Caprio Cellars always provides an elevated wine-and-food adventure at their Walla Walla tasting room. When we first stopped by three years ago, we called it “a hidden gem with a winning combination: elegant wines, tasty food, a gorgeous tasting room, incredible hospitality and a 360° view of the Walla Walla Valley.” We now stop by every year, and in May we affirmed that this description holds true, except it is no longer a secret. Many wine enthusiasts have happily discovered a five-star visit at Caprio. Customer Experience Director Emily Kiefer and her staff have a goal to find creative ways to give you an exceptional experience. For example, Caprio now offers a new educational tasting called “The Perfect Pair,” which looks at how Caprio develops the perfect food and wine pairings. Sign us up!
Caprio Cellars: Incredible Hospitality
From the minute you arrive at Caprio Cellars, you know you’re in for a special time. You’re greeted by Roscoe, the sweet winery dog, and a glass of sparkling wine. Next, Emily shows you your seat — either on the large patio, in cozy chairs around an outside fire pit, or inside the beautifully styled tasting room. She and her staff treat you like an honored guest in their home. The hospitality is phenomenal. The wine-and-food pairings are stellar. And there is no fee, which is rare in most wine regions.
Caprio Cellars Wines
Caprio Cellars produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Owner-Winemaker Dennis Murphy crafts about 4,000 cases per year, all from three estate vineyards: Eleanor, Octave and Sanitella. Each site enjoys ideal sun exposure and vine-loving soil, yielding high-quality grapes. Sustainable farming practices are central to Caprio’s operation. Last fall, Dennis also became a partner of the prestigious Seven Hills Vineyard and SeVein Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley. Consequently, he joined the partnership with well-known Walla Walla wine icons Marty Clubb of L’Ecole 41 and Norm McKibben of Pepperbridge.
Dennis is inspired by his wine-loving ancestors; for instance, his great-grandmother Sanitella knew each family in her small Italian neighborhood by their homemade wine. A Caprio vineyard honors her, while another pays tribute to Dennis’ grandmother, Eleanor. As well, both of Caprio’s signature red blends – the Eleanor and the Sanitella – celebrate these two women.
In addition to wine tastings, Caprio Cellars offers scratch-made, seasonally driven plates to accompany each glass. For example, this tasty roasted beet salad paired with 2023 Estate White. Head Chef Kyle Daniel, assisted by Chef Angel Cruz, focus on organic and sustainable food when creating their mouth-watering dishes. Find out about the other delicious pairings next to each wine below. We tasted five outstanding wines during our May visit. They were 2023 Estate Rosé, 2023 Estate White Blend, 2021 Red Label Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021 Eleanor and 2021 Sanitella.
Estate Rosé and White
2023 Estate Rosé ($38) is summer in a glass –100% Cabernet Franc rosé sourced 100% from Sanitella Vineyard, and aged in 100% stainless steel. This pale pink Provence-style rosé opens with aromas of fresh watermelon and tart red fruit, followed by great acidity, minerality, complexity and balance. During our visit, Chef served it with a lovely chickpea salad, with cucumber, radishes, arugula, goat cheese and toasted spice vinaigrette with a pop of lemon.
2023 Estate White Blend ($38) is a classic Bordeaux-style white, comprised of 58% Sauvignon Blanc and 42% Sémillon from Sanitella Vineyard. (The composition changed from the 2022 vintage, which blended 75% Sémillon and 25% Sauvignon Blanc.) We loved this 2023. I wish we had a case (or two) of it to enjoy throughout the summer. At the tasting room, Chef paired it with the beet salad mentioned above.
Estate Reds
2021 Red Label Cabernet Sauvignon ($48) is a luscious red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Merlot from three estate vineyards. We first tasted it last year and in the short time, wow did it open up. Think blueberries, black cherries, plums, spices, bacon and dark chocolate in a velvety mouthfeel. Yum! Emily told us this plush red goes back to their roots, because Cab Sauv is the first wine that Dennis made. Chef served it with Snap Pea Sauté: snap peas, pork belly, maitake mushrooms and house-made ricotta.
2021 Eleanor ($68) is an impressive blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Cabernet Franc (16%), Malbec (15%) and Merlot (9%). Octave Vineyard sourced 51% of the fruit, while 38% came from Sanitella, and 11% from Eleanor Vineyard. This stunning, powerful wine shows notes of dark fruit, fig and chocolate, with hints of cedar, herbs and minerality. Chef paired it with Pasta Puttanesca: house-made orecchiette, capers, kalamata olives, parmesan and fine herbs.
2021 Sanitella ($88) is an elegant Bordeaux-style blend, which pays homage to Dennis’ great-grandmother. This gorgeous red is layered, sophisticated and structured, chock-full of concentrated black fruit, along with pepper, spices, cassis and cocoa. Of note, Sanitella is only available to club members. So, we were fortunate to have a quick sip of deliciousness. Thank you, Emily!
Summary
In conclusion, Caprio Cellars is a special winery that features amazing hospitality with a unique wine-and-food experience. As well, Caprio gives back 5% of its proceeds to two organizations, First Story, which helps provide families with affordable housing, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters. We highly recommend that you add Caprio Cellars to your Walla Walla itinerary. We do, every year.
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Cheers!
Margot and Dave