Walla Walla Wino Wino - Part I

We Washingtonians are lucky with a capital "L." Seriously. We western Washington folks are just 15 - 20 minutes away from great wineries and tasting rooms in Woodinville that offer a lot of bang for the buck. But to get "The Full Monty," I highly recommend you make the trip over to eastern Washington to Walla Walla. It's just under 300 miles from Seattle and once you're there, it becomes immediately obvious that you're going to be highly rewarded for your investment of time and fuel.

A little background on Walla Walla
First a little background on Walla Walla for those of you that have never ventured to this amazing part of the country. Agriculture is the dominant industry in the county (Walla Walla is one of three cities within Walla Walla County). Wheat is the number one crop. A variety of other crops, including barley, corn, potatoes, asparagus, peas, soft fruit, onions, concord and wine grapes, vegetables, alfalfa hay and seed generate a significant part of the annual harvest.

One of Walla Walla County’s best known agricultural products is the Walla Walla Sweet Onion developed specifically by Walla Walla growers. To be labeled a genuine Walla Walla Sweet, an onion must be grown within specific boundaries resulting in a low sulfur content and high water content, thus providing its sweet flavor.

Within Walla Walla County are two of the world’s largest farms. The Snake River Vineyard has the distinction of being the largest Concord grape vineyard and Broetje Orchards is the largest apple orchard. These help provide the large diversity in the crops grown in the County.

Providing a stunning backdrop, the Blue Mountains frame the valley that is home to more than 80 wineries and as many vineyards, whose operators work hand-in-hand to produce world class wines of exceptional character. Excellent examples of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah have earned the Walla Walla Valley national and international acclaim. Other grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Semillion, Cabernet Franc and Sangiovese are also produced in the valley.

We arrive in Walla Walla
My girlfriend and I left Seattle around 9:30 last Friday morning and after driving straight through except to grab a quick bite for lunch, we arrived at our destination. It was around 2:30 in the afternoon and the weather gods were on our side. It was clear, sunny skies, beautiful views of the Blue Mountains all around, and around 60 degrees. We wasted no time at all after arriving and set about the daunting task of tasting as many wines as possible. One of the first wineries that you encounter on your way into Walla Walla is Three Rivers Winery. I’ve been a huge fan of Holly Turner’s wines (yes, the winemaker is a woman) for several years so it was a no-brainer to stop and taste their juices. We walked up to the tasting bar and chatted with the same charming tasting room associate, Abel Ferreira, who I chatted with last year. We tasted their delicious wines and I splurged ($50!) on a bottle of my favorite of the wines that we tasted, a 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine tastes of cassis, black cherries and dark chocolate and I just couldn’t pass this one up! The grapes in this wine come from the Champoux (pronounced Shampoo) vineyard from the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, which is part of the larger AVA known as Columbia Valley. Grapes from the Champoux vineyard are highly coveted because they contain some of the oldest vines in this part of Washington State, some dating 30 years and older. I know this doesn’t sound very old when compared to vines in California and Europe, but when you look at how young the wine industry in Washington State is, these are considered fairly old vines here. And we’re talking about Washington State wines in this story so stop thinking about California and Europe and focus!

After finishing our tasting and making our first purchases at Three Rivers, we drove into town and checked into our hotel. We stayed in a La Quinta Inn right next to The Depot, right off of the US 12 exit. The Depot used to be a real railroad depot but now it’s a place to grab a sandwich. That’s progress for you. After checking into our weekend digs, we drove the 4 blocks or so to Main Street to taste at some of the conveniently located tasting rooms downtown. We stopped in at Fort Walla Walla Cellars to taste their juices and we were pleasantly surprised. All of the wines were quite delicious. My favorite was called “Treaty.” This was a 2005 Bordeaux style blend and Parker scored it at 90 points. Although it was really delicious, it was $45 and I had just dropped $50 on the Champoux Cab from Three Rivers, I was feeling more like a good value wine would be my next purchase. Sorry Fort Walla Walla Cellars! All of your wines were really, really good!

A few doors down, we stopped in at Chateau Rollat (the “T” is silent) and met the winemaker and part owner, Mike Golden. Mike’s wines were amazing and after chatting with him and asking him where he learned to make wine, he said a French winemaker from Chateau La Tour taught him to make wine. It showed. I’m not that big a fan of Roses but his Rose kicked ass so I bought two bottles. They were only $16 each so I felt better about buying something delicious that was under $20. Also, his Rose was Merlot-based, with some Cab Sav and Cab Franc thrown in the mix, and I’m not sure I’ve had a Merlot-based Rose.

Just a few steps away, we arrived at our last winery of the day, Otis Kenyon. It was nearly 5:00pm and that’s when most of the wineries close in Walla Walla. Although we didn’t purchase anything from this winery, we tasted the wines and enjoyed the history and story of why the labels on the Otis Kenyon wines have that burnt around the edges look. According to the story by the woman pouring the wines in this tasting room and relative of James Otis Kenyon, a dentist who burnt a competitor’s office down many years ago in Oregon, hence the burnt around the edges look on the labels. The story was a lot more complex and interesting so if you’d like to read the entire Otis Kenyon story, check out their web site at http://www.otiskenyonwine.com/.

Dinner at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen
Our first day of tasting came to an end and we were ready for dinner. I’d called ahead and made dinner reservations at Saffron Mediterranean Kitchen, located in downtown Walla Walla. Apparently, this restaurant is no secret as it was extremely busy (and smelled wonderful) and I was really glad I had made reservations. If you don’t eat at any other restaurants in Walla Walla, you’re doing yourself a great disservice if you don’t have a meal at Saffron. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the food is nothing short of amazing. Since this was our first time at Saffron, I asked our server about their signature dish and he recommended the Kobe Beef Cheeks, which is a good dish to share as it’s a perfect appetizer for two. He was right on with this recommendation. It was melt-in-your mouth goodness. I had a dish called Fideos for my entrée. This amazing dish consisted of Spanish toasted pasta, smoky ham hock, clams, caracol (snails), green olives, ramps (similar to shallots), and saffron. I’d never had anything like this dish. Every bite brought a deliciously satisfying and different explosion of flavors. I had a glass of the 2007 Dusted Valley Grenache with our meal, a local wine, and it was a perfect match with the food.

Completely satiated from all of the wonderful wine and incredible food, we went back to our hotel and turned in early so we could get up and do it all again. I have another entire day of wine tasting stories to share with you all from our second day in Walla Walla, so stay tuned for part two wine friends!