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Walla Walla Vintners
WALLA WALLA
It's not uncommon for people to be passionate about their hobbies, but it's
rare that a pair of friends turns a hobby into a thriving company. Yet, Dr.
Myles Anderson and Gordy Venneri did just that when they founded Walla
Walla Vintners in 1995. As far back as 1981, the friends made small amounts
of wine for fun and learned all they could about winemaking, even working
alongside some of Walla Walla's pioneering winemakers—including Leonetti's
Gary Figgins and Woodward Canyon's Rick Small—before the winery's first
release of 675 cases in 1995. Since then, the winery has focused on limited-
production, labor-intensive wines including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet
Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Sangiovese that wine critic Paul Gregutt describes
as "seductive, soft, and round in the Leonetti mold."
With a humble approach and a commitment to creating the best wine
experience possible, the founders of Walla Walla Vintners quickly became
known for their collaborative spirit and their belief in creative competition,
not adversarial relationships with other winemakers. Dr. Anderson carried
that belief in collaboration and giving back to his work at the college level;
he helped create the Institute for Enology and Viticulture at Walla Walla
Community College to help further the art and science of winemaking in
Washington State. He was inducted into the Legends of Washington Wine
Hall of Fame in 2011 and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from
Washington Association of Wine Grape Growers in 2014. The winery also
received the honor of 2016 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year by Wine
Press Northwest. When Dr. Anderson and Gordy Venneri decided it was
time to retire—which they did in early 2017—they began envisioning what
FACING PAGE: The magnificent view from above Walla Walla
Vintners & their Cut Bank Estate Vineyard featuring the
iconic red barn.
ABOVE Owner Scott Haladay showcasing one of the first
releases from Walla Walla Vintners Cut Bank Estate Vineyard.
Photographs by Andrea Johnson
