Rob Newsom of Boudreaux Cellars
Laissez les bons temps rouler: “Kick off your flip-flops and dance on the rooftops!”
It was an attempt to climb Mt. Rainier that led Rob Newsom to leave his rural North Louisiana roots and move to WA state in the 1970s. He brought his cooking and bluegrass guitar picking skills with him and eventually became an expert mountain climber, guiding others on Mt. Denali. He and a team of friends completed the first ascent of the North buttress of Mt. Hunter in Alaska, with its 4,000 ft. granite wall of ice. This fearless spirit and an evening of too much Leonetti wine led to a winemaking challenge Rob couldn’t refuse. As the story goes, Rob told his good friend Gary Figgins that his Leonetti wines had become too expensive. Gary quickly responded, “So why don’t you make your own wine!” He went on to tell him that all he needed to do was squish grapes in a trash can and then leave them alone. Armed with that advice and Peynaud’s book on winemaking, Rob headed home determined to make his own wine.
That was the late 1990s. In 2007, Seattle Magazine named Rob Newsom of Boudreaux Cellars Washington’s best new winemaker. He built a beautiful stone winery facility in Icicle Canyon 4 miles off the power grid. The family also has a facility on Front St. in downtown Leavenworth that is both tasting room and boutique shop for creative home and body products. Boudreaux Cellars specializes in Cabernet Sauvignon, but also produces Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, Carménère, and Chardonnay. The newest project involves small amounts of Sagrantino and Aglianico, both Italian varieties rarely found in the US. The wines, setting, and fun-loving spirit are all treats at Boudreaux, but so is the music. Rob is an outstanding guitarist and his daughter Keelya an excellent singer, in addition to being assistant winemaker. They play country and bluegrass music that makes you want to “kick off your flip-flops, and dance on the rooftops” as you enjoy Boudreaux wines.
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