Expanding Horizons at Figgins Winery

Chris Figgins attains new heights as he brings a winemaker’s vision and an architect’s touch to his eponymous Walla Walla winery

CHRIS FIGGINS is a second-generation vintner whose saga intertwines his vision with the rich heritage of his ancestors. Lately, he’s been broadening his horizons with two major undertakings that have recently been completed—the addition of a sleek, modern Walla Walla tasting room, as well as constructing subterranean wine-aging caves below the winery that took years in the making.

As the driving force behind FIGGINS winery, Chris Figgins grew up immersed in the art of winemaking. His father, Gary Figgins, was the mastermind behind Leonetti Cellar, Walla Walla’s inaugural winery and a name synonymous with high-quality wines. “It was immersive. The business was literally in and next to our home. As a kid, I thought everyone’s dad made wine; it just seemed normal,” Chris reminisces.

He chuckles, recalling his early days as his father’s apprentice. “Dad called me his gopher—not the rodent, but like, ‘go for this, go for that.’ Go get me a half-inch clamp, an inch-and-a-half Triclover clamp, that sort of thing.” This hands-on role wasn’t just about chores; it was a deep dive into the winemaking world, providing an intangible education in the craft and business of winemaking.

Architectural Calling

Family sacrifices were par for the course, with his mother juggling odd jobs to make ends meet while his father toiled as a machinist by day and winemaker by night.

Entering his teenage years, Chris found himself drawn to a different calling—a passion for architecture that burned brightly within him. “I was really good at math and I loved building things,” he reflects, tracing the genesis of his fascination with architectural design. Chris’ love for building was further nurtured by growing up in the ‘70s and early ‘80s, surrounded by erector sets, tinker toys, and Legos. Yet the siren call of winemaking proved too potent to resist, pulling Chris back into the fold of his family’s legacy.

It happened during his Junior year at college, amidst calculus and blueprints, when Chris stumbled upon a revelation: a love affair with wine. He remembers a pivotal phone call to his mom, the words feeling inevitable and revolutionary, “I told my mom that I wanted to join the family business. She said she would speak to my dad about it. It was years later that I got to know that my dad cried after this conversation. My dad never cries.”

Chris switched his major to horticulture at WSU right after, and returned to his roots with a renewed sense of purpose in 1996, ready to leave his mark on the family legacy. He worked his way up at Leonetti Cellar to assume the reins as head winemaker in 2001.

Estate Vineyard Terroir

While driving through the Mill Creek upland area of Walla Walla one day, Chris came across a stunning piece of land with a ‘for sale’ sign—potentially an amazing home site nestled amidst acres of vineyards. He grabbed the sign, tossed it in the back of his car, and drove off. He pitched the idea to his parents, but they weren’t keen on expanding Leonetti. Undeterred, Chris recalls, “When I couldn’t change their minds, I asked them—will you loan me the money?”

Enter FIGGINS, Chris’ magnum opus, where cutting-edge design meets winemaking ingenuity. Nestled in the Blue Mountain foothills overlooking the Walla Walla Valley lies the distinctive 32-acre Figgins Estate Vineyard, where Chris Figgins, inspired by the legacy of his family’s winemaking prowess at Leonetti, planted the seeds of a new vision in 2004. Starting with the 2008 vintage, FIGGINS winery released its first wines in 2011.

The Figgins family has been at the forefront of this region’s winemaking renaissance, crafting exceptional Bordeaux-style wines from their estate vineyards. At the tasting room, which opened to the public this past April, guests enjoy a selection that includes the FIGGINS portfolio and Toil Oregon—a brand specializing in Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, also owned by the Figgins family.

Pouring Toil aims to surprise visitors seeking robust, big reds with an elegant Pinot Noir, offering a delightful contrast of Bordeaux and Burgundy-style wines. The wines are renowned for intricate complexity and balance, reflecting the winemaker’s profound understanding of both terroir and winemaking science.

Central to Figgins’ approach is a commitment to European wine classification traditions, prioritizing the influence of geography and environment on wine character. Explaining his philosophy, Chris notes, “I wanted to move away from the American focus on varietals and shift towards highlighting place. That’s why the FIGGINS line isn’t varietally labeled but simply designated as estate red wine. I want the emphasis to be on the unique terroir, not just the grape varieties.”

Family Tree Homage

The Figgins winemaking heritage stretches back to the journey of Chris’ great-grandparents who ventured from Calabria in Italy to Walla Walla in 1902.

“That’s where the Leonetti legacy finds its origin,” Chris reveals. “My father honored his mother’s lineage by naming the winery after it. When I established FIGGINS, it was to shine a light on the other branch of our family tree. Opting to construct a tasting room amidst the vineyards, instead of the residence I’d envisioned earlier, seemed like the right choice; the spot is too awesome to not share it with others.  With Leonetti lacking a public tasting room, I was inspired to fulfill that vision with FIGGINS.”

The FIGGINS winery is an architectural marvel designed to make one feel as if they are in a private oasis. Chris’ goal was clear: create an educational and immersive experience that leaves a lasting impression. The spanking new tasting room is a modern masterpiece—all clean lines, geometric shapes, and industrial chic elements. Perched atop the winery, it offers panoramic views of the estate’s rolling vineyard.

Subterranean Caves

And just beneath the surface lies his pièce de résistance: a project that has been years in the making, a labyrinth of underground caves designed to perfect the aging process of his exceptional wines. This one-of-a-kind project promises to take the FIGGINS legacy to new heights—or rather depths, quite literally.
The caves are not open for hospitality but serve a crucial role in the winemaking process, offering optimal conditions for aging wine.

“The caves have been a personal passion project of mine for years. I had been in several caves in Napa, Sonoma, and Bordeaux, and always found them stunning,” says Chris. “I’ve always been fascinated by the Old World model where the vineyard, winery, and wine are part of a continuum. Our caves provide the perfect environment for aging wine—naturally cool and with consistent humidity levels.”

Now, his dream is realized in these subterranean sanctuaries, nestled 35 feet beneath the estate vineyard. Carved from 15 million-year-old fractured basalt, the caves feel almost mystical. Here, an ambient temperature of 57–59°F is maintained naturally, a combination of nature and architecture that creates the perfect environment for aging wine.

Breaking ground on this project was no small feat. “We had to have a rough architectural design of the caves, then do all the geotechnical work. It was a six-year process, delayed by the pandemic,” Chris 
says, adding that the payoff was worth it.

Sustainability Commitment

The caves not only enhance the wine quality but reflect Chris’ commitment to sustainability. “The caves go into the hillside about 120 feet,” Chris explains. “They provide natural insulation, keeping the temperature stable year-round. It’s completely passive—the environmental and economic benefits are huge. It’s a very sustainable way to age our wines while keeping our footprint as low as possible.”

Reflecting on his journey at FIGGINS, Chris shares, “I’ve planted, I think, well over a thousand trees in my life. These now-towering trees around the winery were once three-quarter-inch little saplings that I planted myself and nursed along.”

Who knows what seeds of innovation will sprout next?

Written by Aakanksha Agarwal
Photographed by Colby Kuschatka

Visit & Taste

FIGGINS and Toil Oregon Winery

3917 Mill Creek Rd, Walla Walla, WA
Ph: (509) 522-7808
www.figginswine.com
www.toiloregon.com