At the nucleus of this rising star winery in Walla Walla is a highly credentialed team: namely, vineyard consultant Alan Busacca along with wine industry entrepreneurs Steve and Nikki Bruere. Together these dynamic partners are garnering attention for lush and expressive red wines crafted from their three premier estate vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Gorge AVAs.
Alan Busacca, well known in industry circles as “Doctor Dirt,” has a long and storied career as a Washington State University soil scientist and geologist, vineyard consultant, and wine business owner—but he’s never had a partner like Steve Bruere before.
Alan and Steve met in 2016 when they were both in Walla Walla, consulting on a sale of 6,000 acres of farmland. “We instantly fell into a friendship,” says Alan. “Steve is very unassuming. He has real skills with farmland, marketing, and people. It was personal right away.”
Steve, an Iowa farm boy and life-long entrepreneur, has been deeply rooted in agriculture and real estate, and was struck by the beauty and potential of the land in Walla Walla. After Alan gave him a firsthand tour of his Windhorse Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge AVA and explained his long-term vision for developing the vineyard, Steve wanted to join in. He and his wife Nikki became partners in Windhorse Vineyard and within a year, the three partners also created a business entity to allow them to start making wine.
“For a number of years it was small steps,” says Alan. They added Wheatfield Vines and Carbondale vineyards to their estate properties, both of which are on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley AVA. “Forming Capital Call Vintners was a big step. This is a big part of my vision for what great wines can be.”
Alan has worked with winemakers Eli Pynch, John Stehlik, and now retired master winemaker Rich Cushman for a decade to make small bottlings from Windhorse Vineyard grapes at Mount Hood Winery.
In 2020, Capital Call seriously ramped up production, harvesting from all three vineyards, and brought in veteran winemaker Josh Maloney to craft single variety wines and blends from the Walla Walla Valley AVA.
Capital Call Vintners acquired the Barons Winery brand in 2024, as well as its tasting room space in downtown Walla Walla. Here, guests can enjoy the vibe of an old-world private club with comfortable leather and velvet seating areas, accented with aged brass. On the walls are commissioned paintings of their three estate vineyards and an array of eclectic artworks.
The red wines surge with a luxurious feel and terroir-driven nuances, closely attuned to an earnest sense of place derived from meticulous care taken in the vineyards and planet-friendly farming practices.
The handsomely refurbished tasting room is located at 11 North 2nd Ave, Walla Walla, WA (around the corner from the historic Marcus Whitman Hotel). Learn more at capitalcallvintners.com.
Below are three releases we recently reviewed:
Capital Call Vintners 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon
95 pts.
Overflowing with voluptuous black fruit infused with tobacco leaf, graphite and dried herbs. This red is polished and expressive, sculpted with an underlay of shining acidity and snowflake-like tannins. The fruit is elegant yet compact, defined by ultra-smooth cassis, blackberry and black cherry that gain exponential depth midpalate, layered with complex spice details that encircle the impressive finish. Shows terrific scope and depth. $70
Capital Call Vintners 2022 Wheatfield Vines Vineyard La Bruère Syrah
93 pts.
Inky hued and deeply concentrated, this red is powerful yet sophisticated, sporting a velvety mouthfeel. Fluid and open-textured, with savory expressions of stone, bits of tar and cigar wrapper that dovetail with vivid wild blueberry, fresh-picked boysenberry and steeped black currant. Accents of white flower and orange blossom mingle with a whiff of white pepper on the lustrous and uplifting finish. $55
Capital Call Vintners 2021 Windhorse Vineyard Zinfandel
92 pts.
This single-vineyard, single-varietal wine sourced from the Columbia Gorge AVA displays a striking buoyancy to the lush, earthen-studded palate, marked by seamless red and black fruit of rich raspberry and blackberry and backed by complementary forest floor, lavender, pink peppercorn and lingering hints of caramel and tobacco. The extended finish reveals a cache of stony minerality. $45