Details are few, but well-respected Washington State winemaker Eric Dunham died today. I never met him, but others I know said he was an incredibly kind and generous man.
I’ll follow up with more details as they emerge, or obviously others can fill in what they know.
He was relatively young, correct?
Had a number of their syrahs over the past decade, always wonderful and true to the area . . .
RIP…
Thanks for posting Chuck. A very nice guy. They just lost his dad Mike about 18 months ago. Awful news.
That’s a shock and a sad loss. Not too many months ago I was tasting wine that he was pouring and he seemed in perfect health.
P Hickner
Oh my gosh, that is terrible. I used to drink a ton of his wines back in the early 2000’s when I was first getting into wine. He was always so generous when we’d taste there with barrel samples and showing off his paintings.
I hope his family is okay and will think about them in their time of grief.
Terrible news. I heard he was 43 which is my age. Damn. RIP.
I heard the same thing; no details yet. Sad.
Bruce
Sad - we shared a table at a trade event in NYC a few years ago. Class act. RIP Eric.
I met him once and he was a very nice man. Plenty of time to talk to a neophyte. Sad news. Thoughts for his family.
Very nice guy. I met him around 99-2000, he was just starting out and we sold a bunch of his stuff for a year or two. Definitely too young.
I had lunch with him this year for Cinco de Mayo, he didn’t seem off at all. Very sad, a young talented guy who had a lot more to give…
We prank called Russell Bevan on speaker phone, I’ll always remember that.
That is sad news. I was never a huge fan of Dunham but enjoyed their wines. If I remember correctly, they were one of the first trailblazers at the old airport.
k.
Met him a few years ago at fundraiser in LA. Great guy.
Very sad
Unfortunately he took his own life.
Sad ending to too many winemakers.
FIFY. Not sure what makes winemakers more susceptible to suicide.
Eric’s story parallels a good friend of mine who killed himself at about the same age 7 years ago, married, kid(s). Depression sucks.
My only thought on this would be to look at really artistic people, and how depression seems to affect them more (musicians, artists, etc). I would consider winemaking part art, part science, and so I’d put them in the same artistic and creative camp.
I hope that one day soon, mental illness (depression, anxiety, etc) will not have the negative view that it does now in society, and that those that are suffering in such a way as to consider taking their own life will be able to reach out for help w/o being looked down upon. Depression isn’t just about being sad, it makes a person think in irrational and illogical ways, and when you start down that thought train, it is very difficult to “right the ship”. Many times, exterior help is the only way.
Very sad news. I had met Mike and Eric’s mother, never Eric, but have a cousin in law who was a friend. Very nice people. Condolences to the family.
Boy, do I agree with your second paragraph. Ir Eric had died in a winery accident, or a tractor mishap or any other such way, it would be the first thing that was mentioned in making people aware of his death. I ‘knew’ it had to be suicide yesterday when no one was talking about how he died, just how tragic it was, and it was confirmed later. I guess I don’t fully understand why people can’t seem to discuss someone’s suicide except in veiled terms. That’s part of what carries thru to the depressed person not revealing their depression to friends, let alone in some cases, family and loved ones. Perhaps if we were more open about discussing suicide, they might be more open about talking about depression and suicidal thoughts, and getting help.
As Emmylou Harris wrote in a song called ‘Red Dirt Girl’, “One thing they don’t tell you about the blues when you got ‘em is you keep on fallin’ cause there ain’t no bottom, there ain’t no end.”
Terrible news.
I too had met him, all round good guy and quality winemaker.
and taking his own life, that is beyond sad.
RIP Eric
I didn’t know him at all, but this is very, very sad news.
Here’s a nice article about Eric, and more generally about the people we know who pass: