Red Willow Vineyard Malbec
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2028
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
grilled ribeye steak, roasted lamb chops, portobello mushroom burgers
✨ Technical Specifications
Hailing from the legendary Red Willow Vineyard in Washington's Yakima Valley, this single-vineyard Malbec pays homage to one of the state's most historic viticultural sites. Pioneered by the Sauer family alongside visionary Master of Wine David Lake, Red Willow is famous for its steep, ancient soils and for hosting some of the earliest experimental plantings in the region. Owen Roe harnesses the unique terroir of this arid, high-elevation site to craft a Malbec of striking depth and complexity. Fermented in small batches and aged in French oak, the wine showcases the vineyard's signature profile: a dark, brooding core of blackberry and plum layered with savory dried herbs, cocoa, and a distinct mineral tension that sets it apart from its Southern Hemisphere counterparts.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1999 by David and Angelica O'Reilly, Owen Roe is named in honor of the 17th-century Irish patriot Owen Roe O'Neill. Operating across the Pacific Northwest, the winery bridges Washington’s Yakima Valley and Oregon’s Willamette Valley, celebrating cool-climate microclimates, diverse volcanic and windblown loess soils, and dry, high-sunlight ripening conditions. Following a brief period under corporate ownership, the O'Reilly family repurchased the estate in 2024 to reassert their founding independent vision. The viticultural and cellar philosophy prioritizes rigorous low-yield vineyard management, hand harvesting, small-lot fermentations, and judicious use of French oak barrel aging to preserve varietal clarity and site-specific typicity. Sourcing from benchmark terroirs such as Red Willow and DuBrul, Owen Roe produces critically acclaimed single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chardonnay alongside value-driven cuvées under their Sharecropper’s and Corvidae labels, delivering structured, cellar-worthy expressions marked by vibrant acidity and deep concentration.
🍇 Grapes
Malbec