The Walla Walla Valley is a cooler growing region than Washington State AVAs that lie further west. The region, which sits in the far southeastern corner of the state and extends into the northeastern corner of Oregon, sees lower temperatures and much more rain than Washington’s desert AVAs, with 28cm of annual rainfall.
In 2020 many producers were fortunate in escaping undue impact from the wildfires. As one side-effect of the smoke was a slowing of ripening (as it obscured the sunlight), many wines show real elegance and a savoury edge.
Scroll down for the top-scoring Walla Walla Valley 2020 wines tasted
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Walla Walla Valley 2020: The top wines tasted
{}
{"wineId":"74683","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74696","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74694","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74695","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74697","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74701","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74700","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74702","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74711","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74712","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74698","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{"wineId":"74715","displayCase":"standard","paywall":true}
{}
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