One Voice: Mark Ryan Winery Founder Mark McNeilly

The Mark Ryan Winery story begins in 1999 with two wines that are still our flagships today: Long Haul and Dead Horse. Long Haul nods to the 200-plus-mile drives Woodinville winemakers routinely make to reach Eastern Washington vineyards—a rite of passage that shaped our early years. I was fortunate to source my first grapes from the legendary Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain. Ciel du Cheval, which is French for “Horse Heaven,” inspired the name Dead Horse. It was a bit of a controversial name at the time, but it’s worked out pretty well for us.

There is a “rising tides” mentality regarding winemaking and grape growing in Washington state. When I started in 1999, I received an incredible amount of support from fellow winemakers, and I now strive to offer that same help to those just entering the industry. This collaborative spirit extends through sales, marketing, and distribution as well. It is a very close-knit community, and I find it awesome to be a part of it.

I am not certain our winemaking methods are entirely unique, but we have successfully maintained our handmade approach even as we have scaled our volume and added new labels. We continue to apply the same meticulous attention to detail in the vineyards and production of our wines using small-batch fermentation and barrel aging. From the vineyard to the winery, our process remains very much a hands-on endeavor.

Ha. I’m not sure I remember my very first taste of wine, but I do vividly recall trying Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon while working as a waiter in the early ’90s. The wine was remarkably complex, dense, and rich—unlike anything I had experienced up to that point. It was truly a memorable experience.

When I first became interested in wine, I had a small group of friends who shared that passion. We often pooled our cash to buy high-end bottles to expand our palates. I distinctly remember one night when we paired this premium Napa Cabernet with Totino’s pizza rolls. I’m not certain it’s my absolute favorite pairing, but it tasted incredible that evening.

We produce many excellent varieties here in the Columbia Valley, but Cabernet Sauvignon remains my personal favorite.

I founded Mark Ryan Winery in 1999 while working as a wine salesman and waiter in the Seattle area. It started out with a couple hundred cases I stored in a friend’s garage, and I have grown the business to the 11th largest winery in Washington state. I think the most important thing about our winery is throughout every stage of growth we have successfully maintained the same commitment to quality we started with.

While I have only made wine in Washington, a unique fact about our vineyards is that we plant on original rootstock. Most other grape-growing regions in the world rely on disease-resistant rootstock. In the Columbia Valley the cold winter temperatures, sandy and rocky soils, low humidity, and constant wind allow us to farm with minimal disease or pest intervention. It’s truly a unique, and naturally sustainable, place to grow grapes and produce wine.

One very important factor in my development as a winemaker was my experience selling wine for a distributor and importer. During those years, I was able to taste wines from all over the world and at various price points—some wine I wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise. This exposure significantly helped develop my palate and has allowed me to successfully blend wines at Mark Ryan.

I have traveled through the winemaking regions of Europe, California, and Oregon. One of my favorite experiences was visiting Cornas in the Northern Rhône Valley of France. In this small appellation, where only Syrah is grown, I had the opportunity to meet exceptional winemakers and taste fantastic wines. These experiences have inspired my own wine production here in Washington state.

My pleasure. Thank you. We are really looking forward to meeting some of your buyers.