Stephenson Cellars
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When Dave Stephenson arrived in Walla Walla in 1999, there were just 14 wineries. He quickly got hired by Waterbook Winery and was able to hone his skills making wine for both their label and their custom crush clients. At night, he poured over the UC Davis enology and viticulture curriculum courses.
In 2001, he leased his current facility near the Walla Walla airport, financing the venture himself, which gave him the freedom to make the wines he wants. "I don't want to make 'bell curve' wines," Dave says. "The ones where you blend varieties together for predictable flavor profiles that have been proven to please most wine drinkers. I like to accentuate what's edgy about particular vineyard lots. I am the first to admit that my wines aren't for everyone."
His first release was just 140 cases of his 2001 Syrah. His next vintage was 250 cases of Syrah and a 90-case bottling of Merlot.
Dave is most at home in the vineyard or on the water, sailing. "My Norwegian grandfather was both a fisherman and a farmer. He used to tell me that when he was fishing, he thought about farming and when he was farming, he was daydreaming about fishing. I inherited this characteristic - I am constantly torn between the pull of the sea and the lure of the vines."
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