{"id":74,"name":"Ducleaux","image_url":null,"district":"Oregon","hours":"Thursday to Monday, 11 am - 4pm","hours_type":"limited","dog_friendly":true,"red_wine":true,"white_wine":true,"bubbles":true,"brewery":false,"woman_owned":true,"year_established":2013,"winemaker":"Toby Turlay","website":"https://www.ducleauxcellars.com","phone":"(206) 419-1975","address":"54211 Turbyne Road, Milton-Freewater, OR","description":"This small garagiste, led by one of Walla Walla’s few woman winemakers, crafts prodigious wines from Belle Roche and select vineyards; a journey from garage beginnings to Rocks District magic","lat":45.958533364443,"lng":-118.376487229836,"appt_url":"https://www.ducleauxcellars.com/bookings-checkout/wine-tasting-appointment/book","walk_in":false,"tasting_fee":"1 hr 30 min\n$30 per person waived with purchase","explorer_tags":["relaxed"],"profile":"# Ducleaux Cellars — Winery Knowledge Profile\n\n## Founding Story\n\nDucleaux Cellars is a small, family-owned winery located in the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, in the southside of Walla Walla Valley. The winery traces its origins to a single-bay garage — a humble beginning that earned it the self-described label of \"Garagiste.\" The operation was founded by Toby Turlay and Chris Dukelow, a couple who met on Match.com and blended their respective families into a household of six children. Their philosophy is rooted in approachability and joy: the winery's stated ethos is \"serious wine… handcrafted by not so serious people,\" reflecting a commitment to artisan quality without pretension. The founding vision centers on wine as an experience — a sense of place, time, and shared connection — and the couple describes their work as a \"family wine adventure.\"\n\n## Winemaker\n\nToby Turlay holds the title of Chief Tasting Officer and Winemaker, and is described as the driving force behind Ducleaux Cellars. She is notably one of the few women winemakers in the greater Walla Walla Valley. Before turning to winemaking, Turlay worked as a medical device salesperson and briefly attended Navy flight school, which she left after three weeks — a story she tells with pride as evidence of her independent, maverick spirit. She trained at the renowned Walla Walla Community College Institute for Enology and Viticulture, a highly respected program in the region. Her winemaking philosophy emphasizes crafting impeccable artisan wines with passion and without pretension.\n\nChris Dukelow, Turlay's partner, operates as Chief Bottle Washer and Cellar Rat. A CPA by training and self-described \"startup junkie,\" he has been making wine since 2011 and has worked with Master of Wine Billo Naravane at the famed Rasa Vineyard. His background in finance and operations, combined with hands-on cellar work, supports the winery's daily production needs.\n\n## Vineyard Sources\n\nDucleaux Cellars sources fruit from its own estate vineyards, both situated within the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA. The two estate vineyards are named **Belle Roche** and **Petite Roche**. The Rocks District is a celebrated and geologically distinctive sub-AVA known for its remarkable concentration of large, smooth basalt cobblestones, which give wines from this area a characteristic mineral and savory quality. No additional details about soil type, elevation, or specific farming certifications are provided in the available text, beyond the implied connection to the distinctive Rocks District terroir.\n\n## Signature Wines & Winery Character\n\nDucleaux Cellars positions itself as a small-production, artisan winery with a focus on wines that reflect the unique terroir of the Rocks District. The winery describes its output as \"prodigious wines,\" emphasizing quality over volume. Specific wine names, varieties, and individual tasting notes are not detailed in the available text, but the overall identity is built around estate-grown fruit from Belle Roche and Petite Roche vineyards.\n\n## Tasting Room\n\nThe tasting room is open Thursdays through Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Reservations are encouraged but not required. A defining feature of the visitor experience is the near-certainty of being poured wine by Toby or Chris themselves, making it an intimate, personal encounter. The winery leans into its unpretentious, family-driven character, and visitors are welcomed into what the founders describe as their \"little corner of The Rocks District.\" The tasting room experience reflects the winery's founding spirit — warm, story-driven, and genuinely personal.\n\n## Winery Character\n\nWhat sets Ducleaux Cellars apart in the Walla Walla Valley is the combination of its Rocks District estate vineyard presence, its leadership by one of the valley's rare women winemakers, and its distinctly human, family-centered identity. The winery wears its Garagiste origins proudly, embracing smallness and craftsmanship over scale. The founders' blend of professional backgrounds — medical sales, finance, cellar work, and formal enology training — gives the operation a grounded, entrepreneurial spirit. Their guiding ethos, drawn from a Paulo Coelho quote featured on their website — *\"All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle\"* — captures the warmth and accessibility they bring to a serious winemaking endeavor.","somm_notes":[{"title":"Patti's notes on Ducleaux","content":"A charming spot with some of the friendliest winemakers you'll meet. Toby and Chris are crafting some truly wonderful wines, and the whole experience is top-notch. Be sure to ask about the 'Match.com' wines-they're a fun surprise!"}],"wines":[{"name":"MATRIARCH SPARKLING","vintage":"2025","variety":"Sparkling","price":"$49.00"},{"name":"MES AMIS","vintage":"2022","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"RAUCOUS","vintage":"2022","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"REALMAKER","vintage":"2022","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"VELVET HAMMER","vintage":"2022","variety":"Syrah","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"helmsdown65","vintage":"2021","variety":"Syrah","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"ANARCHY","vintage":"2020","variety":"Syrah","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"Mes Amis","vintage":"2020","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"ANARCHY","vintage":"2019","variety":"Syrah","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"Love & Chaos","vintage":"2019","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$55.00"},{"name":"Stella of the Vines","vintage":"2019","variety":"Red Blend","price":"$55.00"}],"patti":null,"visitor_ratings":[{"source":"yelp","rating":5.0,"count":15},{"source":"tripadvisor","rating":5.0,"count":1},{"source":"google","rating":5.0,"count":35}],"sample_reviews":[],"critic_scores":[],"community_scores":[{"wine_name":"Anarchy","vintage":2016,"score":91,"source":"Wine Berserkers","critic":"John_Glas","tasting_note":") Nice wine overall from Red Moutain with cherry, plum, spice, floral and earth. Picks up some cracked pepper on the finish. Drink now to 2025. ("},{"wine_name":"Anarchy","vintage":null,"score":91,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.1/5 (25 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Love & Chaos","vintage":null,"score":89,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 3.9/5 (43 ratings)"}],"events":[]}