The Culmination of a Journey, many years in the making.
JJ Menozzi
Owner, Winemaker
My love of wine began as a child--with an Italian great grandfather who made wine in his basement. Wine was always part of our family dinners and I developed an early interest in food & wine pairings that continues to this day. Twenty-three years of travel with the Air Force offered me a chance to visit wine regions all over the world and aroused a curiosity to pursue winemaking as a retirement dream. An assignment to Europe, where we visited several small Estate vineyards sealed the deal! It was inspirational to meet the folks who lived among the vines, passionately cultivating and creating beautiful wines with a real sense of place.
And for me, Walla Walla was the place--we’d fallen in love with the town, the people and the phenomenal wines - and decided to build our own winery & home here. I'm excited now to cultivate and create the wines I love and share them with with you in the place where they were grown - most likely with my trusty Weimaraner by my side.
Winemaking Philosophy
The focus of our production is Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, cultivated and created from the vineyard that surrounds our home.
Our goal is to make beautiful, balanced wines we love to drink and share. Our winemaking philosophy is simple, combine exceptional fruit with traditional winemaking techniques to create wines that are unique expressions of the place where they were grown.
We make our wines in small production lots using fruit from our Estate and other carefully selected vineyards whose growers share our passion for quality and stewardship of the land. Each wine is extremely limited in availability and handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail to showcase the quality of Walla Walla fruit.
Our Name and Label
A fanciful combination of the Italian words meaning Winged Grape, the name ALUVÉ symbolizes the connection between two of our passions, flying for our country and sharing great wine.
Like the name ALUVÉ our label exemplifies the fusion of our two passions. The background transitions from a blue sky to the purple of the grapes through that of a deep red wine, embossed with silver letters that mirror the color of Air Force Pilot Wings.
