Patrick Flanagan was not only our son, our brother, an uncle, our comrade, one heck of a race car driver and an avid wine lover, he is also the heart and soul of Ryan Patrick Vineyards. At the youthful age of 21, just old enough to drink (legally), Patrick took on the role of Cellar Master at Three Rivers Winery in Walla Walla, Washington, preparing to one day take the reign’s as head winemaker for his namesake, Ryan Patrick Vineyards. He gained experience from Charlie Hoppes (Fidelitas) and Holly Turner (Three Rivers Winery), and then moved on to Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla. Patrick learned an extraordinary amount in a short period of time, without any technical schooling, and eventually made the move back home to Wenatchee, Washington.

He worked as Apprentice Winemaker under our previous winemaker and also, for a short time, with our current winemaker, Craig Mitrakul. Patrick put his heart and soul into the wines he made; staying at the winery from dawn to dusk, showing us all he knew how to get the job done and just how much he cared. He learned from some of the best and left us with his best. Patrick passed away on August 17, 2004 in a car accident. He will eternally be 24 years old and has left us all with an undying love for him and for life. We are very proud that the wines Patrick worked on from start to finish received our highest scores yet in the June 2006 issue of the highly renowned Wine Spectator. Patrick is our inspiration behind the grapes in our vineyards and the bottles of wine we produce. Some of you may have had the pleasure of knowing Patrick, for those of you who did not, we promise he would have touched your soul like he touched so many others.

Patrick Terence Flanagan
April 11, 1980 - August 17, 2004