Andrew Will Winery

Chris Camarda founded Andrew Will Winery in 1989. The first winery occupied a converted walkway between two adjoining buildings in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, a space just 10 feet by 60 feet where the winery made about 2,000 cases across its first five vintages. Camarda named the operation for his son Will and his nephew Andrew rather than using his own name. In 1994, the winery relocated: barrels, equipment, and case goods were loaded onto two trucks for the 20-minute drive from Lower Queen Anne to West Seattle, and the winery landed on Vashon Island about an hour later, in time to prepare for that year's harvest. The winery is located at Chris Camarda's home on Vashon, which is why Andrew Will has no public tasting room.

• Founded 1989; first winery in a converted walkway building in Seattle's Lower Queen Anne, about 2,000 cases in a 10-by-60-foot space
• Named for son Will and nephew Andrew, not for Camarda himself
• Relocated to Vashon Island in 1994, arriving in time for that year's harvest
• Winery operates from Chris Camarda's home on Vashon; no public tasting room

Andrew Will's first two fruit sources, from the 1989 founding, were Ciel du Cheval on Red Mountain and Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. The winery has continued sourcing from Ciel du Cheval, Champoux, May's Discovery, and its own Two Blondes Vineyard. Ciel du Cheval was first planted in 1975 and today has 102 acres under cultivation; vineyard owner Jim Holmes credits the high calcium carbonate content of its soil for the quality of the fruit. At about 2,950 heat units a year it is the warmest of the vineyards Andrew Will works, and its Merlot drew the attention of critics in the winery's earliest years. Two Blondes Vineyard, Andrew Will's own estate site in the Yakima Valley near Zillah, was planted in 2000: 30 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec, managed by Chris Hoon, with viticulturist Dr. Daniel Roberts consulting in the vineyard's early years. Two Blondes is the coolest of the four vineyards Andrew Will works with, and Camarda focuses on clonal selections that best fit its growing conditions.

• First two sources (1989): Ciel du Cheval (Red Mountain) and Champoux Vineyard (Horse Heaven Hills)
• Ciel du Cheval: planted 1975, 102 acres today; high calcium carbonate soil, which owner Jim Holmes credits for fruit quality; warmest Andrew Will site at about 2,950 heat units per year
• Two Blondes Vineyard (estate, planted 2000, 30 acres near Zillah in the Yakima Valley): Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec; vineyard manager Chris Hoon
• Also sources May's Discovery Vineyard fruit; current single-vineyard bottlings are Two Blondes, Champoux, and Ciel du Cheval

Sorella, Italian for sister, was first made in 1994 and is sourced from Champoux Vineyard. Chris Camarda named it for his late sister, Jane Camarda. Its Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Block 1, the oldest section of Champoux, where a Cabernet Sauvignon planting first went into the ground in 1972 on what was then part of the Mercer family's roughly 6,600-acre Mercer Ranch. Paul and Judy Champoux began leasing the vineyard in 1990, and in 1996 they purchased the property outright with a consortium of partner wineries: Chris Camarda of Andrew Will, Paul Golitzin of Quilceda Creek, Rick Small of Woodward Canyon, and Bill Powers. Champoux Vineyard is set back five miles from the Columbia River in the Horse Heaven Hills, on sandy loam soils, in an area defined by wind off the Columbia River Gorge, and tannins are noteworthy in its wines. The vineyard covers 175 acres. Paul Champoux retired as owner and vineyard manager in 2014, succeeded as vineyard manager by Dan Nickolaus.

• Sorella: first made 1994; sourced from Champoux Vineyard, its Cabernet Sauvignon from Block 1 (first planted 1972, the vineyard's oldest section); named for Chris Camarda's late sister, Jane Camarda
• Champoux purchased in 1996 by Paul and Judy Champoux with a consortium: Andrew Will (Chris Camarda), Quilceda Creek (Paul Golitzin), Woodward Canyon (Rick Small), and Powers (Bill Powers)
• Champoux Vineyard: Horse Heaven Hills, five miles from the Columbia River, sandy loam soils; noteworthy tannins; 175 acres
• Paul Champoux retired as owner and vineyard manager in 2014; Dan Nickolaus succeeded him as vineyard manager

Beyond Sorella, Andrew Will's current single-vineyard lineup centers on Champoux, Ciel du Cheval, and the estate Two Blondes Vineyard. From Two Blondes, the winery also makes a Cuvée Lucia Sauvignon Blanc and a Semillon for its white-wine lineup. Blend composition varies by vintage: the 2019 Sorella was about 80 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot, while the 2012 Sorella was two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon from vines then close to 40 years old. The 2014 Two Blondes was 56 percent Merlot, 20 percent Cabernet Franc, 15 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, and 9 percent of a fourth variety. The Wine Advocate praised the 2014 Champoux Vineyard for its "sensational purity in its lifted bouquet of cassis." Writing in View From the Cellar in late 2013, critic John Gilman placed Andrew Will's single-vineyard bottlings "amongst the most superb wines made in the US today," noting stylistic similarities to Cheval Blanc in the winery's more recent releases at that time.

• Current single-vineyard reds: Champoux, Ciel du Cheval, Two Blondes (estate)
• Whites: Cuvée Lucia Sauvignon Blanc and a Semillon, both from Two Blondes fruit
• 2019 Sorella: about 80 percent Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot; 2012 Sorella: two-thirds Cabernet Sauvignon
• Wine Advocate (June 2017): 2014 Champoux praised for cassis purity; 2014 Two Blondes a 56 percent Merlot-led blend

Will Camarda, Chris Camarda's son, studied geology at the University of Washington before joining his father's winery full time; he was 29 in 2016. Andrew Will is now in its second generation: Will serves as the winery's winemaker, having learned from his father, and also as its sales director, handling sales within Washington State. Andrew Will produces about 4,500 cases of wine a year, and its wines have been featured around the United States and internationally for more than 20 years; wholesalers and importers currently carry Andrew Will wines in dozens of US states as well as in countries including Denmark, South Korea, Puerto Rico, and across the European Union. The producer has labeled wines by vineyard name on the front label since its first, 1989 vintage, and by 2003 had moved from varietal bottlings to blending the most important varieties it grows in Washington.

• Will Camarda: University of Washington geology graduate; joined the winery full time, now winemaker and sales director
• Production about 4,500 cases per year; direct sales in Washington plus wholesale distribution across dozens of US states and several countries
• Vineyard-name-on-label practice since the 1989 first vintage; moved from varietal bottlings to blends by 2003
• Andrew Will has been sourcing from Ciel du Cheval since its own first, 1989 vintage

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://andrewwill.com/, https://andrewwill.com/history, https://andrewwill.com/wines, https://andrewwill.com/et-al, https://andrewwill.com/press, https://andrewwill.com/find-our-wines. Secondary sources: HistoryLink.org (Champoux, Paul and Judy entry), Great Northwest Wine (August 28, 2013), Owen Bargreen wine blog (August 21, 2024). Last verified 2026-10-12. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Andrew Will's own site lists Champoux Vineyard at 175 acres; secondary sources give different acreage figures for different years (135 acres at the 1996 purchase per HistoryLink, 185 acres in 2013 per Great Northwest Wine, 190 acres in 2024 per HistoryLink), reflecting the vineyard's growth over time rather than a factual conflict.