FIGGINS Estate
About
FIGGINS Estate represents the personal vision of Founder and Winemaker Chris Figgins. Inspired by the great estate wineries of Bordeaux and Piedmont, Chris set out to create something rare in Washington wine: a place where vineyard, winery, and wine would become one continuous expression of a single site. He believed great wine begins with understanding a place and allowing that place to speak through the glass. That vision led him to a remarkable hillside high above Washington's Walla Walla Valley, where cool air descends nightly from the Blue Mountains. Over the next two decades, he transformed the property into one of the state's most distinctive wine estates. A high-elevation vineyard was planted. Underground caves were carved into ancient basalt. A winery was built into the hillside rather than on top of it. Today, FIGGINS Estate stands as Chris's most personal expression of what wine can be when people, place, and purpose come together. It is a story of vision, stewardship, and legacy—built with future generations in mind.
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People
Chris Figgins grew up in one of Washington wine's pioneering families. His parents, Gary and Nancy Figgins, founded Leonetti Cellar, Walla Walla's first bonded winery. When Leonetti's Cabernet Sauvignon earned national recognition in the late 1970s, it helped introduce wine lovers across the country to a region few had considered capable of producing world-class wine. Yet following the family business was never assumed. When Chris left for Washington State University, he planned to study architecture and engineering. He soon realized he didn't want to spend his life behind a desk. The vineyards, orchards, and farms of his childhood kept pulling him back. So he made a call. Chris phoned his father and proposed a different future. He would change his major to horticulture and return home to help plant estate vineyards. Years later, his mother told him that after hanging up the phone, Gary cried. It was one of the happiest moments of his life. Chris graduated on a Saturday and went to work on Monday. Working alongside his father, he learned lessons that still guide him today: pay attention to details, care for the land, build things that last, and remember that excellence is usually the result of thousands of small decisions made well. That call shaped far more than a career. It led Chris into a lifetime of farming, vineyard stewardship, and winemaking. It eventually led to the creation of FIGGINS Estate itself—a vision that honors the family legacy while creating one of its own.
Walla Walla Valley, Washington
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United States
Place
Some vineyard sites are discovered through years of searching. Chris Figgins found this one while fishing northeast of Walla Walla. He noticed a For Sale sign on a hillside property that rarely changes hands. He knew its potential from their nearby upland vineyard used for Leonetti and moved quickly to secure it. The site sits at nearly 1,700 feet in elevation, among the highest substantial vineyard plantings in Washington. Warm days are balanced by cool mountain air that flows down from the Blue Mountains each evening, creating dramatic temperature swings that preserve freshness and extend the growing season. The result is fruit with remarkable balance, structure, and complexity. Deep wind-deposited loess soils over fractured basalt provide excellent drainage and encourage deep root systems. Combined with the site's elevation, exposure, and nightly cooling winds, they help create wines that are powerful yet remarkably graceful. Stand on the property and the technical details begin to fade. What remains is a sense of possibility. The mountains, the wind, the changing light, and the vineyard itself all seem to affirm what Chris recognized years ago: this is a special place.
Culture
At FIGGINS Estate, the vineyard comes first. Chris often says that varietals are a lens through which to see a site. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot are not the story. The hillside is. The grapes are simply the tools used to express it. His early interest in architecture never disappeared. It simply found a different canvas. That philosophy influences every decision on the estate. Rather than placing a large winery on top of the hill, Chris built it into the hillside itself. More than eighty percent of the facility sits underground beneath the vineyard, allowing the landscape to remain the focus while providing ideal conditions for aging wine. The goal was never to create a monument. The goal was to create a lasting expression of place. Underlying everything is a lesson Chris learned from his father: do it right the first time. Whether caring for soil health, planting a vineyard, building a winery, or crafting a wine, the objective is the same—make decisions that will benefit the estate for decades rather than years. Sustainability, stewardship, and patience are daily practices.
