Top 10 Wineries in Walla Walla
Walla Walla sits in the dry south-east corner of Washington State, where the Blue Mountains shelter a former wheat valley that has quietly become the most ambitious wine region in the Pacific Northwest. The first modern vines went in during the late 1970s; today the AVA spans the Oregon-Washington border, and the cobblestone Rocks District below Milton-Freewater has emerged as one of the most distinctive Syrah terroirs in the New World.
Leonetti Cellar
The estate that started it all. Gary Figgins planted in 1977 and released the first commercial Walla Walla Cabernet a few vintages later — wines that, by the mid-1990s, were trading on auction at prices once reserved for Napa cult bottlings. Still family-run, still the regional benchmark.
Cayuse Vineyards
Christophe Baron, a transplanted Champenois, planted Syrah into the Rocks District basalt cobbles in 1997 when locals thought he was mad. The wines — En Cerise, Bionic Frog, Armada — defined the savoury, meat-and-stone Walla Walla Syrah style and now sell only through a multi-year mailing list.
Reynvaan Family Vineyards
The Reynvaan family farms two estate vineyards: the cobblestone In the Rocks site for Syrah and the higher-elevation Foothills Reserve for Cabernet and Bordeaux blends. Mike and Gary Reynvaan are considered Cayuse's stylistic heirs in the Rocks.
No Girls / K Vintners
Charles Smith's K Vintners and the smaller No Girls label deliver some of the most expressive Syrahs in the AVA, including the single-vineyard Royal City. Smith's punkish marketing belies serious wines from old-vine sites.
Woodward Canyon
Founded 1981 by Rick Small, Woodward Canyon's Old Vines Cabernet and Estate Reserve are among the longest-running benchmark Bordeaux-style wines in the region. The Lowden tasting room is one of the older addresses in Walla Walla.
L'Ecole Nº 41
Housed in a 1915 schoolhouse outside the town of Lowden — hence the name. Three generations of the Clubb family have built a broad, consistently excellent portfolio, with the Ferguson Vineyard Cabernet/Merlot blend as flagship.
Pepper Bridge
The estate's Seven Hills Vineyard, jointly developed with Leonetti and Figgins, is the most famous single vineyard in Walla Walla. Pepper Bridge's own Cabernet and Trine (a Bordeaux blend) showcase the Seven Hills terroir at the upper end of the AVA.
Figgins Family Wine Estates
A separate label from Chris Figgins (Gary's son), focused on single-vineyard Estate Red blends from high-elevation Estate Vineyard. Lyle Cabernet and Toil Pinot Noir round out the range.
Doubleback
Drew Bledsoe's wine project. McQueen Cabernet and Bledsoe Family Estate wines come from McQueen and Bob Healy vineyards. Bledsoe hired Chris Figgins as consulting winemaker — the seriousness shows in the bottle.
Gramercy Cellars
Master Sommelier Greg Harrington's project. Old World-leaning Syrahs (Lagniappe, Forgotten Hills) and Bordeaux blends with a restrained, savoury house style. Among the most respected newer addresses in the AVA.
Visiting Walla Walla
Walla Walla town has a small regional airport with direct flights from Seattle and Portland. Tasting rooms cluster downtown and along the Old Highway 12 corridor. The Rocks District is a short drive south across the Oregon line. Find every estate on the interactive map — filter to Walla Walla.