For New Owners of Patit Creek Cellars Patience Pays Off

In 1983 Karen La Bonte decided she wanted to be a winemaker. Twenty-five years later she's finally become one.

By Ryan Schreck • Photos by David Frame

With so much time to plan, Karen was able to develop a clear vision of her future business. She didn't want to start from scratch, so she would buy an already established winery. It would be small, ideally located in the Walla Walla Valley. And, if she could afford to be so choosy, it would specialize in Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the favorite varietals of La Bonte and her partner, Ed Dudley. And so the years went by, with La Bonte planning, saving and waiting for retirement.

Meanwhile in Dayton, Paul and Marcene Hendrickson had their hands full trying to run both a drug store and a small winery that focused exclusively on Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery, Patit Creek Cellars, was originally conceived as a way to beautify downtown Dayton. The chosen location, atop a hill at the east end of Main Street, had for years been the site of a neglected, rundown gas station. The project became a labor of love for the Hendricksons, who were determined not just to renovate the building but also to create high-quality wines.

They succeeded on both counts. What they hadn't accounted for was how much work it would be. "It is a very delightful business," Marcene Hendrickson says. "It's a fun business; it's a hard-work business. It looks very romantic, and it is, but it takes very many hours. The paperwork alone is tremendous."

In 2007, after several years of producing well-regarded red wines, the Hendricksons realized they would need to choose between the winery and the drug store. That's right about when La Bonte entered the picture.

Patit Creek Cellars was exactly what she was looking for in a winery. And La Bonte was exactly what the Hendricksons wanted in a buyer. They had spent eight years building the business, and they were not going to sell it to just anybody. The right buyer would need many of the same qualities the Hendrickson's had brought to the winery: enthusiasm, a good business plan and a commitment to producing high-quality wines from the best grapes available. What has happened to Patit Creek Cellars since the sale shows that La Bonte does indeed have those qualities.

Before she could put her plan into effect, however, a winemaker was needed. La Bonte was not ready to assume that mantle for herself, but she knew just who she wanted—Joe Forest, assistant winemaker at Dunham Cellars. Part of what impressed La Bonte about Forest was his good fundamentals and passion for winemaking. Part of what impressed this reporter about Forest was his winemaking philosophy: "Get good grapes and don't f--- it up."

Which is not to say that he takes a casual approach to his craft. Forest is actively engaged in every stage of production (his hands were stained purple when I met him on a Sunday morning). His goal, though, is to allow the grapes to speak for themselves without the interference of the winemaker. The result is pure, unmanipulated wine of superb quality.

Under La Bonte and Dudley's management and Forest's enological know-how, Patit Creek Cellars has expanded greatly. The flagship red wines are still popular, but whites are being bottled now as well. More significant is the large new facility near the Walla Walla airport. The expansive tasting room allows visitors the opportunity to browse the antiques for sale and linger by the fireplace. Wine can be ordered by the glass, and there is even free Wi-Fi. "We're the Starbucks of the wine industry," Forest jokes.

It has now been one year since the Hendricksons sold Patit Creek Cellars, and they do miss it. "Every time we go wine tasting we have regrets," Marcene Hendrickson says. "But our main goal was to fix up the property. That did get done, so we feel good about that."

And it has been one year since La Bonte purchased Patit Creek Cellars. After waiting for 25 years, could the realization of her dream turn out to be a letdown? Not a chance, she says. "It's lived up to everything, plus more."

This year for barrel tasting, Patit Creek Cellars will open up two casks of Reisling. The wines are made from identical clones of the same mother vine, and Sagemoor Vineyards has enlisted Patit Creek's help to determine which grape to plant more of in the future. In honor of this election year, you can try them both and cast your vote. It is a unique opportunity to taste the subtle variations that can exist between two very similar wines.

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