Ep 395: Walla Walla, Washington's Caprio Cellars and Its Estate Wines
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Caprio Cellars makes wines from estate vineyards in the Walla Walla viticultural area of eastern Washington. Owner and winemaker, Dennis Murphy crafts wines mainly from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from his three Walla Walla vineyards, one of which is named after his Italian grandmother Eleanor Caprio, and another for his great grandmother Sanitella Caprio.
In the show, Dennis shares some good information about Walla Walla and its climate, soils, and the region\\u2019s unique position in the wine world. The bulk of the show is dedicated to my conversation with him, and he gives us a different perspective from others we\\u2019ve talked to in Walla Walla, like Sleight of Hand Cellars (who doesn\\u2019t love Jerry Solomon and Episode 295) and Amavi/ Pepperbridge (Eric McKibben rocks out Episode 294).\\xa0But a lot of Dennis\'s references are to\\xa0seminal figures in the Walla Walla wine industry.
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Photo: Dennis Murphy, Caprio Cellars
Given that, in the first part of the show, I spend a few minutes telling you about the founding figures in the Walla Walla wine industry.\\xa0\\xa0Not only does this help in explaining the references, it sets you up to understand all of Walla Walla -- if you ever talk to anyone about the region or go visit, these names will come up over and over again. They are...
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- Norm McKibben. A founding father of Walla Walla\\u2019s wine industry, and he founded Pepper Bridge Cellars and Amavi. His mentorship, forward thinking attitude (he was an early proponent of sustainability), and openness are a big part of the success of Walla Walla.
- Jean-Francois Pellet is the Director of Winemaking and a partner at Pepper Bridge and Amavi. He was born and raised in Switzerland, and is a third-generation wine grower. After working in vineyards around Europe and for Heitz Cellars in the Napa Valley, he was recruited by Norm to Pepper Bridge \\xa0and also helped start Amavi.\\xa0He is an active partner in the businessl and an important force in the Walla Walla wine scene.
- Marty Clubb is Managing Winemaker and co-owner of L\\u2019Ecole N\\xb0 41 with his wife, Megan, and their children, Riley and Rebecca.\\xa0 Megan\\u2019s parents, Jean and Baker Ferguson, founded L\\u2019Ecole in 1983.\\xa0In 1989, Marty and Megan moved to Walla Walla and Marty became manager and winemaker of L\\u2019Ecole.\\xa0 Marty, along with Norm McKibben and Gary Figgins (see below) were the three most important figures in starting viticulture in the Walla Walla Valley.\\xa0 Marty is one of the most revered figures in Walla Walla.
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- Gary Figgins is the founder of Leonetti Cellar, which was Walla Walla\\u2019s first commercial winery. The Figgins family has been in Walla Walla for over a century and Gary learned viticulture from his uncles, who were farmers. He is self-taught and has done miraculous things for Walla Walla \\u2013 Leonetti\\u2019s wines were among the first to gain high scores and national recognition for the valley. Gary and his wife Nancy passed on the winery to their kids, Chris and Amy, but Gary is a major figure in the development of Walla Walla and is still active in vineyard consulting.
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- Christophe Baron is a native of Champagne and came to Walla Walla in 1993 while doing an internship at a vineyard in Oregon. He saw the famed \\u201crocks\\u201d of the Milton-Freewater district that looked like the puddingstone in Ch\\xe2teauneuf-du-Pape, and decided to buy 10 acres for his Cayuse Vineyards. The waitlist for the winery is many years deep, so Cayuse\\u2019s wines are only available to us on the secondary market (auctions and stuff \\u2013 there is a podcast to come on auctions that will make that secondary market easy to understand!). He\'s essential to helping make Walla Walla wine a coveted, hard to get luxury!
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Dennis Murphy mentions other important wineries: Gramercy Cellars, Va Piano, and Hanatoro, to name a few!\\xa0
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Finally, we discuss a few vineyards:
- Seven Hills and Sevein: These are top vineyards of Walla Walla. They have unique soils and are managed by the founding fathers of Walla Walla \\u2013 Norm McKibben, Marty, Clubb, Gary Figgins, and a few others, with many top wineries sourcing from this land.
After the intro, Dennis and I discuss Caprio, and its vineyards and its wines, which are quite tasty. Dennis discusses winemaking techniques, viticulture and sustainability, and his unique, very welcoming hospitality model. He has recently purchased a stake in Pepper Bridge and Amavi, so we discuss that briefly as well.
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If you haven\'t been to Walla Walla, put it on the list. In many ways it represents the. best of the American wine industry -- collegial, entrepreneurial, with a focus on hard work and quality. Who could ask for more?
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