Spring Valley Vineyard

In 1865 Francis Marion Corkrum and his wife Mary Jane Killebrew Corkrum crossed the country by wagon train from Illinois with their three children and homesteaded in the Walla Walla Valley, then Washington Territory. Uriah Corkrum was born in Walla Walla on June 1, 1866, and began farming on his own in the 1880s. Unusual summer rain kept him from getting his harvested wheat to the warehouse, and he lost everything in the depression of 1893. He persevered and in 1897 purchased the ranch at Spring Valley. Uriah married Katherine Williams, who came from Hay-On-Wye, Wales, on December 1, 1897; they had four sons, including Frederick Corkrum. Frederick and Nina Lee married in 1929 and moved to the ranch in Spring Valley, where their daughter Shari Corkrum was born in 1934. Shari Corkrum and Dean Derby married in 1954. In 1993 Shari and Dean Derby planted the first grapes at Spring Valley, and the first estate-grown and bottled Spring Valley Vineyard wines came from the 1999 vintage. Ste. Michelle Wine Estates acquired Spring Valley Vineyard in 2005. In 2025 the Wyckoff family of Eastern Washington acquired Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Shari Corkrum Derby is the vineyard owner, and the Corkrum, Derby and Elvin families farm the land.

• 1865: the Corkrum family homesteaded in the Walla Walla Valley after crossing from Illinois by wagon train.
• 1897: Uriah Corkrum purchased the ranch at Spring Valley.
• 1993: Shari and Dean Derby planted the first grapes; 1999: the first estate-grown vintage.
• 2005: acquired by Ste. Michelle Wine Estates; 2025: the Wyckoff family of Eastern Washington acquired Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.

Devin Corkrum Derby (d. 2004), son of Dean and Shari Derby, was the founding winemaker. He moved back to the ranch in 1999 to manage the winery, oversaw the first crush and made the first wine, Uriah; he also designed the labels for Spring Valley's wines. As of 2002, Devin and his wife, Mary, made the wines. Serge Laville made 20 vintages at Spring Valley before leaving the winery, as announced in March 2023. Kate Derby, granddaughter of Shari Corkrum Derby and Dean Derby (d. 2021) and great-great-granddaughter of Uriah Corkrum, holds a degree in Psychology from Bethel University in Minnesota. She began working full time at Spring Valley in the tasting room, then represented the brand across the country, and joined the winemaking team in 2011. She was named head winemaker in 2023, and 2023 was her first vintage leading winemaking. She leads the winemaking operations.

• Founding winemaker: Devin Corkrum Derby (d. 2004), from the 1999 vintage.
• Serge Laville: 20 vintages at Spring Valley; his departure was announced in March 2023.
• Kate Derby: joined the winemaking team in 2011; head winemaker since 2023.
• Vineyard owner: Shari Corkrum Derby.

Spring Valley Vineyard lies 12 miles northeast of Walla Walla, amid the wheat fields of southeastern Washington, with the Blue Mountains as a backdrop. The initial block of Merlot was planted in 1993 on a south-southwest facing hillside. The vines follow the north-south slope of the hills in vertical rows, an orientation that, with the slope, lets them take advantage of air drainage, sunshine and the reflective nature of the surrounding wheat fields. Every grape is tended by hand, including crop thinning, leaf pulling and harvesting, and individual canes are buried by hand to protect them from the cold winters. From 2 acres of Merlot planted in 1993, the vineyard had grown to 39 acres by 2002. New vineyards were planted in the summer of 2007, and the vineyard now covers 111 acres of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. Two acres of Petit Verdot, planted in 1995 and 2001, make up the Sharilee bottling. Spring Valley's wines are 100% estate-grown.

• 12 miles northeast of Walla Walla, surrounded by wheat fields, with the Blue Mountains as a backdrop.
• Initial Merlot block planted in 1993 on a south-southwest facing hillside, in vertical rows following the north-south slope.
• 111 acres: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec.
• Every grape is tended by hand, and canes are hand-buried against the winter cold.

The wines are named for family members. Uriah, the first wine, is a Merlot-based red blend named for Uriah Corkrum; the 2000 vintage was 60 percent Merlot, 34 percent Cabernet Franc and 6 percent Petit Verdot, and the 2001 was aged 17 months, chiefly in new French oak barrels. Nina Lee, a 100% Syrah first made with the 2000 vintage, is named for Frederick Corkrum's wife. Frederick, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend, is named for Frederick Corkrum, son of Uriah and father of Shari. Derby, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, represents the 1954 marriage of Shari Corkrum and Dean Derby. Mule Skinner, a 100% Merlot, is named for Frederick Corkrum's job as the ranch's head muleskinner, the person who cared for and drove the mules before the Caterpillar tractor. Frederick, Derby and Mule Skinner were first made with the 2001 vintage. Katherine Corkrum, a Cabernet Franc named for Uriah Corkrum's wife Katherine, was introduced with the 2007 vintage. Sharilee, a Petit Verdot named for Sharilee Corkrum Derby, was introduced with the 2010 vintage. The current lineup also includes a Viognier, a Rosé, a 2018 Corkrum Syrah and a 2017 Corkrum Cabernet Franc, and in 2023 Kate Derby introduced Mourvèdre and Grenache to the portfolio.

• Uriah: Merlot-based red blend, the first wine.
• Frederick: Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend; Derby: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon; Mule Skinner: 100% Merlot; all first made with the 2001 vintage.
• Nina Lee: 100% Syrah, first made with the 2000 vintage; Katherine Corkrum: Cabernet Franc, from 2007; Sharilee: Petit Verdot, from 2010.
• Also in the lineup: Viognier, Rosé, Corkrum Syrah and Corkrum Cabernet Franc.

Uriah has appeared several times on Wine Spectator's annual Top 100. The 2000 vintage ranked No. 17 on the 2002 list with 94 points, and the 2001 vintage ranked No. 13 on the 2003 list with 94 points. The 2003 vintage ranked No. 25 with 94 points, and the 2006 vintage ranked No. 60 on the 2009 list with 93 points.

• Uriah 2000: No. 17 on Wine Spectator's 2002 Top 100, 94 points.
• Uriah 2001: No. 13 on Wine Spectator's 2003 Top 100, 94 points.
• Uriah 2003: No. 25, 94 points; Uriah 2006: No. 60 on the 2009 list, 93 points.

Kate Derby compares winemaking to making a great meal: 'You start with amazing ingredients and let them shine with limited but thoughtful manipulation.' The winery describes its Mule Skinner Merlot as showcasing 'our traditional Spring Valley Vineyard rusticity,' and its notes on the 2023 Uriah and the 2023 Nina Lee cite 'a trace of fresh cut wheat' and 'aromas of dry wheat' on the nose.

Primary sources (producer's own site): https://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/, https://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/history/story, https://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/history/timeline, https://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/family, https://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/winemaking/winemaker, https://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/winemaking/vineyard, https://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/spring-valley-vineyard/wine-shop/all-wines/5637149848.c. Owner group (Ste. Michelle Wine Estates): https://www.smwe.com/about/history, https://www.smwe.com/estates/details/spring_valley_vineyard, https://www.smwe.com/pressReleases/details/353 (27 March 2023). Secondary sources: Wine Spectator Top 100 lists, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/the-top-100-wines-of-2002-11-25-1516, https://www.winespectator.com/articles/top-100-wines-of-2003-11-40-1924, http://assets.winespectator.com/wso/pdf/WS123106_Top100AtAGlance.pdf, http://assets.winespectator.com/wso/pdf/WS123109_Top100AtAGlance.pdf. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs. Last verified 2026-10-19