Our Story

About Nefarious

When Dean and I met, we both loved the idea of making wine. It seemed like the most romantic profession. On a trip through the Willamette Valley, we realized it didn't have to be a dream — it was something we could actually make happen.

On Valentine's Day 2001 we packed up and moved to Oregon to learn everything we could. We took classes, worked harvests, and spent three years getting our hands dirty in some really wonderful cellars. We loved Pinot Noir deeply. But Washington kept calling us home.

Lake Chelan was new to the wine scene and felt full of opportunity. And as much as we loved Oregon, the varietal possibilities in Washington — Syrah especially — were genuinely exciting to us. In 2004 we bought an old pear orchard in Chelan and started planting. On Valentine's Day 2006 we opened the doors to Nefarious Cellars. We were the sixth winery in the Lake Chelan AVA. Today there are more than forty.

The name comes from ours — Neff. It suited us.

Dean makes the reds. Heather makes the whites and rosé. That's always been true, and we think the wines are better for it.

Our wines have always been Rhône focused — elegant, approachable, dynamic, full of fruit, and true to the varieties from which they're made. They speak to Washington while staying honest to the grapes. That's what we've always chased, and it's still what gets us excited.

After twenty years of harvests, we've moved into a smaller, more intentional chapter. No tasting room, no crowds — just the wines and the people who love them. Honestly, it feels like freedom. We get to focus entirely on what we love most, and we're excited about where the wines can go from here.

We're glad you found us.

— Dean and Heather