Dunham Winery

Eric Dunham, a native to the Walla Walla area, grew up with the passion to make wine. After serving four years in the Navy and then graduating in 1994 from Walla Walla Community College with his AAAS degree in Irrigation Technology he was asked the question of what he wanted to do.

"Make wine," he said.

He followed his passion and began a seven-month internship with Hogue Cellars where he was trained in all phases of winemaking. Upon completion of his internship, he was employed by L'Ecole No. 41 winery in Lowden, WA as the assistant winemaker for four years.

During that time he began producing his own wine, beginning with 200 cases and increasing every year. Soon his production outgrew the L'Ecole facility and in 1999, Eric along with his parents, Mike & Joanne Dunham, opened their own winery at the Walla Walla Regional Airport.

Wine Spectator Ratings For Recent Dunham and
Tre Marie Wines

Syrah 2000
91 Points

Cabernet Sauvignon 99
90 points

Trey Marie Trutina 99
88 points

Eric plans to continue to concentrate on making top quality Cabernets as well as a first release of Syrah in the spring of 2001. He has attended University of California-Davis where he completed courses in Red Wine Production, Viticultural Production, Sensory Analysis, and Barrel Management.

Dunham Cellars began producing wine in 1995 and released 200 cases in December of 1997. This first production of Cabernet Sauvignon received a Gold Medal and a 93 rating from the World Wine Championships.

The second vintage, 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon, was released in December 1998. Production for this vintage, shortened by the freeze of 1996, was limited to 70 cases.

The third vintage, 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon, released approximately 400 cases in September 1999. This Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded a Gold Medal and "Best of Show" honors out of 340 entries at the Northwest Wine Summit held at Timberline Lodge, Mt. Hood, Oregon in May, 1999.

In June 2001, Eric was awarded one of seven Gold Medals at the Northwest Wine Festival hosted by the Seattle Enological Society.

Dunham Cellars also produces a limited edition of Shirley Mays White Wine, in honor of his grandmother, which is kept in the winery library for special events.

Winemaking Philosophy

Through extended maceration (cold soaking), gentle crushing and destemming techniques, Eric achieves his goal of a wine both age-worthy and yet approachable now. The wines are typically cold soaked for 5 to 10 day's which in his "opinion" enhances the nose and color extraction. Through gentle treatment at all phases of the wine's life, Eric hope's to bring to the bottle something he enjoys and is proud of.

Dunham's winery, built on a 21-acre plot on a hill near L'Ecole, has a subterranean facility for storing barrels of wine. He also is planting a 15-acre vineyard. The grapes for the current vintage came from vineyards in Zillah and Paterson, Wash., and Milton-Freewater, Ore.

Trey Marie Winery

The Trey Marie Winery is a joint venture between the Syre family of Bellingham, Washington and the Dunham Family of Walla Walla, Washington. The partnership was born out of, first and foremost, a love for wine. Both families share a passion for good wine and after sharing several bottles, decided they should harness the energy coming out of the Walla Walla Valley and start a new winery.
Winemaker Eric Dunham has gained much recognition for the handcrafted cabernet sauvignons he has produced for his own Dunham Cellars for the past five years. He now lends his experience and expertise to Trey Marie. His expert skill and nose for good wine truly show in the 1999 Trey Marie, which was recently awarded "Best of Show" at the Central Washington State Fair wine competition in Yakima, from 216 wines.

Awards and Accolades
for the 1998 Trutina:

90 rating in Wine and Spirits (August 2001)

89 rating in Wine Enthusiast (June 2001)

4 1/2 Stars (out of 5) on WineToday.com

Wine of the Week for "New York Times on the Web"

Gold Medal: Los Angeles County Wine Competition

Best Merlot: Ray's Boathouse Retrospective of Wines