Echolands Winery earned the only Washington Platinum at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards; back-to-back 97 points for their Walla Walla Cabernet Franc. Read the full story.
Somewhere in Walla Walla, a hummingbird is doing more work than an eagle ever could. That is Brian Rudin’s metaphor for his Blue Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Franc; and after back-to-back 97-point Platinum awards from the Decanter World Wine Awards, it is not a metaphor anyone is inclined to argue with.
Out of nearly 17,000 entries submitted to the world’s largest wine competition this year, one Washington wine received a Platinum. One. This was it. For Rudin, who joined Echolands in 2023, the 2023 vintage marks the first Cabernet Franc he shepherded from vine to bottle. The judges noticed.
The Weight of a Single Platinum
The Decanter World Wine Awards, now in its 23rd edition, evaluated wines from 58 countries this year. Its judging panel included 245 international experts” 24 Master Sommeliers, 63 Masters of Wine among them. These are people who have tasted everything and are impressed by very little. When a panel of that caliber awards a Platinum to one Washington wine and only one, the number carries context.
Echolands’ Cabernet Franc from Blue Mountain Vineyard received 97 points in 2025 as well, meaning this is not a fluke vintage, a fortunate draw, or the kind of result that polishes up well before quietly disappearing. It is a wine that has proven itself twice, under the same competition’s scrutiny, in consecutive years.
Brian Rudin and the Case for Restraint
The judges described the wine as offering pencil-shaving tannins alongside a gentle herbaceous acidity; the kind of specific, textural language that signals a panel engaged with what was actually in the glass rather than reaching for a generic vocabulary of fruit and finish. The phrase is not flattering in the way that “lush” or “opulent” is flattering. It is better than that. It is precise.
Rudin’s winemaking philosophy aligns with the wine’s character. He has spoken about chasing the moment when Cabernet Franc’s herbaceous register begins to lighten, when the blue fruits and perfume take over from the green notes that can unbalance the varietal if harvested carelessly. In Washington, where the climate pushes Cabernet Franc toward concentration, that judgment call is not automatic. It is earned through attention.
Rudin came from Canvasback, Duckhorn’s Washington operation — a label built on Cabernet Sauvignon with the kind of institutional support that makes precision easier. At Echolands, the canvas is smaller, the resources more focused, and the varietal considerably less forgiving. He appears to have made peace with all of this.
The Estate Behind the Result
Echolands works with two vineyard blocks: the 28-acre Taggart Estate on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley, and the 26-acre Echolands Estate on the Washington side. The Blue Mountain Vineyard wine that earned the Platinum is distinct from both estate blocks: a single-vineyard designation with its own character that Rudin describes as lithe by nature, with the 2023 vintage coaxing slightly more structure than the wine typically offers.
That added grip matters.
Cabernet Franc without structural support can feel evasive on the palate — present and then gone, pleasant without insistence. The 2023 vintage, according to both Rudin and the judges, maintains the variety’s characteristic delicacy while offering enough framework to hold a meal. That is the sweet spot for the varietal in this region, and this wine appears to have found it.
The Riesling Footnote That Shouldn’t Be a Footnote
In the same judging cycle, Echolands’ Riesling Block 01 from Frenchman Hills Vineyard on Royal Slope received 96 points, the only Washington white wine to achieve that distinction this year, and one of only two American Rieslings recognized at that level nationally.
Royal Slope Riesling occupies a different register entirely from the Cab Franc: higher acid, cooler ripening, a structure that reads more vertical than expansive. That Echolands is producing at this level across two such different varietals: one red, one white; one warm-climate, one cool.
The winery was founded in 2018 by Doug Frost, one of four people on the planet to hold both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier designations simultaneously. His investment in a proprietary project after a career as a consultant and writer suggests he found something in Walla Walla he could not find as an observer. The wines suggest he was right.
Who Is Echolands?
Frost founded the winery with investor and conservationist Brad Bergman. It is a relatively young operation — six years in production — which makes the consistency of results across multiple competition cycles more notable, not less. Young wineries earning back-to-back Platinums at Decanter are not common. Young wineries doing so while also producing nationally recognized Riesling are rarer still.
For reference on Decanter’s scoring methodology and what Platinum designation requires, see Decanter World Wine Awards.
MINI FAQ
What is the Echolands Winery Cabernet Franc Blue Mountain Vineyard 2023?
It is a single-vineyard Cabernet Franc from the Walla Walla Valley AVA, produced by winemaker Brian Rudin in his first vintage at Echolands. The 2023 release received 97 points and a Platinum award from the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards — the only Washington wine to receive that distinction this year.
What makes Decanter Platinum significant?
The Decanter World Wine Awards is considered the world’s largest international wine competition. Platinum is awarded only to wines that score 97 points or above and are judged to be outstanding in their category. In 2026, fewer than a fraction of the nearly 17,000 entries received the designation.
Who founded Echolands Winery?
Echolands was founded in 2018 by Doug Frost, one of only four people globally to hold both the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier certifications, in partnership with investor Brad Bergman. It represents Frost’s first proprietary winery after a career as a wine consultant and writer.
Cabernet Franc for a serious taster
If you are sourcing a Cabernet Franc for a serious table, the Echolands Blue Mountain Vineyard 2023 is worth tracking down — though production at this scale tends to move quickly when the scores circulate. The Riesling Block 01 from Frenchman Hills is the quieter recommendation: less obvious, less competitive at retail, and performing at a level that most Washington white wine programs would be proud to match.
