Kobayashi Winery was founded in 2014 by Travis Allen and Mario Kobayashi and has since become one of the most exciting and distinctive new projects to emerge from Washington State. Their journey into the Washington wine business was anything but conventional, as neither had a formal winemaking background. In 2007, Travis and Mario moved their family to the Pacific Northwest after Travis accepted a position as a nurse anesthetist at Seattle Children's Hospital—a role he continues to hold part-time.

Having long been a serious student of wine, Travis eventually decided to try his hand at production, starting with a single barrel of Cabernet Franc at an urban winery in Seattle. From that modest 25-case debut in 2014, Kobayashi Winery has grown to produce fewer than 1,000 cases annually—intentionally remaining small-scale, with no plans to expand.

Today, production takes place at Force Majeure Winery in Milton-Freewater, just south of Walla Walla. Kobayashi focuses on Northern Rhône varieties and Cabernet Franc sourced from premier Columbia Valley vineyards, including WeatherEye and Red Willow. The wines strike a balance between being rooted in Washington terroir while driven by an innovative, boundary-pushing spirit. From hand-crushing individual Syrah clusters into puncheon fermenters to aging Cabernet Franc in Mizunara oak barrels imported from Japan, Travis and Mario's attention to detail and willingness to experiment sets their work apart. We are thrilled to welcome Kobayashi to the Bowler portfolio!