Walla Walla Road Trip-Brooke Robertson Delmas SJR Vineyard

Brooke from Delmas Wines (in Walla Walla) joins Heidi on the Wine Crush Podcast. They bond over the joys (and perils) of living in smaller towns versus big cities—traffic jam complaints no one else would take seriously. Brooke’s family roots started in Napa, wandered around the country (yes, Minnesota made an appearance—blame the brutal winters for their quick exit), and eventually landed on the rocky soils of Walla Walla’s Rocks District. She gushes over their unique head-trained vine technique, a technique so special it involves burying vines in dirt and cobblestones to protect them from winter frosts (remember, vine popsicles aren’t profitable). Delmas focuses on Rhône varietals (notably Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, and the occasional cameo of new whites). Their production is tiny—about a thousand cases—and they generally sell direct to consumers or through super-select retailers. The upshot? Quirky micro-winery meets rock-strewn vineyard so out there it needed its own specialized AVA.