Sweet Valley Wines

Tall, lanky, with a great smile and barely legal: At 21 years of age, Josh McDaniels is just old enough to legally swirl and sip wine. Still, his youth belies his experience, which was gained growing up in Walla Walla, and working as a cellar rat for Don Redman at Mannina Cellars and then as an assistant winemaker at famed Leonetti Cellar. That working experience is in addition to the degree he earned from Walla Walla Community College’s in-depth enology and viticulture program. Nevertheless, becoming a great winemaker is a lifelong endeavor, and to this end, at the time of my visit Josh was preparing to venture south to Argentina to work at Paul Hobbs’ winery in Viña Cobos.

Josh isn’t going solo in the Sweet Valley Wines venture. His parents and longtime family friends are partners in the business. They bring needed capital and complementary skills to the business of running a winery. What’s more, Josh knows a host of key suppliers that provide essential ingredients for the winery, from the grape growers to the cork suppliers. Heck, he probably went to school with some of them.

As a seasoned taster, I appreciate it when there are only three or four wines to sample. I often feel overwhelmed when there’s two dozen wines to choose from and you’re already suffering from palate fatigue from the four previous wineries you visited that day. That’s why it was such a delight to see a manageable number of wines to taste at the wine bar. With a Sweet Valley Wines’ lineup of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah and a red blend called “Double Barrel Red” (so named because Josh had only two barrels of wine to blend), I knew that I could take time to relish these beauties. Josh noted that this year’s crop of wines included a viognier, which unfortunately wasn’t available for tasting. It had sold out.

While I was eyeballing the deep red merlot, Josh’s yellow Lab, Murphy, plunked down next to my feet. The dog’s youthful appearance matched Josh’s. These signs of young blood reflect Sweet Valley Wines’ future; the many vintages to come with Josh at the winemaking helm. My curiosity compelled me to ask Josh how he intended to distinguish himself in such a competitive market as Walla Walla. To this question, he gave a one-word response. “Quality,” he said. “Oh, the promise of youth!” I thought to myself.