Like many growing up with close ties to a beloved relative, owner and winemaker Alexis Sells says her grandfather had a profound influence on her future. As a farmer, he had taught her the self-reliance that comes from gardening, foraging and good stewardship.
“This is where my love for agriculture and the land started,” she says about her formidable years growing up in Spokane, WA. The winery is named after her grandmother “to pay tribute to the strong women in our family, our German heritage, and to the many generations of our family who have worked in agriculture.”
Alexis launched her new brand, Adelia, in downtown Yakima last September, and 2024 will mark her 15th harvest. Her wine journey began with studies in enology and viticulture at Walla Walla Community College, simultaneously working four harvests for Walla Walla wineries like Bergevin Lane, Dusted Valley and others.
Following a harvest in New Zealand, Sells was hired by Duckhorn in Napa County, CA as a lab technician, working her way up over four years to help manage the Duckhorn Vineyards brand, including oversight of their Chardonnay program.
Alexis was lured back to Washington in March of 2020 to take up the reins as head winemaker at Fortuity Cellars, but in 2023 switched gears to focus entirely on her solo venture.
The wines demonstrate careful vineyard site selection, displaying a luxe freshness and vitality built around complex fruit and minerally-driven structure. Expect more great offerings from this rising star. To learn more about Adelia Wine Cellars, visit online at www.adeliawinecellars.com.
Below are two releases we recently reviewed:
Adelia 2021 Horse Heaven Hills Syrah
93 pts.
Fermented and aged in a combination of concrete tank and neutral oak barrels, there’s an ethereal feel to the uber-polished structure. Featuring a rich and fresh tapestry of wild blueberry, dried currants, lavender, violet and sage, knit seamlessly together with fine plush tannins and a kiss of saline minerality that forges a long and lasting finish. Sourced from Andrews Family Vineyard. $40
Adelia 2023 Yakima Valley Noble Blanc
91 pts.
This nimbly-structured white blend of Marsanne and Viognier from Angiolina Vineyard delivers an expressive array of white stone fruit, honeysuckle and green melon aromatics, supported by minerally, lime-kissed acidity and refreshing flavors of kiwi and D’anjou pear on the sleek finish. $25