Drew Bledsoe was raised in Walla Walla, Washington. He played football as a kid, not knowing that one day that would bring him to the heights of the field. After a storied stint at Washington State University, he began his NFL career in 1993 as a first overall pick in the NFL. When he left Washington, his hometown only had a mere seven wineries, but when he returned fourteen years later in 2007, seven wineries had blown up to around seventy wineries. Walla Walla had transformed seemingly overnight into the winemaking capitol of the Pacific Northwest while this Walla Walla boy was out of town. Hometown proud and huge enthusiasts of wine, Drew and Maura wanted to become a part of these great changes and were determined to “double back” to his hometown to help sustain the growing industry with their teams. Fittingly, the first wine made was under our still, highly coveted, Doubleback label. A true expression of the best our Walla Walla Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards have to offer, the Doubleback brand remains an obsession in the pursuit of making America’s best Cabernet Sauvignon.

As is true in all close-knit communities, the relationships you forge are everything. When Drew and Maura looked at jumping into wine, they hired Josh McDaniels, now CEO and Director of Winemaking, away from Figgins Family Wine Estates where he had trained for almost a decade. Josh, also a Walla Walla native, has been named a “Washington Prodigy” and a “Game Changer of Washington Wine” by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It’s the collaboration of ideas and competitive partnership between Josh, Drew and Maura that really creates the magic. Since founding Doubleback, they’ve expanded our lineup beyond Doubleback to include Bledsoe Family Winery.