Geoffrey Dean takes a deep dive into the wines of Washington State
Fresh from his popular deep dives into the wines of Tasmania and New Zealand, The Buyer's roving reporter Geoffrey Dean travels to Washington State for a six day trip to discover how winemakers are faring in America's second biggest wine-producing state. There he discovers how a new generation of winemakers are pushing the envelope in terms of making wine from non-mainstream grape varieties and in new locations. Tasting extensively Dean comes up with a list of 22 wines to make note of – one for each winery he visited and tasted in the Evergreen State.
12th June 2026 by Geoffrey Dean
If you slipped this question into your local pub quiz, the chances are most people would be scratching their heads: What’s the biggest wine-producing state in America after California? Many would doubtless come up with Oregon, or New York State, or even Virginia. But the correct answer is Washington State in the north-west of the USA. It has 21 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) with 56,000 acres under vine, 1,050 wineries and 400 growers with 80-plus varietals grown. That all adds up to in excess of ten million cases of wine per annum.
Throw in one of America’s great cities in Seattle; one of its biggest waterways, the mighty Columbia River; and three national parks – Mt Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic – and you have all the ingredients for a wine tourism destination par excellence.
And that’s not forgetting one of America’s most powerful waterfalls, the Snoqualmie Falls, which are 100 feet taller than Niagara. The opening scenes of the iconic TV show, Twin Peaks, which achieved cult status in the 1990s and beyond, were shot there. It is a delightful stop-off en route from Seattle to the Yakima Valley AVA.
Terroir and climate
If Washington State’s wine industry can hardly be described as a hidden gem (being well-known to trade professionals) what is less clear is the primacy of its varietals. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most planted grape, with Chardonnay and Riesling in second and third place, but ask producers in the state which varietal best suits its terroir, and you do not get unanimity of opinion.
Cabernet Sauvignon gets plenty of votes, but so do Merlot, Syrah and even Grenache. The above two white varietals are clear frontrunners for that colour, but we came across fine examples of Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc on our six-day exploration of Washington State’s vineyards.
Washington Wine (aka WA Wine) is blessed with a special terroir that ticks all the boxes for winemaking. Its vineyards are largely situated between the 46th and 47th parallels – just south of Burgundy and just north of the northern Rhône. Two mountain ranges either side of Seattle – the Olympics and the Cascades – create a rain shadow effect that protects the Columbia Valley from wet weather systems. This results in a perfect climate for growing grapes in the warm and dry eastern part of the state, where annual rainfall is generally between 150-200mm. The Columbia River, America’s fourth largest, is the main source of irrigation.
The combination of a growing season that sees up to 17 hours of sunlight a day, and a very wide diurnal range that affords cool nights, delivers a lovely balance of slow-ripening, flavourful fruit and high levels of acidity. Soils have a volcanic foundation, with the largest lava flows ever documented forming a basalt bedrock ideal for viticulture. Epic floods in the last ice age from the ancient Lake Missoula inundated eastern and central Washington, bringing soils uniquely suited for growing grapes.
Bordeaux vs Rhône
And it is a long list of grapes that Washington grows well. So long, in fact, that the perceived wisdom of old that the state is best for red Bordeaux varietals and Riesling is a matter of debate amongst the wine community there. Take Rhône varietals for starters, as there is no doubt they are flourishing in Washington State. While Cabernet Sauvignon made up nearly half of the state’s crush for red wines in 2024 (83,701 tons), Syrah came in second with just over 16,000. Grenache and Mourvèdre formed 1,143 and 1,117 tons respectively.
“We think Washington does Rhône better than anyone in the US,” Daniel Burchardt, general manager of LATTA Wines, said on a visit to its tasting room in Woodinville, just north of Seattle. “We make five Syrahs here as it should be Washington’s grape. We want to showcase what we do best. We don’t want to be Napa, although we say thank you to it for putting the USA on the map.”
This view was endorsed by Brandon Moss, winemaker for Betz Family Winery, whose Syrah showed so well. “I love the Rhône varietals,” he told David Kermode, who travelled with us to film an episode for his podcast, The Drinking Hour.
“Our cool climate regions are going to work best for Syrah, while a lot of our warm-climate sites are going to work best for Grenache and Mourvèdre. We do have very sandy soils in Washington, which sets our Grenache apart as it tends to be lighter in colour, having tons of flavour and bright aromatics. It can be so pretty and red-fruited and just delicious. It takes all of our season to get Mourvèdre ripe, but it’s still light, savoury and fresh here. You can include some of those niche varieties like Counoise, Cinsault or Petite Syrah. We can grow all these well and we have a climate that really enhances these varietals’ characteristics.”
Moss conceded that he still found it difficult to pick a favourite varietal grown in Washington.
“I love Syrah but can’t ignore how well the Bordeaux varietals are doing now. So there’s no perfect answer for which grape fares best. We do too many things too well. But Syrah here comes in different styles – from bright, red-fruit peppery to more dark-fruited, more structured brooding Syrah. Then you’ll have non-fruit components like umami, nori and meat from the Rocks AVA.”
Blanketed in cobblestones and pebbles that were washed down from the Blue Mountains, this AVA, whose full name is ‘The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater’, gets compared with Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It is a warmer micro-climate within the Walla Walla AVA, which is slightly cooler than the rest of the broader Columbia Valley. While half of the Walla Walla AVA’s vines stretch across the state border into Oregon, the Rocks AVA is entirely within Oregon.
“These soils came from lava flows 15 million years ago.” Ryan Pennington by basalt bedrock-face on Ferguson Vineyard
Don't forget the Merlot
For Ryan Pennington, chief operations officer at the venerable L’Ecole No 41 winery, Merlot is the top grape in Walla Walla.
“We think Washington is one of the best places in the world to grow Merlot,” he said. “It could be the state’s signature grape. It grows so well here, and gets perfectly ripe but not over-ripe. It maintains its structure, acidity and tension.” Merlot from L’Ecole’s Ferguson Vineyard went into its 2011 label of that name that won the 2014 Decanter World Wine Awards’ best Bordeaux blend globally. Interestingly, 2011 was the very first vintage from the Ferguson Vineyard, L’Ecole’s crown-jewel 30-acre site at 1,450 feet, which was planted in 2008/9 to Bordeaux varietals.
The blow of discovering phylloxera in 2019 on the neighbouring Seven Hills Vineyard has not proved the major concern it might have been. Sadie Drury, a leading viticulturist who manages a number of estates, explained why.
“One block wasn't doing well, so we dug a hole and found phylloxera,” she recalled. “It proved to be widespread here but caused very little to no actual decline. But as we know we have it, we are now planting on American rootstock. Most blocks are really healthy and those we have removed had more to do with varietal demand, getting a variety in the right location or leafroll virus. There’s been very few that we’ve had to pull up because of phylloxera, which is pretty widespread throughout the state. It gets really cold here, so the aphids don’t move very far. We’ve not been using herbicides for 14 years, so we knew we would keep spreading it.”
Ferguson and Seven Hills
As two of Walla Walla, and indeed Washington’s, premier sites, Ferguson and Seven Hills make for fascinating viticulture.
“Here on Seven Hills, we have very deep fertile soils - 20 to 30 feet of wind-blown loess on top of the flood salts, which are significant on top of basalt,” Drury continued. “Plants can go deep. At Ferguson, there are thinner soils as wind has blown the topsoil away over a period of time, meaning plants are more stressed. There’s no granite native to this area, what’s here came from floods from western Montana. We need lots of frost fans, which we run one days in ten in spring. Historically, Walla Walla would have catastrophic cold weather events but thanks to global warming there’s not as much cold weather pressure as there used to be.”
Pennington revealed some remarkable figures. “These soils came from lava flows 15 million years ago,” he said. “There’s 10,000 feet of lava beneath us…it has sunk the earth and created a natural heat sink which has made agriculture possible. The basalt is highly fractured allowing vines to penetrate and find nutrients and water. High iron leads to iron rich clay, while pure calcium carbonate has been formed by organic material decomposing. So the soil chemistry is quite similar to Bordeaux and Burgundy. It’s not cheap to farm, so the wine’s not cheap. The yield is only two tons an acre up here – it’s a really cool place. In 2011 when we were picking ripe Cabernet, we got phenomenal acid, 3.0 pH, and around 10g/l of total acidity, mostly malic.
Red Mountain
Another leading AVA for Cabernet Sauvignon is Red Mountain, which has a total of 4,040 acres under vine. JJ Williams oversees 272 acres of vines at Kiona, whose original plantings in 1975 were made by his grandparents, who pioneered Red Mountain as a growing area.
“Red Mountain, like neighbouring Yakima Valley, is known for big, powerful concentrated red wine,” he declared. “We make our own wines but grow grapes for about 60 wineries. Red Mountain is actually a little brown hill in the middle of the desert. We get six inches of rain per year, with most falling out of our ripening periods. Within 10 miles of here, we have the convergence of the Columbia River, the Snake River and Yakima River, so ample resources thanks to one of the largest canal systems in the hemisphere.”
Williams grows as many as 20 different varietals.
“We wouldn’t grow them if we didn’t like them,” he mused. “We have primarily Cabernet, which pays the bills, but also Chenin Blanc, Sangiovese, Lemberger [aka Blaufrankisch] and Carménère as you don't want to get pigeon-holed. It’s OK to not have a definitive grape although Red Mountain could be the Cabernet region, Walla Walla the Syrah, Ancient Lakes the Riesling.”
“That’s OK – much in the same way that California has evolved from just being Cabernet. Washington is still a frontier – we have work to do in terms of building awareness. The wines are still somewhat hard to find. Having importers taking a chance on us is what we need, but I think people find that once it is in their glass, the wine is very compelling.”
Like Walla Walla, the Columbia Gorge AVA is half in Washington State and half in Oregon (either side of the Columbia River). Three Washington wineries there have followed Kiona’s lead and planted varietals that were something of a surprise to find. Syncline’s Gruner Veltliner, Gamay and Grenache from 2024 impressed, as did its traditional method Blanc de Noirs, while COR Cellars’s Friulano showed well. Meanwhile, the wackily-named and spelt Le Doubblé Troubblé Wine Co in the town of Lyle produces an impressive range that included a delightful Mencía 2023 with firm but fine-grained tannins.
The drive through Columbia Gorge, and indeed alongside the Columbia River, revealed yet more spectacular scenery in a state where panoramic views seem to be round most corners. The imperious 11,249 feet Mount Hood, which is actually in Oregon, dominates the skyline as you head west, and is one of many stunning peaks for the wine tourist to admire. Mt Adams, even higher at 12,276 in the Cascade Range, is visible from Kiona, while Mt Rainier, at 14,410, is the second tallest in the contiguous United States. Three great mountains in a skyline where the sky really is the limit for great viticulture and wine-making.
Some wines that caught the eye
Two Vintners, Grenache Blanc 2024, Bouchey Vineyard, Yakima Valley AVA, 12.7% abv
A delightful Grenache Blanc with 10% Marsanne to add some mid-palate viscosity. 15% new oak adds structure. Owner-winemaker Morgan Lee has no UK representation.
Andrew Will, Cuvée Lucia Semillon 2024, Two Blondes Vineyard, Yakima Valley AVA, 13% abv
From nine-year old vines, this appealing Semillon was fermented in stainless steel using wild yeasts, and aged in neutral wood. Imported by Bancroft.
Latta Wines, Syrah 2021, Weathereye, Columbia Valley AVA, 14.1% abv
Co-fermented with 5% Viognier to give some florality, this high quality Syrah saw no racking until filtration and bottling. No new oak used, allowing full fruit expression. The winery buys in all its grapes, mainly from high elevation sites, and makes around 21,000 cases per annum. No current exports.
DeLille, Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Grand Ciel Estate Vineyard, Red Mountain AVA, 14% abv
Very high quality single varietal Cabernet, which has effortlessly absorbed 100% new oak, in which it was aged for 20 months. Winemaker Nick Bernstein has crafted a wine with consummate harmony and balance with beautifully integrated tannins. Dark red fruit and blackberry notes, along with minerality, tension and a long, complex finish. No UK representation.
Betz Family Winery, Clos de Betz Red Wine 2019, Columbia Valley AVA, 14.2% abv
Top-class Bordeaux blend with Merlot (60%) with Cabernet Sauvignon (19%) and Petit Verdot (21%). One of 13 wineries acquired by Ackley Brands, who own the acclaimed The Cove wine bar in Seattle where most of their labels can be tasted. Enotria imports some of their brands.
Cadence Bel Canto 2012, Cara Mia Vineyard, Red Mountain AVA, 14.4% abv
Ben Smith, a former Boeing engineer, quit his job there in 2000 to set up Cadence, whose first harvest was six years later. He crafted this fine Bordeaux blend (84% Cabernet Franc with the balance split between Merlot and Petit Verdot) that shows how well Washington reds can age. Elevage in 50% new French oak for 23 months with no filtration or fining. Glorious fruit with dusty tannins. Imported into the UK by Coast.
Pomum Cellars, Noris White Wine Blend 2024, Yakima Valley AVA, 13.5% abv
Aromas of pear and stone fruit with a lovely mineral finish and bright acidity on this blend of Sauvignon Blanc (62%) and Semillon (38%). Fermented in stainless steel and aged on fine lees for five months. The fruit was sourced from vines planted in 2008 in the organically-farmed Konnowac Vineyard, a native American name. Seeking UK distribution.
Two Mountain Winery, Riesling 2025, Copeland Vineyard, Rattlesnake Hills AVA, 12.7% abv
A good example of off-dry Riesling that is common in Washington to balance often shrill acidity. Grannysmith apple, lemon and pear notes. Fourth generation winemaker Matt Rawn has 60 hectares under vine, all on own roots, and is certified through Sustainable WA. His wines were previously exported to the UK, and he is seeking representation.
Dineen Vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, Yakima Valley AVA, 14.4% abv
Very floral single varietal Cabernet with aromas of mulberries and sandalwood. Silky tannins with notes of blackberries, black cherries and coffee. Very classy. Owner Marissa Dineen is looking for UK distribution.
Gilbert Cellars, TV Wine 2025, Yakima Valley AVA, 13% abv
Not a bottle but a 1.5l ‘astrapouch’ (a bag but not in-box). The initials ‘TV’ stand for Tempranillo (40%) and Verdelho (60%), which were co-fermented. Once opened, the wine lasts 60 days. 300 bags were produced as an experiment but have sold like hotcakes. An ideal quaffer for summer, best drunk chilled, although Gilbert Cellars don’t currently export any of their range.
Hedges Family Estate, ‘Descendants Liegeois Dupont’ Le Blanc 2019, Red Mountain AVA, 13.5% abv
An alluring blend of Marsanne (85%) and Viognier (15%) from Tom Hedges, with the label a nod to his French wife Anne-Marie. Full-bodied with some oily texture and richness, but also sufficient freshness for it to age. Jasmin, lemon curd and toasted almond notes. Wine & Earth in Guildford import Hedges' fine range.
Kiona, Chenin Blanc 2024, Columbia Valley AVA, 14% abv
From vines planted in 1976, 1979 and 1983, this underlines how Washington can make excellent Chenin Blanc. Some Viognier (8%) and a dash of Marsanne (2%) were added with fermentation in stainless steel before some of the blend was matured in concrete eggs with lees stirring. The pithiness and silky creamy texture stood out. Imported by Coast.
Valdemar Estates, Las Canteras Viognier 2024, Walla Walla Valley AVA, 13.1% abv
Top-class Viognier made by Portland native, Devyani Gupte, at the first non-American owned winery in Washington. CEO and co-owner Jesús Martínez Bujanda Mora, whose family have a 130-year old wine business in Rioja, says he fell in love with the Walla Walla wine community when first visiting in 2016. A year later, he bought the property and opened the facility in 2019 with 36 acres of vines planted. “We think Walla Walla can be the Old World in the New World,” he mused. Round, flinty and generous with lots of concentration and a lovely texture, this could be mistaken for a Condrieu. Berkmann Wine Cellars are the UK importers.
Seven Hills Winery, Pentad Red Wine 2023, Walla Walla Valley AVA, 15% abv
Very impressive flagship Bordeaux blend from one of the oldest wineries in Walla Walla. Predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) with Merlot (18), Malbec (10), Petit Verdot (9) and Carménère (3). Winemaker Bobby Richards employed 50% new oak for 20 months. Powerful yet harmonious with vibrant acidity counter-balancing firm tannins and 15% alcohol. Cigar box aromas with intense black fruit notes. Cellars Wines are importers.
Grosgrain, Grenache 2023, French Creek Vineyard, Columbia Valley AVA, 13.8% abv
Owner-winemaker Matt Austin, a former Los Angeles tax attorney, works with as many as 20 varietals, with many being heat and drought-resistant ones. His UK distributor is Coast. This elegant Grenache has red berry fruits, dried herbs and gentle spice with soft tannins.
L’Ecole No 41, Ferguson Vineyard 2022, Walla Walla Valley AVA, 14.5% abv.
World-class Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (53%), Merlot (24), Cabernet Franc (14), Malbec (6) and Petit Verdot (3) from the acclaimed Ferguson Vineyard of this revered producer. Aromas of cassis, blackberry and crushed rock. Black fruit, graphite and black pepper notes with firm but fine-grained tannins and fresh acidity. Imported by Cellars Wines.
Echolands, Syrah 2023, Resurgent Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley AVA, 13.6% abv
Established in 2018, this $27 million facility at 1600 feet has sensational views over the Blue Mountains. Around 14,000 cases produced per annum with no exports, although owner Doug Frost would like some. Single vineyard Syrah from a cool site upstream from the Rocks District AVA, making it lighter in body, brighter in acid and lower in alcohol. Earthy, forest-floor aromatics give way to complex tobacco and brambly fruit. 6% Viognier added.
The Walls Vineyards, Pášxa Grenache 2023, Rocks District AVA, 14% abv
Pášxa is the old native name for Walla Walla. This limited production (50 cases) of acclaimed Grenache comes from a single vineyard site, the Rockgarden Estate, on densely packed cobblestones. Savoury red and blue fruits, complex herbal notes and notable minerality with silky texture. The winery is owned by former Microsoft lawyer, Mike Martin, who left corporate life in 2014 to set it up. The Wine Society stocks some of his range.
Doubleback, Merlot 2023, Walla Walla Valley AVA, 14.5% abv
The Doubleback brand was launched in 2007 by former American footballer Drew Bledsoe and named because he had ‘doubled back’ to his home town of Walla Walla. Predominantly from the Schafer site in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, this is super premium Merlot (with 9% Cabernet Franc) that is rich with generous red fruit and chalky tannins. Winemaker Josh McDaniels employed 65% new oak for 16 months. Imported into the UK by Sporting Wine Club.
Syncline, ‘Scintillation’ Blanc de Noirs 2018, Columbia Gorge AVA, 12.5% abv
Excellent traditional method bubbly made from 100% Pinot Noir, whose vines were planted in 1973 and are overlooked by Mt Hood. Five years on the lees with zero dosage. Owners James and Poppy Mantone aim to make 200 cases per annum of it. They are seeking UK representation.
Cor Cellars, ‘Ago’ Friulano 2024, Columbia Gorge AVA, 13% abv
The only Friulano in Washington State is made by Luke Bradford, who produces 5,000 cases a year from his vines in Lyle, a short drive from Syncline. Crisp with notes of melon and peach, it has fresh minerality and nice length. No UK representation.
Le Doubblé Troubblé (LDT) Wine Company, Chardonnay 2022, Celilo Vineyard, Columbia Gorge AVA, 14.1% abv
LDT, as it is known, sources fruit from five sites in Columbia Gorge and two in Willamette Valley, Oregon. This outstanding Chardonnay comes from the cool climate, high elevation Celilo Vineyard in Columbia Gorge. It saw 20% new oak, and has lovely balance and texture. McIntosh Forrence describes himself as a hands-off winemaker who loves old vines. He makes some good craft beer too. No current exports.
Geoffrey Dean was a guest of the Washington State Wine Commission