As harvest comes to an end, it’s time to get out to the Walla Walla region for the fall release. We are making this a whirlwind trip making this a 24 Hour Walla Walla wine trip and all the way to Prosser!
First, we stop in Dayton to visit Dumas Station winery and pick up our release wine. This is a rustic tasting room situated in the center of a barn production facility. With the amazing smells of harvest in the air, we get to taste through our pick- up wines. Everything is tasting nice and we are excited to bring these wines home to lay down. We even found a few favorites to take with us for the evening.
We then head over to the Best Western in Dayton which is an up to date and comfortable place to stay with nice suites and get ready for dinner. We have had reservations to Patit Creek for 2 months and have been looking forward to this French-inspired restaurant for weeks. Dinner did not disappoint. With only 8 tables served for the evening, we had enough time to visit and enjoy our wine between courses. The food was incredible and we left happy knowing we had the opportunity to experience Patit Creek before they retire and close at the end of the year.
Up early the next morning we grab a cup of coffee and hit the road to Walla Walla. Amavi in Walla Walla’s south side is our first destination for breakfast and its worth our early morning drive. When you first walk up, the Marc has an omelet bar set up with every topping you can think of. Once inside they have an entire buffet set up with everything from homemade yogurt to provolone potatoes. The Semillon pairs nicely with breakfast and we then taste through our new release wines. The Cabernet is a strong favorite and will be great.
We make a quick stop at a local roaster for a fresh cup of coffee and hit Elegante. The winemaker/owner is a retired chemistry teacher and is very hospitable and we enjoyed our visit with him. I ended up surprised to find I enjoyed his strawberry wine and found myself purchasing a bottle thinking of warmer weather.
Isenhower is the next stop with tastings in the barrel room. We enjoyed our time here, the wine was good and worth coming back to for another visit to explore the possibility of wine club membership.
Heading down the road for our last Walla Walla stop is Slight of Hand. Fun atmosphere with vinyl playing in the background. Also another winery worth another visit in the future.
Next is the Martinez Martinez release and we hit the road to Prosser. Martinez never disappoints with its authentic Mexican food served. It was a little cold but not cold enough to keep me from having a “Rosa Rita” a crowd favorite at all Martinez events. We taste through our release wine and do a vertical tasting of the Petit Verdot.
Next, its time to head indoors to relax and we make our way to Alexandria Nicole to sit in the members’ room to visit with friends.
Just as its time to call it a day we make the last minute decision to stop by Longship Cellars in Richland. Longship provides a good atmosphere and we notice several people with takeout coming in to sit, eat and taste wine. With the late hours of 8 pm for the tasting room, this is one we will keep our eyes on and try again.
What an amazing 24 hours of incredible food and wine.
