In addition to the scores of wineries in the greater Walla Walla Valley, visitors to Forgeron Cellars are equally impressed
with the wide range of varietals, blends, labels and price-points they have to choose from when visiting the tasting room.
Forgeron’s urban setting always offers the opportunity to share an elevated wine tasting experience that includes
barrel tastings and tours that encourage visitors to ask questions about the winemaking process.
Mike Warren of Bellingham, WA. and his daughter Adrienne are treated to a gold-standard tasting experience by Forgeron Cellars General Manager Kim Gammond in the winery’s downtown Walla Walla Tasting Room. Photo by Dan Radil.
By Dan Radil
Forgeron Cellars has played an integral role in the Walla Walla wine scene for over two decades, and perhaps no one knows that better than the winery’s General Manager, Kim Gammond.
“I’ve been involved with the winery since day-one,” Gammond recalls. “I was living in Portland, Oregon, and my parents and some of their friends started Forgeron in 2001. I wanted to work from the ground up to understand the process of winemaking, so I worked harvests and helped with sorting and bottling.”
Gammond also worked as an independent insurance agent until 2015. She spent time on the weekends as a marketing and events manager for the now defunct Sinclair Estate Vineyards in Walla Walla.
From there, she was active at a number of other Walla Walla-based wineries including Tero Estates, Flying Trout, Waters Winery, Rasa Vineyards, and Avennia Winery, to name a few.
“But even though I went on to work at other wineries everyone knew I had a loyalty to Forgeron,” she said with a smile.
Gammond assumed the role of Forgeron General Manager in April of 2024. She’s already implemented a full slate of changes to the operation of the winery and has a lot more in store for local and visiting wine enthusiasts in the months ahead…all while maintaining the charm of the original building.
HISTORIC ROOTS IN AN URBAN SETTING
Tours of the barrel room at Forgeron Cellars are a popular activity at the winery’s downtown Walla Walla facility. Make sure to schedule a tour when you visit.
Forgeron Cellars has occupied the same building, located just three blocks off Main Street in downtown Walla Walla, since the winery’s inception.
Gammond recalls that one of Forgeron’s original owners, Mike Berry Sr., was wrapping up a career as an electrician in the building at the same time that he, her parents, and some of their friends were in the planning stages of a new winery.
“The building itself is an old blacksmith building,” she added, “and when the owners brought Marie-Eve Gilla on as their first winemaker, we had our French influence; hence the name, ‘Forgeron.’” (French for blacksmith.) Gilla earned accolades for producing some of the top wines in Washington state, most notably Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and Barbera.
Gammond is quick to point out that Forgeron and nearby Seven Hills Winery are the still the only two true urban wineries in Walla Walla in that they have their production facilities and tasting rooms within the city limits.
WALLA WALLA BECOMES THE PRIMARY FOCUS
Forgeron Cellars sources grapes for its award-winning wines from more than a dozen Washington vineyards, including Heart of the Hill vineyard on Washington’s famed Red Mountain.
Up until recently, Forgeron had maintained tasting rooms on both sides of the Cascades, but the decision was made to close the Woodinville location and concentrate more on Walla Walla.
As is the case with several other wineries, there’s still a post-Covid rebuilding process for Forgeron, and Gammon noted that going forward, they’ll “focus more on Walla Walla and growing the home base.”
“The beauty of the wine industry, and especially in Walla Walla, is that everyone is interconnected. We help each other out. It’s, ‘how can we work together to build up everybody?’” she said.
In addition to the scores of wineries in the greater Walla Walla Valley, visitors should be equally impressed with the wide range of varietals, blends, labels, and price points they’ll have to choose from while at the Walla Walla tasting room.
“When people come to Forgeron, they’re going to find that we’re a very ‘welcoming’ winery with an array of different wines to try,” said Gammon.
That starts with the extremely popular/nicely priced ‘entry level’ Artist and Blacksmith series.
The Blacksmith label offers either a Blanc or Rouge blend, and the latest Rhone-influenced iteration of these wines earned each a double gold medal at the 2024 Pacific Northwest Wine Competition. The 2022 Blacksmith Blanc is a beautifully balanced blend of leaner, brighter Picpoul grapes and the fuller-bodied Marsanne, while the 2021 Blacksmith Rouge is a GSM blend with a 75-percent Syrah base.
The Artist series includes three stunning labels that feature the ethereal-like artwork of Belarus-born artist Julia Yubaba: the Imaginarium Red Blend, the Otherworldly Chardonnay, and the Pink Rabbits Rosé of Pinot Noir.
Take a step up to the Forgeron single varietal label, and you’ll find the classics that put the winery on the map including Chardonnay, Viognier, Syrah, and Zinfandel, along with several other award-winning wines including the 2021 Grenache (double gold medal) and the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2021 Barbera (each earning a gold medal).
And at the top tier is the ‘Anvil’ label, originally created by former Forgeron winemaker Gilla in 2008. Anvil continues to showcase single varietals from some of the premier vineyards in Washington State, as well as a proprietary blend of several red Bordeaux varietals.
COMING UP: MORE EXPERIENCES AND EVENTS
Forgeron Cellars came away with five medals at the 2024 Pacific Northwest Wine Competition. The awards included a Double Gold for Forgeron’s 2021 Grenache, a Gold for its 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, a Double Gold for its 2022 Black Smith Blanc, a Gold for its 2021 Barbera and a Double Gold for the winery’s Black Smith Rouge. Photo by Dan Radil.
Gammon says that one of the challenges facing Forgeron, as well as many other tasting rooms today, is maintaining a core of wine enthusiasts from the local community while working to attract out-of-town wine drinkers, especially those in the Gen X and Millennial age categories.
She believes that organizing and hosting winery-related events are the key to building that customer base.
“We have a beautiful, covered back patio area with ample space so we plan on having events with live music and food trucks, plus wine dinners,” she said.
For the fall and winter months, the focus will be on more indoor-friendly activities, including a local musician series and fun-themed gatherings such as a book club and puzzle night…all of which can be enjoyed with a glass or bottle of wine, of course.
And in an industry where wine consumers are increasingly looking for ‘experiences,’ Forgeron’s urban winery always offers the opportunity to share what Gammon defines as, “an elevated wine tasting experience.” She said that includes barrel tastings and tours that encourage visitors to ask questions about the winemaking process.
For those interested in joining Forgeron’s wine club, the winery offers three levels of membership, all with four shipments per year:
- Smithy – three bottles per shipment
- Artisan – six bottles per shipment
- Master – twelve bottles per shipment
Each level also includes a number of other benefits including customizable shipments, discounts on both library wines and current releases, special events discounts, and complimentary tastings.
Forgeron Cellars is located at 33 West Birch Street, Walla Walla, Washington 99362. Phone: (509) 522-9463. For more information about the winery visit www.forgeroncellars.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dan Radil is a freelance wine writer and educator based in Walla Walla, WA., and has been an avid follower and supporter of the Washington wine industry since the mid-1980s. He currently produces a wine blog called danthewineguy.
