{"id":64,"name":"Aluvé","image_url":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p/AF1QipM7zbi5hImLA-SwwiQgL0xvKKY2DQsDDRn3HlPZ=w408-h271-k-no","district":"East","hours":"Fri–Sun 10:30am–4:30pm (last seating 3:30pm)","hours_type":"limited","dog_friendly":true,"red_wine":true,"white_wine":true,"bubbles":true,"brewery":false,"woman_owned":false,"year_established":2015,"winemaker":"JJ Menozzi","website":"https://www.aluvewine.com/","phone":"+1 509-520-6251","address":"100 ALUVÉ Lane, Walla Walla, WA 99362, United States","description":"On a Blue Mountain ridge where pilots‑turned‑vintners tend dry‑farmed vines, ALUVÉ’s Cabernet and Chardonnay marry soaring citrus and cassis to the disciplined touch of a veteran hand.","lat":46.0836838,"lng":-118.1911832,"appt_url":"https://www.aluvewine.com/visit","walk_in":false,"tasting_fee":"$30 per person, waived with $50 wine purchase","explorer_tags":["scenic","bold reds","dog"],"profile":"# Aluvé Winery — Knowledge Profile\n\n## Founding Story\n\nAluvé is a small, veteran-owned winery located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains in the Walla Walla Valley. The winery's origins trace back to JJ Menozzi's childhood, where wine was a fixture at family dinners thanks to an Italian great-grandfather who made wine in his basement. Over the course of a 23-year career in the United States Air Force, JJ had the opportunity to visit wine regions around the world, gradually nurturing a dream of becoming a winemaker in retirement. A pivotal assignment to Europe, during which the Menozzis visited small estate vineyards, crystallized that ambition. Inspired by growers who lived among their vines and made wines with a true sense of place, JJ and his family chose Walla Walla as their destination — a town, community, and wine culture they had fallen in love with. They purchased land in 2010 and planted their estate vineyard in 2012, building both their winery and their home on the property.\n\nThe winery's name, Aluvé, is a fanciful combination of Italian words meaning \"Winged Grape,\" symbolizing the fusion of JJ's two great passions: flying for his country and sharing great wine. The label reflects this duality visually, with a background that transitions from blue sky to the purple of grapes through the deep red of wine, embossed with silver lettering that mirrors the color of Air Force Pilot Wings.\n\n## Winemaker\n\nJJ Menozzi serves as owner and winemaker at Aluvé. His path to winemaking was shaped by decades of personal experience rather than formal viticulture training — beginning with a wine-centric Italian-American upbringing, continuing through extensive international travel during his Air Force career, and culminating in the hands-on establishment of his own estate vineyard. He is joined by Enzo Menozzi, who is referenced alongside JJ in welcoming guests to the winery. JJ's winemaking philosophy centers on combining exceptional fruit with traditional winemaking techniques to create wines that are unique expressions of their place of origin. He describes his goal as making \"beautiful, balanced wines we love to drink and share,\" with each wine produced in small lots with meticulous, hands-on attention to detail. A passion for food and wine pairings, developed in childhood, continues to inform his sensibility.\n\nThe winery also honors Kelly Kirkpatrick Menozzi, listed as a founder and winemaker, who passed away on June 29, 2025. Kelly is remembered on the winery's website as a co-founder integral to the project's creation.\n\n## Vineyard Sources\n\nThe centerpiece of Aluvé's viticulture program is the **Menozzi Estate Vineyard**, established in the upland Mill Creek area in the foothills of the Blue Mountains. The site was purchased in 2010 after years of searching the broader Walla Walla Valley. Located on the north side of the Mill Creek Valley at an elevation of approximately 1,500 feet, the vineyard benefits from a higher-elevation, cooler-climate growing environment, a gentle southwest-facing slope, and deep, fertile loess soils. The increased precipitation in the foothills enables the rare practice of **dryland farming**, with irrigation used only minimally when soil moisture monitoring indicates a need. More than 6,000 vines were planted across just over five acres beginning in May 2012, with varieties including **Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Chardonnay**. The farming approach is guided by environmentally sound practices aimed at protecting natural resources in the Mill Creek watershed. In addition to the estate, Aluvé sources fruit from other carefully selected vineyard partners whose growers share the winery's commitment to quality and land stewardship.\n\n## Signature Wines\n\nAluvé's production focuses primarily on **Estate Cabernet Sauvignon** and **Estate Chardonnay**, grown in the vineyard surrounding the Menozzi home. All wines are extremely limited in availability and handcrafted in small production lots. The winery's emphasis is on showcasing the quality and character of Walla Walla fruit, with wines described as unique expressions of the place where the grapes were grown.\n\n## Winery Character\n\nAluvé occupies a distinct position in the Walla Walla wine community as a small, veteran-owned estate winery with a deeply personal founding story. The combination of military heritage, Italian winemaking roots, and a genuine commitment to place-driven, small-production wines gives the winery a singular identity. The estate setting in the Mill Creek foothills — with its mountain views, dryland-farmed vines, and the Menozzi home at its center — reinforces the winery's ethos of living among the vines and making wine with authenticity and intention.\n\n## Tasting Room\n\nAluvé's tasting room is open Friday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the last seating at 3:30 p.m. Appointments are encouraged and can be booked online; same-day requests and groups larger than eight are asked to contact the winery directly. The experience is described as intimate, situated on the estate property in the Blue Mountain foothills. Visitors may encounter JJ's Weimaraner as part of the welcoming atmosphere.\n\n## Wine Club\n\nAluvé offers an allocation program for members wishing to secure access to its limited-production wines. Details beyond the invitation to join are not specified in available materials.","somm_notes":[],"wines":[{"name":"Sangiovese Rosé","vintage":"2025","variety":"Sangiovese","price":"$26.00"},{"name":"Estate Chardonnay","vintage":"2025","variety":"Chardonnay","price":""},{"name":"Estate Reserve Chardonnay","vintage":"2025","variety":"Chardonnay","price":""},{"name":"Kenny Hill Chardonnay","vintage":"2024","variety":"Chardonnay","price":"$45.00"},{"name":"Estate Reserve Chardonnay","vintage":"2024","variety":"Chardonnay","price":"$0"},{"name":"Estate Reserve Chardonnay","vintage":"2023","variety":"Chardonnay","price":"$45.00"},{"name":"Tempranillo","vintage":"2023","variety":"Tempranillo","price":"$58"},{"name":"Cabernet Franc","vintage":"2022","variety":"Cabernet Franc","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Estate Cabernet Sauvignon-Clone 6","vintage":"2022","variety":"Cabernet Sauvignon","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Estate Merlot","vintage":"2022","variety":"Merlot","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Estate Petit Verdot","vintage":"2022","variety":"Petit Verdot","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Menozzi Vineyard Estate Red Wine","vintage":"2022","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Sangiovese","vintage":"2022","variety":"Sangiovese","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Tempranillo","vintage":"2022","variety":"Tempranillo","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Estate Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":"2022","variety":"Cabernet Sauvignon","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Malbec","vintage":"2022","variety":"Malbec","price":"$60.00"},{"name":"Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Chardonnay","vintage":"2022","variety":"Chardonnay","price":"$75.00"},{"name":"Primo Volo","vintage":"2021","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"Weimaraner Red Wine","vintage":"2021","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$44.00"},{"name":"Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Chardonnay","vintage":"2021","variety":"Chardonnay","price":"$75"},{"name":"Estate Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Chardonnay","vintage":"2020","variety":"Chardonnay","price":"$75"},{"name":"Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Chardonnay","vintage":"2019","variety":"Chardonnay","price":"$70"}],"patti":null,"visitor_ratings":[{"source":"yelp","rating":5.0,"count":4}],"sample_reviews":[],"critic_scores":[],"community_scores":[],"events":[]}