The name Lawrelin is derived by combining portions of my parents’ names – Lawrence and Elinor Mix. They encouraged me to pursue this dream of becoming a winemaker and supported my desire to go to California to pursue a winemaking education at UC Davis. So when I got the opportunity to make some wine for our own label, it only seemed fitting to name it after them.

This particular adventure in my life as a wine professional began in 2000, with a desire to work with some Red Mountain fruit. This is something I didn’t have the ability to work with at my day job, being a winemaker for Chateau Ste Michelle. Intended as a side project, I wanted to keep production low. I have never felt compelled to grow this into a big project. Keeping it small seems like the easiest way for me to maintain the freedom to follow my own vision, passion, and more than anything else, maintain the level of quality that we have established.

Lawrelin Wine Cellars started as a desire to explore some different vineyards in the Columbia Valley wine region that I didn’t have access to with my day job as a winemaker for larger wineries.

Initially, when I started in 2001, I focused exclusively on two red wine types: Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah from the Red Mountain AVA, and the Wahluke Slope AVA with the earliest vintages. Over the next few vintages, additional red wine varieties were added to the blends, Malbec in the Cabernet Sauvignon, and Grenache in the Syrah.

Subsequent vintages, many of which are yet to release (some will call them Library Wines), also include fruit sourced from the Horse Heaven Hills, Yakima Valley, and the Royal Slope AVAs, as well as from vineyards of Boushey, Elephant Mountain, Frenchmen Hill, and Quintessence to name a few.

Production has been kept very small, typically only about 250 – 350 cases per vintage. That allows the wines to be extremely focused, aged for quality, with attention given to every detail of the process. I am involved in every aspect of the making of EVERY wine.

-Kendall Mix