A Big Win for Washington Wine—and for a Few Friends

Photo Credit: Richard Duval - winepix.net

Perseverance. Talent. Sticking to your guns. Belief. The guts to go against the grain. Standing up for yourself. It all matters. And if you do it long enough—sometimes amazing things happen.

I’m super proud of the latest news involving three longtime friends and collaborators—Alex Stewart, Hal Iverson, and Jesse Schmidt. They’re the winemakers behind the 2022 Tenor La Reyna Blanca Vineyard Chardonnay, which just made Washington wine history as the first white wine from WA to ever earn a 100-point score.

If you missed the buzz, the guys have been everywhere lately: Tenor, Wine Industry Advisor, Wine Business, King 5… and my favorites: Hal’s Facebook post and Alex’s Facebook post.

Between them, they’ve had a hand in more 100-point wines than I know—going back to when we worked together at Quilceda Creek. And now they’ve made history again at Tenor.

I’m lucky to support their efforts outside of Tenor as well—through their other passion projects: Piolet Vintners, Gjallerhorn Winesmiths, and Florence Cellars. If you haven’t explored those wines yet, you’re seriously missing out.  I can't wait to see what they have in store for us next.

Congrats, boys! You earned this. And I couldn’t be happier for you.