A Long Weekend in Walla Walla - Part III: The After-Party!

After the pre-party (aka winemaker dinner at Pepper Bridge) and the main event (the Reveal Walla Walla wine auction) it was now time for the after-party!  In my case I had a wonderful lunch and reserve tasting at Seven Hills Winery (thank you Julie, Casey, Danielle and Bobby!) and then I was off on a new adventure with Cia, who works at Reininger.  Other than my various adventures at Pepper Bridge, I really haven't spent much time at the wineries on the south side of town, so now was the time to rectify that!  We first stopped at Isenhower Cellars where we tasted some wonderful GSM blends and I ordered a half case of wine for a friend back home. 

The next stop was a place I've been wanting to visit for more than a year since Julie Titus recommended their Psychedelic Syrah, yes, we went to Sleight of Hand Cellars! 

They really love old vinyl records and Pearl Jam (who doesn't?) and their tasting room always has something playing.  The wines we tasted were some of the best Syrah I've had in the Valley, and so of course I ordered a bunch to be shipped home.

I saw Trey earlier in the day at the Reveal Barrel Tasting, but I can only imagine how fun a tasting at Sleight of Hand would be if he were there!

Next we were off to Doubleback's new winery and tasting room and I have to admit I was incredibly impressed!  The winery has the overall look and feel you'd expect give what Drew Bledsoe has done with his wines over the past decade.

The winery is set amid wonderful vineyards with the beautiful valley scenery surrounding you.  I can't imagine having a bad day here!

The tasting room is just stunning, with fantastic views and that's just the beginning.  There is a rooftop deck up above that's perfect for summer tastings.

We had a nice tour of the barrel room (I am sill drooling!) including some barrels of the next reserve vintage (I need to get some next year).

Then back upstairs for some tasting of Doubleback Cabernet and Healy Rose.  I had a chance to meet and talk a bit with Josh McDaniels, the winemaker at Doubleback and he even shared a bottle of 2010 Pomerol from he personal cellar.

The next morning I was back on the road, heading to Portland for my flight back to Midway, which of course meant another drive through the Columbia Gorge.  This time I got to stop and Multnomah Falls.

As the drive for one last photo op couldn't be denied, I took a slight detour up to the top of the Gorge to get a great photo of Crown Point.  And alas my long weekend really was too short.  Cheers!