Sleeping Dog Wines

Very nice people. Very willing to share their knowledge, stories and let us have a look around the winery. The wines were very drinkable. The dog was definitely part of the brand. The interesting thing here was that the wine maker had fresh crushed juice to sample so we got the juice to compare to the wine. That was really interesting!

This winery is a nice reprieve from some of the bigger wineries. Very personal and sue and Joel were super nice and very knowledgeable. The wines were delicious and grapes from just across the street. Our favorite was the petite Syrah. Doesn’t hurt they have a wine dog too, Jet. Definitely worth a visit.

Allot some extra time to visit Sleeping Dog. It’s a bit off the beaten path and once you get there you’ll want to hang out for a while. Aurora, the sleeping dog and model for most of the labels, will greet you and lead you to the tasting room where the lineup of wines starts off with a very good Sauvignon Blanc then moves into impressive reds that get progressively better and better, culminating in their signature Tail Wagger (cab sauv blend) and an inky, dark Malbec that I can’t get enough of. Larry, the winemaker, is always there to pour another taste and answer questions about the wines, the grapes, the process, or the eclectic blend of music always playing in the background. All of the grapes come from right across the gravel road at Buoy Vineyards.
Larry (alpha winemaker) spent a decade as a hobby vintner perfecting his skills before launching the winery in 2002. He still seems to have a hobby/​experimental approach as he handcrafts small batches of wines. In addition to the usual red varieties, Larry has recently begun bottling Petit Syrah, Petit Verdot, Montepulciano, Carmnere, and Dolcetto. That’s a lot of variety from one small winery so be prepared to spend a while savoring the lineup. I thoroughly enjoyed the wines and the atmosphere. And judging by the fact that everyone who came and went during my visit seemed to leave with a smile and at least a couple of bottles, I’m not the only one who’ll be coming back for more.

We had seen some write ups on Sleeping Dog and went out of the way to find it and we were not disappointed. We met the wine dog but our dog was being a jerk so had to go back in the car. I like very mellow reds and sweet wines and I was able to get both here. The proprietors were also the nicest people ever.

We love this winery. Of all that we visited today during ‘catch the crush’, this was the hands down favorite. Good wines, (tail wagger red and Malbec especially along with a nice Riesling) and the most friendly people. We met Aurora and Larry the owner/​founder. We shared a few stories and a lot of laughs. Worth the drive through some pretty country to go off the beaten path and meet these folks.

We loved meeting the winemaker and his dog at Sleeping Dog Winery. Great wines and great conversation! Will be coming back for sure!

I was very excited to check out Sleeping Dog Winery in Benton City on this wine-​tasting adventure. I wish every winery had a wine dog, and obviously a winery called Sleeping Dog would have wine dogs… sweetheart Aurora and sidekick Big Boy. We had a hearty doggy greeting. Sleeping Dog Winery is in the middle of farmland. A little bit of gravel road to get there, surrounded by apple orchards and grape vines. It was a small tasting room, and on our visit, it seemed that the people there were regulars. The winemakers were so friendly. My BF got the feeling that they were unsure of our wine background, but once they realized we were genuinely interested in Washington wine, they really invited us in. We tried their Malbec Rose’, ’04 Merlot, ’05 Merlot, ’04 Syrah, Tail Wagger (blend of Cab Sauv, Merlot, Malbec, Syrah) and Malbec ’06. The Tail Wagger blend was very tasty and now I wish I had bought some bottles. We did get some of their Malbec which was so good, fruit on the nose and slightly on the tongue initially, but then a slightly dry finish with a delightful pepper at the end. Delicious wine and entertaining conversation is always an appealing combination.