Bergevin Lane Vineyards

If you spend any time in Walla Walla and dine at some of the city’s finer restaurants, you may notice that one establishment serves a Bergevin Lane viognier. Another offers a Bergevin “Calico” syrah. A trip to a nice bottle shop in town reveals a row of Bergevin wines, which includes the winery’s top-selling “Calico” Red and its reserve blend “Intuition.” You might find yourself in the downtown Starbucks and overhear someone mention that they had Bergevin Lane’s “Calico” White last night with their fresh halibut. By day three, you begin to detect a pattern and you ask, “’Where the hell is this Bergevin Lane Vineyard?”

Bergevin Lane is a key stop on the downtown Walla Walla WineTrail, but you won’t arrive by foot. To get to 1215 West Poplar, you will need to get into the car and drive. As you pull up, you’ll see that, unlike the many other tasting rooms found in downtown Walla Walla, Bergevin Lane’s tasting room shares a space with the winery’s production facility. The facility comes fully equipped with a spacious winemaking/testing area and barrel storage area. Co-owner Gary Bergevin has learned from his experience with other wineries, including Canoe Ridge Vineyards, that size does matter. So there’s no need to play real-world Tetris with the barrels here.

Danish-born and -bred Steffan Jorgensen oversees the winemaking duties for Bergevin Lane Vineyards. With ample space and advanced equipment, Steffan plies his extensive experience gained from winemaking stints in France, Chile, and Sonoma. A peek into the production area often finds Steffan, with his shaved head and energetic smile, working his magic — perhaps close to achieving a final blend, with nose stuck in a just-swirled glass of red.

Bergevin Lane’s story is one of a collaborative effort between two women to produce premier wines. Gary’s daughter, Annette Bergevin, and her partner, Amber Lane, have formed a hugely successful team to manage the sales and marketing, as well as the day-to-day operations, of Bergevin Lane. They must be doing something right. The emperor of wine himself, Robert M. Parker Jr., had this to say about Bergevin Lane’s cabernet sauvignon, “Edge-free, fruit-driven decadence.” Five simple words, but certainly just the right verbiage to convince WineTrail enthusiasts to stop in and take a swirl.

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  Order the book!

  Bergevin Lane Vineyards was featured in WineTrails of Walla Walla as part of the Walla Walla Downtown WineTrail on page 458!

• 

  Order the book!

  Bergevin Lane Vineyards was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Walla Walla Downtown WineTrail on page 458!