Overview: Frenchman Hills Vineyard has secured a prestigious 96-point score at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards. This achievement marks the only white wine from Washington state to receive such recognition among nearly 17,000 entries. The grapes were originally planted by Mario Segale, the real-life inspiration for Nintendo’s iconic character.
The Full Story
Of all the white wines produced in Washington, only one earned a top score from the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards, widely considered the Oscars of the wine world. The grapes that made it were planted by the man who inspired Nintendo’s most famous character. Frenchman Hills Vineyard, a 468-acre estate on the Royal Slope in Grant County, is run by Mark Segale, whose late father Mario Segale became the unlikely namesake for Super Mario after renting a Tukwila warehouse to Nintendo in 1981.
The elder Segale, a real estate developer who died in 2018 at 84, never fully embraced his digital fame. He was Super Mario, but never knew. The family traces its roots to Italian immigrant farmers Louis and Rina Segale, who sold crops at Pike Place Market. Luigi, the beloved sidekick who has stood alongside Super Mario since the franchise’s early days, was named after Louis.
Production & Profile
Winemaker Brian Rudin discovered the site in 2010 almost by accident. Working his first winemaking job in Walla Walla, he needed Sauvignon Blanc grapes and turned to Google Earth to find them. What he found on the ground stunned him. Despite 2010 being one of Washington’s most difficult vintages in 30 years — cold, wet conditions that caused grapes to mold across the state — the Frenchman Hills crop remained in perfect condition.
Rudin’s Echolands Winery produced a Riesling from Frenchman Hills grapes that earned a 96-point score from the Decanter World Wine Awards. The site has this perfect combination: perfect soil, full sun exposure, high elevation, good drainage, excellent airflow, top-tier management. This spot tucked away in eastern Washington is where you can grow some of the best wine on earth.
Brand & Industry History
In 2003, Mario and Mark visited the Grant County property, about three hours east of Seattle. They had no plans to become farmers. “Then we broke the golden rule: never fall in love with a piece of real estate,” Mark Segale said. “But when we both saw it, we said, ‘This is amazing.’” They bought 150 acres that year and expanded to the vineyard’s current footprint. It was the only vineyard Mario Segale ever planted or owned.
What This Means
Sixteen years later, that conviction was validated. Rudin’s Echolands Winery produced a Riesling from Frenchman Hills grapes that earned a 96-point score from the Decanter World Wine Awards — the only white wine from Washington state to achieve the distinction out of nearly 17,000 entries from 58 countries, judged by 245 international experts. “We’re super thrilled,” Mark Segale said. “Because it’s an opportunity for us to really show the world what Frenchman Hills can do.”
Consumer Takeaway
The bottle offers a unique provenance rooted in a 468-acre estate located on the Royal Slope in Grant County. It represents a specific release from Echolands Winery where winemaker Brian Rudin identified the site as having perfect soil, full sun exposure, high elevation, good drainage, and excellent airflow.
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