Senior Winemaker:  Eric Dunham

Winemaker:  Dan Wampfler

Average Annual Production: 
22,000 cases

Vineyards Sourced:

Using grapes from some of the finest vineyards in the Walla Walla, Yakima
and Columbia Valleys, including
Dunham's own estate vineyards

Products & Ordering
Varietals & Products:

Cabernet Franc,
Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Syrah, Trutina (Red Blend),
Red Table Wine, Chardonnay,
Riesling, White Table Wine
 

Historic Building 

Tasting Room  
Open daily - 11am to 4pm
Large groups can be accommodated
 with advance notice.
Also open 5 - 8 pm, 1st Fri of Month
for "Art Walk Walla Walla"

Gallery On Site     

Newsletter 

Landscaped Picnic Area 
& Gardens  

The Dunham Cellars 
 Wine Club 

       For thirty-something Eric Dunham, the answer is obvious.  A gradual, yet compelling, passion for winemaking drove this Walla Walla native to enter the world of wine where he has become one of the top winemakers in Washington State.

       After four years of service in the U.S. Navy, Eric then graduated in 1994 with a focus on Irrigation Technology and Fluid Dynamics, and it was then that he entered the world of winemaking.  Beginning with a seven-month internship at Hedges Cellars, he returned home to the Walla Walla Valley and a three-year stint as assistant to winemaker Marty Club at L'Ecole Cellars.  Here, in his spare time, he was allowed to make 200 cases of his own Dunham Cellars label, a 1995 Cabernet Sauvignon. 

       Released in 1997, this first Dunham Cellars wine caused quite a stir when it won a gold medal and 93 rating at the World Wine Championship.  Who was this young man with the Midas touch?  Wine judges and fans alike know Eric's first wine was not a fluke as his skills and his passions continued to express themselves in the elegant wines of Dunham Cellars.

       It wasn't only Eric Dunham's passion for wine that exploded with his first release; so too did the wine world's awareness of the artistic and balanced chord struck by his wines.  At about the same time Eric began creating wine, he found yet another avenue for his creative energy... painting with acryllics.  Today Eric Dunham's artwork raises thousands of dollars for charities all over the United States. 

       The founding of the Dunham family's own  winery took place in 1999, and the Dunham Cellars home was set up at the historic Walla Walla Regional Airport in what used to be a hangar for the Army Air Corps Training Airfield.  Established as part of the Walla Walla Army Air Base after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the onset of World War II, the buildings of the Training Airfield were located next to Walla Walla's commercial airport and served as the hangars and barracks for flight test crews.  Today the same buildings are home to more than two dozen wineries and other small businesses, all within blocks of each other.

       Making the most of the historic building he and his family chose, Eric converted the old hangar into  a cheerful tasting room and functional winery.  With plenty of wall space and high ceilings, the tasting room now features dozens of Eric's colorful paintings, creating a lively ambiance for enjoying wine and art.  Step up to the tasting bar, or kick back in an overstuffed leather sofa or chair; enjoy a taste of wine, or two or three, and you will have no doubt.  You are experiencing the work of an artist.
 

Visit Dunham Cellars tasting room any day 11 am to 4 pm;
Also enjoy wine by the glass the first Friday of every month
from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm for "Art Walk Walla Walla."

Featured Wines of Dunham Cellars

2005 Frenchtown Vineyard Syrah | Estate Bottled
Walla Walla Valley
100% Syrah
Released: May 1, 2009
[Order Now]

Our beautiful estate vineyard in Walla Walla has yielded yet another stunner of a Syrah. Olive, clove, orange blossom, and hints of tobacco and white pepper roll out of the glass. Incredibly silky sweet clove and cassis glide across the palate, with great balanced acidity for food.  359 Cases produced.  Bottled: March 21, 2008    Alcohol: 14.5%  Oak:  10% New French.

2005 Columbia Valley Syrah
100% Syrah
Released: July 1, 2008
Vineyards: Lewis, Frenchtown, Double River
[Order Now]

Bright huckleberry, black cherry, sweet tobacco and pomegranate in the nose with richly unctuous bands of black cherry and cassis with hints of mocha lingering seamlessly in a well-balanced palate.  Cases produced: 1,612   Bottled: March 27, 2007   Oak: 50% French - 50% American  Alcohol:  14.1%

92 Rating | Wine Advocate - Nov 2009
90 Rating | Wine Spectator - June 2009
91 Rating Gold Medal "Exceptional" | Bev Testing Institute - Feb 2009
Outstanding | Seattle Wine Awards - May 2009
 

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon XII
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyards:  Lewis Estate, Double River Estate
Released: September 1, 2009
[Order Now]

A nose of ripe, exotic cherry and cranberry with baking spices and bramble. Richly structured with lush tannins, evocative minerality, mountain berries, plum and a racy core of black cherry. Cases Produced: 1,788; Bottled: September 2, 2008; Oak: French and American; Alcohol: 14.3%

2006 Trutina
49% Cabernet Sauvignon, 48% Merlot, 3% Syrah
Released:  December 1, 2008
Vineyards:  Lewis, Double River, Pepper Bridge, Phinny Hill
[Order Now]

Lush and soft with ripe mountain berries, sweet tobacco and a hint of allspice. Built to age, but very approachable now.  Cases Produced:  6,732; Oak:  French & American;  Alcohol:  14.4%

91 Rating | Wine Advocate - Nov 2009
92 Points Gold Medal "Exceptional | Bev Testing Institute - Feb 2009

2006 Lewis Vineyard Merlot | Estate Bottled
100% Merlot
Released:  May 1, 2009
[Order Now]

Rich cherry cola indicative of our Lewis Estate Vineyard, wrapped around clove, vanilla bean, anise seed and black licorice. A beautifully structured wine from a beautiful vintage. - Eric Dunham and Daniel Wampfler, Winemaking Team
Cases Produced:  462;  Oak:  New French & American;  Bottled: January 6, 2009;  Alcohol:  13.8%

2007 Riesling
100% Riesling
Vineyard:  Lewis Estate Vineyard
Released:  May 1, 2008

Washington State has been growing world-class Riesling for more than 30 years. This 2007 Lewis Vineyard Riesling really shows its pedigree…White peach, honeysuckle and hints of baking spices roll around on a richly woven palate with just enough minerality and structure to hold up to foods on the spicy side of life.  Cases Produced:  529;  Bottled:  February 26, 2008;  100% stainless steel;  Alcohol:  13.4%;  Style:  Off dry

Gold Medal| Denver Int'l Wine Competition
Outstanding | Seattle Wine Awards - May 2009
91 Rating | Wine Enthusiast - December 2009
 

2008 Shirley Mays Chardonnay | Estate Bottled
100% Chardonnay
Vineyard:  Lewis Estate Vineyard
Released: August 1, 2009

Offering a balance of crisp, clean fruit with the light creamy barrel ferment, this 100% Chardonnay from our Lewis Estate Vineyard is sure to be a crowd pleaser.  Stylistically similar to our past vintages, this wine balances notes of apple, pear, passion fruit and cream soda; the rich mouth feel only enhances the experience. Cases produced: 200; Bottled: June 4, 2008; 75% Stainless Steel, 25% New French Oak; Alcohol: 14.1%. 90 Rating | Wine Enthusiast - December 2009

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this wine are donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to help fund the fight against breast cancer.