Eric Dunham, a Walla Walla-area native, grew up with wine as a regular feature on the dinner table. After serving four years in the U.S. Navy and graduating in 1994 with a focus on Irrigation Technology and Fluid Dynamics, he was faced with a seminal question: now what? The answer was simple: "Follow my passion." And with that guiding principle, he returned to his roots and began his journey into the world of winemaking. His next step was a seven-month internship with Hogue Cellars in Prosser, Washington, where he was trained in all phases of winemaking. Eric then worked as Assistant Winemaker at L'Ecole No. 41 winery in Lowden, Washington, where he honed his skills under the tutelage of Marty Clubb.

In his spare time, Eric applied his natural talent and passion for winemaking toward handcrafting small lots of premium Cabernet Sauvignon under the Dunham Cellars name. With the inaugural release in the fall of 1997 of the 1995 Dunham Cabernet Sauvignon I (200 cases), Eric's wine began to attract attention. This first release garnered several prestigious awards, including a Gold Medal and a 93 rating at the World Wine Championship. Encouraged by his success, Eric and his family decided to dedicate their full attention to Dunham Cellars, and in the spring of 1999, they opened their winery at the Walla Walla Regional Airport in a converted WWII airplane hangar.