The Origin Story of Pursued by Bear Wine
Last Updated: By TRUiC Team
Agent Dale Cooper may have been a pie fan, but Kyle MacLachlan, the actor who played Cooper in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks, is a wine man. His Walla Walla, Washington-based winery, Pursued by Bear, has received a landslide of critical acclaim since its inception in 2008; this is the story of how MacLachlan went from leading man to vintner.
Putting Washington Wine on the Map
Don’t be fooled by the playful nature of the Pursued by Bear brand — the name and label an homage to one of Shakespeare’s most famous stage directions. MacLachlan is serious about wine making, and the quality of the wine produced on his vineyards proves it. Raised in Yakima, Washington, the establishment of MacLachlan’s winery in the eastern part of the state ties the actor to his roots while giving proper credit to the excellent wine made in Washington. This was an important factor for MacLachlan when launching his wine label, to utilize his celebrity (and well-crafted wine) to put Washington wine on the map.
MacLachan didn’t free fall into wine making, however. In his younger years, the actor and his father would routinely make visits into the wine country through Yakima Valley. This resulted in a friendship with Eric Dunham of Dunham Cellars, a critically acclaimed winery that celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020, with MacLachlan even serving Dunham Syrah at his wedding in 2002.
A few years later, the pair decided to establish a partnership by creating a new winery, Pursued by Bear, utilizing the same Yakima Valley vineyards used to create Dunham’s all-star wines.
Since the brand’s launch, Pursued by Bear has received praise for not only being a celebrity-backed winery but also for developing extremely high-quality wines that everyone from wine connoisseurs to everyday-wine-lovers can appreciate. The company’s wines routinely receive close to five stars and over 90% ratings from wine publications such as Wine Enthusiast’s Winemag.com, as well as a litany of publications boasting MacLachlan’s wine venture as some of the finest celebrity-made wine available on the market.
Overall, the mission and ethos of Pursued by Bear wine and MacLachlan himself is to create good wine that he can not only be proud of but that will put Washington on the map as a great place to create fantastic wines.
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