Secret Squirrel

Secret Squirrel is the playfully named value label of the Corliss family, the Walla Walla team behind the acclaimed Corliss Estates and Tranche Cellars. Michael and Lauri Corliss built their reputation on serious, meticulously made Washington Cabernet, and Secret Squirrel channels that same estate fruit and know-how into wines meant to overdeliver at a fraction of the price.

The concept is simple and appealing. Secret Squirrel is made from declassified estate fruit, leaning heavily on the family’s Red Mountain vineyards, with the balance from their Blue Mountain estate in the Walla Walla Valley and younger vines in the broader Columbia Valley. It is the same windblown loess soils, the same organic farming and gentle, gravity-flow handling that go into the Corliss flagship bottlings, just presented without ceremony.

Winemaking stays true to the family style: native-yeast fermentations, slow and unhurried, with extended aging in concrete and French oak, and the wines bottled unfined and unfiltered. The lineup centers on a plush, dark-fruited Cabernet Sauvignon and a Rhone-style red blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre, both consistently singled out by critics as standout Washington values.

This is not a destination tasting room but a label to seek out, produced and bottled in Walla Walla and sent off into the wider market. For travelers exploring Washington wine on a budget, or anyone who wants a taste of Red Mountain pedigree without the Red Mountain price, Secret Squirrel is one of the state’s smartest buys.