Anelare is the perfect blend of dreaming and business savvy. Close family ties and professional bonds aligned to create the partnership between Forrest Alexander, James P. Campbell, and Michael Lettig, Sr., and their wives Kahryn, Cindy and Denise. As a young, small business entrepreneur, Forrest often confided in his father-in-law, James, a doctor of internal medicine for over 20 years, and second-father figure Michael, who has over 30 years of banking experience and has helped finance a handful of wineries.

They shared stories of trips to Napa and Sonoma, and watched as Washington State’s wine industry took root—and closer to home, the wines of the Columbia Valley began to gain worldwide recognition. Together, they realized they not only shared a love for wine, but had the collective resources to pursue their dream of starting a winery.

The partners’ dream became reality under the guidance of award-winning winemaker Victor Cruz. A decade ago, upon the urging of his childhood friend and renowned Columbia Valley vintner Charlie Hoppes, Victor left his life as a Westinghouse engineer to pursue winemaking. Since then, this son of first-generation Mexican-American farm workers has made a name for himself with his own winery, Cañon De Sol, and its acclaimed syrah, meritage, merlot and viognier. Victor’s wines were introduced in 2001, and quickly thereafter his 2002 syrah won the 2004 Northwest Wine Summit’s Best of Show award, among others. He lends his expertise as well as his philosophy that the best wine is only derived from the highest-quality grapes to Anelare’s syrah and cabernet sauvignon—his first 100% cab.

“Anelare” is Italian for “desire” or “yearn for,” and it is a fitting description of our low-allocation, premium winery—both before production began and now that the first cases are available to club members. We desired to create a bottle of wine that you would be proud to uncork during special occasions with close friends and family … and soon, you will be yearning for more. The majority of Anelare varietals are not available in stores or restaurants, so the only way to partake in the rare pleasure of our 2005-2006 syrah and 2005-2006 Cabernet Sauvignon is to become a member of the Anelare Wine Club.  In Anelare’s 2006 vintage, we added a red wine called “Nonna Viola.”  This is our first and only varietal available to the public.

This is just the beginning for Anelare. In coming years, we envision slowly growing our production with an eye to quality, while also building a multi-use facility for: private tasting, Anelare events, and members to use for private gatherings or business. Become a club member now and you can share in the vision. What do you desire?