A Cellar Full of Surprises
If you have been reading this blog for any amount of time, you know I am a regular at Zupan’s Markets cellar dinners. The food is always excellent, the wine is always interesting, and the intimate setting in the Burnside basement feels like Portland’s best kept secret. But tonight was something different entirely.
This evening the guest of honor was Kyle MacLachlan, the actor behind some of the most iconic roles in film and television over the past four decades. Agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks. Paul Atreides in David Lynch’s Dune. The Mayor of Portland in Portlandia. And currently, Mayor Hank from the post-apocalyptic Fallout series. But Kyle was not here as an actor. He was here in Portland (and more specifically, at Zupan’s) as a winemaker, the founder and proprietor of Pursued by Bear, his Walla Walla winery that has been quietly earning serious recognition for over two decades.
It felt, in the best possible way, like living inside an episode of Portlandia. And the evening delivered one of the finest meals I have had at any Zupan’s dinner to date.
Stepping Into the Cellar
Guests were welcomed with a reception spread of veal and porcini meatballs with sauce verte alongside gougères, those light and airy French cheese puffs. The table was set with white orchids, and the wine was already flowing.
The cellar itself looked stunning. A long communal table was dressed in black linen, surrounded by walls of wine bottles, glowing globe chandeliers overhead, and taper candles that gave the room the feeling of an intimate private dinner rather than a ticketed event. There were sixteen of us seated together, which is exactly the right number for this kind of evening. Close enough for real conversation.
The Man Behind the Bear
Kyle opened the evening by explaining the story behind the name. Pursued by Bear comes from one of Shakespeare’s most famous and eccentric stage directions, from Act Three of The Winter’s Tale: “Exit, pursued by a bear.” Given that Kyle’s first professional acting job was with the Ashland Shakespeare Festival, the name carries personal weight far beyond the whimsy of the label.
What followed was a masterclass in approachability. Kyle spoke openly about growing up in Yakima, falling in love with wine during his early years in Los Angeles, and eventually circling back to Washington State to start making his own. His wife told him what should have been obvious: “You idiot, it’s Washington. You’ve got to go back to your home.” He laughed when he told it, and it was clear that humility and humor are as central to his personality as curiosity.
His first vintage in 2005 was a Cabernet Merlot Syrah blend, just three hundred cases, produced through a handshake deal with winemaker Eric Dunham. When he opened Wine Spectator one day and saw Pursued by Bear rated 91 points, it changed everything. “I’ve had many reviews over my movies and TV shows,” he said, “but that’s the one I will always remember.”
Today Kyle works with winemaker Dan Wampfler and his wife Amy Alvarez-Wampfler at Abeja. He sources from some of the best vineyards in eastern Washington, including Garrison Creek, Dionysus, and Heather Hill. His wines are Bordeaux-inspired: balanced, food-friendly, and built to age. He talked about his aspiration to mirror the elegance of French winemaking rather than the fruit-forward power of California. “You’re not going to get shocked with the alcohol,” he said. “You’re not going to have too much tannins or too much fruit. It should be balanced. That’s the goal.”
Kyle was generous with his time and his stories. He answered questions about everything from his acting process to his thoughts on the wine industry, from his upcoming collaboration with the creator of John Wick to the challenge of raising a seventeen-year-old son. He mentioned that he is currently reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time after watching the 1995 BBC adaptation with his son for an English class assignment. “The language is unbelievable,” he said. “I’m an idiot for not reading it sooner.”
One exchange that particularly stuck with me was when someone at the table commented that curiosity seemed to be the thread through everything Kyle does, whether in acting, winemaking, or his Gen Z podcast called What Are We Even Doing. Kyle paused and said something that stayed with me: “If I talk to someone who’s eighty-five or ninety years old and they’re curious, I’m connected to them. Because they want to know. They’ve stayed current. That’s my thing. I want to be that person.”
Chef John and the Food
If Kyle set the tone, Chef John absolutely delivered the substance. This was one of the best meals I have had at a Zupan’s cellar dinner, and I do not say that lightly.
After the reception bites, we sat down to a four-course meal, each course paired thoughtfully with a different Pursued by Bear wine. The meal opened with a Robiola Timbale, paired with delicata squash, pine bud syrup, and kale, served alongside the Bear Cub Red Blend. The timbale was creamy and delicate. The pine bud syrup was something I had never encountered before, and it added a subtle, woodsy sweetness that caught the whole table off guard. It was inventive without feeling forced.
The second course brought Turmeric Cavatelli with braised lamb and English peas, paired with the Pursued by Bear Cabernet Sauvignon. This was the standout of the night for me. The lamb was fall-apart tender, deeply flavorful, and the turmeric-tinged cavatelli held the braise beautifully. The peas were bright and fresh, adding just the right contrast. When Chef John came downstairs to check in, someone at the table told him the lamb was insane. He mentioned the peas might have been a touch crunchy. Personally, I thought lightly blanched fresh peas delivered the perfect crunch and texture that the dish needed, and it gave the dish a snap of freshness against all that richness.
The main course was a Snake River Farms Wagyu New York Steak with a pecorino potato tart and aceto tradizionale, paired with the Baby Bear Syrah. The steak was cooked to a beautiful medium rare with a gorgeous sear, sliced thick and fanned across the plate. The potato tart was crispy and cheesy and everything you want next to a great piece of beef. The balsamic drizzle added just the right amount of acidity. This was a generous, confident plate of food and by the time it arrived I watched several guests audibly gasp as it took their breath away.
Dessert was a Stracciatella Croquette with huckleberries. A crispy, golden croquette sitting in a vivid pool of huckleberry sauce. The contrast between the warm, crunchy shell and the cool, creamy stracciatella inside was excellent. The huckleberries tied it all back to the Pacific Northwest in the most fitting way possible.
The Wines
I came into the evening expecting solid celebrity wine that you smile politely about and move on. I was wrong. These were genuinely impressive wines, and with the food they became even better. Kyle made this point himself: his wines are built to be paired with food, not sipped alone, and the pairings proved it.
We started with a Blushing Bear Rosé, which had been bottled just the week before. Kyle described it as a Provençal-style blend of Mourvèdre and Grenache and he said we should feel like we are sitting on a terrace in the south of France. For something that fresh, it was surprisingly polished. Notes of strawberry and a cotton candy lightness that made it an easy, delightful start.
The Bear Cub Chardonnay was light, mineral-driven, and deliberately restrained on the malolactic fermentation, leaning Chablis rather than California butter with ‘spider legs’. It paired beautifully with the timbale. The Bear Cub Red Blend, the Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Baby Bear Syrah all followed a similar philosophy: balanced, elegant, built for the table. The Cabernet in particular opened up beautifully next to the braised lamb, and one guest at the table noted that he had tasted the same cab at a wine event the night before and found it fine, but with food it was excellent. Kyle nodded and said, “They’re meant to be paired with food. That’s the thing about wine drinking now. I think people are missing the idea that you’re supposed to do these together.”
I picked up a bottle of the Cabernet Sauvignon and a Baby Bear Syrah on the way out, and Kyle graciously signed both.
A Night Worth Remembering
What made this evening special was not just that a famous actor was in the room. It was how present and genuine Kyle MacLachlan was throughout the night. He answered every question with care. He told stories with humor and self-deprecation. He talked about his craft, both of them, with a curiosity that felt contagious. When someone mentioned they were fans of Twin Peaks, he engaged warmly. When the conversation turned to Portlandia, he lit up. When someone asked about Showgirls, he took it in stride.
There was a moment toward the end of the dinner when Kyle, still lingering at the table as guests slowly made their way out, was talking about winemaking and acting with the same kind of reflective energy. He compared the two and said something that resonated: “Both call for careful study, intensive work behind the scenes, and a little bit of magic.”
Between the wine, the food, and the conversation, this was one of those Portland evenings that reminds you why these experiences are worth seeking out. Chef John deserves enormous credit for a meal that elevated the entire night. And Kyle MacLachlan, it turns out, is just as thoughtful and engaging with a wine glass in his hand as he is on screen.
If Pursued by Bear ever makes its way onto your radar, or if you find yourself in Walla Walla and have the chance to visit the tasting room on Palouse Street with its bright pink facade and bronze bear greeting you at the door, do yourself a favor and go. You will not be disappointed. And if Kyle happens to be there, bring your curiosity. He will match it.