Isenhower Cellars

Isenhower Cellars was founded in 1999 by Brett and Denise Isenhower. After careers in pharmacy and business, the couple chose Walla Walla for its small-town charm and wide-open wine culture; they moved to Walla Walla, Washington, in 1998. Isenhower Cellars remains 100% husband-and-wife owned and operated, producing 2,200 cases annually, with the winery and tasting room at 3471 Pranger Road in Walla Walla.

• Moved to Walla Walla in 1998; founded the winery in 1999
• 100% husband-and-wife owned and operated
• 2,200 cases annually
• Winery and tasting room: 3471 Pranger Road, Walla Walla, Washington

Brett Isenhower is the winemaker. A native of rural Lebanon, Indiana, he earned a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Purdue University in 1992, married Denise in 1995, relocated with her to Boulder, and completed an MBA at the University of Colorado in 1997. After seven years in the healthcare industry, he pivoted to winemaking. Denise Isenhower is General Manager. Raised in a farming family in rural Fairland, Indiana, she earned a Bachelor of Pharmacy from Butler University in 1993, and she oversees accounting, staffing, compliance, and customer service.

• Brett Isenhower, Winemaker: Bachelor of Pharmacy, Purdue University, 1992; MBA, University of Colorado, 1997
• Denise Isenhower, General Manager: Bachelor of Pharmacy, Butler University, 1993

Isenhower works under long-term contracts with a focused group of vineyards across Washington and Oregon, buying grapes with acre contracts, and most of its wines come from single vineyards. Its four named vineyard partners are Wallula Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills (Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot), Francisca's Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley (Syrah and Viognier), Le Cadeau Vineyard in Oregon's Chehalem Mountains (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), and Dionysus Vineyard in White Bluffs (Petit Verdot). Wallula Vineyard lies at 1002 to 1030 feet on Shano silt loam. Other source vineyards include Champoux Vineyard (the 2020 À Bloc Malbec), Olsen Ranch and Tudor Vineyard (the 2021 Rara Avis), and Summit View (the 2018 Batchelor's Button).

• Wallula Vineyard, Horse Heaven Hills: Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot
• Francisca's Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley: Syrah, Viognier
• Le Cadeau Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains (Oregon): Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
• Dionysus Vineyard, White Bluffs: Petit Verdot

The winery describes its philosophy as minimal guidance through the life of its wines, with Brett's minimalist approach emphasizing light intervention and careful vineyard selection, and says the wines reward enjoyment now and with 10+ years of bottle age. Grapes are harvested by hand. Red wine fermentations are conducted at 75° to 84°F, and white wine fermentations are conducted in barrel with barrel stirring. The 2020 Wallula Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, spent 21 months in 33% new 300 L French oak barrels and was bottled unfined and unfiltered.

• Hand harvesting
• Red fermentations at 75° to 84°F
• Whites fermented in barrel with barrel stirring

Current releases (as of September 2026) are the 2024 Le Cadeau Vineyard Chardonnay, 2024 Walla Walla Valley Viognier, 2023 Blanc de Blanc Sparkling Roussanne, 2022 Le Cadeau Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2023 Blue Mountain Vineyard Syrah, 2023 Road Less Traveled Cabernet Franc, 2022 À Bloc Malbec, 2023 Jongleur Petit Verdot, 2023 Rara Avis Grenache, 2022 Batchelor's Button Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 Wild Thyme Red Blend, 2022 Wallula Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2020 Prima Rosa Barbera Rosé. Earlier-vintage compositions include the following.

• 2021 Rara Avis (Yakima Valley): 73% Olsen Ranch Grenache, 16% Tudor Vineyard Grenache, 11% Tudor Vineyard Mourvèdre
• 2020 À Bloc Malbec: 100% Malbec from Champoux Vineyard
• 2020 Wild Thyme: 51% Merlot, 37% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Petit Verdot, 6% Cabernet Franc, with Wallula Merlot as its base
• 2018 Batchelor's Button: 84% Summit View Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Wallula Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Olsen Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon
• 2020 Wallula Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: 98% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Cabernet Franc

In June 2010, Isenhower Cellars was cutting production by two thirds and shifting to direct sales only. Today the core wine portfolio is available at the Walla Walla winery, which also runs the Friends of Isenhower (FOI) Wine Club with three levels of membership (FOI Classic, FOI Six, and FOI Prime). Limited distribution covers Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Illinois.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.isenhowercellars.com/about.html, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/about-history.html, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/about-team.html, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/about-winemaking.html, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/shop-wines.html, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/contact.html, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/wine-club.html, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/trade/Isenhower/Rara%20Avis/Tasting%20Notes/21_Rara%20Avis.pdf, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/trade/Isenhower/Batchelor_s%20Button/Tasting%20Notes/18_Batchelors%20Button.pdf, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/trade/Isenhower/A%20Bloc/Tasting%20Notes/20%20A%20bloc%20Malbec.pdf, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/trade/Isenhower/Wild%20Thyme/Tasting%20Notes/20%20Wild%20Thyme.pdf, https://www.isenhowercellars.com/trade/Isenhower/Wallula%20Vineyard%20Cabernet%20Sauvignon/2020%20Wallula%20Vineyard%20Cabernet%20Sauvignon.pdf. Secondary sources: https://www.winespectator.com/articles/washington-wine-retrenches-42950. Last verified 2026-10-12.