Trusted veteran winemaker Sally Johnson Blum joins the team as Executive Winemaker; seasoned winery head Ben Kaehler hired as General Manager; Enologist Suzanne Harryman promoted to Associate Winemaker ahead of 2023 harvest
Walla Walla, Washington (September 12, 2023) — Walla Walla’s The Walls and PÁŠXA Wines, producers of fine Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Rhône-style wines, and other novel varieties announced today it has attracted top-tier regional talent in winemaking and executive management. Leading Pacific Northwest winery executive Ben Kaehler joins The Walls as General Manager, trusted veteran winemaker Sally Johnson Blum joins the team as Executive Winemaker, and The Walls’ Enologist, Suzanne Harryman, has been promoted to Associate Winemaker ahead of the upcoming 2023 harvest. A relative newcomer yet an already prominent fixture in the Washington wine scene, The Walls is just ten-years-old, and 2023 will be PÁŠXA’s fourth vintage. The onboarding of exceptional talents like Johnson Blum and Kaehler, the continuing development of the winery’s existing team, and recent achievements like PÁŠXA’s inclusion in Wine & Spirits Magazine’s coveted Top 100 Wineries list, signal remarkable progress for the young winery and a forthcoming era of exceptional quality in both winemaking and management.
Johnson Blum is a trusted industry veteran with an illustrious history as a consulting winemaker in both Washington and California. Johnson Blum’s previous wine career highlights include her 15-year tenure as Winemaker for Pride Mountain Vineyards, where she oversaw the production of the winery’s estate-grown wines and earned numerous accolades for the brand, including two 100-point scores from critic Robert Parker and three inclusions in Wine Spectator’s “Top 100 Wines in the World” list. Johnson Blum’s wines have frequently appeared at White House state dinners and luncheons, and she was personally honored in 2016 as one of Glamour magazine’s “10 Most Badass Women Winemakers.” Johnson Blum brings both impressive experiential and educational background to The Walls, holding dual undergraduate degrees in French literature and biology from the University of Michigan, as well as a master’s degree in winemaking from UC Davis.
Most recently, Johnson Blum launched her own winemaking consulting business, working with Mullan Road Cellars, Tamber Bey Vineyards, Schoolhouse Vineyards, and now, The Walls and PÁŠXA.
“I’ve been intrigued by the wines of Washington State since my first visit to Walla Walla in 2018,” says Johnson Blum. “I’m excited to be working with The Walls and PÁŠXA, utilizing a diverse range of ultra-premium vineyards from some of the region’s most exciting AVAs, including the winery’s estate vineyards in the Rocks District, French Creek Vineyard in Prosser, Washington, as well as contracted fruit from AVAs such as Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, and more. I’m very impressed by The Walls’ stunning, state-of-the-art winemaking facility and am excited to work closely with recently-promoted Associate Winemaker Suzanne Harryman, whose energy and enthusiasm are infectious!”
Harryman has been an integral part of the winemaking team at The Walls since 2020, when she began her time with the winery and was later promoted as The Walls’ full-time Enologist. Harryman will work in tandem with Johnson Blum, ensuring a continuity of style and quality in the cellar during this transition.
General Manager Ben Kaehler comes to The Walls having successfully overseen operations at respected Pinot Noir producer Lemelson Vineyards in Oregon’s Willamette Valley since 2017. Kaehler says his decision to relocate to Walla Walla for the role was based in his admiration for the evolving wine region and for the role The Walls has played in the area’s ever-increasing pursuit of quality winemaking and hospitality. “The story of the Washington wine industry is still being written and I believe what Mike [Martin] has created with The Walls and PÁŠXA is part of the fabric of Walla Walla and Washington wine as a whole. The Walls will continue to push the limits of what Washington wine stands for and I’m excited to work with this passionate wine community that has put itself on the world stage in such a short amount of time.”
The Walls’ Owner Mike Martin says the ability to attract this caliber of professional talent signals remarkable progress not only for The Walls and PÁŠXA, but for Washington wine in general, over the last decade. “I am thrilled to have people of Ben and Sally’s caliber join our team. They lead with integrity and empathy, and their enthusiasm for their new roles and blossoming affinity for our region is a resounding vote of confidence in the future of the Walla Walla Valley and the broader Washington wine industry,” he said. “I’m convinced our best days are ahead of us.”
About The Walls & PÁŠXA
Founded in 2014 by Mike Martin, a Seattle area-based technology executive with a passion for the Walla Walla Valley’s genuine community and stellar winemaking, The Walls is a luxury producer of Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhône-style wines, and other novel varieties. Committed to crafting wines of distinction that are indicative of time and place, The Walls farms two estate vineyards, Rockgarden Estate Vineyard in the southern Walla Walla Valley and French Creek Estate Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, Washington’s first federally-recognized AVA. In addition, The Walls sources grapes of exceptional quality from top vineyards in The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater and Red Mountain AVAs. A reference to Walla Walla’s least talked about, but perhaps most notorious landmark, the Washington State Penitentiary, The Walls was so named to represent the metaphorical walls in our lives, but also the ability of wine as a medium to tear down the walls that divide us, to bring people together, and to capture and preserve memories of time, place, and the people that give life meaning. The Walls’ sister brand, PÁŠXA, made its debut in 2021 to specifically highlight sustainable farming and winemaking practices and appeared on Wine & Spirits Magazine’s coveted “Top 100 Wineries” list this year, following its third vintage.
