If you haven’t heard of Walla Walla Washington, well then let me give you a little information on this beautiful region.
Walla Walla is an up-and-coming wine making region and is becoming one of the finest wine regions in the nation with 120 wineries! Downtown Walla Walla has 35 wine tasting rooms within walking distance of restaurants, accommodations, boutique shopping, and a historic Main Street.
How to get to Walla Walla
Walla Walla is about a 5-hour drive from Seattle, WA or a 55-minute flight out of SeaTac Airport. We chose to take a road trip to Walla Walla so we could make a few stops on our way (Leavenworth WA). A fun little Bavarian town in the cascade mountains. (Blog coming soon) About a 2-hour drive from Seattle.
The reason for this specific trip was for a customer appreciation event through my work. This event was held at The Basel Cellars Estate~
Basel Cellars
Basel Cellars is located in the heart of Walla Walla and can accommodate a very large group and also hosts wedding events. It has an estate house that sleeps 16, a poolside cabana that sleeps 4 and a tasting room and outdoor patio. This venue is absolutely gorgeous! I will share several photos of this beautiful estate.
We arrived in Walla Walla Friday afternoon and met up with the rest of our group. While we lounged by the pool we had cocktails and catered appetizers. It was a very low-key evening where we sat and watched the stunning sunset, chatting and getting to know the rest of our group.
Wine Tasting
Saturday morning we had a car service pick us up from Basel Cellars, Walla Walla Valley Tours, to chauffeur us around for the day. I highly recommend having a car service while wine tasting. Unless you plan on spiting your tastings into a bucket, but let’s get real, who really does that? If you plan on hitting 4 or 5 wineries this is a great choice. The wine really does go straight to your head! Having a driver is the best bet, and if you’re not familiar with the area they can get you to your destination with ease. Our guy also helped pack and carry our wine. Which was an added bonus!
L’Ecole
L’Ecole No. 41 – Their name is from the French word school. L’Ecole is located in the historic Frenchtown Schoolhouse and was the third winery established in Walla Walla. It is one of the most honored wineries in Washington State. We did our wine tasting outside on the back deck where they have tables with umbrellas. The winery has a cute little gift shop with branded items and other wine items.
My favorite wine from this winery was the 2016 Estate Ferguson – Ferguson’s flavor profile is distinctly influenced by its volcanic basalt soil. This wine offers complex aromas of espresso, tobacco, and dark mineral –laced fruit. Wild blackberries and dusty tannins integrate with flavors of flint and graphite on the palate. Concentrated natural acidity leads to a robust and lingering finish.
The Walls Vineyards
The Walls Vineyards was our second stop of the day
While we were tasting, we were able to have a tour of this winery and listen to the great story behind the name, based on the penitentiary located in Walla Walla. Go to their website to read more about it The Walls Vineyards. My favorite wine here was the 2014 Cruel Summer Rose- an elegant expression of Mourvedre and Grenache. I loved the wine so much I joined the wine club!
“Readers looking for the next superstar in Washington State need to check out these latest wines from winemaker Ali Mayfield. These wines all have singular characters yet they share a rare sense of purity and elegance paired with plenty of richness and depth. These are singular, beautiful wines I’d be thrilled to drink.”-Jeb Dunnuck
Northstar Winery
Northstar Winery our next stop – This winery has a beautiful tasting room with a great gift shop. We sat at a table for our tasting with a spectacular view of the vineyard. In addition, lunch was delivered by a local restaurant Graze that had yummy sandwiches. We ate our lunch while we were tasting. This was a great idea on our organizers’ part because by the time we got to this winery we were all in need of some food in our belly! Northstar has a beautiful patio area, perfect for some Instagram pics.
My favorite wine from Northstar was the 2015 Premier Merlot – “Enjoy now or for many years to come, as this wine will age gracefully in your cellar. This limited production offering, is hand-crafted with love to showcase the best that Washington Merlot has to offer.”
I loved all these wines so much I joined their wine club. They were so generous and gave me this beautiful wine box to hold my wines. I will be displaying this box in my new wine cellar! (as soon as it’s done)
I was given a box when I joined the wine club
“Just as the North Star has been used through the ages as a directional guide, Northstar Winery was established in the early 1990s to guide the creation of world-class Merlot-based wines that demonstrate the potential of the variety in Washington State.”
Pepper Bridge Winery
Our final stop was Pepper Bridge Winery, located on the south side of town, surrounded by a view of the remarkable vineyards. We started our tasting in the tasting room and then had the pleasure of meeting Norm (founder and a pioneer of Walla Walla wine country) who so graciously took us on a tour of the whole production of the winemaking process. Norm was full of great stories.
This winery also has a wonderful view of the vineyards and a deck for sitting and enjoying your surroundings while tasting.
My favorite wine from here was the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon – Deliciously pure and supple, this wine is layered with seductive mocha and espresso laced oak wrapped around a dense core of currant, blackberry compote, licorice with hints of crushed rock, chocolate, and tobacco leaf. The mouthfeel of this offering is showing dark plum, velvety raspberry notes with a long, persistent finish and a tremendous depth.
Map of Walla Walla Wineries
Below is a picture of a map showing all the different wineries and locations. So many to choose from!!!
After our wine tasting day, we went back to Basel Cellars and had dinner catered and enjoyed the downstairs entertainment area with a few games of pool and some karaoke.
Downtown Shopping
Sunday before we headed home we went into town for a little shopping, lunch and also visited a couple more tasting rooms. So we didn’t have a ton of time for shopping which gives me an excuse to come back. A couple of shops we were able to enjoy was Walla Walla Clothing Co, and Marla June’s Clothing Co.
Lunch was at Olive Market Place – The food was pretty good, but we waited a long time for it to come. I got a salad and we shared a couple of pizza’s. They had a front patio dining area where we sat and enjoyed the sun. After our bellies were full we were able to enjoy a couple of tasting rooms.
Plumb Cellars
Plumb Cellars – Boasts some of the valley’s finest wines. While we were tasting, the gentleman that helped us had some fun stories on how they got their name and how they named some of their wines. My favorite wine there was Damn Straight – Vanilla and cocoa aromas are out in front of herb, black licorice and dark fruit. The dark fruit and woodspice flavors are refined and show a sense of depth, elegance and balance that captures the attention.
Browne Family Vineyards
This tasting room has a patio for al fresco sipping. You can taste inside as well if it gets too warm outside. Browne has a beautiful tasting room set up like a cozy living room. My favorite wine from here was the 2013 Dedication Red Blend – Old-world flavors of earth, forest floor with ripe black fruits of plum and black cherry. Very complex and well-balanced wine with new aromas and flavors emerging with each sip. Anise, berry pie, and sweet toasted oak linger on a long finish.
Walla Walla is my newly found getaway. I’m not sure what took me so long to visit this fantastic place, but I’m glad I did. It’s a smaller version of Napa Valley, but just as beautiful and closer to my home. So if you get a chance to visit Walla Walla Washington, please do, you won’t be disappointed.
Shout out!
Cheers, Stephanie
Thank you Holly and her team from Burkett’s, savvy clothing for women, for helping me pick out a couple of fun outfits for my wine tasting adventure. They are always my go-to ladies when I head out of town. Thanks for always making me feel beautiful! XOXO
