Great article. I love the part where you explain that the next great Walla Walla wineries are already out there! Devison is definitely one to watch. When I am in Walla Walla which is not often enough I like to seek out new wineries. I’ve had people ask me why I’m not joining the wait list for Cayuse. I explain that while I greatly respect Cayuse and drink it when I can I’m looking for the next great Walla Walla wineries.
I have always enjoyed being on the hunt for new, hungry, excellent and still-unknown wineries. It's been the story of my 35 years as a wine writer. I've probably been the first to review more top tier NW wineries than any other single reviewer. And the hunt continues!
Thanks for the recommendations for the next decades "must have", "it" wines! So many things have be fetishized and bid up to astronomical prices by the uber-wealthy--wine is only one. Cars, fashion, art, houses, you name it. A great read on the 1980's version of this is "Billionaire's Vinegar"--ostensibily about a bordeaux supposedly purchased by Thomas Jefferson--but the much more interesting story was about how the obsession with trophy wines by the ultra-rich essentially destroyed the market, and incentivized wine forgeries.
Spot on Bruce. Along with the trophy wines are the forgeries, and no one really knows how many there have been, notably in China. Anyone with an empty bottle of a rare wine is holding something quite valuable for a counterfeiter. Happily, wineries are taking many steps to insure authenticity, but older wines are fair game for cheaters.
Terrific article! I have a few decent bottles of older wine (no first growths sadly!) in my cellar that have appreciated considerably and cringe at the thought of NOT drinking them. They are my treasures and I truly enjoy sharing a great bottle with friends, including many Cayuse dandy’s (I fortunately got in early). However, I share the passion of you and your commentators for seeking out the next great winemaker in our area and I think Peter Devison is that guy or gal. He has a fabulous palate and the accompanying skill to deliver on what he aims for in a wine. They are wines of both subtlety and substance. His wife is a gem and it is a must stop on our bi-yearly trip to WW. Our introduction was memorable as we asked for a tasting in October during the Covid shutdown of 2020. Their tasting room wasn’t open yet, he was still in the middle of harvest, and they had a new baby. Regardless, they arranged to have us over to their backyard patio on a rainy day where the 4 of us tasted through 6 or 7 bottles over several hours with Peter while his wife stayed inside with the baby! The wine blew our minds and it was one of the best days of wine tasting ever!
Great article. I love the part where you explain that the next great Walla Walla wineries are already out there! Devison is definitely one to watch. When I am in Walla Walla which is not often enough I like to seek out new wineries. I’ve had people ask me why I’m not joining the wait list for Cayuse. I explain that while I greatly respect Cayuse and drink it when I can I’m looking for the next great Walla Walla wineries.
I have always enjoyed being on the hunt for new, hungry, excellent and still-unknown wineries. It's been the story of my 35 years as a wine writer. I've probably been the first to review more top tier NW wineries than any other single reviewer. And the hunt continues!
Thanks for the recommendations for the next decades "must have", "it" wines! So many things have be fetishized and bid up to astronomical prices by the uber-wealthy--wine is only one. Cars, fashion, art, houses, you name it. A great read on the 1980's version of this is "Billionaire's Vinegar"--ostensibily about a bordeaux supposedly purchased by Thomas Jefferson--but the much more interesting story was about how the obsession with trophy wines by the ultra-rich essentially destroyed the market, and incentivized wine forgeries.
Spot on Bruce. Along with the trophy wines are the forgeries, and no one really knows how many there have been, notably in China. Anyone with an empty bottle of a rare wine is holding something quite valuable for a counterfeiter. Happily, wineries are taking many steps to insure authenticity, but older wines are fair game for cheaters.
Terrific article! I have a few decent bottles of older wine (no first growths sadly!) in my cellar that have appreciated considerably and cringe at the thought of NOT drinking them. They are my treasures and I truly enjoy sharing a great bottle with friends, including many Cayuse dandy’s (I fortunately got in early). However, I share the passion of you and your commentators for seeking out the next great winemaker in our area and I think Peter Devison is that guy or gal. He has a fabulous palate and the accompanying skill to deliver on what he aims for in a wine. They are wines of both subtlety and substance. His wife is a gem and it is a must stop on our bi-yearly trip to WW. Our introduction was memorable as we asked for a tasting in October during the Covid shutdown of 2020. Their tasting room wasn’t open yet, he was still in the middle of harvest, and they had a new baby. Regardless, they arranged to have us over to their backyard patio on a rainy day where the 4 of us tasted through 6 or 7 bottles over several hours with Peter while his wife stayed inside with the baby! The wine blew our minds and it was one of the best days of wine tasting ever!
I'm totally with you. Peter is a special talent.