One relatively new wine project out of Walla Walla, The Walls was founded by former software executive, Mike Martin. Mike has been an exceedingly busy man of late, as he recently purchased the Rockgarden Estate Vineyard from Buty Winery to add to his portfolio. The Walls is actually named after a Walla Walla nickname for the local Washington State Penitentiary, The Walls imparts aptly playful names for their wines, like the ‘Concrete Mama’ referring to both the storage of the wine along with the housing for penitentiary inmates. It was recently announced that superstar winemaker, Todd Alexander, will be the new consulting winemaker for The Walls who also recently opened a new winery on Pine St. in downtown Walla Walla. Todd brings a wealth of experience to The Walls and I am very excited to see what he does with this program as he has been crafting some stunning, one of a kind, new wines for Force Majeure.
The new 2017 The Walls ‘MacAndrew’ Chardonnay (WWB, 91) has terrific poise and balance, as this cool site wine would be great for a warm summer day. I really enjoyed the 2017 The Walls ‘Concrete Mama’ Syrah (WWB, 92) which has good freshness and lift, with a plush texture and lovely stony undertones. Learn more about these great wines at https://www.thewallsvineyards.com Here are the new releases by The Walls.
2017 The Walls ‘Les Jeunes Vignes’ Chardonnay- Showing off a bright color, the Les Jeunes Vignes’ opens with light white peach and damp stone aromas that take shape in the glass. The polished mouthfeel and soft texture really entices here as ripe orchard fruits and lighter wet stone and melon tones come together beautifully on the palate. This is really well-done. Drink 2020-2027- 91
2018 The Walls ‘Martin’s Gold’ Chardonnay- Sourced from the French Creek Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, the ‘Martin’s Gold’ opens with pretty honeysuckle with honeydew melon and baked apple aromas that take shape in the glass. The palate is soft, delivering a wonderful freshness and texture. Bright lemon cream and vanilla creme brûlée flavors collide with minerals and ripe melon undertones. This is fantastic stuff now that will evolve well over the next decade. Drink 2020-2030- 92
2017 The Walls ‘MacAndrew’ Chardonnay- The 2017 ‘MacAndrew’ Chardonnay is sourced from the White Salmon Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge. Lithe and showing good minerality, the wine reveals bright green apple, starfruit and vanilla cream flavors. Enjoy this in the short-term while the brightness remains. Drink 2020-2025- 91
2017 The Walls ‘River Rock Vineyard’ Grenache- Sourced from the ‘River Rock Vineyard’ in The Rocks of Milton-Freewater AVA, this Grenache combines smoky and lighter wet stone tones with bright red fruits that march in line in the glass. The freshness is very nice as medium-bodied red fruit flavors mingle with orange rind and a hint of Umami on the palate. Drink 2020-2027- 91
2017 The Walls ‘Concrete Mama’ Syrah- Sourced from the ‘River Rock Vineyard’ this shows good aromatic range form bacon fat to tar and umami that collide with the dense core of dark fruits that take shape in the glass. The palate is plush, giving off a silky texture and bright, mouth-watering acidity. Blackberry jelly with creosote and seaweed flavors mingle with the lighter stony undertones on the palate. Enjoy this over the next decade. Drink 2020-2029- 92
2017 The Walls ‘The Ramparts’ Red Wine- A blend of 40% Grenache, and 40% Mourvedre with small portions Counoise and Viognier, ‘The Ramparts’ shows nice scorched earth and herbal tones that collide with a good core of dark fruits on the nose. The palate shows a silky texture and plush mouthfeel with straightforward dark fruit and cocoa powder flavors. Drink 2020-2027- 91
2017 The Walls ‘Stanley Groovy’ Red Wine- A kitchen sink blend of six Red Mountain sourced varietals, including 28% Touriga Nacional, the inky colored ‘Stanley Groovy’ opens with a bouquet of tar and smoky tones that meld with the rich black fruit on the nose. The palate is dense and unveils a soft mouthfeel. Black Forest cake and shades of tar with smoked brisket all combine marvelously on the palate. Fantastic now, this highly novel Washington red wine will cellar well for the next seven to ten years. Drink 2020-2027- 92
2017 The Walls ‘Curiositas’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Deeply perfumed, the ‘Curiositas’ shows blackberry compote and smoky tones that meld with chocolate cake aromatics that play together in the glass. Soft and generous on the mouth, the wine delivers medium to full-bodied dark fruit flavors with violet, sagebrush and smoky undertones. Enjoy this excellent Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon over the next decade. Drink 2020-2030- 91