doubleback

After retiring from the NFL in 2006, Bledsoe returned to Eastern Washington and opened his first winery, Doubleback, the following year on the southern edge of the Walla Walla Valley.

In the years that followed, Doubleback expanded into Bledsoe Wine Estates, which includes Doubleback’s acclaimed cabernet sauvignon and merlot, Bledsoe Family Winery’s accessible varietals and the Willamette Valley-based Bledsoe McDaniels’ pinot noir.

Drew Bledsoe, who quarterbacked 14 seasons for the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys, returned to his hometown of Walla Walla, Wash., in the Columbia Valley, to start Bledsoe Wine Estates, including the high-end Doubleback line.

They’ve expanded their lineup to include 10 wines, and recently opened a tasting room south of downtown Walla Walla, in a building formerly occupied by Doubleback Winery.

Dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt sporting the logo of his Walla Walla winery, Doubleback Winery, Bledsoe watched practice and chatted with the quarterbacks, including starter Luke Falk.