Still Soaring Strong

Walla Walla's Dunham Cellars celebrates 30 year anniversary

By Annelise Kelly

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Dunham Cellars, one of Walla Walla’s oldest wineries. In 1995, founding winemaker Eric Dunham crafted the brand’s first vintage, a Cabernet Sauvignon, while working as assistant winemaker at L'Ecole No. 41. Dunham Cellars formally began as a family collaboration, with Eric’s father, Mike, playing a critical role in the enterprise. Despite the deaths of both Mike and Eric, it remains a respected, foundational winery.

I spoke with president, John Blair, who has spent the last 14 years at Dunham Cellars. “I worked under Mike Dunham for about a year and a half in sort of a general management role. Upon his passing, I took over the general manager role, and then somewhere along the way, I don't honestly remember exactly when my title was switched to president.”

Trials and triumphs

Mike Dunham, friendly with early Walla Walla winemakers, exposed his son to the exciting world of wine. Eric’s precocious passion evolved because of those relationships. With an ample international wine collection in the house, the teenage wine enthusiast routinely sneaked samples from his parent’s locked cellar. Throughout his four-year Navy career, while stationed at Moffett Field in Santa Clara County, he expanded his wine acumen with visits to nearby Napa Valley.
After leaving the service, Eric began a six-month internship at Hogue Cellars in Prosser, Washington. That job led to the L'Ecole No. 41 assistant winemaker position where he crafted his 1995 Dunham Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon I. (“We use Roman numerals on our Columbia Valley Cabernet bottling,” explains Blair. “So, the ‘I’ signifies our first vintage. We are currently pouring the 2021 vintage in our tasting room, which is the ‘XXVII’.”)
It’s worth noting the Walla Walla Valley had less than two dozen wineries at the time. Now, it’s home to over ten dozen.

After releasing a few acclaimed vintages, Eric discovered the ideal spot to establish his own winery– a cavernous WWII airplane hangar on the outskirts of town. Partnering with his father and stepmother Joanne, Dunham Cellars found a home. In 2000, friends David and Cheryll Blair joined the company.

In 2008, after working together for several years, Eric handed over the winemaker role to Dan Wampfler from Columbia Crest Winery. Doing so allowed him to represent the brand as national sales manager. Eight years ago, Robert Campesi became Dunham’s winemaker. Blair notes how they had only three winemakers, each with considerable overlap, “that's helped us preserve winemaking continuity, carrying on the style Eric created.”

John Blair, Cheryll and David’s son, joined the operation in 2011, moving to Walla Walla two years later after Mike succumbed to cancer. Sadly, the local wine community was stunned the following year, when Eric took his own life, leaving a wife and child.

The facility

Dunham Cellars, in the repurposed U.S. Army Air Corps Base, now known as the Airport District, is home to about a dozen wineries. “They trained B-17 and B-24 flight crews here,” notes Blair. “People lived at the base so there was a commissary, school, housing and all the buildings needed for the aircraft. We're in an old maintenance hangar across from the quiet Walla Walla Regional Airport, with a whopping two commercial flights a day to Seattle.” Guests can enjoy the beautiful courtyard with Dunham-crafted charcuterie plates or bring their own picnics.

Estate-driven and self-managed

Dunham Cellars is “primarily estate-driven,” explains Blair. “Basically, 75-80 percent of our fruit is grown at our two vineyards. We source the rest from local growers.” Since the late 1990s, the winery has used grapes from Lewis Estate Vineyard, in Washington’s Yakima Valley. Kenny Hill Vineyard, planted in 2010, supplies estate-grown Walla Walla fruit.

The winery also operates Appellation Management Group, assisting several other wine clients in the Walla Walla Valley. “We are distinguished by our farming expertise. Ken Hart, our vineyard manager, has worked for us for 25 years. And, he grew other agricultural products for the previous 25 years. He has incredibly deep, extensive farming knowledge of the Valley.”

Blair credits this close relationship with allowing them to dictate all the terms, ensuring maximum grape quality. We are able “to maintain a consistent style with total control over the vineyard practices.”

Wine club loyalty

With three decades to develop their craft, Dunham Cellars has attracted loyal fans. “The wine club has access to our top wines,” explains Blair. “For example, our Artist Series wines are produced using the best barrels from Lewis Vineyard, our oldest estate site. Featuring Eric Dunham's artwork, they're really personal, special bottles and sold almost exclusively to our wine club. Members get to attend all our parties and enjoy the Dunham family, as we call it. We like to think we throw pretty good parties, so that's enticing as well.”

They host three annual member events: one each in Walla Walla and Seattle. A third rotates among Spokane, Bellingham, and Vancouver. “This year just happens to be Vancouver,” says Blair.

Celebrating 30 years

“This is a big birthday– 30 years is an accomplishment for any small business,” observes Blair. “So, we're throwing a lot of parties.” The major anniversary party is June 30, a week after the three-day Celebrate Walla Walla Wine festival. “We're roasting a pig and will have live music, too. All our friends and peers are invited to celebrate with us.”

The annual Dunham Days weekend, each August, raises funds for the local suicide prevention agency. Dunham Cellars is also unveiling new labels, some featuring a flower drawing by Eric, a gifted artist.

Legacy

Reflecting on the proudest moments in Dunham Cellars’ history, Blair notes, “I suppose making it to 30 years. It's been a long run. With the deaths of Mike and Eric Dunham– Eric very unexpectedly– we've experienced a lot. To be able to survive… to keep succeeding and thriving would make them both very proud. My proudest achievement is continuing to build upon the foundation they created. I think everyone here shares that sentiment. We have a lot of long-term employees proud to carry on the legacy those guys created.”

As for the next 30 years, he simply hopes to “continue making great wine and trying to improve every year. We will tell our story to more and more people around the U.S., as often as possible.”

DUNHAM CELLARS
150 E. Boeing Ave., Walla Walla, WA
(509) 529-4685
dunhamcellars.com
OPEN DAILY 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.

After living in Denmark, the Netherlands, L.A. and the Bay Area, writer Annelise Kelly settled in Portland, where she delights in food carts, Douglas firs, dancing and getting crafty. Thanks to Annelise’s broad interests, her career path has weaved through cooking, events, technical writing, decorative painting and retail display. Wanderlust takes her across borders and oceans every chance she gets. Connect with Annelise at www.annelisekelly.com.