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Barnard Griffin
RICHLAND
Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area and working at his uncle's Napa
Valley vineyard nourished an early passion for Barnard Griffin co-owner
and winemaker Rob Griffin, who fell in love with the culture and practice
of winemaking from an early age. At the University of California, Davis, he
earned a Bachelor's degree in Fermentation Science, after which he worked
for a few years in Sonoma Valley.
But, in 1977, Rob took a leap of faith and set out to explore unchartered wine
territory, traveling to Washington—what was then an emerging viticulture
region. In this "wild west" of winemaking, Rob made wine at some of the
state's earliest wineries including Preston Wine Cellars and The Hogue
Cellars before launching his own label, Barnard Griffin, with wife Deborah
Barnard in 1983.
Although they began with little more than a few thousand pounds of borrowed
fruit and a rented cellar, Rob and Deborah's winery has now grown to be one
of the most celebrated and award-winning in Washington—and Rob has even
been called the "dean of winemakers" by The Seattle Times' wine columnist
Andy Perdue and is considered the longest practicing winemaker in the state.
In 1996, Rob and Deborah built the permanent home for Barnard Griffin
Winery in Richland, where it remains to this day—albeit in quite an expanded
form. The beautiful campus includes not only their production facility and
tasting room, but also a full-service restaurant that offers lunch and dinner
FACING PAGE: Co-owners Rob Griffin and Deborah
Barnard share a barrel sample of an upcoming wine release.
Photograph by Darrin Schreder
ABOVE: The Barnard Griffin family shares a smile, and a glass
of wine in the cellar.
Photograph by Richard Breshears Photography
