WALLA WALLA, Wash., June 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Echolands Winery, a Walla Walla AVA mainstay, has won a Platinum Award from the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards. Out of nearly 17,000 entries, only one Washington wine was granted a Platinum Award – Echolands Winery Cabernet Franc Blue Mountain Vineyard 2023 Walla Walla Valley. This is the second year in a row this wine has received 97-points from Decanter.
The 97-point wine was fashioned by winemaker Brian Rudin; the 2023 vintage is the first in which this award-winning winemaker shepherded the wine from vine to bottle. The judges noted that Echolands’ Blue Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Franc is, “Very tender and giving on the palate with heady pencil-shaving tannins and gentle herbaceous acidity that make for a harmonious, engaging whole.”
Celebrating its 23rd edition, the Decanter World Wine Awards remain the world’s largest and most influential wine competition. This year, wines from 58 countries were evaluated by 245 top international experts, including 24 Master Sommeliers and 63 Masters of Wine.
Echolands’ winemaking is helmed by veteran winemaker Brian Rudin, who joined in 2023. Formally of Canvasback (Duckhorn), he manages the winery’s 28-acre Taggart Estate Vineyard on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley, as well as the Echolands Estate Vineyard’s 26 acres of vines on the Washington side of the valley.
An experienced and innovative winemaker, this award encapsulates Rudin’s knowledge and skill in creating quality wines that showcase the excellence of the region and this varietal. Cabernet Franc grown in WA state requires careful attention to achieve the perfect sweet spot, “that delicate spot is right as the herbaceous tones start to lighten and evolve into complex spice, and the blue fruits and perfume start to develop and carry the baton forward. We saw a little more muscle develop on the normally lithe frame of Blue Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Franc and were able to coax a touch more grip out of it. Still, this wine always resembles more of a hummingbird on the palate than an eagle, and we love the way its plumage shines as it flits about the mouth lightly,” says Rudin.
In addition to a second Platinum award, Echolands’ Riesling Block 01 Frenchman Hills Vineyard 2024 from Royal Slope achieved a 96-point score from this years’ Decanter judging panel. It was the only white wine from Washington state to achieve this distinction and was one of just two Rieslings in the USA to be recognized at this level.
Echolands Winery was founded in 2018 by renowned wine expert Doug Frost, in partnership with investor and conservationist Brad Bergman. This is the first proprietary winery project for wine consultant and writer Doug Frost, one of only four people in the world to hold both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles.
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SOURCE Echolands Winery
