Doubleback Release Party

A couple of weekends ago my friend Christa and I attended the first release party for Doubleback, the new winery by Drew Bledsoe, former All-Star NFL quarterback for teams such as the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys.

Anyway, Drew is a hometown boy who has returned to Walla Walla to launch a winery.  He has invested wisely, securing vineyards in the exclusive Seven Hills region (at SeVein, their new project) and partnering up with winemaker Chris Figgins of the legendary Leonetti Cellar.  Currently they are producing their wines at Artifex, which is a new custom crush and production facility for about a dozen wineries run by Norm McKibben and Jean-Francoise Pellet of Pepper Bridge and Amavi Cellars.

The other weekend they had their first release at the facility where they unveiled their 2007 Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine was pretty spectacular, not going to lie.  It was a textbook Cabernet with an amazing deep ruby color.  The nose was rich with black cherry, cinnamon and a touch of licorice.  The palette was a beautifully smooth and quite elegant with a flavor profile reminiscent of cherry, blackberries, lilac, a hint of earth and some subtle oak.  The finish of this wine was long lasting and enjoyable.

The wine that afternoon was perfectly paired with sliders featuring beef from Chris' new ranch, Lostine Cattle Company, topped with goat cheese from the Monteillet Fromagerie and caramelized Walla Walla Sweet Onions.  While the wine will likely be hard to find as it is already sold out, you should do your best to secure a bottle if you happen to run across it!