Woodward Canyon wines are Washington state classics. The second-oldest winery in Walla Walla consistently produces premium, age-worthy wines. In 1981, Rick and Darcey Small founded this pioneering winery on land that Rick’s family farmed for multiple generations and is now the estate vineyard. We’ve been writing about Woodward Canyon wines since this website launched in 2007. Consequently, I was delighted to recently talk to Jordan Small, their daughter and current general manager and co-owner (with her brother Sager), and taste a number of their standout wines. Earlier, we tasted and wrote about Old VInes Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 and 2023. Here are the remaining wines we sampled.
Category Archives: Walla Walla
R|A Family Wines
We attended the launch of R|A Family Wines in Seattle last week, and all we can say is wow. Well no, actually, there’s a lot more to say about this exciting new collaboration in Washington winemaking, with its roots in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. R|A stands for Reynvaan and Andrews – representing a friendship spanning generations between the two co-founding families. Matt Reynvan is the acclaimed winemaker of Reynvaan Family Vineyards, while entrepreneur Rob Andrews comes from a family with a long-held connection to the land.
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Woodward Canyon
A few months ago, we were delighted to hear that excellent winemaker Marcus Rafanelli is now crafting wine at Woodward Canyon Winery, a longtime favorite of ours. Marcus moved to the second oldest winery in Walla Walla, after six years leading the winemaking team at L’Ecole 41. Shortly after the news came out, Marcus told me he is really excited about working for Woodward Canyon. And last week, Jordan Small, general manager and co-owner of the esteemed winery, told me the feeling is mutual. Over the years, we raved about Woodward Canyon wines, and we know Marcus will add his skillful flare to future vintages. Continue reading
Hawaii Anniversary Wine
Hawaii anniversary wine! To celebrate our milestone anniversary this month, we took two of our favorite Washington luxury wines to Kona, Hawaii. Namely, Dossier 2022 Sauvignon Blanc and Trothe 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. We tasted and loved both of these exceptional wines before, so we really looked forward to trying them again a few years later. Wow. By the way, we protected this precious cargo in Wine Jimmy the Fox travel sleeves. Read on for details.