Bonair Winery

Founded in 1985, the Bonair Winery and Vineyards is located in the heart of Yakima wine country: Zillah. With the Rattlesnake Hills to the east, this wine country region is a constellation of calendar-worthy images: October harvest, Fourth of July red, white and rosé tasting rooms, cases of wine under the Christmas tree, and more. Gail Puryear, owner and vintner of Bonair, wants visitors to experience “real wineries,” where you pass by vineyards on the way to the tasting room and know where the fruit comes from.

Bonair Winery and Vineyards is one of the many wineries that have banded together to create the Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail Association. When you visit Bonair (and other participating wineries), you can purchase a $5 “passport,” which gives you discounts on wine purchases, reserve-wine tasting, plus a souvenir glass at selected wineries on the Rattlesnake trail. The discount special varies from winery to winery, so you will need to ask before getting your passport stamped. The passport idea is fun. And, as it turns out, it’s a great way to discover for yourself which wines you enjoy most.

With its turret and brown-trimmed white buildings, Bonair Winery may remind you of an English country estate. A koi pond positioned in front of the winery and Yakima’s typical deep blue skies add to a picture-perfect composition. Soak it all in and then get ready to enjoy what Gail describes as a “hobby that got out of control.” Bonair’s reputation for chardonnay, elegant reds, fruity sipping wines, and mead puts it in a unique position. Yes, the chardonnay is aged in oak “the old-fashioned way.” Bonair’s flagship Chateau Puryear reserve chardonnay is big, soft, buttery. Sample the chardonnay and imagine it paired with your wine-country turkey and cranberry sauce. Wow.

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  Bonair Winery was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Rattlesnake Hills WineTrail North on page 286!