Morrison Lane Vineyards, Walla Walla, WA
The Walla Walla Valley has often been called the next Napa Valley, and for good reason. This is a place winemakers from around the world are coming to start the next generation of legendary wineries. Despite this growth, most wineries remain small, family-run operations. When visiting the wineries, you often get the chance to talk directly with the winemakers and learn what makes Walla Walla Valley wine so special.
A For the Morrison family, farming, viticulture and winemaking in the Walla Walla Valley is a four-generation tradition. Established in 1918 by Billy Morrison, this family farm was left to Walter Morrison after his fathers passing in the 1930s. Taking over the family farm at the age of 18 along with two brothers and one sister, Walter began his career of growing pretty much any row crop grown in the valley.
Dean and Verdie Morrison planted their first four acres of Syrah just outside Walla Walla in 1994. The original Vineyard has grown to 28 acres and the dazzling array of varietals produced makes it one of the most eclectic in the state. More than half of acreages is devoted to Syrah; also included in the rest of mix are Viognier, Cinsault, Carmenère, Counoise, Dolcetto, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and Barbera. An additional 5 acreages non-contiguous is being leased. That plots one of the highest in Walla Walla at 1800 feet.
Morrison grapes were a hot commodity from the wineries first harvest. Among the wineries that lined up to purchase they were Seven Hills, Cayuse, K Vintners, and Walla Walla Vintners. The winemaker for Morison Lane is son Sean Morrison who is also the cellar master at Abeja. Estate grapes are used almost exclusively; a couple of Columbia Valley wines were made in 2004 when the estate Vineyard was frozen out. The varies wines show clear varietal identifiers, and such unusual as the Morrison Lane Dolcetto, Cinsault, and Counoise is varietal bottling are especial interesting as is the 33 1/3 (Syrah, Counoise and Viognier). Morrison Lane wines can be somewhat difficult to find. Produced is about 1200 cases annually largely sold out in the testing room.
The multi-talented Morrison's are a musical family well. Dean on stand-up bass, Verdie on piano, Sean guitar. Their main testing room is often the setting for some excellent jazz jams.
Forgeron Wine Cellars- Walla Walla, Washington
If you ever get to tour the wine cellars in Walla Walla, Wa. make it an absolute must to stop by at Forgeron Wine Cellars. These Vintners are natives of France, and trained as classic wine makers. Frankly, I consider their wine as 'genius in a bottle'. The crafting, blending, and seasoning in burgundy oak... absolute elegance. Also in this video take notice of the superb Voice Over Artistry of Fiona Goldman. Old school skill displayed in colour, pacing, texture and mood. Not often heard these days...we thought Fiona's skill-set and award winning talent, fivoice.co.uk was perfect for this shoot and we were right!
Duane Wollmuth, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance
This spring, Duane Wollmuth was named executive director of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance. His background includes managing partner of Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla and most recently executive director of the Southeast Washington Economic Development Association. He and his wife, Mary, still own Biscuit Ridge Vineyard near Dixie, Wash., which produces some of the Northwest most delicious late harvest Gewurztraminer. In this Wine Press Northwest WineCast, we caught up with Wollmuth during a trade event at Ash Hollow Winery.
The Most Searched for Napa Wineries List from the Amicis Winery Guides
The top selling Wine Tour App for Napa Valley continues to be the Napa Valley Wine Tour from Ralph & Lahni de Amicis published by Sutro Media. They have just released their list of the most often searched for wineries which yields surprises and insights about the drinking habits of smart phone users. The entire list can found at amicistours.com/napalist.html.
Revelry on Red Mountain
We attend the inaugural Revelry on Red Mountain, an event at Col Solare that is part of the Auction of Washington Wines. We chat with John Bookwalter, chairman of the Washington Wine Commission, and Andrew Harris, a consumer visiting Eastern Washington for the first time.