Updated December 2021
Best wineries in Walla Walla
Four hours east of Portland lies one of Washington’s key AVA’s in the Columbia Valley. The Walla Walla Valley consists of over 120 wineries comprised of diverse planting sites with distinct microclimates. The small town is home to a wide selection of tasting rooms, bars, cafe’s and restaurants. Syrah and other Southern and Northern Rhone varietals are the most popular grapes grown in this region. However, there are plenty of Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet and Merlot as well.
Walla Walla is a name given by the Native Americans which means “Many Waters”. The wines are extremely enjoyable and we were impressed with the number of high quality producers concentrated in a relatively small area. Read down to see our picks for best wineries to visit in Walla Walla.
Terroir of Walla Walla
Cold winters, hot and dry summers and very cold nights. The cool evenings help elevate the acidity of the grapes, which otherwise may turn out flabby and jammy given the hot summers. There is very little rainfall here (as is the same with most of the Columbia Valley) due to the rain shadow from the Cascade Mountains.
To the east are the beautiful Blue Mountains which allow for higher elevation planting sites and cooler weather; the Bordeaux varietals flourish out this way. In the south, you’ll find a very unique sub-AVA region: The Rocks District. This is the only AVA with an almost entirely single soil type; cobblestone-rich gravels deposited by the Walla Walla River. There are baseball-sized rocks here that go down 200 feet below ground. Syrah thrives in The Rocks with the non-vigorous soil forcing the vine’s roots to plunge deep into the earth in search of nutrients, bringing a wealth of interesting flavors to the glass.
We were given a private tour of SJR Vineyard (where The Rocks District started) with one of their family members. Growing here isn’t easy–aside from the rocky soil, winters can get very cold and the valley floor is where cold air collects. Large fans are installed around the area to move the cold air around. The Robinson family are experimenting with a proprietary MHT vine training (Master head train) in order to keep the vines spread out, allowing wind and heat to flow through to protect against frost and disease pressure.
Best wineries in Walla Walla
Gramercy cellars
Led by NYC Master Sommelier Greg Harrington, Gramercy Cellars makes old-world style Rhone and Bordeaux-style wines. For those unfamiliar, the term old-world refers to wines from Europe which tend to have lower alcohol, lighter body, higher acidity and more aromatics than the typical new world wines of Americas, South Africa and Australia/NZ; winemakers can influence this style by choosing to harvest fruit earlier in the growing season, amongst other decisions.
Anyways, the wines are divine–the Syrah’s especially. We adored the 2016 Les Collines Syrah, grown on a steep hillside slope. Gramercy has very good value on price per bottle and a swanky tasting room to boot.
Force Majeure
Highly polished and highly touted. This winery was put on the map with a 100 point rating in one of their first vintages (for those who care about points). We tasted this “perfect Syrah”, made with grapes planted at SJR vineyard and it was indeed quite good. The individualized tasting experience is enjoyable and includes a walk around their modest, young estate vineyard nestled in The Rocks District AVA.
Force Majeure reminds us a lot of Lingua Franca, one of our favorites of the Willamette Valley. The two wineries were supposed to do a collaboration project together last year, but smoke and fires ruined things for the 2020 vintage. There’s lots of promise at Force Majeure as their vines will age with time, further adding to the complexity of the wines.
Time and Direction
Steve Wells practiced winemaking alongside Greg Harrington from Gramercy Cellars before starting his own project. There’s a small tasting room in downtown Walla Walla which leaves all pretentious notions of wine at the door. Musical instruments, Darth Vader figurines and Zelda posters are scattered all over for ambiance.
“People take wine too seriously.. it’s not. It should be fun,” Steve remarked as he poured our flight.
Like Gramercy, the Syrah’s were excellent–balanced, aromatic and a voluptuous body without packing a knockout ABV punch. Steve worked as a Sommelier in NYC for many years–a trend we’ve noticed is that former Somm’s make great winemakers. Another example is Nate Ready from Hiyu Wine Farms in our guide for the Columbia Gorge.
Gård Vintners
This was an impromptu stop. We would normally avoid larger scale wineries, as we find they usually create a mass-produced, boring and streamlined product. But hey, we were proved wrong about this one. There are many labels nested under the Gård operation and the winery contains upwards of 6,000 filled barrels with only 5 full time cellar hands. That is mind boggling. It’s typical to have 2-3 full time cellar hands to manage a few hundred barrels.
Maybe it’s the small staff attention to detail that helps Gård thrive. The 2018 Viognier was the best white wine we tried all weekend. The tasting room is located downtown and features a cozy bar atmosphere; a great stop before dinner.
Best restaurants in Walla Walla
- Walla Walla Steak Co: Situated in the old train station, you walk in and have a choice: Steak on the right and a brewpub on the left. The Steak side also features a lengthy cocktail and wine list, so you can’t go wrong with either choice pre-dinner. Everything served up here was delicious, especially (and surprisingly) the seafood. Light and fresh crabcakes with some local Viognier is one to consider for future white wine pairings.
- The Maple Counter: Solid breakfast choice after a day of tasting. Fluffy pancakes and french-style omelettes
- Hattaway’s on Alder: Epic charcuterie board with a fantastic wine selection. You can even rent out this sweet wine cellar room for special group occasions.
More wineries
We visited during the pandemic and as such, weren’t able to taste at all the place we wanted. Here are some we are excited to try on our next trip: Alton Wines, Garrison Creek, The Walls, Buty Winery, Prospice Wines, Cayuse Wines. Have you been to any of these wineries and/or do you think we missed any on our list? Let us know!
