McCrea is based in Western Washington, near the city of Olympia. It is owned and operated by Doug and Kim McCrea and Susan and Bob Neel. The winery was started in 1988 when Doug McCrea, a professional musician and educator, decided to turn his interest in wine-making, and making Rhone blends in particular, into a business. With his wife and business partners he started making Rhone-style blends from grapes grown in Eastern Washington, producing his first commercial vintages in the late 1980s. By the early 1990s McCrea was producing some of the first Grenache and Syrah wines in Washington. Within a few years they were also using Washington-grown Viognier, Mourvedre, Roussanne and other Rhone varietals to make Rhone-inspired blends. McCrea uses grapes sourced from Yakima Valley. Wine Advocate has noted that “Doug McCrea is one of Washington’s leading proponents of Rhone Ranger style wines. He gets considerable credit for getting Syrah underway in the State. He currently produces 3500 cases from his new winery from some of Washington’s finest terroirs.”