{"id":84,"name":"Bledsoe|McDaniels Winery","image_url":"https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gps-cs-s/AC9h4nrHPS3p_WPyHHQTsZzX4VonIAV38reQq9j9qwa-ConYItVTVhlJRUbY7CIN8if6gahJ-MuAfNyERyb5WUmnd8-mgFFC5SoxlBBB1HByVc-mGmgWssWsgNox5KL8zvxwZoOSI_yV=w513-h240-k-no","district":"South","hours":"Reserved private tastings for members only","hours_type":"limited","dog_friendly":true,"red_wine":true,"white_wine":true,"bubbles":false,"brewery":false,"woman_owned":false,"year_established":2017,"winemaker":"Josh McDaniels","website":"https://www.bledsoemcdaniels.com/","phone":"(509) 392-7050","address":"178 Vineyard Ln, Walla Walla, WA 99362","description":"Drew Bledsoe and Josh McDaniels explore Willamette Pinot and Walla Walla Syrah, uniting differences and similarities with balanced fruit and a risk‑taking spirit","lat":46.0872476,"lng":-118.2017673,"appt_url":"https://www.bledsoemcdaniels.com/Visit","walk_in":false,"tasting_fee":null,"explorer_tags":["knowledge"],"profile":"# Bledsoe|McDaniels Winery — Knowledge Profile\n\n## Founding Story\n\nBledsoe|McDaniels was founded as a natural evolution of a long-standing professional and personal partnership between Drew Bledsoe and winemaker Josh McDaniels. The two had worked together for years through Drew's original winery, Doubleback, which Bledsoe launched with his wife Maura in 2008 after retiring from professional football and returning to his hometown of Walla Walla. Bledsoe had planted his original estate vineyard, McQueen, on the southern end of the Walla Walla Valley AVA upon his 2007 retirement, and hired McDaniels away from Figgins Family Wine Estates to serve as CEO and Director of Winemaking. Over time, their relationship grew well beyond a conventional owner-employee dynamic into one built on deep mutual trust, shared competitive drive, and a common passion for producing only the highest-quality wines. When their collaboration began yielding wines they felt deserved their own identity and recognition — particularly as they explored both the Walla Walla and Willamette Valleys — Bledsoe|McDaniels was born. The winery's founding vision centers on showcasing the distinct characteristics and striking similarities between these two renowned Pacific Northwest wine regions, with a focus on estate-grown, limited-production wines offered exclusively through an allocation model.\n\nDrew Bledsoe himself is a notable figure: he played quarterback at Washington State University, was selected number one overall in the 1993 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots, played in four Pro Bowls, and is enshrined in the Patriots Hall of Fame. His very first Doubleback vintage was named a Wine Spectator Top 100 Wine of the World.\n\n---\n\n## Winemaker\n\n**Josh McDaniels** serves as CEO and Director of Winemaking at Bledsoe|McDaniels. His early career included formative years working at Leonetti's Mill Creek Upland Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley, which grounded him deeply in the terroir and farming of that region. He later joined Figgins Family Wine Estates before being recruited by Drew Bledsoe to lead Doubleback, a role that eventually expanded into the co-founding of Bledsoe|McDaniels.\n\nMcDaniels' winemaking philosophy is rooted firmly in the vineyard. He views farming as the true heart of winemaking, and his approach is shaped by a tireless commitment to understanding individual blocks — their soils, elevations, aspects, geology, and microclimates. He has embraced organic and regenerative farming practices across the winery's estate vineyards and emphasizes creating conditions where wines of genuine place can emerge. He has described wines that \"cannot be replicated\" as the ultimate goal, and speaks of \"creating genuine happiness\" as a core purpose — in farming crews, in the land itself, and ultimately in the experience of the person opening a bottle.\n\n---\n\n## Vineyard Sources\n\nBledsoe|McDaniels owns and operates four estate vineyards across the Willamette and Walla Walla Valleys, each with distinct characteristics.\n\n**McQueen Vineyard** is the winery's original estate, located in the SeVein development on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley AVA. It sits atop a ridgeline of fractured basalt at elevations ranging from 1,200 to 1,440 feet, with wind-blown glacial loess over fractured basalt soils and an extremely low rainfall of just 8–9 inches annually. The 23 planted acres (50 total) feature VSP unilateral and head-trained vines, including two Syrah clones on south-facing terraces. McQueen was the first vineyard planted in the SeVein development, and McDaniels describes it as the most physically challenging vineyard they have ever farmed — every vine hole required jack-hammering through rock. Varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Nebbiolo.\n\n**LeFore Vineyard** is situated on the eastern side of the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater, a sub-AVA of the Walla Walla Valley, at an elevation of 940 feet. Originally planted in the late 1990s and named after an apple farm that previously occupied the land, LeFore features 26 planted acres (30 total) of very cobbly loam soils — the most uniform soil series of any AVA in America, according to McDaniels. With only 10–12 inches of annual rainfall and VSP bi-lateral trellising, the two Syrah blocks here produce wines McDaniels describes as having \"tremendous sex appeal in tannin structures, followed by smoked game, all types of olives.\" Varieties also include Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Viognier, Petit Verdot, Malbec, and Grenache.\n\n**Schafer Vineyard** is located in the Mill Creek area of the Walla Walla Valley at elevations of 1,390 to 1,450 feet, with Onyx Silt Loam soils and approximately 20 inches of annual rainfall. The 15 planted acres (20 total) are trained on VSP bi-lateral trellising and were planted in 2007. McDaniels describes Schafer as a pivotal estate for the beginning of Bledsoe|McDaniels in Walla Walla — it sits directly adjacent to Leonetti's Mill Creek Upland Vineyard, where he spent formative years early in his career. Varieties include Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot.\n\n**Coulee Vineyard** is the winery's newest estate, acquired in 2021 from Mimi Casteel in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley. The property encompasses 80 acres total with 34 planted, at elevations of 200–400 feet, featuring diverse soils including Nekia, Willakenzie, Saumparret, and Glacial Erratic. Annual rainfall is 40 inches, and vines are trained to VSP. Originally planted in 2008, Coulee brings exceptional diversity in aspects, soil types, and clonal selection. Casteel's background in regenerative farming was an influential factor in the acquisition. Varieties include Pinot Noir (Pommard, Wadenswill 667, 777, 943 clones), Chardonnay (Wente, 548, 77, 809 clones), and Chenin Blanc.\n\nAcross all estates, the winery applies organic and regenerative farming practices, maintains commitment to farmworker welfare, and integrates diverse plantings to support other crops and ecosystems.\n\n---\n\n## Signature Wines & Tasting Notes\n\nBledsoe|McDaniels specializes in estate-grown, single-vineyard expressions from both the Walla Walla and Willamette Valleys. Syrah from the Walla Walla Valley — particularly from LeFore and McQueen Vineyards — and Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc from the Willamette Valley's Coulee Vineyard appear to be the focal varieties. Bordeaux varieties are also grown across Schafer and other Walla Walla estates.\n\nMcDaniels describes LeFore Syrah as offering \"tremendous sex appeal in tannin structures, followed by smoked game, all types of olives\" — wines he regards as \"truly unique for single vineyard Syrah.\" Robert Parker's Wine Advocate has described the winery's wines as \"full-bodied, focused and finessed,\" with a palate that \"compresses to reveal a balanced structure with lifting tannins and juicy acidity.\"\n\n---\n\n## Wine Club / Allocation\n\nBledsoe|McDaniels operates exclusively on an **allocation model** rather than a traditional retail or tasting room model. All wines are offered on an allocated basis exclusively to allocation list members. The website encourages wine lovers to join the allocation list to access the winery's limited-production wines from both the Willamette and Walla Walla Valleys. No specific club tiers or pickup event details were present in the scraped content.\n\n---\n\n## Accolades\n\n- A Bledsoe|McDaniels wine received a notable review from **Robert Parker's Wine Advocate**, with the publication describing it as \"full-bodied, focused and fin","somm_notes":[],"wines":[{"name":"Coulee Estate Pinot Noir","vintage":"","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":""},{"name":"Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir","vintage":"","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":""},{"name":"Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir","vintage":"","variety":"Pinot Noir","price":""},{"name":"McQueen Estate Syrah","vintage":"","variety":"Syrah","price":""},{"name":"LeFore Estate Syrah","vintage":"","variety":"Syrah","price":""},{"name":"Schafer Estate Syrah","vintage":"","variety":"Syrah","price":""},{"name":"Coulee Estate Chardonnay","vintage":"","variety":"Chardonnay","price":""}],"patti":null,"visitor_ratings":[{"source":"google","rating":5.0,"count":8},{"source":"yelp","rating":4.7,"count":35},{"source":"tripadvisor","rating":4.0,"count":22}],"sample_reviews":[{"source":"yelp","reviewer":"Sean H.","rating":null,"rating_max":5.0,"text":"As Cab fans in Cabernet country, we expected to go straight red, but the 2025 Elizabeth Chardonnay surprised us, light, crisp, and a great opener.","date":null},{"source":"yelp","reviewer":"John M.","rating":null,"rating_max":5.0,"text":"In april, we took them up on that offer and arranged a visit to the winery with Molly for a private tasting that included 14 of us.","date":null}],"critic_scores":[{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2023,"score":100,"source":"Vinous","critic":"Vinous","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Estate Reserve","vintage":2023,"score":100,"source":"Jeb Dunnuck","critic":"Jeb Dunnuck","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Estate Reserve","vintage":2023,"score":98,"source":"Jeb Dunnuck","critic":"Jeb Dunnuck","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2022,"score":98,"source":"Wine Enthusiast","critic":"Wine Enthusiast","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Estate Reserve","vintage":2023,"score":97,"source":"Jeb Dunnuck","critic":"Jeb Dunnuck","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2022,"score":97,"source":"Wine Enthusiast","critic":"Wine Enthusiast","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2022,"score":97,"source":"Vinous","critic":"Vinous","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2021,"score":97,"source":"Decanter","critic":"Decanter","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2021,"score":97,"source":"Wine Advocate","critic":"Wine Advocate","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2020,"score":97,"source":"Jeb Dunnuck","critic":"Jeb Dunnuck","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2020,"score":97,"source":"Wine Spectator","critic":"Wine Spectator","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Estate Reserve","vintage":2023,"score":96,"source":"Jeb Dunnuck","critic":"Jeb Dunnuck","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2022,"score":96,"source":"Wine Enthusiast","critic":"Wine Enthusiast","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2022,"score":96,"source":"Jeb Dunnuck","critic":"Jeb Dunnuck","tasting_note":null},{"wine_name":"Cabernet Sauvignon","vintage":2021,"score":96,"source":"Decanter","critic":"Decanter","tasting_note":null}],"community_scores":[{"wine_name":"Pinot Noir","vintage":null,"score":93,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.3/5 (147 ratings)"},{"wine_name":"Lefore Vineyard Syrah","vintage":null,"score":92,"source":"Vivino","critic":null,"tasting_note":"Vivino community: 4.2/5 (25 ratings)"}],"events":[]}