Pursued by Bear
Actor Kyle Maclachlan (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, The Doors, and many other films) is a native of Washington State's Columbia Valley winegrowing region. Washington State wine has brought Kyle back home to the Pacific Northwest to craft small lots of limited production red wines and a rosé that speak to the promise of this special terroir. Not with nostalgia, but with a new story to tell… a story of uncompromising quality and unlimited possibility.
Kyle felt connected to nature from his earliest memories, growing up among his father’s expansive gardens and the gnarled old fruit trees of Yakima, Washington. His interest in wine began in the mid-1980's after moving to Los Angeles to pursue his acting career. Frequently returning to Yakima to visit his father and his home, he began to explore the burgeoning Washington wine scene. Later, inspired by friends in Napa Valley, the notion of making his own Washington wine took hold. Kyle set out to create Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah that expressed the local terroir - an alluring mix of Old World elegance and New World grandeur. It wasn't long before a chance meeting with Walla Walla winemaker Eric Dunham led to a simple handshake that launched Pursued by Bear in 2005. In 2008, Eric passed the winemaking baton to veteran winemaker Daniel Wampfler, who continues to craft Pursued by Bear wines with the same passion and care that Eric inspired.
| Website | www.pursuedbybearwine.com/ |
|---|---|
| Wine Maker | Daniel Wampfler |
| Country | America |
| Region | Washington |
| Appellation | Columbia Valley |
From this Winery
Inspired by the classic Bandol rose of southern France, the 2020 Blushing Bear is ‘sunshine in a glass.’ This is a delicate, pale pink wine
bursting with fresh grapefruit, honeyed guava and juicy watermelon aromas and flavors Bright and richly textured, the flavors blend
together seamlessly as they dance across the palate.
Balanced acidity adds to the mouthfeel, building across a long, clean finish Sourced exclusively from Walla Walla Valley vineyards, hand-picked grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed to capture perfumed aromatics and delicate flavors. Afterwards, the juice was fermented, then aged in stainless steel for five months to deliver a clean, fresh style.
The Bear Cub is a youthful, lively wine bursting with fresh, ripe berry aromas and flavors. Juicy boysenberry and wild raspberry are wonderfully expressive on the palate, with a hint of cherry pie and flecks of shaved cocoa adding dimension. Beautifully balanced, the Cub has more than enough structure to stand up to the big boys!
Complex flavors are achieved by sourcing grapes from six distinct vineyards, including sites located in the Horse Heaven Hills, Wahluke Slope and Walla Walla Valley. Handpicked Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were sorted, gently fermented and aged in tight grain French oak barrels with thick staves to allow the fruit and oak to integrate slowly. Syrah, aged in 600L Taransaud puncheons, adds richness and depth to the mid-palate.
A deep, intensely colored wine, with juicy boysenberry, fresh blueberry, wild raspberry and a ribbon of dark cocoa flavors complemented by delicate hints of olive tapenade and freshly cracked black pepper. Breathe in the aromas and sip to savor each of these flavors as they gain focus on the palate. Beautifully textured, with refined tannins and vibrant acidity reflective of the vintage, the finish is long and generous.
Handpicked grapes were de-stemmed and then traveled through an optical sorter to ensure only the finest fruit was moved to stainless steel tanks for primary fermentation. The wine was then transferred to new, Taransaud puncheons (600L) and allowed to mature slowly and integrate the fruit and oak fully, further developing the wine’s refined, complex flavors and lush mouthfeel.
Pursued by Bear Cabernet Sauvignon has always been about quality. The 2017 is no exception. Layers of complex, deep red fruits with exceptional concentration combine with flavors of dark chocolate and hints of mint and vanilla. A luscious mouthfeel enhanced by supple, integrated tannins, developed in the 100% new Taransaud French oak barrels, harmonize elegantly with the exceptional fruit sourced from the best vineyards in Washington’s Columbia Valley.
The roster of vineyards contributing to this release is a who’s who of Washington’s finest growers. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot sourced from the renowned Champoux Vineyard was blended with the same varieties from the extraordinary Dubrul, Dionysus and Weinbau Vineyards to create a wine of amazing concentration with great aging potential.