Bledsoe|McDaniels, a winery owned by Bledsoe Wine Estates as a partnership between former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe and wine industry leader Josh McDaniels, announced the purchase of the 20-acre àMaurice Estate Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley. With 12.5 acres planted primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah, the vineyard joins their collection of estate vineyards and provides a home for a future Bledsoe|McDaniels hospitality facility.
The vineyard is located off Mill Creek Road on the eastern side of the Walla Walla Valley AVA, surrounded by neighbors Leonetti Cellar, Figgins, Abeja, Jackson Family Wines, and more. The estate is also home to a 2,000-square-foot winery facility with stunning views of the Blue Mountains. Bledsoe|McDaniels, which is primarily focused on Pinot Noir in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, will make a single vineyard Syrah from the new property. The winery will also sell fruit to Doubleback,its sister winery, as a perfect complement to its focus on estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon.
“I grew up working at Leonetti’s Mill Creek Upland Vineyard and spent much of my early days in the wine industry in this area,” said Josh McDaniels, CEO & Director of Winemaking for Bledsoe Wine Estates. “Our new property is directly next to that vineyard, and I could not be happier about it after searching for years in this area for the right piece to become available. I view this acquisition as the last piece of the puzzle for our Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon, and a pivotal piece for the beginning of Bledsoe|McDaniels in the Walla Walla Valley. I am excited to continue striving for perfection in estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, while also giving our most loyal supporters beautiful experiences that bring them genuine happiness.”
“We can’t say enough that is positive about Tom, Kathleen, and the entire Schafer family at àMaurice,” said McDaniels and Drew Bledsoe, founder, and proprietor of Bledsoe Wine Estates. “We wish them nothing but the best of success. We gained a beautiful new home, but more importantly, gained new friends in the process. The weight and gravity around continuing their legacy is not lost on us, and we will keep that alive by naming our new estate site ‘Schafer.’ We are both incredibly excited about our future wines as we believe this site will elevate them further qualitatively.”
Bledsoe|McDaniels Winery focuses on sustainably and organically farmed, small production, high-quality wines, emphasizing Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Walla Walla Valley Syrah. The purchase of the àMaurice Estate Vineyard allows for Bledsoe|McDaniels to host future in-depth experiences for their allocation list members and showcases a truly unique terroir in their portfolio.
Bledsoe|McDaniels’ plans for the vineyard include new plantings in spring 2023, replanting a small portion of the existing vineyard, and a remodel of the winery facility.
For more information about Bledsoe|McDaniels Winery and to subscribe to the list, visit BledsoeMcDaniels.com.
About Bledsoe|McDaniels Winery:
Established in 2019, Bledsoe|McDaniels is a collaboration between proprietors Drew Bledsoe and Josh McDaniels focused on producing ultra-premium wines that compare and contrast the popular Burgundian and Rhone varietals of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Walla Walla Valley Syrah. Highlighting the obvious differences of varietal and site terroir, while indulging in their lesser-known similarities, Bledsoe|McDaniels wines are produced in the same state-of-the-art Walla Walla winery as Doubleback and Bledsoe Family Winery wines. For more information, or to sign up for the Bledsoe|McDaniels list, visit BledsoeMcDaniels.com.
About Bledsoe Wine Estates:
Founded in 2007, Bledsoe Wine Estates exists to celebrate the pursuit of an American success story. After retiring from the NFL, football superstar Drew Bledsoe felt a pull back to his small, Pacific-Northwest hometown where he found a new passion in applying his winning work ethic into a love of land and wine. Together, with his wife Maura, a new dream was drafted. It was by no accident that Drew selected renowned CEO & Director of Winemaking, Josh McDaniels, someone not only with the unwavering drive and talent to make this dream happen, but someone who also was born and raised in the same hometown of Walla Walla, Washington. The individual Bledsoe Wine Estates projects – Doubleback, Bledsoe|McDaniels, and Bledsoe Family Winery – all play important parts in this new American dream and offer its customers the perfect glass of wine no matter where they are in their own journey to glory. For more information visit www.bledsoewineestates.com, email info@bledsoemcdaniels.com or call 509-525-3334.
