Sinister Hand
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, grilled lamb chops, rosemary-infused stews
✨ Technical Specifications
The name 'Sinister Hand' is steeped in Irish folklore, commemorating a historic rowing race for the land of Ulster. According to legend, an O'Neill ancestor, realizing his boat was falling behind, cut off his own left hand (the 'sinister' hand) and threw it onto the shore to claim the territory. This dramatic tale is immortalized on the wine's label. Crafted as a tribute to the classic blends of the Southern Rhône, this wine is sourced from premier vineyards in Washington's Columbia and Yakima Valleys. The region's warm days, cool nights, and well-drained soils yield fruit with exceptional balance and expressive character. Winemaker David O'Reilly employs minimal intervention, fermenting the grapes in small batches and aging them in neutral French oak to preserve the vibrant fruit profile, resulting in a wine that is both structurally complex and approachable.
🍾 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
Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Cinsaut