Timing is everything in life and this applies to great winemaking as well. Echolands is the brainchild of two prominent Kansas City residents: Master of Wine and Master Sommelier Doug Frost and notable land conservationist Brad Bergman.
“Brad Bergman and I had been talking about some sort of winery project, and we jumped at the chance when Norm McKibben of the SeVein Water Project (and Amavi and Pepper Bridge wineries) pitched me to come up to Walla Walla and pick out a piece of land,” says Doug Frost.
“We had people like Jean-François Pellet, one of Norm’s partners and someone I trust implicitly, guiding us, and Master Sommelier Greg Harrington [founder of Gramercy Cellars], an old friend, advising us too. It just seemed like an opportunity that would never come along again,” Frost adds.
They ended up buying 50 acres of land with water rights in the southern part of the Walla Walla Valley AVA, where noteworthy neighbors such as Leonetti Cellar, Seven Hills Vineyard and L’Ecole No 41 are farming established vineyards.
In 2018 the Echolands team prepped the land at Taggart Estate Vineyard for more than a year to create a living biome underneath the soil before planting 25 acres of vines, with a keen eye toward environmental stewardship.
Winemaker extraordinaire and general manager Brian Rudin joined Echolands in 2023, and later that year they opened a state-of-the-art winery and modern tasting room in the Mill Creek district of Walla Walla. Visitors are met with panoramic vistas of the Blue Mountains from the high-elevation site, surrounded by newer plantings of Echolands Estate Vineyard.
Heads up Walla Walla, this winery is a tour de force that appears to be blazing a whole new trail of dynamic and vervy wines, each delivering an authentic wow-factor.
Living up to the winery’s ethos, the wines are in sync with echoes from the land and the grapevines. The wines are precise and singular, displaying a virtuoso sense of place focused on showcasing Walla Walla Valley terroir. The fruit is optimally farmed and harvested to obtain above-average acidity, and the wines are crafted with solid aging potential.
The winery and tasting room are located at 3281 Mill Creek Rd, Walla Walla; (509) 676-2109, open daily except Tuesdays. Learn more at www.echolandswinery.com.
Below are six releases we recently reviewed:
Echolands 2022 Seven Hills Vineyard Block 3 Cabernet Sauvignon
96 pts.
A timeless essence is evident in the purity of the Clone 6 Cabernet, sourced from Block 3 of Seven Hills Vineyard. Ethereal, showing lovely restrained oak, streaming with blackberry, currants, violet, baker’s chocolate and cigar box. Complex, with a gauze of fine tannins that come alive on the powerful finish, structured with great expression and persistence. $90
Echolands 2024 Taggart Estate Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc”
96 pts.
This complex and elegant white opens with fragrant wheat grass, pressed citrus peel and wet stone. It’s remarkably driven on the mouthfeel by energetic acidity sustaining a payload of lemon, lime, pear and lovely peach. The long finish is inlaid with river rock and concentrated minerality. This release sets a new benchmark for Sauvignon Blanc grown in the Walla Walla Valley AVA. $48
Echolands 2022 Taggart Estate Vineyard “Groundswell”
94 pts.
Lively, fresh and savory, this estate Cabernet Franc-dominant red displays serious echoes of the Walla Walla Valley terroir, with loamy inflections of wild blueberry and black raspberry, complexly layered with violet, graphite, tea leaf and a profusion of spice notes nestled on the extensive finish. $54 Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
Echolands 2022 Cabernet Franc Walla Walla Valley
93 pts.
This version is a blend of grapes from three top-tier vineyards: Blue Mountain, Taggart and Seven Hills. Supple and expressive, displaying elegantly structured blueberry, cherry and red currant, supported by refreshing acidity and lingering notes of forest floor, white pepper and stony minerality. $42 Cabernet Franc, Merlot
Echolands 2022 “Resound” Walla Walla Valley
93 pts.
Fresh, ripe and succulent, this red Bordeaux-varietal blend offers a mix of black cherry and plum fruit with a dusting of cocoa and superfine tannins. Ends with good tension and harmony to the loamy earth, stone and mineral details. $42 Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Echolands 2024 White Rock Vineyard Riesling
91 pts.
A medium-dry Riesling sourced from the Ancient Lakes AVA, offering fragrant orange blossom and balanced fruitiness of apricot, pear and Honeycrisp apple. Underlying citrus and spice inflections add complexity to the vivacious finish. $32