Have you ever had that pivotal Wine Moment in your life? For Lagana Cellars founder and owner Jason Fox, it was the 2005 Chateau La Croix de Gay Pomerol, and with all due respect to the film Sideways, that f’ing Merlot was amazing! It had the characteristics of a truly balanced wine where terroir and process mattered: pure tannin structure, acidity, fruit and earthiness. At that moment, Jason was hooked, and not long afterwards, moved to Walla Walla to study winemaking.

It was at Walla Walla Community College’s Enology and Viticulture program that he discovered his passion for making whites – crisp, clean wines with little or no oak that are pure expressions of the grape, terroir and vintage. No two wines are alike across vintages and vineyards, which is what makes them fun to taste as well as tell their story.

In 2012, Jason interned at one of valley’s oldest and most respected wineries, Walla Walla Vintners. Working with Gordy Venneri and Myles Anderson’s winemaking team, he learned to love the art of making red wines that are complex and interesting with an elegant interplay of tannin and fruit. His goal with reds is to make aromatic and luscious wines with less oak and more varietal character.