A Hollywood actor turned winemaker may seem a bit clichéd these days. However, Kyle MacLachlan, best known for his role as Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks, is truly a small-town boy at heart, having been raised in the rural landscape of Yakima, Washington. During the peak of his acting career, Kyle found himself missing his family and travelled home regularly to the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest. In 2005, after a visit to Dunham Cellars in Walla Walla with his father, Kyle embarked on a different creative project: Pursued by Bear wines. “Exit, pursued by a bear,” is a stage direction from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale and seemed a fitting name for paying homage, not only to the careful study, focus, and intense dedication required of an actor but also, to farming and making wine. The Bear Cub Red is a delightful blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from three distinctive vineyards in Walla Walla and offers a densely aromatic and concentrated wine, whilst their flagship Cabernet Sauvignon brings a much more seriously structured wine, coming from four unique sites in the Columbia Valley.

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2020 PURSUED BY BEAR
BEAR CUB RED

6x75cl – £186 IB

“From a vintage marked by low yields, warm growing conditions, and su­fficient hang time to produce wines with intense aromas and concentrated flavours, the 2020 Bear Cub is fruit-forward and youthful, bursting with black fruit and an appealing hint of cedar. Juicy summer berries, black currant, ripe plum and streaks of shaved cocoa are richly expressive on the palate. Smooth and easy drinking with a finish that lasts, this Cub has enough structure to prove it’s no baby.

Dark, high-toned fruit from the Walla Walla Valley forms the base of this Cab-driven blend. The grapes are sourced from three distinct AVAs adding complexity: Weinbau Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope, Dionysus Vineyard in the White Bluffs and Dubrul Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Aged for 20 months in 100% French Oak.”

~ Owner & Vintner, Kyle MacLachlan

2020 PURSUED BY BEAR
CABERNET SAUVIGNON

6x75cl – £330 IB

The previous 2019 vintage marked the 15th Anniversary of Pursued by Bear flagship Cabernet Sauvignon which, year after year, lends a consistent reminder of the classic elegance of Cabernet from the Columbia Valley region. The 2020 is a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Merlot from six unique vineyard sites throughout the Columbia Valley, each of which adds depth and structure with their individual terroirs.

“A deep, darkly coloured wine offering generous notes of wild blackberry, cocoa powder and warm vanilla spice. Undertones of black plums and ripe dark cherries build layered complexity on the palate with the wine’s fine-grained tannins and balanced acidity creating a generous and richly textured mouthfeel that gives way to a long, expressive finish.  From a vintage that will be remembered for producing beautiful wines displaying outstanding aromatics, concentrated flavours and fresh vibrancy, this classic Washington Cab shows an ideal mix of lush, New World fruit and Old World structure.”

~ Owner & Vintner, Kyle MacLachlan

WALLA WALLA VALLEY
Washington AVA

When one thinks of Washington State, visions of cold and rainy Seattle with Nirvana playing in the background may come to mind. As you head east, passing over the impressive Cascade Mountain Range, you enter the Columbia Valley AVA, which is home to 99% of all grapes grown in Washington State and is divided into 12 regional sub-AVAs. With the rain shadow effect from the Cascades sheltering the area from the cold and rain near the coast, the region has an arid and continental climate that averages a mere 8-10 inches of rain per year. Within the Columbia Valley, on the southeastern edge straddling the Oregon border, lies the famed Walla Walla Valley. The soil complexity is unique to the region, with cobblestone river gravels at the lowest elevations, which are well-drained and rich in minerals such as iron and calcium. Equally prominent in the area is loess (pronounced “luss”), which is fine, wind-blown silt that measures two to four feet deep in areas below 1,100 feet in elevation. Beneath the loess are coarser layers of sand and gravel deposited by catastrophic, glacial floods that swept through this region about 15,000 years ago. As you gain elevation into the hillside vineyards, the more wind-blown loess becomes a fine and powdery thin layer of topsoil over the volcanic bedrock that supports the region. Coupled with the diversely complex soils of Walla Walla is the drastic diurnal shift in temperature, with very warm, long days and extremely cool nights, offering ideal conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon and Rhône varietals to thrive.