Spring Valley Vineyard

The Corkrum family arrived in Walla Walla in 1865, when Francis Marion Corkrum and Mary Jane Killebrew Corkrum traveled from Illinois by wagon train with their three children. Their son Uriah Corkrum was born in Walla Walla in June 1866 and began farming on his own in the 1880s. After losing his harvested wheat in the 1893 depression, Uriah persevered and in 1897 acquired land in the area known as Spring Valley, about 12 miles northeast of the town of Walla Walla. The property remained a working wheat ranch through multiple generations of the Corkrum family. In the early 1990s, fifth-generation family member Shari Corkrum Derby and her husband Dean Derby planted the property's first wine grapes on a south-facing hillside above the wheat fields. Their son Devin Corkrum Derby converted a storage shed into a small winery and produced the first commercial vintage in 1999. The wines have always been named for family members who farmed the land, with historical family photographs featured on the labels.

• Corkrum family arrived in Walla Walla in 1865 via wagon train from Illinois
• Uriah Corkrum acquired the Spring Valley property in 1897 and farmed wheat there
• Shari Corkrum Derby and Dean Derby planted the first wine grapes in 1993
• Their son Devin Corkrum Derby converted a storage shed into the winery and made the first vintage in 1999

Spring Valley Vineyard sits about 12 miles northeast of the town of Walla Walla, with the Blue Mountains as a backdrop and wheat fields surrounding the vineyard on all sides. The estate has roughly 111 acres of vines planted on a south-facing hillside, with row orientations that promote air drainage and even sun exposure. Soils are loess-based, typical of the Walla Walla Valley. The continental climate brings cold winters, warm growing seasons, and the long summer day length that defines eastern Washington viticulture. Planted varieties are dominated by red Bordeaux grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec) with a small but important block of Syrah. All Spring Valley wines are 100% estate-grown from this single contiguous property, which is unusual for a Walla Walla producer at this profile and a defining commercial point of the brand.

• Roughly 111 acres of vines on a south-facing hillside, about 12 miles northeast of Walla Walla
• Loess-based loam soils, continental climate, Blue Mountains backdrop
• Bordeaux varieties dominate: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, plus Syrah
• All wines are 100% estate-grown from this single property

Spring Valley produces seven estate red wines, each named for a Corkrum-Derby family member. Uriah is the flagship Bordeaux-style red blend, named for Uriah Corkrum who acquired the Spring Valley land in 1897. Uriah is a Merlot and Cabernet Franc-centered Bordeaux blend rounded out by Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Malbec; the dominant variety shifts from vintage to vintage. Frederick is a Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux-style blend named for Frederick Corkrum, Uriah's son and Shari's father. Derby is a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, named for the Derby branch of the family. Katherine Corkrum is a 100% Cabernet Franc that debuted with the 2007 vintage. Nina Lee is a 100% Syrah named for Nina Lee Corkrum. Mule Skinner is a 100% Merlot named for Frederick Corkrum's job as the ranch's head muleskinner, who drove and cared for the mules used in farming before tractors arrived. Sharilee is a 100% Petit Verdot named for Sharilee Corkrum Derby. Production is small and tightly allocated, with the wines sold primarily through the winery and wholesale distribution.

• Uriah: flagship Bordeaux-style red blend centered on Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec; dominant grape varies by vintage
• Frederick: Cabernet Sauvignon-based Bordeaux blend; Derby: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; Katherine Corkrum: 100% Cabernet Franc (debuted 2007)
• Nina Lee: 100% Syrah; Mule Skinner: 100% Merlot; Sharilee: 100% Petit Verdot
• Every wine names a Corkrum-Derby ancestor and features a family photograph on the label

Uriah established Spring Valley's reputation in the early 2000s and has been the estate's most recognized wine. The 2001 Uriah was placed at No. 13 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 list, an unusually high finish for a young Washington estate red. The 2000 Uriah had already ranked No. 17, and both vintages scored 94 points. Uriah has appeared on the Top 100 list multiple times across vintages, with the 2006 vintage ranking at No. 60. The Uriah recognition gave Spring Valley national visibility well before Walla Walla had fully arrived on the U.S. fine-wine map and was a significant factor in Ste. Michelle's interest in the brand. Across all of the estate wines, the house style emphasizes ripe but structured fruit, French oak aging at moderate new-oak percentages, and the savory, dusty-grain character that growers in the eastern Walla Walla Valley associate with the surrounding dryland wheat fields.

• Uriah 2001 ranked No. 13 on Wine Spectator's Top 100; the 2000 vintage had ranked No. 17
• Uriah has appeared on the Top 100 list multiple times across vintages; 2006 ranked No. 60
• Recognition predated Ste. Michelle's interest in the brand and helped establish Walla Walla's national profile
• House style: ripe but structured fruit, moderate French oak, savory dusty-grain edge from the surrounding wheat fields

In 2005, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates acquired the Spring Valley Vineyard brand along with a long-term lease on the estate vineyard, the winery, and the wine inventory. Serge Laville became head winemaker in 2005 and led the program for nearly two decades. Kate Derby, Shari and Dean Derby's granddaughter and Uriah Corkrum's great-great-granddaughter, joined the winemaking team in 2011 and worked alongside Laville for 11 years. In April 2023, Ste. Michelle announced Kate as head winemaker, returning daily winemaking leadership to a member of the founding family. The Ste. Michelle ownership has preserved the family-naming program, the 100% estate-grown commitment, and the small-production scale, while providing the national distribution reach of the parent company. In late 2025, the Wyckoff family of Washington purchased Ste. Michelle Wine Estates from its previous owner, bringing the Spring Valley brand under new corporate parentage but without changes to the on-site team or program at the time of the announcement.

• Devin Corkrum Derby was the founding winemaker and made the estate's first vintage in 1999
• Ste. Michelle Wine Estates acquired the brand and a long-term vineyard lease in 2005
• Serge Laville led winemaking from 2005 until 2023; Kate Derby joined the team in 2011 and worked alongside him for 11 years
• Kate Derby was named head winemaker in April 2023, the first family-member winemaker to lead the program since the founding generation