Andrew Rich Winery

Andrew Rich pioneered the development of Rhone varietal based wines in Oregon. Today, he makes small amounts of Rhone varietal based wines with such a following, the wines are largely sold from the winery before release.

Andrew Rich

Back when Syrah was no more than an occasional novelty on a winery's list of offerings, Andrew was asking the owners of Ciel du Cheval Vineyard to plant Malbec, Roussanne, Syrah, Mourvedre, and additional Rhone grapes for him. That effort, which started in the mid-1990's, has blossomed into a lineup of Andrew Rich wines that incorporate the now mature grapes he pushed for ten to fifteen years ago. While Andrew makes popular and well reviewed Pinot noir and Sauvignon Blanc as well, it’s the possibility of making truly great Rhône-style wines in the Northwest that excites him most. 

 

Though he feels a primal connection to old-world Syrah, he sees a distinctive balance in the Rhône varietals in the Northwest that is well suited to the wines he wants to make. “The Rhône varietals in Washington, not unlike their Bordeaux counterparts, show more fruit here than in the Rhône,” he observes, “but they’re not as obvious, I think, as the California Rhônes.  The acids tend to be low, as in the southern Rhône valley. But I think our tannins may ripen better than in California, making them very approachable, and easy to drink early on.”

Andrew Rich malbec

Although Rich says his first love is Syrah, particularly from the northern Rhône, he went overseas to receive his oenology and viticulture training in Burgundy.   He began at a program in Dijon, recommended to him by Ted Lemon, the first American winemaker to take up the reins of a Burgundy domaine.  After receiving his degree in France, Rich wrote to Randall Grahm seeking employment at Bonny Doon, then the biggest producer of Rhône wines in the U.S.  He started in the cellar earning a meager wage, and soon afterward faced a rather unexpected challenge. “They said, ‘oh, you’re going to distill,’” he recalls. “I mean this is typical Randall Grahm.  I said, ‘I don’t know anything about distilling,’ but I didn’t really know anything about working in the cellar either, so I guess it didn’t make any difference.”

He spent a few years making eau-de-vie and brandy, distilled from whole fruit and wines.  When they weren’t selling, Grahm soon gave up on them, but he clearly recognized ingenuity in Rich, putting him in charge of his new cellar for white wines in Santa Cruz.  There Rich made the estate’s first Marsanne and Roussanne and also developed his expertise with dessert wines—for which he remains justly known.

“The experience was invaluable,” he says of working with the maker of such charismatic American Rhône translations as Le Cigare Volant and Old Telegram.  The two clearly shared the same venturesome spirit and profound affection for Rhône varietals.  But with the rapid expansion of the winery, Rich began to feel that all he was ever doing was bottling, and he started to consider launching his own enterprise farther north. Moving to Oregon in 1992, he contacted friends and founded Andrew Rich Wines, culminating in his winery based out of the Carlton Winemakers Studio.

Andrew Rich and Romeo


$17.77 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $19.75

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Messalliance is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, and 10% Syrah. Andrew named it Mesalliance because he felt, back in 1997 when he first created this wine, that merlot was sort of a se
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Andrew Rich Malbec 05

$19.75 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $21.95

Classic Malbec, black and rich, exotic hint of incense in the nose, lots of juicy fruit and liqueur notes.


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Andrew Rich Cabernet Franc 05

$17.95 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $19.95

A juicy, lush crowd pleaser. Black in color, dense and viscous, everybody loves this easy drinking quaffer. One of the best for the price.
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$22.45 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $24.95

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One of the more classic Northwest Syrahs made. Formerly with Bonny Doone Winery, Andrew has an affinity for the grapes of the Rhone that shows in his Syrah. Smokey black fruit and pepper--yum!
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Andrew Rich Syrah Reserve 05

$43.16 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $47.95

Andrew's Syrah Reserve has been called "luxuriant", and a miniscule bottling sells out almost before our tasting notes can be posted.

"I've been accused of concocting confusing, unpronoun
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$21.55 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $23.95

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Andrew says: "Seduction in a bottle. Give in. You know you want to. Just give in."

"I hadn't tasted this wine much since it was bottled last spring, so when I brought a sip of it to my
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$33.71 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $37.45

Qty.

Big and rich with earth and deep bing cherry notes on the nose and palette. Fruit begins light and then builds on the mid palette and finishes with a big earthy punch. Well balanced with a slight
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$21.55 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $23.95

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Andrew Rich Cuvee B Pinot noir 06 has welcoming aromas of raspberry and strawberry, which signal the rich flavors to come. Crushed raspberry and spicy red currant mix with sweet roses on a silky s
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$22.45 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $24.95

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The Andrew Rich Coup d'Etat has big brambleberry notes with toasted white pepper and a firm finish. It's a NW version of a classic Rhone blend.

Andrew is a master at the grapes of the Rho
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Andrew Rich Tabula Rasa Red 05

$14.35 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $15.95

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED A country French style Rhone blend red, Syrah, Counoise, Grenache, and Mourvedre at a great price. Highly recommended.

Scents of sweet black cherry and spicy red frui

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$18.86 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $20.95

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The wine possesses the Croft Vineyard's signature notes of pineapple, guava, passion fruit, citrus, and just a hint of gooseberry. It is rich, round, with complex notes of mineral and fresh spring wa
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Andrew Rich Tabula Rasa Pink 06

$15.53 - Case price (any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $17.25

Mostly Pinot Noir, is dry, with good heft, and the sort of red berry aromatics that make you long for summer, or wish it would never end.
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$16.16 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $17.95

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"The great white grape of France's Rh?ne Valley was first planted in Eastern Washington in the late 90s, so it's not surprising that most people are still unaware of its existence. That's too ba
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$21.55 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $23.95

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Exceptional value. Juicy raspberry and cherry fruit glides softly on the palate, while the finish lifts with balancing acidity, subtle pie spice, and earth. Nice length, echoing bright yet sweet red
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Price: $257.89

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Ice Wine Case Pack - 15% Off Retail!

Save $45.51

The Pacific Northwest offers values like no where else. We offer the rare
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$13.90 - Case price
(any 12 or more bottles)

Price: $15.45

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The Highway 14 Red is made by acclaimed Oregon winemaker Andrew Rich. Andrew Rich’s Rhone-inspired wines have developed such a following, the wines are largely sold from the winery before release.
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