Why This Star Napa Winemaker Is Expanding to Washington State

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Early this year we dug into the pessimism surrounding Washington wine industry. In addition to discussing layoffs and decreased grape purchases at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the largest producer in the state, we pinpointed an ongoing crisis in the Evergreen State, one of identity. Washington is home to more than 80 different grape varieties, and it seemed that there wasn’t a dominant grape or style that the state could present as an instantly recognizable calling card. But even in the midst of the doom and gloom, a star Napa Valley winemaking team sees a lot of opportunity in the Pacific Northwest.

Star vintners Chris Carpenter and Gianna Ghilarducci have headed north to an area of Washington’s Walla Walla region known as Mill Creek to establish Jett, a new winery in the Jackson Family Wines portfolio. This prodigious duo—the same one responsible for Napa’s Cardinale , La Jota, Mt. Brave, Caladan, and Lokoya—is readying its first Evergreen State release this August with Jett Skysill Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from 2021.

Jackson Family began buying grapes from vineyards in the state early in the decade, and it was so impressed by the quality of the fruit it decided to acquire its own land. In 2022 the company purchased 61 acres—40 of which were already under vine—and got to work. Jackson Family’s new vineyard, which it has dubbed Skysill, appealed to the team because the land near the Blue Mountains “offered both the elevation that we’re attracted to, and the area receives more rain and cooling breezes than the lands west of here,” Ghilarducci says.

That elevation is no small detail to Carpenter, who is widely known as a “mountain winemaker.” In Skysill, he has found a plot sitting at 1,500 feet above sea level that suits his style. “The similarities by way of temperature regulation and intensity of the solar radiation are very close to that of the Napa mountain sites we farm,” he says. “That viticultural aspect comes through in the character of the wines and their expression of high-altitude structural components and fruit intensity.” That said, he explains that there are vast differences between Napa and this area of Walla Walla, especially among soil types, weather patterns, and wine culture in general. “Much of the focus on winemaking in the United States is based in Napa and there is an overt amount of attention paid to the region,” Carpenter says, which he believes gives many American wine drinkers a “Napa-centric point of view.”

But there are signs that Washington—especially the Columbia Valley and its sub-AVAs—is gaining greater purchase in the mind of America’s red-wine drinkers. In January we reported that in 2022 and the first six months of 2023, 72 percent of Washington’s wine was shipped out of state, much of it via direct-to-consumer wine clubs or website purchases. We have noticed labels from there popping up on wine lists in New York City and elsewhere around the country, usually bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux-style blends, or Syrah, an under-the-radar favorite.

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One of the large drivers of this trend is fine-wine importer and distributor Winebow, which for nearly four years has had a dedicated portfolio called Upper Left that’s focused on wine from Washington and Oregon. Winebow distributes some of the biggest and best names from Washington—from L’Ecole to Doubleback to Leonetti—to restaurants and retailers alike in a large group of states.

Bottles from Washington are also showing up at auction and on the collector’s market, proof of the desirability of the state’s vinous output. Nick Pegna, global head of wine and spirits at Sotheby’s, tells Robb Report that Washington reds have a small but dedicated following, especially for brands such as Quilceda Creek and Cayuse. Both producers were also mentioned by David Parker, founder and CEO of Benchmark Wine Group, the largest rare-wine retailer in the United States that offers an extensive inventory of back vintage wine including a deep cache of Quilceda Creek library vintages. In addition, he called out Leonetti and two new labels from Cayuse—No Girls and Horsepower —as generating strong interest among buyers. Parker says Benchmark has seen in increase in demand for Washington wine since the start of the year. “While Washington is known for an adventurous range of varietals and styles, high quality, classically crafted Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends are the clear favorites among collectors,” he says.

Parker attributes the growth in interest to the high scores achieved by many wines from the state, with more than a handful of 100-point scores in the mix. He also points to the relative bargain that Washington offers. “Price remains reasonable relative to comparable wines from California and Bordeaux, with the very top wines from Washington retailing in the $140 to $210 range,” he says. Many excellent reds from top wineries are available at even more accessible price points, such as Bledsoe Cabernet Sauvignon, Figgins Estate Red, and Matthews Columbia Valley Cuvée.

“The importance of Walla Walla wines in the general discussion of North American wines has become clearer,” Carpenter says. It’s a gathering Washington wave Jackson Family is hoping to ride. The team has filed a petition along with its neighbors for formal recognition of the Mill Creek-Walla Walla Valley AVA; in addition to its Skysill estate offering, Jett will also release an appellation series that includes a Bordeaux-style blend, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Syrah from the Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, and Walla Walla Valley AVAs. It’s even further evidence that while the lower end of the Washington market is still struggling, there are many encouraging signs that the state’s premium market has plenty of cause for optimism.

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