On January 16th, we acquired the 10-acre Rockgarden Vineyard in The Rocks District of Milton Freewater AVA, in the southern Walla Walla Valley. The addition of this well-established vineyard property allows us to continue our strong momentum. With it, we will begin producing a new estate-focused line-up of wines, in addition to the ones we have all grown to love!
And for good measure, we are also thrilled to announce that we have added well-known winemaker Todd Alexander to the team as Consulting Winemaker. As Mike says, “The addition of an estate vineyard, and having Todd lead our winemaking and viticultural practices, gives us an opportunity to take everything to a whole new level and reward the tremendous support we have received from everyone from the start. It has always been our goal to craft wines with a distinct profile that are indicative of the place where they are grown. And owning our own estate vineyard is a huge step in this journey.”
In addition to the Rockgarden vineyard, we also have 20 acres of unplanted Rocks District AVA land, which we plan to begin planting in 2021. And don’t worry, we will also continue to produce the same selection of wines from ultra-premium Rocks District, Red Mountain/Yakima Valley and Columbia Gorge vineyards that we have all grown to love.
About the Vineyard
Rockgarden Vineyard was planted in 2007 by Nina Buty with the assistance of famed viticulturalist Dr. Phil Freese. It is named for the famous cobblestones formed by an ancient riverbed in the southern part of the Walla Walla Valley and is uniquely planted perpendicular to the angle of the sun to shade the fruit zone during hottest days of the year. It is planted to Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon, Marsanne and Roussanne. We plan to add a half-acre block of Viognier for Syrah co-fermentation, as well as a white wine blend.
The vineyard was certified organic by Oregon Tilth on October 15th, 2010 and has been continuously farmed organically since it was planted. We value organic and sustainable farming and winemaking practices, and will continue to farm to organic standards. Rockgarden is densely planted, requiring a European tractor to fit through the rows for cultivation. This high-density planting allows for lower yield per plant, further ensuring ultra-premium quality and intensity of fruit.
The Walls Team
In addition to Todd, we added General Manager Carrie Alexander, and Assistant Winemaker Hope Nastri as leaders last year. We have a new Membership Manager Bror Hansen and Hospitality Manager Ivey Reynolds. Roman Ferrer, Tony Gonzales and Martín Salazar continue to keep everything running smoothly in the cellar.
Todd is one of a select few 100-point winemakers in Washington State, who began his winemaking career in the Napa Valley at such esteemed wineries as Cade and PlumpJack, later becoming the winemaker at cult cabernet producer Bryant Family Vineyard. Todd has been in the Pacific Northwest for the past six vintages, crafting highly-rated and regarded wines at Force Majeure Vineyards, from estate fruit grown on Red Mountain. His involvement with The Walls allows him to take the lead in crafting wines from a variety of Pacific Northwest AVAs, further showcasing his talent.
“Mike has demonstrated a very strong commitment to quality-oriented winemaking, and the opportunity to work with these vineyard sites and in addition, help develop an estate wine program, are great opportunities that I am excited about, in an effort to help The Walls make the best wines possible.”
Todd’s first vintage at The Walls was 2019. His 2019 River Rock Vineyard Syrah will be featured in an upcoming Hospice du Rhône seminar, where he is a presenter. We hope to see you there!
Carrie Alexander (above) has built her career in the food, wine and hospitality businesses. She has directed the sales and marketing of Force Majeure Vineyards, managed front of the house operations and marketing for Chappellet winery, and Cindy Pawlcyn’s restaurants in the Napa Valley, and assisted in the launching and marketing of several successful wine brands in Washington, Oregon and California. Her goal at The Walls has been to elevate the visitor experience, create an atmosphere of positivity and continued education for the staff and visitors alike, and to focus the efforts of the business on sustainability and working toward minimizing the winery’s environmental impact.
Hope Nastri (pictured above) first joined The Walls as Enologist, after spending several years in the labs at Artifex and Goose Ridge Cellars. Hope’s passion for winemaking quickly became apparent and she has been promoted to Assistant Winemaker. She is excited to be part of the team, “The people who know me best know that I am goal driven. I have achieved a big one — a promotion to Assistant Winemaker at The Walls. I’m grateful to everyone here for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to prove myself to them.” With multiple degrees in Mathematics, leadership skills gained through coaching Lacrosse and wrestling, and a refined pallet, Hope’s talents are well-respected and utilized throughout the cellar.
The Future
In addition to our new estate vineyard and our talented team, the winery itself is undergoing a facelift. Walla Walla based Architect Alex DeMambro is working with The Walls to create an upscale outdoor visitor area and to make improvements to our current winemaking facility. The winery lab and kitchen will be expanded and the indoor tasting room reappointed. The hospitality experience will be expanded to allow for focused side by side tastings, small bites, evening parties, vineyard tours, wine dinners, members-only offerings and more. We can’t wait to share it with you!
The Walls Vineyards is dedicated to producing wines of the highest quality with minimal intervention, that are indicative of their place, and to providing a visitor experience that is educational, intentional, elevated, and welcoming to anyone interested in wine. The addition of estate vineyard blocks, a solid team, and improved facilities will go a long way toward achieving those goals.
We sincerely hope to see you at the winery or along your travels soon!
Cheers to a Groovy 2020,
Mike, Carrie, Todd, Hope, Roman, Bror, Ivey, Tony and Martín… and Stanley
We look forward to seeing many of you at Walla Walla Wine in Portland and Seattle events next month. For tickets, click here.
For additional events, click here.
