Dunham Cellars 'Three Legged' Red Blend

Dunham Cellars 'Three Legged' Red Blend is a Washington State Bordeaux-style wine built around layered fruit and a tannin structure designed for early drinking. The blend is crafted in Walla Walla, where warm days and cool nights ripen fruit deeply while preserving acidity, and the 'Three Legged' name signals the house style: approachable reds that balance concentration with immediate pleasure. This is the entry point to Dunham's red program, offering the density of estate vineyards in a format that doesn't require a decade of cellar time. Dunham Cellars was founded in 1995 by Eric Dunham, who began making wine in a garage before moving to the current winery on Airport Way in Walla Walla. The estate works with a handful of vineyards across the Columbia Valley, farming sites that favor warm-climate Bordeaux varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. The 'Three Legged' blend changes vintage to vintage depending on what the year delivers, but it consistently leans on the structure of Cabernet with the softness of Merlot and the spice of Syrah. The fruit is fermented in stainless steel, then aged in a mix of French and American oak to round the tannins without masking the fruit. The wine shows dark chocolate, baked plums, cocoa, and blackberries, all wrapped in velvety, soothing tannins that make it drink well now. The mid-palate is dense but not heavy, with enough acidity to carry the fruit through a long finish. Pour it with grilled ribeye, braised short ribs, or aged cheddar, or open it on a weeknight when you want something more than casual but less than ceremonial. It doesn't need food, but it rewards it. This bottle is available for pickup at Off Premise Chicago, 1128 W Armitage Ave in Lincoln Park, for local Chicago delivery, or for nationwide shipping.