Wautoma Springs is a boutique Washington winery built on an unusually close partnership between the vineyard and the cellar. Founded by winemaker Jessica Munnell and second-generation grape grower Tom Merkle, the project grew from a simple idea: take exceptional fruit that had long been destined for other respected Washington wineries and give it a label, and a story of its own.
Munnell and Merkle first crossed paths while working in Washington vineyards. Merkle had planted the first vines at his own Wautoma Springs Vineyard in 1999, eventually developing the property into approximately 50 acres devoted entirely to Cabernet Sauvignon. Located in the Columbia Valley near the historic Cold Creek Vineyard, Wautoma Springs developed a reputation for serious Cabernet fruit and became a source for some of Washington’s prominent producers.
Munnell came to wine from the opposite side of the equation. She originally worked in viticulture before deciding in 2003 to move into winemaking, beginning with a harvest internship in Australia. Back in Washington, she built an impressive résumé at Snoqualmie, Chateau Ste. Michelle’s Canoe Ridge operation, Mercer Wine Estates, and Vintage Wine Estates. Her background in both vineyards and winemaking gave her a natural appreciation for what Merkle was growing.
In 2008, Jessica approached Tom with the idea of making a wine specifically to showcase his grapes. Their first vintage amounted to just 200 cases, produced using the crush pads and cellars of friends and neighboring wineries. That small experiment became Wautoma Springs.
The partnership works because each founder brings a different piece of the same story. Merkle understands the vineyards from the ground up, while Munnell translates that work into the bottle. Their philosophy is refreshingly straightforward: know the soil, know the vines, and avoid getting in the way of good fruit.
Cabernet Sauvignon remains central to Wautoma Springs, including wines such as Behemoth and Professor, which explore different expressions of the estate vineyard and even individual Cabernet clones. But the portfolio has expanded considerably beyond Cabernet. Wautoma Springs now works with varieties including Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Albariño, Grenache Blanc, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc, sourcing from carefully selected Columbia Valley and Wahluke Slope vineyards including Wautoma Springs, JMST, Stonetree, and Conner Lee. Several of these sites, including Wautoma Springs, JMST, and Conner Lee, are Sustainable WA certified.
The wines remain genuinely small production. Rather than building a large portfolio around volume, Wautoma Springs produces individual lots that allow Munnell to explore specific vineyards, varieties, and clones. Current releases range from bright, mineral-driven Albariño and Grenache Blanc to structured Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Bordeaux-inspired blends.
Rachel Mercer joined Munnell and Merkle in 2016, bringing another generation of Washington wine experience to the project. Her parents planted some of the first vines in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA, and she grew up immersed in the industry before building her own experience in hospitality, tasting-room management, and food. Together, the team eventually realized a longtime goal when the Wautoma Springs tasting room opened in Prosser’s Vintner’s Village in December 2019.
Food has become an important part of that experience as well. With Mercer's culinary background, the tasting room approaches wine as something meant to be enjoyed at the table, offering thoughtfully selected foods and tapas alongside the wines rather than treating tasting as an isolated exercise.
That combination of grower, winemaker, and hospitality experience is what gives Wautoma Springs its personality. This is not a winery created around a marketing concept and then supplied with grapes. It began with a vineyard, a grower who knew what that vineyard could produce, and a winemaker who believed its fruit deserved its own voice.
From a few hundred cases made in borrowed winery space to an acclaimed portfolio and tasting room of its own, Wautoma Springs has remained intentionally boutique. The wines tell a distinctly Washington story, shaped by people who have spent their careers working directly with the region’s vineyards and who understand that great wine starts long before the grapes reach the cellar.
