Drew Bledsoe is on his way to Boston — and he wants to drink wine with you.
Ahead of a ticketed Seaport dinner, the former New England Patriots quarterback talks roasting Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, the Patriots, and all things wine.
When I reach Drew Bledsoe at his Whitefish, Montana, cabin, I hear dogs barking.
“Hold on. My parents are here with their dogs, and when their dogs get together with our dog, it turns into chaos,” Bledsoe tells me before he calms the pups down.
“OK, now let me find a good spot. There’s a lot of great things about Montana, but cell coverage is not one of them.”
This remote, currently dog-filled hideaway is the same cabin the former New England Patriot quarterback retreated to in the offseasons during his football-playing years.
It’s where he laid low after a wild night at The Paradise, instead of starring in “There’s Something About Mary” with Cameron Diaz.
But more on that later.
I’m calling because of wine.
See, one of the best surprises for me watching Netflix’s “The Roast of Tom Brady” was Drew Bledsoe. The former Patriots quarterback was unexpectedly hilarious. Apparently, I learn here, his wife Maura is, too.
“When most people lose their jobs, they start drinking. I started a winery. It’s called Doubleback. It’s named after what Tom does every time he walks past a mirror,” Bledsoe deadpanned at the podium. “My favorite wine is our world-class cabernet. Tom’s favorite whine is ‘Where’s the flag?!’”
Bledsoe tells me he wrote roughly two-thirds of the material, workshopping it in front of his kids and Maura.
At one workshopping session, he says, “Maura was sitting there, and [after I told that flag joke] she goes, ‘He got used to not being touched, just like the end of his marriage.’”
Bledsoe used that one. (Solid burn, Maura.)
So when I heard that the Bledsoes are headed to Boston and inviting locals to dine with them (should be one hilarious dinner party), I had to call.
On Oct. 15, a group of lucky vino-lovers and Pats fans can snag tickets for an intimate, limited-ticket dinner at Davio’s Seaport with the Bledsoes. Each of the five courses — menu includes lobster puffs, veal truffle caramelle with white truffles, and Australian wagyu ribeye — will pair with Bledsoe Family wines. ($225 per person while tickets last.)
I learned there are celebrities who slap their names on a bottle — and then there is Bledsoe. I asked him why he started a vineyard in his hometown of Walla Walla, Washington. What’s so unique about the terroir?
Well, Bledsoe’s 845-word answer begins “a couple billion years before the last Ice Age.”
“We have this bedrock of volcanic basalt that underlies everything,” Bledsoe said. “In Walla, Walla that lava … sank and created essentially a 20-mile-wide bathtub of volcanic basalt.
“During that ice age … we have these cataclysmic floods … the water hit this cliff-band outside our little bathtub of a valley… so we have this super interesting mineral-rich soil, very porous … really unique for growing wine grapes.”
Yeah, Bledsoe’s as passionate about wine as he is about football.
In fact, when he started a vineyard some 20 years ago, he didn’t want people thinking he was hawking some average “jock wine.” He kept his name off, and called it Doubleback. More recently, he’s launched Bledsoe McDaniels, under the same umbrella, Bledsoe Family Winery.
(Sidenote: Bledsoe’s roast of Brady earned him employee of the month at the Winery.)
I called Bledsoe for a wildly wide-ranging and entertaining interview — we talked Patriots, Belichick’s new career, roasting Brady, missing the North End, the possibility of a TV career, “There’s Something About Mary,” and more.
I love that you’re doing this dinner party in the Seaport. Any other events while you’re here?
After Davio’s, I’m down at Mohegan Sun for a corporate speaking event. Then we’re headed to London, actually, to pour wine at Wembley Stadium for the NFL game over there. Then we come straight back to Boston for another corporate speaking event. I think we’ll stay for the Pats game on the 26th.
So people can just buy tickets and go eat with you on the 15th?
Yeah. There are a lot of blessings in the wine business, and one is I get to have fancy dinners with interesting people. We partner up with a great restaurant, send wine ahead of time so they can put together a menu that pairs well.
I try not to get too wine-geeky at these things, but I go into a little geology and weather. From there, I tell the fun stories — old war stories about football.
From what you were telling me about the rocks and soil, it’s clear you have passion for wine.
If I’d known I was going to be a geology nerd in my professional life, I would’ve paid a little more attention in geology class in college. Geology 101: we called it “Rocks for Jocks” because the geology professor was a football fan.
[laughs] You started a vineyard in ’06, right after you retired from the Dallas Cowboys.
When I left ball, it wasn’t because I just didn’t want to play anymore. I knew what my next gig was going to be. 2007 was our first vintage.
Returning to Walla Walla is where the name “Doubleback” comes from.
Right, doubling back and coming home. Honestly, one thing working against us was that at that time, there were a handful of quote-unquote “celebrity wines” out there. And, Lauren, most of them were almost endorsement deals, where people lent their name to average wine. There was this stigma attached to “jock wines.” So we didn’t put Bledsoe on the bottle at first.
You mentioned Doubleback in a joke at the Brady roast. I loved your set. You said you wrote about two-thirds.
And we did work with the writers. A couple of jokes they sent, I turned down because I just didn’t think they worked well for me. Well, they gave those jokes to Tom. He got my hand-me-downs.
[laughs] That’s great.
[laughs] My four kids, individually, called me. They were very nervous about what I was going to say, because they’ve heard really bad dad jokes. They’re like, “Look, it’s not about you. If you go up there and make a fool of yourself, we’re gonna have to hear about it.”
[laughs] True. You also roasted Brady a bit at his Hall of Fame induction.
Yeah, that was time to be a little nicer. The only jab I threw in was that he was an awful backup quarterback: He didn’t understand what “backup” meant. When I come back, you’re supposed to go sit back down.
Did you have a favorite joke at the roast?
Oh geez. Nikki Glaser was an absolute killer. Tony Hinchcliffe— his delivery was so rapid-fire. He was a bit of an epiphany.
Belichick was an epiphany for me. I think a lot of Pats fans were probably watching him grin and laugh, thinking, “Wait, who is this guy?”
Isn’t that funny? He’s able to just turn that side off when he goes to work, which is not something that most people can do.
It’s so interesting, Lauren— he’s a different guy when he’s out of the office. I’d seen Bill [like that] early on at a wine shop by [Gillette] stadium.
A few years after I retired, we did a wine event there, and Belichick showed up. That was the first time I got to meet that guy: smiling and laughing and engaging.
Interesting. Do you hang out with any old Patriots teammates?
Todd Rucci is still a great friend of mine. He’s come out here to Montana for the Fourth of July every year since ’96. Keep in touch with Bruce Armstrong, Ben Coates from time to time. [Tedy] Bruschi, [Scott] Zolak. There’s probably 15 or 20 guys I touch base with a couple times a year. Willie McGinest, I got to spend some time with him at the roast. Tom’s roast and Hall of Fame induction, those were kind of reunions which was really fun.
Another New England connection: you were supposed to be in “There’s Something About Mary.”
[laughs] So the way that that went down, the Farrelly Brothers are New England guys.
From Rhode Island, right.
They initially wanted Steve Young because Cameron Diaz was a Niners fan, and Steve was her favorite player. But Steve’s a good Mormon boy, couldn’t be in a rated-R movie. I was their second choice because of the New England connection, and I turned it down for a couple reasons. One, it was during my summer sabbatical here in Montana where I reset for the season. Two, it was after my stage-diving incident at The Paradise [at an Everclear concert.] I was trying to reclaim my pristine image.
So I turned it down, and they gave it to Brett Favre. Obviously, it would’ve been much better if I’d been in it. I’m a way better actor than Brett.
[laughs] Have you ever been offered any other acting gigs? You had a natural delivery at the Brady roast.
I appreciate it. We’ve talked a little bit with a couple of producers. There’s some ideas we’ve been kicking around. I just gotta free up the time. The one I’m most excited about is a secret.
Interesting. So what do you think of the Patriots this year?
Pretty exciting, right? I knew when Mr. Kraft fired Jerod Mayo, the minute that happened, I knew he was hiring [Mike] Vrabel. I only got to play with Mike for one year, but we had a great relationship. Not surprising at all that he’s gone on to be a great coach.
He’s a brilliant guy, with all this energy and intensity in a positive way. We’ve got a very special young quarterback in Drake [Maye]. So I think the future’s bright. I know that Boston sports fans can get a bit irrational, and with good reason — it’s been an embarrassment of riches for 25 years. So I might temper people’s expectations a little bit — I don’t know that this will turn into another dynasty right away, but they’re definitely back to being very relevant.
Were you surprised that Belichick started coaching college football?
I was. I think a lot of people were. It’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out. It’s hard to envision Bill sitting in the living room of a 17-year-old convincing him that it’s going to be fun to come play college ball. So it’ll be interesting to see how it goes — obviously, wouldn’t bet against him; he’s clearly brilliant. But that was an interesting decision.
It seemed like he was having fun doing some of the TV [commentating]. But some of these old football coaches, it’s like an addiction. Some don’t know what to do if they’re not coaching.
True. Would you want to do any TV commentating?
When I first left ball, I didn’t want to for a couple of reasons. One: our kids were young, and I really wanted to be around for all of their stuff. I got to coach all three of our sons in football, was there for our daughter’s basketball and lacrosse games. And to be honest with you, I wanted to see if we could create something new with the wine thing.
But now that [ the kids are grown], it’s something I’ve kicked around a little bit. I don’t know if it’s too late to get back into that we’ll see. It may be something I consider for next year. Although my brother reminds me that I’ve got a great face for radio.
[laughs] So it sounds like you’re really hands-on at the winery.
I’m involved in every aspect, but when it comes to actually executing the winemaking and the farming, I have people much more qualified than I am. My involvement is more directional. But I am intimately involved in every aspect. That’s one thing I enjoy about the wine business, is it’s very complicated. It keeps my brain active.
What’s a favorite wine you make?
I love our Cabernet. We make a Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley of Oregon, and when we bring that home, it’s embarrassing how fast it goes. We’ll bring home a case with the intent of letting it age for a few years, and all of a sudden I look and the box is empty.
[laughs] When you get back to Boston, do you have favorite places to visit?
One thing I truly miss: great Italian food. We have a lot going for us in the Northwest, but we don’t have that level of Italian food. So I love to get to the North End. That’s probably the biggest thing I miss.
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