By: Becky Garrison
Since the formation of the Walla Walla Valley AVA in 1984, this oasis, set amid a vast sagebrush desert that rolls across Southeast Washington and Northeast Oregon, has emerged as a destination hub for wine connoisseurs. At present, the Walla Walla Valley AVA includes 135 wineries producing 200 labels with approximately 120 vineyards operating 3,000 acres under vine that produce over 40 varieties of viniferas. This region includes one nested AVA, the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, established in 2015, with the application for the Mill Creek AVA in process with the TTB.
Even though rainfall only averages eight inches a year (in comparison, Western Washington receives 48 inches), the area is naturally irrigated by cold mountain rivers. The Columbia, Yakima, Snake, and Walla Walla formed by the Missoula Floods that covered the entire Columbia Basin of Washington, as well as much of Montana, Idaho and Oregon. This region’s agricultural bounty attracted French traders, followed by Oregon Trail pioneers, Victorian wheat barons and other settlers who planted orchards, wheat fields and rangeland.
This valley benefits from long, warm growing seasons, which allow the grapes to ripen fully, balanced by cool evenings that preserve acidity. This creates wines with depth, structure and elegance. The diverse soils range from wind-blown loess to volcanic basalt, which serves to add distinct layers of complexity to the wines. Also, due to this state’s cold winter climate and sandy soils, phylloxera that damaged most of the vineyards in the world in the 19th century never destroyed Washington State’s vineyards. As such, 99 percent of this state’s vineyards are planted on their roots instead of on phylloxera-tolerant rootstock.
Beyond the land itself, the Walla Walla Valley has a strong sense of community and collaboration among winemakers and grape growers, many of whom are pioneers in the region. This spirit of innovation and respect for tradition has allowed them to craft world-class wines while maintaining a deep connection to their roots.
Leonetti Cellar Marks the Birth of the Walla Walla Wine Industry
In the 1970s, Gary and Nancy Figgins built upon Gary’s grandparents’ legacy as farmers to launch the first commercial winery in Walla Walla. Upon moving to Walla Walla in 1902, Francesco Leonetti continued farming practices he learned from his homeland in Serra Pedace, Calabria, Italy. Four years later, he married Rosa after an “arranged” courtship and established the Leonetti farm.
Pre-prohibition, Italian farmers like the Leonettis may have brought cuttings over from their homeland for use in making wine for their family and friends. But overall, Washington State was not deemed suitable for commercial winemaking due to its cold climate.
Fast-forward to 1974, when Gary Figgins planted a few cuttings of cabernet sauvignon and riesling on his grandparents’ property. Leonetti Cellar produced its first vintage of cabernet sauvignon in 1978. The Leonetti portfolio has since grown to include merlot along with the Italian varietals sangiovese and aglianico.
Initially, Gary worked as a machinist in the region’s burgeoning canning industry to avoid taking on any debt as the winery grew. By the 1980s, the cannery and two lumber mills shut down. This seemingly depressed rural town experienced a renaissance in the 1990s when the globalization of agriculture led to Walla Walla evolving into a world-class tourist destination for wine connoisseurs.
In 2002, Chris Figgins purchased a piece of property to produce single-varietal estate wines. As per their website, Figgins Estate Vineyard is a south-facing hillside sitting at 1,500 to 1,750 feet. Planted to cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, malbec and riesling, it is an incredibly special place that Figgins considers to be his masterpiece of varietal selection, trellising and intensive, sustainable viticulture. Also, he established Toil Oregon in the Willamette Valley, where he produces dense, fruity pinot noirs that appeal to those who appreciate his hearty cabernet sauvignon.
The Birth of the Walla Walla Valley AVA
Gary Figgins and Rick Small made homemade wine together for several years when Small decided to start commercial winemaking along with his wife, Darcey Fugman-Small. Small had grown up in agriculture and started learning about wine while traveling in Europe. Both men were self-taught, learning through collaboration and trial and error. In 1981, Small established Woodward Canyon as the second winery and vineyard in the Walla Walla area. The early varietals planted at their Estate Vineyard were chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.
The third Winery in Walla Walla emerged in 1983 after Baker Ferguson retired as president of Baker Boyer of Bank and fulfilled his lifelong dream of starting a winery. L’Ecole started as a small mom-and-pop winery, making unique varietal wines like merlot, which was not well known at the time, semillon, which was even less known and later adding chenin blanc to the equation. While Baker was the dreamer and strategist behind the winery, his wife, Jean, had a background in chemistry, which led her to become the first female winemaker in Washington State. She took numerous classes at UC Davis and worked with industry consultants to ensure the wines were aromatic, expressive, balanced and of high quality. Initially, she focused on semillon, merlot, and chenin blanc.
In 1989, their daughter, Megan, and her husband, Marty Clubb, moved to Walla Walla. Marty assumed responsibilities as manager and winemaker of L’Ecole, and they added cabernet sauvignon and, eventually, chardonnay to their lineup. A key development was planting vineyards in Walla Walla, which led to their first Walla Walla wines in 1993 with Pepper Bridge Apogee and Seven Hills Vineyard Merlot. Also, they introduced a Walla Walla Valley Cabernet Sauvignon in 1997.
Another Walla Walla pioneer, Norm McKibben, headed out to Walla Walla, where he quickly met Mike Hogue of Hogue Cellars (founded in 1982), planted Pepper Bridge (1991) and formed a working partnership with Hogue that lasted for many years. Small and Figgins were among those creating award-winning wines using fruit from Pepper Bridge Vineyard. Initially, they planted cabernet sauvignon, though according to winemaker Jean-François Pellet, who joined the winery in 1999, “We’ve been able to figure out what works in the valley and then really dial it in at the specific vineyard sites. We started with five to six varietals at Pepper Bridge Vineyard, and now we have merlot as the standout, with some cabernet sauvignon. We just planted sauvignon blanc, and we’ll see how it goes.”
Smalls and Figgins were instrumental in drafting the proposal for the initial federal approval of the AVA. They worked with McKibben, along with several other early growers and winemakers, to define the boundaries of the appellation, write the proposal and submit it for federal approval. The Walla Walla Valley AVA was established in Washington State as the second AVA in the state in 1984, following the Yakima Valley AVA established the previous year.
The Growth of Walla Walla Wine
The 2000s saw an explosion in growth, with Marty Clubb assuming the role of the first president of the Walla Walla Wine Alliance. The organization was founded in 2001 as a nonprofit membership marketing association that serves as the leading informational resource center for consumers, trade and media. Also, the Enology and Viticulture program at Walla Walla Community College introduced talented people into the industry and helped elevate the quality of wines.
According to Liz Knapke, executive director of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, this region is both blessed and cursed with doing many things well.
“The style and number of wines grown and produced in the Walla Walla Valley is so diverse that it’s hard to convince people that it is true, the Walla Walla Valley has a quality wine for everyone!” she said. “Some regions are known for a varietal or two, but in the Walla Walla Valley, we’re so agriculturally abundant that over 40 varieties grow well here including lesser Northwest-produced varieties like carignan, aglianico, vermentino and cinsault.”
The Wines of the Rocks District of Milton Freewater AVA
In recent years, the Walla Walla Valley has received acclaim for the production of Rhône varietals, especially syrah, and particularly for syrah’s.020 grown in the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA established in 2015 by Steve Robertson and Dr. Kevin Pogue, a professor of geology at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington. This cross-border AVA (Oregon and Washington) has the distinction of being the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries (96 percent) have been fixed by a single soil series (Freewater Series) and a single landform (alluvial fan). As of 2024, 640 wine-grape acres have been planted, with more in development.
In 2007, Mary and Steve Robertson founded SJR Vineyard, planting 10 acres using sustainable farming with the goal of creating a world-class, family-legacy wine estate with their daughter, Brooke. They chose their location in Oregon after tripping over the cobbles and gravels that Steve recognized could produce wines of distinction with a unique minerality informed by this extreme desert soil that elevates the wines in this region to world-class status. Also, the Walla Walla culture was starting to bring people to the area. As Steve reflected, “I knew that it would only take time and money for things to accelerate. But the investment required to establish a small family estate operation could absolutely be delivered on the Oregon side of Walla Walla Valley.”
As evidence of this region’s global reach, 35 producers from France’s Rhône Valley and another 100 Rhône wine producers from around the world gathered in April for the first time in Walla Walla Valley. The Basalt Bash & Barrel Auction (July 25-26, 2025) will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA. This two-day (first-time) event (benefiting the Milton Freewater School District and mental health services) kicks things off with a parade down North Main Street, a Rocks District Winegrowers wine tasting, tours of Rocks District vineyards, a golf event and a (silent) barrel auction-tasting at Walla Walla Land Company in the Rocks District.
The Economic Impact of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Industry
In January 2024, the most recent study released to estimate the economic impact of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Industry found that wine tourism accounted for $167 million in visitor spending, with $72 million spent on wine purchases. The industry generated $522 million in business sales and supported 2,865 jobs, contributing $146 million in labor income. Wineries and tasting rooms accounted for 625 direct jobs and $33 million in labor income. The industry also generated $21 million in state and local tax revenue. There were an estimated 573,000 visits to Walla Walla wineries and tasting rooms in 2023, with visitors averaging 2.1 visits per year, 3spending three days in the valley. and visiting six wineries per trip.
The 2025 events promoting Walla Walla Valley Wine include Walla Walla Wine On Tour coming to Bellevue, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Boise, Idaho and Spokane, Washington. Additional events .include Celebrate Walla Walla Valley Wine (June 19 to 22), Spring Kickoff Weekend (April 4 to 6), Spring Release Weekend (May 2 to 4), Fall Release Weekend (November 1 to 3) and Holiday Barrel Weekend (December 6 to 8).
For the latest news on the Walla Walla Valley AVA, log on to the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance at https://www.wallawallawine.com.
