Cakebread’s choice of Washington State for their new venture Mullan Road Cellars was driven by the fact that Washington is the nation’s third-largest wine-producing state (after California and New York) and, as Dennis Cakebread puts it, considering the quality of what is being produced there, “As I looked for a ‘new’ place to start up a new wine project it seemed to make sense to go where the great wines were being made and there is lots of room for growth.” Walla Walla, he says, “has a wonderful ambience, is developing a wine culture, has many nice people in the industry who are open and helpful, and has potential to develop into something special. Meaning it has land, climate, geography and the people to make it go.” I have to agree with his choice of the region, given that he wanted to be in Washington State. There cannot be a more wine-centric town in the U.S. than Walla Walla, and it’s the only town I have been to where the airport has more wineries than departure gates.
Future plans for Mullan Road are evolving, although a 2012 cabernet franc will be released shortly. For Dennis Cakebread, he has his hands full right now.
by Andrew Chalk, The Daily Meal
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