Trip Report: A Review of Wine Tasting in Walla Walla

Tl;dr – A review of a wine-tasting in the underrated Eastern Washington AVA, as well as some of my picks for where to taste.

Walla Walla is one of my favorite wine-producing regions in the United States and probably the world. I’ve visited the region twice now, and despite all the acclaim it receives, I’m always surprised by how it still flies very under the radar for many folks.

Much of this stems from the fact that it’s not the easiest place to get to; there’s only one destination from Walla Walla Airport – Seattle (I’ll have a lot more to say about that tomorrow). Still, if you’re a fan of red wines, particularly those made from varietals like Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Tempranillo, Sangiovese, Barbera, and yes, even Pinot Noir, there are some wonderful expressions of each of these grapes found in the Eastern Washington AVA (American Viticultural Area). One thing that makes tasting in Walla Walla so enjoyable is its laid-back atmosphere. There’s little pomp and circumstance that you’ll encounter in places like Napa and Sonoma, tastings are still relatively affordable, there’s great food around, and the scenery is, as you might imagine, beautiful.

Here’s a review of my recent trip, as well as some of my favorite wineries from the area.

Wine Tasting in Walla Walla

If you’re arriving at Walla Walla airport (ALW), you can quench your thirst right off the plane.

There are a few tasting rooms just outside the campus of the airport, and that’s where we decided to kick things off on this trip.

Syzygy Winery is one part of what I’ve coined as the Walla Walla celestial trio – three fantastic wineries, all of which are cosmos/sky/space-themed. My previous visit to Walla Walla was during the pandemic, and as such, I wasn’t able to taste everywhere I wanted. Founder and owner Zach Brettler produces some outstanding wines, notably a single-varietal Syrah and a blend of Tempranillo, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon titled Saros. During our visit, Zach was pouring his latest release of Syrah and also some library offerings from Saros. We’d also get a taste of one of his more recent Saros releases as well. The wines are all super well-rounded and satisfying – the word ‘complete’ comes to mind.

Our next stop was at Devona, just down the road from Syzygy. Devona is founded by John Abbott, a legendary figure in the Walla Walla wine scene, who, while working at Acacia in Nappy Valley, was instrumental in putting Canoe Ridge Vineyards on the map before a long tenure at Abeja, one of the more prominent producers in Walla Walla. Devona is unique (and caught my eye) in that the winery produces both wine from Oregon’s Willamette Valley (I’m a huge fan of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir) and wines from Washington’s Columbia Valley, including the Horse Heaven Hills and Walla Walla AVAs. Thus, you get a solid gambit of different-bodied red wines across the winery’s portfolio. When we rolled up, Devona was celebrating its Spring Release, and John himself was pouring wines. It’s actually in a conversation with him that I learned the James Beard nominated Bar Bacetto (which had previously closed down) has reopened.

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If you’re a fan of natural wines, you’ll want to stop at the winery incubators located in the same airport district. A cul-de-sac of one-room-schoolhouse-type structures, a few of the current tenant producers, like itä wines and Hoquetus Wine Co., specialize in natural or minimal intervention wines, while SMAK focuses on rosé wines. I popped into both Hoquetus and SMAK to purchase a few bottles before enjoying a tasting at itä. The Carbonic Zinfandel was a standout, both earthy and flavorful.

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After checking into your hotel (like this one) and before you head to dinner, you can pop into one of the many tasting rooms downtown for a glass, like Gård.

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The town’s got a great setup with several tasting rooms on and around Main Street, though the cult Cayuse likely won’t be open.

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You can also pick up some hard-to-find wines from the friendly staff at The Thief, one of the better wine shops you’ll find anywhere.

Day two started at PÁŠXA, a distinct label from the same producers of The Walls Vineyards that focuses on the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA across the border into Oregon. The wines here have an elegance that leaves you silently awestruck for a minute. Highly recommend.

After grabbing sandwiches at Graze, it was time to head across the border to Oregon to check out the Rocks District for ourselves.

Our destination was the second winery of the ‘celestial trio’ – Mongata Estate Winery – a newer producer founded in 2022. Mongata is a twist on a Swedish word (Mångata), which in literal translation means “moon street or path of the moon.” A bit chillier than elsewhere in the region, you can enjoy cozy blankets and a firepit while sipping on a choice Cabernet Franc and hanging out with the winery’s two resident giant Maremma Sheepdogs.

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This impetus for this return to Walla Walla was actually because I had gotten off the allocation waitlist at Leonetti Cellars – Walla Walla’s oldest winery, established back in 1977.

As such, we spent the last morning over at Leonetti’s Spring Release party, the one time a year the winery opens to members.

No trip to Walla Wall would be complete without spending some time at Woodward Canyon, probably my favorite producer from Walla Walla’s ‘old guard’ wineries. Established in 1981, Woodward Canyon is recognized as Walla Walla’s second commercial winery, and they produce several delicious wines, notably a Barbera that will take your next pizza night to the next level.

Finally, to close things out, I completed the celestial trio by visiting Rasa Vineyards, a producer that crafts many wines, including the newly released 100-point icon wine, Naravane, named for the two brother founders, one of whom, Billo Naravane, is one of 416 Masters of Wine worldwide. What left a lasting impression on me, though, was Rasa’s Veritas Sequitur Syrah, one of the purest representations of what heights Syrah can go to in the soils of Walla Walla. In addition to Rasa’s downtown tasting room, there are also sometimes tastings available at the winery itself in Walla Walla’s Southside district.

Where to Stay? Where to Eat?

You can go all in and stay at an inn at one of the wineries or make things easy by staying at the Marcus Whitman Hotel downtown. There are several excellent restaurants in Walla Walla, particularly in its walkable downtown area. Salted Mill is an excellent example of this, and for something more casual, check out Marcy’s Bar & Lounge (outstanding service!) For grab-and-go, Graze makes some solid sandwiches and salads, or you can enjoy Trinidadian doubles from Kerry’s Trinidadian Cuisine.

The Kitchen at Abeja gives you that out-in-the-vineyard elevated dining experience and Bar Bacetto is 25 minutes away in Waitsburg but worth the hike.