Kelsey Albro Itämeri is behind the latest “incubator winery” to hatch at the Port of Walla Walla’s Incubator Winery Facilities along Piper Avenue near the airport. She came to winemaking via a long and winding road, having tried her hand at many occupations in the years following college: political campaign manager, reality TV production assistant, executive assistant at Lionsgate Studios, sales manager for natural foods companies, and food & beverage director for a bar group in San Francisco.
Originally from Seattle, Kelsey and her husband, Kai, decided to put down roots on the sunny side of the state where her family had purchased farmlands in the foothills of the Blue Mountains outside Walla Walla. They spent the first year on the farm working in the alfalfa fields, taking care of a test plot of grapevines and tree fruit, and finding jobs at local wineries.
In 2017, Kelsey enrolled in Walla Walla Community College’s Institute for Enology & Viticulture and supplemented her studies with internships at The Walls Vineyards and Balboa Winery. After graduation, she traveled to Burgundy “to learn more about terroir and how to drink wine at lunch and still get work done,” she says with a grin. She interned at Domaine Jean Chartron in the village of Puligny-Montrachet and gained a deep appreciation for site-specific vineyard management and winemaking.
“At Itä wines, I hope to bring those lessons to the unique vineyards of the eastern foothills of the Walla Walla Valley and to one day make wines entirely from my family’s estate vineyards,” says Kelsey.
The wines are light-handed on the oak, and are indeed connotative of European stylings. Kelsey’s practice of using early-picked grapes keeps the fruit sugars and alcohol in check, providing a windowpane for the vineyard terroir to shine through. Watch for more to come from this go-getter.
Visit & Taste: $10 tasting fee, waived with bottle purchase. Located at 600 Piper Ave., Walla Walla. Learn more at www.itawinery.com.
Below are two releases we recently reviewed:
Itä Wines 2019 Les Collines Vineyard Merlot
92 pts.
This entices with aromas of steeped blueberry, cherry and lavender fields. There’s restraint to the fruit, leaning towards the earthier side with hushed tones of dark fruit and loamy notes. Vervy acidity combine with fine tannins that stretch out on the finish. $45
Itä Wines 2019 Les Collines Vineyard Sémillon – 1 of 2
91 pts.
This bone-dry white wine is crisp, offering a backbone of steely minerality and a well-balanced profile of lemon, almond skin, wet stone and crushed oyster shell nuances. A delightful seafood companion. $25