OUR STORY

“Life is too short, and nothing is guaranteed. I didn’t just want to be in Walla Walla. I wanted to do something meaningful here. So we’re putting our chips down here. I’m happy to live and die with this place.”

-Mike Martin

Established 2014

About The Walls

The Walls is on a mission to show the world everything that Walla Walla Valley is capable of. Our distinctly American wines are simultaneously eclectic and classic. We value tradition and are meticulous in our winemaking, but we’re not afraid to embrace the creative freedom that comes with Washington’s unparalleled varietal diversity. Inspired by places and personalities throughout time, each of our wines has a story to tell, from pioneering American winegrowers to medieval knights, Einstein to Hemingway. 

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We make intriguing, original wines using thoughtfully grown grapes from the most celebrated AVAs in the Columbia Valley, including Red Mountain, The Rocks District, the Yakima Valley. We have three estate vineyards and farm several other vineyards using practices that are better for the land and the people who live and work there. 

You can taste The Walls at our winery in downtown Walla Walla, which includes a refined tasting space with a full culinary program designed by the chefs at our sister restaurant, Passatempo Taverna. Experience the intimate relationship between exceptional food and remarkable wine by pairing your flight with woodfired sourdough pizzas made with local flour or salads featuring Walla Walla Valley produce.

“I didn’t just want to be in Walla Walla, I wanted to do something meaningful here. I’m not here to just take my slice of the pie, I’m here to make the pie bigger.“

– Mike Martin

MEET THE FAMILY

Our Sister Brands

The Walls is part of a larger vision for building community over local food and wine. Our sister wine label PÁŠXA is a focused exploration of the enigma of The Rocks District. We also run Passatempo Taverna, an oasis of handmade pasta and craft cocktails that celebrates Walla Walla’s incredible culinary community.

OUR BEGINNINGS

Mike Martin

In 2014 after a life-changing loss, Mike Martin took a risk and followed his curiosity over the mountains to Walla Walla, where he’d fallen in love with the little Western town with world-famous wines. He left his life in Seattle behind, but gained a brand-new purpose: Push Walla Walla’s world-class wine and culinary culture forward, and make it possible for others to do the same.

Originally from New York, Mike moved to Seattle for a job in 1992 and immediately fell in love with the creative, open-minded ethos of the Northwest. But his life changed forever after his partner died of cancer in 2007. Grieving her loss, he found himself confronted with an uncomfortable truth: His conventional corporate life no longer felt meaningful. Life was short, unpredictable, and too precious to waste on safety.

Months later, he hit the road with a friend to clear his head. They headed for Idaho but stopped off in Walla Walla on a whim, where an impromptu wine tasting turned into 2am karaoke with a big group of brand-new friends followed by his first (and, to date, only) hole-in-one shot on the golf course. 

Mike took it as a sign. “I fell in love with this place,” he says. “Its people, its story, its rhythms, and its land.” So he took a chance. He bought an apartment downtown and began to split his time between Seattle and Walla Walla, where he learned to love the unique, sometimes austere beauty of Eastern Washington’s landscape.

The more time he spent in Walla Walla, the more he learned about wine. Although he swore he’d never start a winery, in 2012, he met an ambitious young winemaker with a compelling vision for what Washington chardonnay could be. They started small, embarking on their first vintage with just a few weeks to go before harvest in 2014. “I realize how crazy we were to start a winery one month before harvest,” says Mike. “I didn’t know any better.” The view of the Washington State Penitentiary walls from the custom crush facility where they made those first wines inspired a name, and The Walls was born. 

An animating principle of bold curiosity led the way from the beginning. Pursuing opportunities as they arose, Mike began to grow the wine business, and then bought and remodeled the historic Pastime Cafe just a couple of blocks from his home, transforming it into Passatempo Taverna in 2016. In 2018, PÁŠXA was born as a venue for focused exploration of the mysteries of the Rocks District. Running through every project has been a deep commitment to respecting, elevating, and investing in Walla Walla, the place that changed Mike’s life. “I’m not here to just take my slice of the pie,” he says. “I’m here to make the pie bigger.”

Through The Walls, PÁŠXA, and Passatempo Taverna, Mike and his team are on the vanguard of culinary sophistication in this wild corner of the West, informed by global traditions yet deeply rooted to this place and all its particularities. Today, they’re still setting the bar and the tone for what Walla Walla can be — and Mike’s commitment to making it possible for people to take risks, build the lives they want, and create opportunities for others to do the same has never been stronger.

“Don’t assume life will be easy. It’s in the struggle where the true expression of self comes forward.” — Mike Martin

What’s The Deal With The Name?

The Walls originally got its name from the locals’ nickname for the Washington State Penitentiary. It’s not exactly a tourist draw, but it’s been a major presence in Walla Walla since the 1880s, and the monumental walls of “concrete mama” still preside over town today. 

That got us thinking about walls more generally (such things can happen over wine). Walls are built to keep things in, and things out. Sometimes that’s important. But sometimes, walls are boundaries that hold us back by trading freedom and adventure for certainty and comfort.

For us, a wall isn’t just a boundary. It’s an invitation to speculation, to curiosity, and perhaps even to a little transgression. Could we get up there? What might we see? Would it be a good spot for a glass of wine?

Who Is Stanley Groovy?

We get the question a lot: Who’s that guy with the glasses on your labels?

It’s impossible to say exactly when Stanley Groovy first walked into our lives. One minute, we were minding our own business, and the next? He was there, with a mason jar full of blanco tequila and an invitation to an after-hours jazz show at a bar we’d never heard of. 

Stanley is something of an everyman. But there’s a lot more to him than meets the eye. He’s quirky, playful, full of surprises, and driven by a bold sense of curiosity. In many ways, he’s a lot like anyone who’s ever wanted to break free of convention and explore something new.

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We didn’t set out for Stanley Groovy to become our guide to The Walls. It just kind of happened that way. Eventually, he’d worked his way into our minds so thoroughly we partnered with New Yorker cartoonist Joe Dator to bring him to life. 

Today, he’s on all of our labels, and each one is a little bit different. Stanley gets bored easily, so we’d never force him into doing the same thing too many times in a row. All of our wines are inspired by some element of history or culture, which means Stanley gets to go on a new adventure for each one. He’s run with the bulls in Pamplona, started a brand-new town in Oregon, and even met a lady who made his heart beat a little faster. Wonder what he’ll get up to next.

Illustration of Stanley Groovy sitting in a chair

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