Walla Walla & Bledsoe Family Wines

During his 14 year career, Drew had his eyes set on a post-game plan. Upon his retirement in 2007, he returned to his hometown, Walla Walla, to plant his original estate vineyard, McQueen, on the southern end of the Walla Walla Valley AVA. In 2008, Drew and his wife, Maura, launched Doubleback as an estate-focused winery with the goal to produce world-class Cabernet Sauvignon—the winery’s name a reference to his return back home. His very first vintage was named a Wine Spectator Top 100 Wine of the World. To make his dream a reality, Drew hired Josh McDaniels away from Figgins Family Wine Estates, who is his CEO & Director of Winemaking to this day.

Drew played quarterback for Washington State University before being selected number one overall in the 1993 NFL draft by the New England Patriots. He played in four Pro Bowls, is in the Patriots Hall of Fame, and was in the top 10 overall for a number of QB statistics upon his retirement. Today Drew and Maura have four children, and happily reside in Whitefish, Montana.

At Corliss, we exercise the discipline to make the highest quality decisions at each stage of winemaking, from vine to bottle. From sustainable, meticulous viticulture in our Estate Vineyards, to individual berry sorting at harvest, to slow native yeast fermentation in micro-scale custom oak and concrete fermenters. We follow this with extended elevage in barrel, rigorous selection of the best lots for blending, and over two years of additional aging in bottle before the wines are finally labeled and available for your enjoyment.

Our winemaking is the result of teamwork and patience. Michael and Lauri Corliss have, from the beginning, been at the center. They are engrossed in every detail and have guided our winemaking philosophy. They are the barometer of consistency for developing the Corliss style. Surrounding Michael and Lauri is a talented staff of winemaking professionals who collectively work together to create the consistently beautiful vintages of Corliss. Our team is joined by Atelier Melka, which is one of the world’s most highly regarded winemaking consultant teams. Working together, we dedicate our best efforts with every vine, every grape and every bottle .

Chris Figgins is the CEO and Winemaking Director for Figgins Family Wine Estates (FFWE).  Succeeding his parents, Gary, and Nancy Figgins, who founded Leonetti Cellar in 1977, Chris officially joined Leonetti following graduation from Washington State University with a degree in horticulture. Chris assumed the position of head winemaker of Leonetti Cellar in 2001. Chris was instrumental in transforming Leonetti into an estate-grown winery and is known industry-wide for consistently pushing the envelope viticulturally. In addition to operations and winemaking, Chris presides over all viticultural operations for FFWE, which includes eight distinct vineyard sites in the Walla Walla Valley and Willamette Valley.  To further extend the FFWE experience, Chris launched FIGGINS, a single-vineyard estate winery focused on Bordeaux varieties, and Toil Oregon, a small-production Willamette Valley brand featuring Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. A frequent public speaker, Chris loves to share his passion for sustainable farming and biological soil health.