October 23, 2007

The New Napa

The phenomenal success of wines from the Walla Walla Valley, and why it’s being called “The New Napa.”

About The Walla Walla Valley

On a sunny hillside in the Walla Walla Valley, the grapes that will become Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon have reached the peak of ripeness. These are very simply some of the best wine grapes grown anywhere in the world.

“Wine and Spirits Magazine called us one of the ten great vineyards in the world,” says Pepper Bridge owner Norm McKibben. “That particular year they rated the best Merlots, and 4 out of 10 of the Merlots came out of this vineyard.”

McKibben is rightfully proud of the vineyard – cooperatively operated by three of the valley’s leading wineries. Every vine is meticulously tended, naturally nourished from the valley’s own composting plant, and precisely watered by sensors in the soil. The real magic, though, is in the valley itself.

“Our soil was laid down here in the last ice age, and it’s proved to be very good to grow wine grapes. We also have a very high temperature difference between daylight and dark, and that sets the acids in the grapes,” McKibben explained.

The Walla Walla American Venticultural Area (AVA) is a bowl formed by the hills surrounding the valley up to an elevation of sixteen hundred feet. Anything inside those 300,000 acres is considered the Walla Walla AVA.

The growth of the winemaking industry here has been nothing short of amazing, going from three wineries in the early eighties to nearly 100 today. “It’s been doubling in less than every five years. Really about every four years lately, but the rate of growth has been increasing,” said McKibben

It’s a story that began with a family of Italian immigrants who came to farm in the valley and kept the tradition of making their own wine. Their, grandson, Gary Figgins, decided to take the family winemaking commercial and established Leonetti’s. His very first cabernet released in 1978, received instant acclaim. Chris Figgins, who learned the art at his father’s side, is now one of the valley’s second generation winemakers.

“Wine and Spirits in a blind competition named it their top cabernet in the nation, and at the time, you know, for one being the first and number two being from Washington, was pretty surprising and was just a great kick start right out of the gate,” smiles Chris Figgins.

Today, you can’t come to Leonetti’s to taste or buy. Their wines are all resold to customers on their mailing list, and the wait to get on that list is seven to ten years. There are no exceptions. Even Bill Gates was not able to get the bottle of Leonetti wine he wanted to serve at a dinner for the Chinese president. “People on our mailing list get priority, Bill Gates or not,” said Chris Figgins.

However, there are plenty of wonderful wines that you can taste. Walla Walla’s cabernets, merlots and syrah are consistently among the country’s top-rated wines, and some of their white varietals are coming on strong.

“I’ve been part of the industry for twenty years, and I’ve even been surprised at the enormous growth in the last five years, but my expectation is that it will continue, and the reason for it is we have that perfect setting. We have an environment where land is affordable and can be farmed at the right elevation, and the right irrigation management that the wine grapes just do perfect. So I see the wine industries continuing to grow,” explains Marty Clubb, owner of L’Ecole No. 41, another second generation winemaker in Walla Walla.

Walla Walla’s success isn’t just about the land; it is also about the winemakers who have chosen to work there. “We have the ability of drawing very talented, passionate principals who want to be part of the wine community. And Walla Walla just seems to be a mecca for that,” says Clubb

There are people like Steve Brooks, owner of Trust Cellars, who gave up his job as a globe-trotting producer for CNN to follow his dream of making wine. “I will admit freely that I had no idea what eastern Washington was. I read an article in the New York Times Travel Magazine about winemaking in eastern Washington,” reveals Brooks.

It is a dream that requires a big investment, years of hard work, and a lot of risk. “There are many nights I wake up in the middle of the night trying to figure out how I’m gonna pay for things. I mean we’re starting out. We’re still not well known, so it’s gonna take awhile. I know it’s gonna take three to five years to build a brand, and that’s kind of scary,” says McKibben.

Walla Walla is comprised of winemakers focused on community building. “If you have a piece of equipment that breaks down literally you pick up the phone and you go across the street to borrow something. If you have a question about a procedure or anything about winemaking, literally you can pick up the phone and get an answer or advice from somebody in a few minutes and people are very forthcoming with help,” explains Brooks.

It is one of the valley’s secrets of success. “Our theory and we preach it, is that a rising tide lifts everyone’s ship. We’re all better if there’s no bad wineries, quote, unquote, in the winery,” smiles Elizabeth Martin-Calder, executive director of Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance.

Behind the new winemakers has come a wave of chefs, opening great new restaurants in Walla Walla’s historic downtown. “Wherever there is great wine, there is great food. The two are very symbiotic,” smiles Brooks

Ceil Blaine, owner of Luscious by Nature, is part of the culinary new wave. “We’ve had a lot of people coming in from Seattle, Portland and Idaho. We have groups coming in from the East Coast to bicycle and fish and stay at our beautiful B&B’s, and have a food and wine experience.”

The wine, the food, the tourists, and the charming location are all the ingredients leading to Walla Walla becoming the new Napa.

“Well, it’s a great wine region, so, it’s certainly flattering to be considered in that company. Where I don’t think we’ll become another Napa, it really has to do with logistics more than anything,” explains Martin-Calder.

Walla Walla is just too far from anywhere to ever get that big and that is just fine with the winemakers. “You know we could make 30,000 cases and sell it. Absolutely. We just don’t want to. We’ve intentionally kept it at a size where it’s a custom product with our fingerprints on it and the side that we feel is we can be very intimate with the wines in terms of maintaining quality control,” says Chris Figgins.

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