{"id":47,"name":"Moonbase Cellars","image_url":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipMK6EXVGo1kbXH5y_Yqe5iKjW2UzwiHqohpsz3a=w527-h240-k-no","district":"Downtown","hours":"Mon-Thu - 2pm - 6pm\nFri-Sun- 11am - 6pm","hours_type":"limited","dog_friendly":true,"red_wine":true,"white_wine":true,"bubbles":false,"brewery":false,"woman_owned":false,"year_established":2019,"winemaker":"Drew Pauk","website":"http://www.moonbase.wine/","phone":"(509) 876-4025","address":"7 N 2nd Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362","description":"Laine and Drew Pauk’s family‑run Moonbase crafts just 800 cases of Walla Walla wines; Rocks District fruit and premier vineyards become vibrant blends, each bottle a mission launched from home soil","lat":46.0670231,"lng":-118.3398803,"appt_url":"https://moonbase.wine/products/booking-page","walk_in":false,"tasting_fee":null,"explorer_tags":["learning"],"profile":"# Moonbase Cellars — Sommelier Knowledge Profile\n\n## Founding Story\n\nMoonbase Cellars was founded by husband-and-wife team Laine and Drew Pauk, both originally from Missouri. The two married in 2013 and initially planned to build their lives in St. Louis, with Drew pursuing a career in business management and Laine working as a pharmacist. Over time, they developed a deep and self-described obsessive passion for wine that led them to travel extensively to notable wine regions both domestically and abroad. In the summer of 2016, their travels brought them to eastern Washington, where they were immediately struck by the region's character and potential. In the spring of 2017, they made the bold decision to relocate across the country to Walla Walla, Washington, and launch Moonbase Cellars.\n\nThe winery's name reflects Drew's lifelong fascination with space exploration. Though his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut never materialized, he remains passionate about discovery and space, and believes humanity needs a lunar base as soon as possible. The name \"Moonbase\" represents the fusion of his two great loves: wine and space. Laine views the name more symbolically — as a launching point from which to explore the many facets of winemaking in Walla Walla Valley.\n\n---\n\n## Winemaker\n\nBoth Laine and Drew Pauk share ownership and winemaking responsibilities, with the website attributing the winemaker title to both at various points. Drew Pauk holds multiple formal wine certifications, including the Certified Specialist in Wine (CSW) and the Certified Wine Educator (CWE) from the Society of Wine Educators, as well as the Certified Sommelier (CS) designation from the Guild of Master Sommeliers. His winemaking philosophy was significantly shaped by the Walla Walla winemaking community after the couple relocated. Drew describes his approach as \"low impact,\" meaning he believes that exceptional fruit from carefully selected vineyards should do most of the work, with the winemaker intervening as little as possible. He has articulated his mission as translating the beauty of the Walla Walla landscape into something shareable through wine. Laine has described wine as a transcendent medium — one capable of linking a person to powerful memories and significant life moments — and this emotional philosophy underscores the winery's broader identity.\n\n---\n\n## Vineyard Sources\n\nMoonbase Cellars sources fruit from a diverse portfolio of vineyards across two AVAs: the Walla Walla Valley AVA and The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA (commonly called \"The Rocks\").\n\n**The Rocks AVA Vineyards:**\n- **Funk Vineyard** — Owned by Rich Funk, owner and winemaker of Saviah Cellars, this vineyard was planted in 2007 and is described as sitting at the apex of The Rocks, with more heat and larger rocks than vineyards further to the west. GDC trellising is used to encourage small berries with concentrated flavors and colors. Moonbase sources Syrah from this site for their Max Q program.\n- **Winesap Vineyard** and **Rockgarden Vineyard** — Also located within The Rocks AVA; additional detail is listed in the site navigation but not elaborated in the scraped text.\n\n**Walla Walla Valley AVA Vineyards:**\n- **Les Collines Vineyard** — Source of both Syrah and Viognier. Moonbase secured four rows of Syrah from Block 31, described as premium fruit. The winery notes it worked closely with Les Collines throughout the growing season.\n- **Seven Hills Vineyard** — Source for Cabernet Franc rosé and Cabernet Sauvignon. Described as being on one side of the Walla Walla Valley, producing a distinct style of Cabernet compared to McClellan.\n- **McClellan Vineyard** — Co-source for the Cabernet Sauvignon, located on the opposite side of the valley from Seven Hills, yielding a contrasting style of the same variety.\n- **Cockburn Ranch** — Referenced in harvest data for Cabernet Sauvignon.\n- **Dugger Creek** — Listed as a Walla Walla AVA vineyard source in site navigation.\n- **Ciel du Cheval** — Referenced specifically as a preferred source for Mourvèdre used in the GSM blend.\n- **","somm_notes":[{"title":"Patti's notes on Moonbase","content":"Currently located downtown but soon moving to a brand-new estate winery, Drew crafts wines that are fresh and bright. His series from the Rocks AVA is outstanding-and if you're into learning about Walla Walla's terroir, this is definitely your spot!"}],"wines":[{"name":"Rosé","vintage":"2025","variety":"Rosé","price":"$28.00"},{"name":"Viognier","vintage":"2025","variety":"Viognier","price":"$35.00"},{"name":"Rose","vintage":"2025","variety":"Rose","price":"$28.00"},{"name":"Moonlapse Red Blend","vintage":"2024","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$25.00"},{"name":"Cab. Franc","vintage":"2024","variety":"Cabernet Franc","price":"$45.00"},{"name":"Max Q Grenache","vintage":"2024","variety":"Grenache","price":"$58"},{"name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":"2023","variety":"Cabernet Sauvignon","price":"$45.00"},{"name":"The LGM G.S.M.","vintage":"2023","variety":"G.S.M.","price":"$48.00"},{"name":"Les Collines Syrah","vintage":"2023","variety":"Syrah","price":"$48.00"},{"name":"Max Q Merlot","vintage":"2023","variety":"Merlot","price":"$48.00"},{"name":"Max Q Syrah","vintage":"2023","variety":"Syrah","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Max Q Mourvedre","vintage":"2023","variety":"Mourvèdre","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"Petit Verdot","vintage":"2023","variety":"Petit Verdot","price":"$50.00"},{"name":"Max Q Reserve","vintage":"","variety":"","price":"$75.00"}],"patti":null,"visitor_ratings":[{"source":"google","rating":5.0,"count":56},{"source":"tripadvisor","rating":4.8,"count":4},{"source":"yelp","rating":4.7,"count":10}],"sample_reviews":[{"source":"yelp","reviewer":"Peter B.","rating":null,"rating_max":5.0,"text":"The owner is usually there pouring and seems like a genuinely good person who puts a lot of love and expertise into the wines.","date":null}],"critic_scores":[{"wine_name":"'Funk Vineyard' Syrah","vintage":2021,"score":94,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"'The Lgm' Red Wine","vintage":2021,"score":93,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"'Les Collines Vineyard' Syrah","vintage":2021,"score":93,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"'River Rock Vineyard' Syrah","vintage":2021,"score":93,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"'Riviere Galet Vineyard' Tempranillo","vintage":2021,"score":93,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"'Max Q' Red Wine","vintage":2021,"score":93,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Merlot","vintage":2021,"score":93,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Viognier","vintage":2021,"score":92,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Mourvedre","vintage":2021,"score":92,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2021,"score":92,"source":"Owen Bargreen","critic":"Owen Bargreen","tasting_note":null}],"community_scores":[{"wine_name":"The LGM G.S.M.","vintage":null,"score":92,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.2/5 (39 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Max Q Winesap Vineyard Merlot","vintage":null,"score":91,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.1/5 (25 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Moonlapse Red Blend","vintage":null,"score":88,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 3.8/5 (31 ratings)"}],"events":[]}