“To change, to shift. To make an about-face.”
This is the first couple of sentences on every bottle of Trust Cellars wine. It describes the journey both professionally and personally of the winery’s owner, Steven Brooks.
After a 19-year career with CNN in Atlanta, Brooks was looking for a change and to spend more time with his family (which includes his wife Lori and their two young daughters). He had recently come across an article about winemaking in Eastern Washington, and since he had enjoyed tasting wine from all over the world for many years, he decided to make a go of it. In 2003, he quit his job, packed up his family and moved across country to Walla Walla, WA, the winemaking capital of the Pacific Northwest.
Once in Walla Walla, he immersed himself in winemaking at the local community college taking classes in enology and viticulture, studying every step of winemaking from the ground to the bottle. After his studies he began working under some of the top winemakers in the region to hone his craft.
By 2005, Brooks was ready to strike out on his own creating Trust Cellars. Sourcing from established Washington state vineyards, he’s able to pull some of the best grapes from renowned growers and have a hand in determining when grapes are ready to be harvested.
Although a small, boutique winery that does less than 2,000 cases yearly, it has two easily accessible tasting rooms on both the east and westside of the mountains. Their Walla Walla tasting room is located near the airport and opened last May just in time for Spring Release. This summer, they opened a second tasting room in Woodinville in the ever-popular Hollywood Hill District.
As for the name, their back label says it all, “Taking a giant step required TRUST.”
What we are drinking this week:
2008 Trust Cellars Syrah, Walla Walla – $28
Coming from the Les Collines Vineyard in Walla Walla, this wine is 100% Syrah. It’s an earthy mix of black fruits and fresh herbs and would be the perfect match for a dinner of grilled steak and sautéed mushrooms.
2010 Trust Cellars Riesling, Columbia Valley – $16
The only white wine produced by Trust Cellars, their Riesling is a balance of acidity and minerality with notes of citrus and sweet stone fruit. A refreshing wine that would pair well with a lemony poached chicken that has a hint of spicy red pepper.
