{"id":2608,"date":"2025-10-01T03:25:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T03:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2608"},"modified":"2025-10-01T03:25:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T03:25:10","slug":"winemaker-interview-series-chris-figgins-of-leonetti-figgins-toil-july-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/?p=2608","title":{"rendered":"Winemaker Interview Series \u2013 Chris Figgins of Leonetti, Figgins &#038; Toil &#8211; July 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Chris-Figgins-Winemaker-Leonetti-Cellars-Blog.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-2609\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Chris-Figgins-Winemaker-Leonetti-Cellars-Blog-193x300.gif\" alt=\"Chris Figgins Winemaker Leonetti Cellar\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" \/><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, we had the opportunity to interview <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toiloregon.com\/meet-chris-figgins\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Chris Figgins<\/strong><\/a>, the CEO and Winemaking Director for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.figginsfamily.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Figgins Family Wine Estates<\/strong><\/a> (FFWE). FFWE includes <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/leonetticellar.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Leonetti Cellar<\/a><\/strong>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.figginswine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Figgins<\/strong><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.toiloregon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Toil Oregon<\/strong><\/a> wineries. We covered a 2023 Chardonnay and a 2023 Pinot Noir from Toil in Oregon. We also covered three red blends from Figgins, including their 2015 &#8220;Estate Red&#8221; offering. Finally, we covered the 2023 Merlot from Leonetti and both 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon offerings. You can learn about Chris, all three wineries, and the wines in this post.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Before we get to the wines, I thought I would share some tidbits that Chris shared in the interview.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Leonetti Journey and Timeline<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chris&#8217;s great grandparents came to America from Italy in 1902.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chris&#8217;s dad Gary, was enamored with wine.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He was a drill instructor at Fort Ord.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He started as a self-taught home winemaker. He even stomped grapes in a garbage can.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Leonetti Cellar was founded by Chris&#8217;s parents Gary and Nancy Figgins in 1977. It was Walla Walla&#8217;s first commercial bonded winery.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The original vineyard was at their grandparents&#8217; homestead.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Their first Cabernet Sauvignon was from the 1978 vintage. It sold for $12. In 1981 Wine &amp; Spirits Magazine called it the best Cabernet in America. It is still holding up 40 years later.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Gary was a machinist. He built his own pumps. He grew the business slowly.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Nancy babysat and cleaned houses to make money to buy oak barrels.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chris attended Washington State University.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">He fell in love with wine \u00bd way through college.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Dad sent wine shiners to Chris at school for him to try.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chris graduated from College on a Saturday in 1996 with a degree in horticulture. He was at work for the family on the that Monday.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chris was the first employee. He was astonished at what his parents had accomplished.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 2001 he became the head winemaker.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 1997 they entered into a partnership with Seven Hills Vineyard.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In 2000, they opened a new production facility with 3 caves.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chris conducted our interview from one of the basalt caves 30 feet underground.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Amy Figgins &#8211; Chris&#8217;s sister is the Estate Manager at Leonetti Cellar. She joined Leonetti in 2007. She has added a sharp logistical mind and a thoughtful business acumen to the winery. She leads the Member program, orchestrates meaningful events, and curates the full brand experience.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Walla Walla Valley<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the late 1980&#8217;s and early 1990&#8217;s Walla Walla was not on the map.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the 1990&#8217;s people started to come to Walla Walla for the wines.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the small world of Walla Walla.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Drew Bledsoe&#8217;s mom was Chris&#8217;s middle school teacher.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chris was the first winemaker at Drew Bledsoe&#8217;s Doubleback winery.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Drew&#8217;s current winemaker, Josh McDaniels was Chris&#8217;s prot\u00e9g\u00e9.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Toil Winery in Oregon<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is 5 hours away in the Willamette Valley.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is 10 degrees cooler.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They spent 5 years looking for the vineyard.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">His great uncle and dad planted the first vines.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They now have 8 acres under vine.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Is in the Chehalem Mountains AVA.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They sell some fruit to Ken Wright.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Toil wines are made in Washington. Hence the Oregon label.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The fruit is brought back to the Washington winery in refrigerated trucks.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Figgins-Winery.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-2615\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Figgins-Winery.gif\" alt=\"Figgins Winery\" width=\"300\" height=\"209\" \/><\/a>Figgins Estate Winery<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In the early 2000&#8217;s a small wheat and pea farm came up for sale on the amazing hillside that rises above the Mill Creek corridor.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Chris pulled the &#8220;for sale&#8221; sign out of the ground, threw it in the back of his truck, and met with his parents to discuss the next Leonetti &#8220;Estate&#8221; vineyard.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">His parents gently declined the idea for Leonetti, but with their blessing, Chris started his dream single vineyard project.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Figgins Estate Vineyard is a south-facing hillside sitting at 1,500-1,750 feet.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is one of the highest elevation commercial vineyards of substantial size in Washington State.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is 1 site and 35 acres.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec &amp; Riesling.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">2015 Vintage = Was warm. Chris loves the 7\u20138-year mark for his Figgins Estate wines. We agree!<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.figginswine.com\/2022-figlia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Figlia<\/span><\/a><\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Means daughter in Italian.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is a blend of Merlot &amp; Petit Verdot. PV is typically 20 to 25%.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Toil and Figgins wines are made in the same winery.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Figgins and Toil are both owned solely by Chris.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Leonetti Cellar<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They have 82 acres and 4 vineyards.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">They bring in 30% more fruit than they use.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For more than 25 years, they have been focusing on soil health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Merlot comes from three vineyard sites.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One small block of Cabernet Franc is grown for the Reserve wine. If not used in a given vintage, it is sold off in bulk.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Reserve = Is made from the best blocks and the best blend.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Holy Roller Vineyard<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Is Leonetti&#8217;s venture into The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, this cobblestone vineyard produces wines with a polished texture, vibrant minerality, subtle salinity, and plush fruit that are remarkably approachable even in their youth.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Below is a summary of the wine offerings from Leonetti Cellars, Figgins, and Toil wines that we covered with Chris. The links below are to our full reviews. If you are interested in ordering and trying these wines, you will find some of these wines via your favorite fine wine shop or on top quality wines lists. If you are interested in ordering and trying these wines here is how you do it. <a href=\"https:\/\/store.toiloregon.com\/all-wines-c16.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>You can buy Toil wines<\/strong><\/a> directly from their website. For the Figgins and Leonetti wines you can join their allocation lists via these website links. <a href=\"https:\/\/store.figginswine.com\/exclusive-allocation-c6.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Join Figgins<\/strong><\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/leonetticellar.com\/members\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Join Leonetti<\/strong><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Toil-Oregon-Logo.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2611\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Toil-Oregon-Logo.gif\" alt=\"Toil Oregon Logo\" width=\"200\" height=\"196\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Toil-Oregon-2023-Chardonnay\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Toil Oregon 2023 Chardonnay &#8220;Willamette Valley&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $40 (<\/span><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 93.5<\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Toil-Oregon-2023-Pinot-Noir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Toil Oregon 2023 Pinot Noir &#8220;Willamette Valley&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $50 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 93<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Figgins-Logo.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2612\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Figgins-Logo.gif\" alt=\"Figgins Logo\" width=\"275\" height=\"122\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Figgins-2022-Figlia-Red-Blend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Figgins 2022 &#8220;Figlia&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Walla Walla) $55 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 94<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Figgins-2015-Estate-Red\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Figgins 2015 &#8220;Estate Red&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Walla Walla) $115 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 96.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Figgins-2021-Estate-Red\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Figgins 2021 &#8220;Estate Red&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Walla Walla) $95 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 96.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Leonetti-Cellar-Logo.gif\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-2613\" src=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Leonetti-Cellar-Logo-300x91.gif\" alt=\"Leonetti Cellar Logo\" width=\"300\" height=\"91\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">6) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Leonetti-2023-Merlot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Leonetti 2023 Merlot &#8220;Walla Walla&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $90 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 93.5<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">7) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Leonetti-2022-Cabernet-Sauvignon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Leonetti 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon &#8220;Walla Walla&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> $120 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 95<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\">8) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine_review\/Leonetti-2022-Reserve\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Leonetti 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon &#8220;Reserve&#8221;<\/strong><\/a> (Walla Walla Valley) $165 (<span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>KWGTP 95<\/strong><\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">You can find reviews of past and future Leonetti wines that we cover on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine.php?winery=693\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>Leonetti KWG winery page<\/u><\/strong><\/a> on our website. The same goes for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine.php?winery=3150\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>Figgins<\/u><\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/wine.php?winery=3151\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong><u>Toil. <\/u><\/strong><\/a>We hope you enjoy these terrific wines as much as we did. Cheers! \u2013 Ken<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Wednesday, July 23, 2025, we had the opportunity to interview Chris Figgins, the CEO and Winemaking Director for Figgins Family Wine Estates (FFWE). FFWE includes Leonetti Cellar, Figgins, and Toil Oregon wineries. We covered a 2023 Chardonnay and a 2023 Pinot Noir from Toil in Oregon. We also covered three red blends from Figgins, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2610,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,18,13,3142,3110,2427,2425,1846,3113,3111,2426,11,3112,95,10,58,1932,12,1201,1187,2900,21,3114,216,2430,202,126,8,6,1292,1288],"tags":[3133,3127,501,625,491,3136,2443,3134,2431,2942,3122,3117,3118,3121,3116,3138,3124,3125,3131,3139,3130,2432,3123,2444,3137,495,519,3141,3126,724,866,492,1427,493,3132,3129,3140,3120,3119,3135,346,516,2439,3128,546,3115],"class_list":["post-2608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cabernet-franc","category-cabernet-sauvignon","category-chardonnay","category-chehalem-mountains","category-chris-figgins","category-doubleback","category-drew-bledsoe","category-estate-wines","category-figgins","category-figgins-family-wine-estates","category-josh-mcdaniels","category-kens-wine-guide-tasting-panel","category-leonetti-cellar","category-malbec","category-merlot","category-oregon","category-petit-verdot","category-pinot-noir","category-red-blend","category-red-wine","category-reserve-wine","category-riesling","category-toil-oregon","category-wa","category-walla-walla-valley","category-willamette-valley","category-wine-ratings","category-wine-recommendations","category-wine-reviews","category-winemaker","category-zoom-wine-tasting","tag-amy-figgins","tag-best-cabernet-in-america","tag-cabernet-franc","tag-cabernet-sauvignon","tag-chardonnay","tag-chehalem-mountains","tag-chris-figgins","tag-doubleback-winery","tag-drew-bledsoe","tag-estate-manager","tag-estate-red","tag-ffwe","tag-figgins","tag-figgins-estate","tag-figgins-family-wine-estates","tag-figlia","tag-fort-ord","tag-gary-figgins","tag-head-winemaker","tag-holy-roller-vineyard","tag-horticulture","tag-josh-mcdaniels","tag-leonetti","tag-leonetti-cellar","tag-leonetti-estate","tag-malbec","tag-merlot","tag-milton-freewater","tag-nancy-figgins","tag-oregon","tag-petit-verdot","tag-pinot-noir","tag-reserve","tag-riesling","tag-seven-hills-vineyard","tag-shiners","tag-the-rocks-district","tag-toil","tag-toil-oregon","tag-toil-winery","tag-walla-walla","tag-walla-walla-valley","tag-washington","tag-washington-state-university","tag-willamette-valley","tag-winemaking-director"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2608"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2617,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2608\/revisions\/2617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kenswineguide.com\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}