Patit Creek Cellars

The Story of Patit Creek Cellars

Patit Creek Cellars was originally founded in 1999 by six partners, all of whom had been friends for more than 30 years. The partners decided to name the winery originally located just 30 miles north of Walla Walla in Dayton, after the nearby Patit Creek (pronounced "PAT-it"), which meanders its way through the historic little town.

In October 2007 the founding partners decided to sell the winery and retire in order to spend more time with families and grandchildren. They sold to Karen La Bonte and Ed Dudley, partners whose capable hands and passion for the industry could propel Patit Creek Cellars into a new and exciting evolution.

In March 2008 Karen and Ed moved the winery from Dayton to a brand new 6,000 square-foot facility in the heart of the Walla Walla Valley wine country. With a Tuscan style interior, this new winery facility provides the space and environment for visitors to lounge by the fireplace in the tasting room while observing the barrel room activity through a big window. Or guests can simply sit outside under the arbor-covered patio gazing at the Blue Mountains while enjoying a splendid glass of wine. A full kitchen enables special events, such as, delicious winemaker dinners prepared exclusively for "The Cellars" wine club members who can get to know the new owners while also making new friends. This new winery facility merges activities of both the former winery in Dayton and the tasting room in downtown Walla Walla together into one location making future events, as well as wine production at harvest time much more efficient.

Karen and Ed have expanded the traditional Patit Creek Cellars focus from being exclusively Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, to now include white wines. They branched out to the highly acclaimed Red Mountain and Columbia Valley areas to get fruit for their newly released dry Riesling, and will release their Red Mountain Chardonnay this fall. They have also expanded the current red varietal line-up to include a Rhone style blend and a Syrah due for release later this year. As they move forward to evolve this little boutique winery from its inaugural release of 300 cases in 2000, to the current volume of more than 3,000 cases, Karen and Ed have their plan well laid out. Their commitment is to stay true to the established fundamentals of the Patit Creek Cellars wine making process of accepting only hand-picked fruit from some of the most well respected vineyards in the area, and to maintain the traditional long enjoyed relationships between growers and the winery.

Karen and Ed, and the entire Patit Creek Cellars team remain committed to producing exceptional wines, and they welcome established customers, as well as new visitors, to make themselves at home at their brand new facility!