Pepper Bridge Winery

Norm McKibben's path through the Walla Walla wine industry began with vineyard planting rather than winery construction. In 1991 he planted Pepper Bridge Vineyard with five acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and five acres of Merlot, providing fruit to other Walla Walla and Washington wineries while gradually expanding the estate. In 1994 he acquired Seven Hills Vineyard, then approximately 20 acres on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley, and in partnership with Marty Clubb of L'Ecole No. 41 and Gary Figgins of Leonetti Cellar expanded the site to more than 200 acres, an investment that fundamentally reshaped the supply side of Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon. Pepper Bridge Winery was officially launched only in 1998, with Mike Hogue as silent partner, after seven years of vineyard work.

• 1991: Norm McKibben planted Pepper Bridge Vineyard with 5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and 5 acres of Merlot
• 1994: McKibben acquired Seven Hills Vineyard (then ~20 acres) on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley
• Expanded Seven Hills to 200+ acres in partnership with Marty Clubb (L'Ecole No. 41) and Gary Figgins (Leonetti Cellar)
• 1998: Pepper Bridge Winery officially launched with Mike Hogue as silent partner

The estate works two of the Walla Walla Valley AVA's most consequential vineyards. Pepper Bridge Vineyard, on the Washington side, sits on a south-facing slope with windblown loess soils over basalt, conditions that produce the structured, dark-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that anchor the winery's flagship wines. Seven Hills Vineyard, on the Oregon side of the state line and approximately 10 miles south of Pepper Bridge, has been described by Wine & Spirits as one of the 12 greatest vineyards in the world; the 200-plus acres now planted there feed not only Pepper Bridge but also L'Ecole No. 41, Leonetti, and other major Walla Walla labels. Pepper Bridge's estate program draws on both vineyards, allowing single-vineyard expressions and a Seven Hills Vineyard Blend that combines fruit from across the site.

• Pepper Bridge Vineyard: Washington-side estate, windblown loess over basalt; structured, dark-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
• Seven Hills Vineyard: Oregon-side, 200+ acres, cited by Wine & Spirits as one of the 12 greatest vineyards in the world
• Seven Hills supplies fruit to L'Ecole No. 41, Leonetti, and other Walla Walla labels in addition to Pepper Bridge
• Estate program draws on both vineyards with single-vineyard expressions plus a Seven Hills Vineyard Blend

Winemaker Jean-François Pellet has led the cellar at Pepper Bridge since the founding in 1998. The house style is firmly Bordeaux-influenced: Cabernet Sauvignon as the flagship variety, Merlot in support, and the ability to blend across estate parcels for the appellation-level wines. Cellar work follows classical Bordeaux practice: gentle pump-overs, fermentation in stainless steel and concrete, and aging in French oak with measured new-barrel use, typically in the 50-70% new oak range for the top wines. The first Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon was the 1998 vintage, and Cabernet has been produced annually since. The first estate Merlot followed in 1999. Production scale supports broad allocation while preserving estate-grown integrity across the entire range.

• Jean-François Pellet has led winemaking from the 1998 founding
• Bordeaux-influenced style: Cabernet Sauvignon flagship, Merlot in support, Bordeaux-varietal blends across estate parcels
• Classical cellar practice: gentle pump-overs, fermentation in stainless steel and concrete, French oak aging with 50-70% new oak for top wines
• First Cabernet Sauvignon vintage 1998; first estate Merlot 1999; both produced annually since

Pepper Bridge is one of the foundational addresses in modern Walla Walla Valley winemaking, both as a winery and as a vineyard development project. Norm McKibben's vineyard work extended well beyond his own estate, particularly through the Seven Hills Vineyard expansion that helped establish the Walla Walla Valley as a serious Cabernet Sauvignon source at scale. The estate sits in the same foundational tier as Leonetti, Woodward Canyon, and L'Ecole No. 41, the four estates that together built the modern Walla Walla wine industry through the 1980s and 1990s. For drinkers tracking Bordeaux-style Walla Walla, Pepper Bridge is one of the essential reference estates.

• Foundational Walla Walla Valley estate, both as winery and as vineyard development project
• Norm McKibben's Seven Hills Vineyard expansion helped establish Walla Walla as a serious Cabernet Sauvignon source at scale
• Sits in foundational tier alongside Leonetti, Woodward Canyon, and L'Ecole No. 41
• Reference estate for Bordeaux-style Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot