WALLA WALLA, WA - The winery is located on a highly visible property that includes a hillside and views of the Blue Mountains. Portions of the winery building were buried against the hillside to take advantage of the relatively constant temperature of the earth in bottle and barrel storage areas. This allowed the winery’s access points and tasting rooms to face eastward toward the views, out of the autumn winds and away from highway noise. Architecturally, all processing and storage is contained in concrete vault-like spaces and the transparent visitor spaces sit on top of the concrete, clad in wood and glass with deep overhangs and shading devices to provide refuge from the hot summer sun.
Visitors are indirectly exposed to the winemaking process. In the fall, fruit arrives on the same side of the building as do the visitors, then disappears inside for processing. The entry to the building is beneath a long trellis, cut between two tall concrete forms. This slot carved between barrel and bottle storage rooms allows visitors to see barrels stacked behind 12-foot-tall wood and glass doors, with glimpses of the fermentation tanks beyond. At the far end of the void a three story tall ‘lantern’ drops daylight into a grand staircase that leads up to the tasting room and outdoor patios.
