Introducing ALUVÉ

The Culmination of a Journey, Many Years in the Making

Together, we fulfilled one dream—it was an honor and privilege to serve our country as Air Force pilots for more than 23 years.  Now we are thankful for the opportunity to pursue a second dream—to cultivate, create and share the wines we love.

Beginning with our first visit to Walla Walla in 2000, we fell in love with the place, the people and the phenomenal wine.  Something in that visit sparked a dream for both of us—to someday live on a small Estate Winery where we could cultivate, create and share our own world class wine with family and friends.  Over time it became clear that Walla Walla offered the perfect union of people and place to realize our dream and create the wines we love.

We invite you to join us on this journey and experience the Walla Walla lifestyle with us either in person or in a glass!

Our Winemaking Philosophy

The focus of our production is Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, cultivated and created from the vineyard that surrounds our home.  Kelly and I believe all great wines begin in the vineyard, with each site expressing unique varietal qualities based on the intersection of terroir, climate and farming practices.

Our goal is to make beautiful, balanced wines we love to drink and share. Our winemaking philosophy is simple, combine exceptional fruit with traditional winemaking techniques to create wines that are unique expressions of the place where they were grown. 

We make our wines in small production lots using fruit from our Estate and other carefully selected vineyards whose growers share our passion for quality and stewardship of the land, including several of our closest neighbors along Mill Creek.  Each wine is extremely limited in availability and handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail to showcase the quality of Walla Walla and Washington state fruit.

Meet Kelly and JJ

Owners, Winemakers and Apprentice Vineyard Managers

After graduating as classmates from the United States Air Force Academy, Kelly and JJ began an exciting journey as Air Force pilots.  During their 15+ moves around the world, they loved exploring nearby wine regions and learning to appreciate great wines. In 2000, while stationed in Idaho, this passion led them to discover Walla Walla.  At the time there were less than 20 wineries in the Walla Walla Valley, an up-and-coming wine region increasingly known for its outstanding red wines.

Visiting several of the flagship wineries, they met some of the area’s pioneer winemakers and fell in love with the phenomenal wines and friendly, supportive attitude of the local wine industry.  Despite the Air Force life taking them away from the area, they would return often over the next decade, making several lifelong friends and eventually buying property on Mill Creek Road that is now their home and Estate vineyard.    

Their ALUVÉ journey could not have taken flight without the tremendous support of the Walla Walla wine community. Working harvest and crush with Dunham Cellars and Walla Walla Vintners and taking advantage of the Viticulture and Enology Program at Walla Walla Community College as current students forged an appreciation for the art, science and hard work required to create amazing wine. 

"We are grateful for the friendship and support of everyone at Dunham Cellars and the Appellation Management Group who helped us plant and cultivate our Estate Vineyard and guided us through custom crush production of our inaugural wines. As we transition careers to pursue our passion for great wine, we’re extremely excited to come home to Walla Walla and begin this next chapter of our lives—cultivating, creating and sharing world class wine. Kelly and I are fortunate to live, work and play in this very special place." -JJ     

 

Our Name & Label

ALUVÉ is the realization of our dream, a journey many years in the making.  A fanciful combination of the Italian words meaning Winged Grape, the name ALUVÉ symbolizes the connection between two of our passions, flying for our country and sharing great wine.

Like the name ALUVÉ our label exemplifies the fusion of our two passions. The background transitions from a blue sky to the purple of the grapes through that of a deep red wine, embossed with silver letters that mirror the color of Air Force Pilot Wings.

ALUVÉ Winery

46.0836838,-118.19118320000001,15

Location

3699 Mill Creek Rd
Walla Walla, WA 99362
Phone: 509.520.6251

Open Friday and Saturday 10:30 - 4:30 (March - December)  

If you would like to visit us and arrange a private tasting, we are also available other times by appointment.  We'd love to see you, share our unique story and taste through our currently available releases.

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