Len Parris of Chandler Reach Vineyards & Winery
February 2022
After completing two years at Central Washington University, Len Parris became a “Road Scholar” pursuing jobs initially as a ski instructor. By the time he was 24, he had 22 people working for him in a construction/plumbing business. That business and a love interest eventually took him to the Seattle area, where he built homes for members of the Seattle Seahawks and Sonics. In 1991, he ventured into the coffee business with the first drive-thru coffee place in the U.S. His first trip to Italy in 1997 sparked an interest in the wine business. He was impressed with the Italians’ agricultural lifestyle, and with the continuity of family ownership of estates, including the estate where he was staying that had been in the same family for over 600 years. His friends urged him to start his own vineyard, which he did upon returning to Washington. His father had given him some raw sagebrush acres not far from Red Mountain, and those acres are still the core of what is today an even larger Chandler Reach Estate Vineyard.
The vineyard plans evolved into something more grand, so that today the Chandler Reach Vineyards and Winery website states, “The Map says Washington, The Eyes say Tuscany.” In addition to vines, the visitor sees a lovely Italian style villa offering rosé and red wines to taste. Len makes the wines and offers a tasting experience that includes sipping in the vineyard and barrel tasting in the cave. The signature blend is Monte Regalo, or mountain gift, and the most sought after Chandler Reach wine is Cabernet Franc. Listen to this interview to find out what the mountain gifts, why the Cabernet Franc is so special, what has surprised Len most about working in the wine industry, and much more.
Listen to the Interview: