Larry and Jane Pearson
August 2021
After a night of tent camping in a sea of Red Mountain sagebrush, Larry Pearson knew the land was ideal for a vineyard. He purchased it in 1984 and began planting 3+ acres of vines in 1985, when there were only three other vineyards on Red Mountain. His goal was to produce outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon, and he certainly has done just that and much more since that time. Tapteil Vineyard has grown to 45 acres of Bordeaux and Rhone grape varieties, and Larry and Jane also purchased vineyard land west of Red Mountain for Cabernet, Syrah, Riesling and Aglianico. They keep up to 20% of the grapes for their own wines, and sell the rest to some of the top wineries in the state.
Larry made his first wine in 1979, but his first Tapteil release was 1998. He became a full-time farmer and winemaker after 2012 when he fully retired from his engineering career. Jane has brought sales, marketing and painting skills to Tapteil, and the tasting room walls display her paintings depicting the Red Mountain bucolic lifestyle. She has also done artist labels for their Spilya Vineyard Syrah since 2005. Larry and Jane will retire soon for a second time, as they have just sold Tapteil Vineyard, Winery and Tasting Room to Avennia Winery in Woodinville. According to the press release, Avennia intends to have a tasting room on Red Mountain. In this interview, Larry and Jane reflect on 30+ years of winegrowing on Red Mountain, the recent sale of the vineyard and winery, and what lies ahead for them.
Listen to the Interview: