town, south of town and at the airport. Others are peppered throughout Walla Walla, but how convenient to visit four wineries within walking distance of each other!

Photo:  Touring Walla Walla by limo is becoming a popular way for large parties to enjoy multiple tastings without the need to get behind the wheel.  This limo is parked at the recently opened to the public Basel Cellars.

West of town:

Airport:

In Walla Walla:

Special events
  • Spring Release Weekend. First weekend in May.
  • Balloon Stampede Weekend. Second weekend in May.
  • Vintage Walla Walla. Memorial Day.
  • Holiday Barrel Tasting. First weekend in December.

Tips before you go

Call ahead. Despite the distinction of being a world-renowned winery region, restaurants are precious few, sleeping accommodations do fill up and tasting room houses can be quirky.

Make your dining reservations at least a week in advance. Touring groups can occupy a restaurant for an entire evening, effectively shutting it down to you.

Photo:  Chef Michael Davis at 26 Brix has created one of the areas top restaurants.  His background includes a stint at Salish Lodge.

Don’t be concerned about calling tasting rooms to schedule an appointment. Generally the winemakers are all too happy to accommodate you. They simply don’t want to staff the tasting room when samplers won’t be sipping.

Bring a cooler. You may take a side trip and will want to keep your white wine chilled. You may also find other edible goodies along with way.

Consider hiring a driver or tour guide. Unless you have a non-drinking designated driver, leave the driving to someone else. Besides a local tour guide or driver won’t get lost and may have some inside scoop you wouldn’t ordinarily learn. In some cases your hotel or motel may be able to direct you to an operator.

Where we ate
  • The Marc Restaurant at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. 6 W. Rose 509.524.1799. Grand Sunday Brunch. Classic American fare for dinner.
  • La Monarca. On Rose, between 11th and 12th, in a gravel parking lot, is an old milk truck with Monarch butterflies on it. That is the best taco truck in the region.
  • Whitehouse-Crawford 55 W. Cherry St. 509.525.2222. Simple elegance. Don’t miss the Fried Walla Walla onions. We ate at the counter above the kitchen and enjoyed the organic, free-range beef burger.
  • 26 brix (207 W. Main) 509.526.0343. Casual elegance headed by former chef of Salish Lodge.
  • Creek Town Café (1129 S. 2nd St.) 509.522.4777.
  • Grapefields (4 E. Main St.) 509.522.3993.
  • Monteillet Fromagerie. Dayton, Wash., 509.382.1917. Open weekends and by appointment on weekdays. 25 minutes from Walla Walla. This artisan cheese maker serves as a great diversion from the grapes. Bring a bottle of wine to share and enjoy with Pierre-Louis and Joan Monteillet. We selected a couple of bottles from the Rulo Winery to pair with the handcrafted sheep and goat cheeses.
  • Patit Creek 509.382.2625 & Wineheart Café 509.382.1681, both in Dayton, Wash.

Lodgings
  • The Marcus Whitman. 6 West Rose, 866.826.9422. www.marcuswhitmanhotel.com
    A newly restored grande dame, built in 1928. Stunning palm-court lobby, lovely appointed rooms with a hotel replica night light on the desk and Starbucks Coffee for in-room coffee service. Rates: $79 - $279 incl continental breakfast.
  • The Weinhard Hotel. 235 E. Main, Dayton, Wash., 509.382.4032. www.weinhard.com
    Restored 1890s building built by beer baron Jacob Weinhard. Victorial furnishings, parlor with books and games. Wine touring, ski and romantic packages available. Every room has a rocking chair. Rates: $75 - $150 incl. continental breakfast.
  • Basel Cellars Estate Winery. 2901 Old Milton Hwy, 509.522.0200.
    Perfect for groups. Resort lodge at the winery with luxury accommodations, swimming pool, theater. Rates: $1,800 per night for 1-10 guests
  • Inn at Abeja. 2014 Mill Creek Road, 509.522.1234. www.abeja.net
    Lovingly restored 100-year-old farm transformed into a winery and inn. Pendleton blankets, breakfast in bed. Rates: $185 - $205.
  • The Bumble Abode. 6 South First #100. Hidden spot tucked into the center of town. The 1,500-sq. ft. studio sleeps six and comes with a kitchen, washer and dryer. Rates: $125 for two.

Also, a bevy of traditional chain lodgings – Best Western, La Quinta, Holiday Inn, Howard Johnson, Travelodge as well as bed & breakfasts. www.wallawalla.org

by Mina Williams
Visit our sponsors soon
Sound RIDER!
the Northwest's ultimate motorcycling resource
 
 
 

  Return to the HOME PAGE       This online magazine is a production of Mixed Media.