Northstar Winery in Stunning South Walla Walla

The south side of Walla Walla was not a place we had ventured before… there is so much to experience and we have either started on the opposite side at our favorites (Woodward Canyon and L’Ecole No. 41), or downtown for the sake of convenience of all the tasting rooms, places to eat and stay.

However, this trip we decided instead of doing the same old stuff we always do, that we would let the locals guide us to the true gems of Walla Walla. Well, as we asked around on where to go and what to do, the resounding answer was to not leave out the south side of the city, that there are some true stars out there!

If you were to look at a map of Walla Walla, you would see that there is a cluster of wineries on the south side just as there is on the north, so we made a list of the top recommended ones and plotted our trip. Northstar was the first on the list.

The approach to Northstar is a grand one – it is a large modern building, and it had me wishing my husband and I had yet to tie the knot because it would be a fabulously fun wedding venue!

On the inside, they featured a fun shop of goodies a wine lover won’t be able to resist, and some beautiful local art decorating the walls.

The idea behind Northstar is the perfect Merlot. In a region known for fabulous red wines, the Merlot being one of their best produced, Northstar’s wine makers set out to make the most fabulous Merlot there is… the ‘guiding light’ if you will. We of course did tasting flights, which were primarily reds. I have to say, though their Merlot is their crown jewel, I thought their Cabernets were fabulous (I might have even preferred them, though I am admittedly more of a Cab lover).

The wines were fab, the view spectacular, and the estate was something to behold. There was a private tasting room full with a private party, and I promised myself that next visit I would bring a group that big and have that much fun! The other wonderful thing is that Northstar is located very near to another stunning winery, Amavi Cellars, whom we visited to enjoy their staple… sunset over the valley on the deck.

So different, wide open places