When Eric Dunham was just a kid, his dad would dress him up in a tuxedo and have him help a couple of local Walla Walla winemakers at events. Back then, there were only a couple of Walla Walla wineries: Leonetti Cellar and Woodward Canyon.

Talk about inspiration.

"They let me taste some of the wines," Dunham admitted with a sly grin. "I started asking questions. I've wanted to make wine since I was 10," said Dunham, co-owner and winemaker of Dunham Cellars, our 2008 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year.

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Dunham began to make wine as a hobby. His first barrel was from the 1993 vintage, made for his father, Mike, and some friends. In 1994, he served a seven-month internship at Hogue Cellars in Washington's Yakima Valley, then landed a job closer to home as assistant winemaker for Marty Clubb at L'Ecole

No. 41 (our 2004 Winery of the Year).

In 1995, Dunham and his dad, Mike, launched Dunham Cellars with 200 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon, all made at L'Ecole. On the label, it was called "Cabernet Sauvignon I," and he's continued to number each successive Cab. While he didn't mean for it to happen this way, the numbering probably has made the wine more collectible.

Dunham's entry was part of the beginning of the Walla Walla Valley's boom era. Canoe Ridge had launched the year prior, then Dunham, Walla Walla Vintners and Glen Fiona got going, giving the region 10 wineries. Today, there are more than 120 in the Walla Walla Valley. Like many, Dunham shakes his head when he hears the latest winery count in his hometown.

"It's all good so far," he said. "Everybody's coming in with a quality-minded approach. The better part of it for me is the restaurants. When I started, the best restaurant was 30 miles away (Patit Creek). Now we have some amazing chefs from all over the world come in here to open restaurants. They're being supported by the wine industry, which is growing. This town didn't grow for 50 years, and now it's grown quite a bit. It's able to support the wine industry, the art industry and the music industry that are popping out here."

Dunham's second vintage began inauspiciously. A terrible winter wiped out nearly half the state's vineyards. Dunham scrambled to find grapes and managed to produce just 75 cases of Cabernet Sauvignon. The following year, he added a Semillon called Shirley Mays, which honors his grandmother, who died of breast cancer. Proceeds from that wine - now a Chardonnay - are donated for breast cancer research.

By 1999, Dunham was ready to go out on his own, so he left L'Ecole and the family moved into a former World War II airplane hangar at the Walla Walla Airport east of downtown.

That year, he added Syrah to his lineup. The red Rhône grape was just becoming popular in Washington, and Dunham was a fan.

"Syrah does really well for us," he said. "It's probably my favorite drinking wine."

He quickly showed his mastery with the grape. His 2000 vintage earned a Platinum in our year-end best-of-the-best competition in 2002. The next year, his 2001 Syrah earned a unanimous Double Platinum, the only such award we gave in 2003. The next year, his 2002 earned a Double Gold in the judging, which requires that a wine win a gold medal in another competition to gain entry. In our Fall 2006 issue, Dunham's 2003 Columbia Valley Syrah and 2003 Lewis Vineyard Syrah each earned our top "Outstanding" rating in a peer-group judging of 129 Northwest Syrahs.

And last fall, his 2004 Columbia Valley Syrah again earned a Double Platinum and was deemed the "best of the best" by our international judging panel.

These days, Dunham bottles three Syrahs: the Columbia Valley, Lewis Vineyard and Frenchtown Vineyard. Lewis is a favorite vineyard source for Dunham. It's in the Yakima Valley between Red Mountain and Rattlesnake Mountain. He has gotten Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from Lewis for many years. He started out using the vineyard as insurance against the occasional winter that can devastate the Walla Walla Valley (such as 2004, which wiped out 90 percent of the valley's crop).

"It started out as protection," he said. "Now I love it for my blending options. (Lewis) gives me a lot more tools to work with in my cellar. I love it."

Most of the time, his Cabernet Sauvignon is 100 percent Lewis, while the Syrah is a blend.

"Lewis is jammy, while the Walla Walla vineyards are more Rhône-like," he said. "Lewis always has great acidity, as well."

Also in 1999, the Dunhams had the idea to start a second winery called Trey Marie. While the Dunham wines were focused on single varieties such as Cab and Syrah, Trey Marie would be all about blends. The flagship wine was a Bordeaux-style red called Trutina. While the wine enjoyed critical acclaim, the concept never caught on with the wine-drinking public as Dunham had. Ultimately, the winery was dissolved and Trutina was folded into the Dunham lineup. Oddly, it's been a blockbuster since then, becoming the winery's biggest seller at 6,000 cases per year.

He's also added the wildly popular Three Legged Red, a kitchen-sink blend that usually has Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc in the mix. In the French tradition, Dunham will "declassify" barrels in the winery that don't quite fit into his top-tier wines. Instead, they end up in a delicious and nicely priced wine.

The wine is named for Port, Dunham's beloved border collie. Back when he was at Hogue, Dunham saw the dog being attacked by a pit bull. He rescued the dog and financed his recovery, which included the loss of a front leg. Today, two more border collies have the run of the winery grounds while 13-year-old Port takes it easy.

Dunham also makes Four Legged White, named for Mike's dog, Maysy. It is primarily Riesling with some Chardonnay. This year, Dunham also will release 500 cases of a Lewis Vineyard Riesling.

Today, Dunham makes 40,000 cases of wine, and it's a full-time job for Eric, as well as his parents, Mike and Joanne. Eric and Mike each own 25 percent of the winery, while David Blair of Bellingham and Dan Sandy of Olympia each own the remaining 25 percent.

This winter, they hired Dan Wampfler to be co-winemaker. Wampfler came from Columbia Crest and Chateau Ste. Michelle's Canoe Ridge Estate. His brother, Mark Wampfler, left Col Solare and Columbia Crest to become Dunham's cellarmaster.

For Dunham, the Wampfler boys bring much-needed technical background, with Dan having a master's degree in chemistry.

"I take more of an artistic approach to the wine," Dunham said. "I needed backup in the cellar with the technical side. I have no problem admitting my weaknesses," he added with a chuckle. "I'm a little more of a chaos guy. Dan is way more organized."

Dunham's free-thinking artistry has another outlet: painting. It all started when he had friends over one evening. They got to playing music, cooking food and drinking wine. At some point, Dunham became inspired and began to paint.

"It's a great release for me," he said. "It's a unique way to create labels, and I'm even starting to sell some of my originals."

His style could best be described as Impressionistic.

"They're really all over the board," he said. "I'm on the infant side of my development. I might take lessons some day, but successful artist friends say that I shouldn't, that I should just keep painting. I'm just lucky it's not my day job."

And his winemaking is an art.

"I've been working with the same vineyards for a long time and am slowly learning what the fruit can do," he said. "My style is to keep my hands off the wine and let the fruit itself show what it wants, rather than trying to manipulate it too much." e

Getting to Dunham Cellars

Address: 150 E. Boeing Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362

Phone: 509-529-4685

Web site: dunhamcellars.com

Hours: Tasting room open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. daily. $5 refundable tasting fee.

Directions: Driving east on Highway 12, take the Port of Walla Walla exit east of downtown, then turn left and drive into the airport. Turn right just after Walla Walla Roasters (a good bet for espresso). The winery is on the right. RV hookups are available (call ahead).

How the Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year is chosen

The Winery of the Year is selected by a panel of industry judges based on a set of criteria, including longevity, quality, reputation, industry involvement, facilities and other considerations. A winery may win the award only once.

Past Pacific Northwest Wineries of the Year

2007: Elk Cove Vineyards, Gaston, Ore.

2006: Barnard Griffin, Richland, Wash.

2005: Ken Wright Cellars, Carlton, Ore.

2004: L'Ecole No. 41, Lowden, Wash.

2003: Sumac Ridge Estate Winery, Summerland, B.C.

2002: Columbia Crest, Paterson, Wash.

How the Regional Wineries of the Year are Chosen

Regional wineries of the year are selected by the editors of Wine Press Northwest based on blind tastings, visits, accolades and other considerations. Wineries of the Year must have completed at least five vintages, while Wineries to Watch must have been in business no more than five years.

2007 winners

Washington Winery of the Year: Thurston Wolfe, Prosser

Washington Winery to Watch: St. Laurent, Malaga

Oregon Winery of the Year: Cathedral Ridge, Hood River

Oregon Winery to Watch: Velocity Cellars, Medford

British Columbia Winery of the Year: Wild Goose Vineyards

British Columbia Winery to Watch: Joie, Naramata

Idaho Winery of the Year: Camas Prairie, Moscow

Idaho Winery to Watch: TimberRock, Post Falls