A fantastic Walla Walla mainstay, Dunham Cellars is a must visit when you are in the Walla Walla area. Located in the airport district and founded by the Dunham family in 1995, Dunham relies on the talented hands of winemaker Tyler Tennyson. Dunham produces a wide range of wines including Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Trutina (Bordeaux style blend), Three Legged Red (red table wine) and the "Shirley Mays" Chardonnay, a dedication to Eric's grandmother.
Having tasted at Dunham for more than 15 years, their new wines impressed. Look for their 2013 Dunham Cabernet (WWB, 92), a rich wine that showed beautifully straight out of the bottle, not needing a decant. this rich wine shows wonderful richness and poise. Another gorgeous new release was the 2014 Dunham ‘Lewis Vineyard’ Riesling (WWB, 92), that showed awesome secondary characteristics as well as minerality in this hot vintage. An awesome new Cabernet release is the massive 2013 Dunham ‘Artist Series Lewis Vineyard’ Cabernet (WWB, 94) that showed powerful fruit flavors and wonderful, earthy terroir from the famed Lewis Vineyard. Look for these awesome wines at great wine shops like Met Market, Esquin, and Total Wines, as well as some area grocery stores like QFC. Some Costcos also carry their Trutina wines. Learn more about Dunham at dunhamcellars.com. Here are the great new release wines from Dunham Cellars.
2016 Dunham Rose- The 2016 Dunham Rosé is another gorgeous release by Dunham and their talented winemaker, Tyler Tennyson. This pretty pale-colored Rose wine made from Cabernet Franc begins with aromatics of rose petals, red cherry, and cranberry. There are light and delicate flavors of gooseberry, red cherry, pomegranate seed and orange rind. This has wonderful poise and is done in the refreshing style. Drink 2017-2021- 91
2015 Dunham 'Shirley Mays' Chardonnay- Sourced from the Lewis Vineyard, this great Chardonnay release opens with a bouquet of creme beulee, roasted pineapple, Golden Delicious apple and toasted hazelnuts. This leads to ripe flavors of vanilla cream, pineapple upside down cake, Pazzaz apple and brioche. This wine impresses in a very hot vintage. Drink 2017-2025- 92
2014 Dunham 'Lewis Vineyard' Riesling-2014 was a considerably hot vintage, so this Riesling wine shows impressive mineral components considering the heat of the vintage. Made with 1.4% residual sugar, this Riesling wine begins with petrol, white flowers, wet stone and green apple. This leads to bright flavors of Gala apple, wet stone, cut grass, and green papaya. I can see this cellaring well in the the next decade. Light on its feet, the wine is a beautiful compliment to sushi or shellfish. Drink 2017-2025- 92
2013 Dunham Cabernet- The 2013 Cabernet by Dunham is an awesome new wine that showcases the classic Dunham character of terroir and earthy components. An inky color, this begins with intoxicating aromatics of sage, blackberry cobbler, black olive and coffee grounds. This leads to dense flavors of black tea, mint, bulls blood and cigar box with coffee grounds. This has wonderful structure and mid-palate weight, beautifully balancing elegance and richness. Drink 2017-2030- 93
2014 Dunham Syrah- Dunham has developed a sterling reputation for their Syrah wine and this new release is absolutely no exception. Rich, earthy and meaty, this great Syrah wine opens with ripe aromatics of sagebrush, milk chocolate, black cherry compote and blackberry jam. This leads to intense flavors of blackberry cobbler, milk chocolate and creme de cassis with sage. There is intense weight to this wine. This Syrah has a lovely texture and a rich mouthfeel making this a pretty serious value out of Washington. Drink 2017-2028- 93
2013 Dunham 'Lewis Vineyard' Cabernet- The 2013 ‘Lewis Vineyard’ is a dense and massive Cabernet wine by Dunham. The Cabernet wine is currently showcasing a beautiful nose with aromas of black tea, mocha, creme de csssis and black olive. This has wonderful balance and weight as the wine shows dense flavors of black cherry, coffee grounds, sage and milk chocolate. This is polished and sensuous wine that is drinking beautifully right now but will also cellar well for a decade or more. Drink 2017-2030- 94