On a recent trip to Walla Walla wine country, Jose and I had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Myles Anderson of the Walla Walla Vintners, thanks to Paul Gregutt.
I wrote earlier about this visit with Myles Anderson at his winery in Part I. Dr. Anderson and Jose talked about his Walla Walla Vintners property and the wines being produced there.
This video is the second part of a two part series, in which we learn about Walla Walla, an area that was new to us. In Dr. Anderson’s wine cellar, we learn about his winemaking philosophies and practices.
A bit of history about Dr. Myles Anderson… Still associated with the Walla Walla Community College, Dr. Anderson’s served as a counselor, instructor, administrator, and founding director for the Institute for Enology and Viticulture. He’s considered a very distinguished winemaker in Washington state, having launched Walla Walla Vintners, an artisan winery, in 1995. This was the eighth winery to be opened in Walla Walla Valley. He’s very much a pioneer, and we were so fortunate to have Paul set us up with this meeting and interview.
The wines being tasted are all barrel sample Cabernets. Myles takes us through his 2011 vintages, talking about vineyard sources, including one coming from an area that never seems to freeze. Jose learned what makes Washington red wines so unique and delicious for their terroir. Myles talks about their barrel treatment program; where they come from, how long their wines stay in barrel, what varieties go into which barrels, and clones that are delivering certain flavors.
Bordeaux varieties dominate at Walla Walla Vintners, sourcing from 14 different growers, plus having access to their estate grapes. Their wines are all “Vintners Select.” Jose discovers their opulent wines.
Jose also asks Myles to talk about the Walla Walla Community College and his involvement and the program that exists. It was begun to maintain high quality winemaking in Walla Walls. Myles and his partner learned most of their winemaking by mistakes; so the program was created in order to help others not have to struggle in the same way.
Related articles
- Winemaker Eric Dunham’s Walla Walla Wonderland ~ Dunham Cellars (wine-blog.org)
- Karen and Paul Gregutt’s Utopian Waitsburg in Walla Walla Wine County (wine-blog.org)
- Washington’s reds find a sweet spot (sfgate.com)
- Wine Tourism in Washington State (winepeeps.com)
- Walla Walla college named to top 10 in nation (seattletimes.com)
- Guide to the Best in Walla Walla (seattle.cbslocal.com)
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