Yes, You Can Go Home Again
After 14 seasons as a successful NFL quarterback, Drew Bledsoe moved back to his home state of Washington to begin his second act: that of business owner, family man, philanthropist, and winemaker
By Brad Goldfarb, Photos by Kimberly Miner
Ah, yes, the wine thing. At first, for the player-cum-vintner, the plan was different. He’d go into business with three other quarterbacks (Damon Huard, Rick Mirer, and Dan Marino). But Bledsoe soon realized, with his partners scattered across the country and with all three wanting to call the plays—you know, quarterbacks—consensus wouldn’t come easy. “To have to sell every move, it just didn’t allow us to be agile enough,” Bledsoe says. “So, I decided to do it myself.”
That go-it-alone approach enabled Bledsoe to launch the Doubleback winery, but he’s quick to acknowledge some key collaborations. Childhood friend Chris Figgins, whom Bledsoe calls a “rock star” in the wine world (Figgins’ father helped put Washington wines on the map), heads up viticulture and winemaking. Bledsoe’s wife, Maura, is involved in all aspects of the business, but particularly marketing.
So Bledsoe has fashioned a new life for himself, one that couldn’t be more different from football. But this new life embodies the creed that’s always mattered most to him: Have passion for your craft, and share that passion with people you care about. As if to punctuate the point, he’s come home to Walla Walla to do just that.
New Turf to Control
Touring McQueen Vineyard, one of Bledsoe’s two grape-growing properties, is a bit like visiting a maternity ward with a proud papa—if, that is, every baby in the ward belongs to him. Take in the perfectly manicured vines (placed, with the aid of GPS, to control exposure to the elements), the commanding view of Walla Walla Valley, and you’ll see why he likes to show it off. “Our kids”—he has three sons and a daughter—“are fired up to see this vineyard coming out of the ground, because they helped plant the vines,” he says, snapping some pictures to send home. He calls the winery a “legacy piece” and hopes that his children take it over someday.
He also, like Figgins, wants to sell wine that’s 100 percent estate grown, meaning his wine will be made only from grapes grown on his own properties. Until the vineyards are mature enough to produce the grapes needed for a premium label, however, Doubleback will use the best local varietals.
The best. Talk to Bledsoe about Doubleback and that phrase comes up a lot. Let’s be clear: He wants what’s in the bottle to sell the wine—not what’s on the label. “My name won’t be on the bottle,” he says. “This is not a product endorsement.” Bledsoe admits his fame lends the brand a certain advantage. But that, he points out, is a double-edged sword. “My name can get me in the door,” he concedes, “but if I don’t deliver, everyone remembers me as the guy who failed.” True. And here’s something else that’s true: Wine snobs, in general, don’t give a damn about the game of football.
Perhaps that’s why, when selecting a name for the wine, Bledsoe chose carefully. “Chris and I had two stories we thought were really compelling,” he says. “Growing up in a small town, succeeding in this other arena, and then doubling back to your hometown. Also, we grew up 400 yards from each other. We both went off . . . and then came back, together.”
This doubling back encapsulates the company’s overriding ethos. Drew puts it like this: “There is a level of trust, because we all grew up in this same small town, where everybody knew your business. Accountability comes with that.” He adds, “It would be cool if I were just making great wine, and it would be enjoyable if I were working on some other project with people from my hometown, but the fact that I’m going to make world-class wine in my hometown, with people I grew up with, is what makes this so fun.”
Fun. Another Bledsoe buzzword. He’s big on it, this idea that, no matter what you do in life, you have to keep the pleasure quotient high. Not all of us can throw touchdowns for a living, or front the cash for a winery, but we can choose careers that feed our passions and attract like-minded people. Bledsoe doesn’t believe in the 9-to-5; he subscribes to a round-the-clock way of life. “I’m going to see if I can go forever without having a real job,” he says. “So far it’s worked out.”
Back in Walla Walla, they’re rooting for him, as they always have. But Bledsoe doesn’t have time for analysis. He has hands to shake. He has wine to make. For the rest of us, here’s some game-time strategy we can liberally apply to work and life.
Huddle up, men.
Bledsoe's tips on mastering the game of life...
