Have you ever been pursued by bear?
We haven't, but we got a chance to have a taste of it. We tasted Pursued by Bear wines at Walla Walla Portland - Trade & Media Tasting in February of 2020.
Pursued by Bear Winery
While we tasted Pursued only in 2020, we knew the owner of the winery from his movies long before. Pursued by Bear was founded by Washington native and the actor Kyle MacLachlan.
Kyle shot to fame starring in films by director David Lynch. We first saw him in the series Twin Peaks as an eccentric FBI agent Cooper who's into everything mystical and in love with cherry pies. Actually, he must have been a first foodie on the screen before the word was even invented. In one scene, agent Cooper smells and tastes coffee like it's wine. He also often records on tape his thoughts about pies and coffee he had.
There was no Instagram or YouTube back then. Too bad! Agent Cooper would've been an internet sensation!
So it's no surprise that Kyle eventually got into wine. Bitten by the wine bug and with a desire to craft small-batch exceptional wines and ability to reconnect with his roots and family, in 2005, Kyle launched Pursued by Bear in Walla Walla.
The first few vintages were a collaboration with Eric Dunham. Since 2008 Daniel Wampfler is the winemaker for Pursued by Bear. The winery is focused on the limited production of red and rosé wines that reflect the terroir they come from.
Pursued by Bear Tasting Flight
At Walla Walla Portland event, we tasted three Pursued by Bear wines. The witty and humorous nature of many characters played by Kyle is reflected in the labels.
2019 Blushing Bear Rosé
First, we tasted just released 2019 Rosé appropriately named Blushing Bear. This wine inspired by Bandol, the French region famous for its Rosés. As in Bandol, it's a blend of Grenache and Mourvedre co-fermented together. Blushing Bear is a crisp Rosé with refreshing acidity. It has aromas and flavors of grapefruit, nectarine, guava, and minerality. It reminded us a bit of both New Zealand's Sauvignon Blanc for its guava aromas and Loire's Valley Sauvignon Blancs for its minerality.
2016 Pursuit by Bear Cabernet Sauvignon
2016 Pursuit by Bear Cabernet Sauvignon was next. It's Cabernet driven blend with 10% Merlot made with fruit of four Columbia Valley vineyards. It was one of the more perfumed Cabs we tasted from this region. Although it started with a floral hyacinth-cedar note, the nose and palate are primarily driven by dark cherry and ripe cranberry. Black currant and cassis come up somewhat on the back end along with dark chocolate. The tannins are well-incorporated and don't get in the way of the fruit.
2016 Baby Bear Syrah
2016 Baby Bear Syrah was the last wine. This 100% Syrah from Columbia Valley AVA was released just a few weeks ahead of Blushing Bear Rosé.
On the nose and palate, it's both fruity and savory. Dusty herbal and black olive notes intertwined with blackberry, plum, cocoa nibs, and smoke. We felt that the Baby Bear was a little edgy and needed a bit more time to sleep in the cellar to wake up fluffy and adorable.
Personal Notes
Thanks to Walla Walla Portland Tasting, we had a chance to try Pursued by Bear wines. It's interesting how wine and history intertwined and not just the history of humanity but personal history.
As I was writing this article and traveling cinematical memory lane, I realized something. Come to think of it, agent Cooper played by Kyle MacLachlan, probably is the reason I started thinking of food in a more profound way than "like it - don't like it." Unwittingly, the future "foodie" was born in me. And now I'm a sommelier.
