JM Cellars
Off to Woodinville!!!! When booking our trip to Seattle, we really wanted to do something “adult” since we were without the kids. We
Welcome To Woodinville Sign
called the Seattle Sheraton and the concierge highly recommended Evergreen Escapes!!! So we called and booked a wine tasting tour through Woodinville. The tour takes you on a beautiful ride in a Mercedes van to Woodinville. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, born & raised in the local area. The price is $125 per person which includes a 6 hour tour that takes you through 3 wineries. http://evergreenescapes.com/woodinville-wine-trail-experience
Elsom Cellars
Woodinville, WA: Woodinville is located in King County, Washington. The population is approximately 10,938. Woodinville is part of the Seattle metropolitan area. There is a much larger population in Woodinville when including the adjacent areas of King (Cottage Lake) and Snohomish (Maltby) counties. Woodinville has waterfront parks on the Sammamish River, sweeping winery and brewery grounds, and densely wooded residential areas.
Woodinville’s economy is a mix of light industrial, retail, and tourism. Woodinville is commonly known for its local wineries, which showcase wines from grapes grown in Eastern Washington including Chateau Ste. Michelle, which is well-known for their popular summer concert series, Columbia Winery and dozens of other smaller ones. The Woodinville Tourist District is also home to the Redhook Ale Brewery and several fine restaurants including The Herbfarm “destination” restaurant.
Until July 2007, the north end of the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train’s route was at the Columbia Winery. Talks are currently underway to restore service, but running from Woodinville north to Snohomish, instead of south to Renton.
Elsom Cellars
Eat a big breakfast before heading out on the 6 hour tour. We walked to Pike Place first and had a great breakfast at Bacco Bistro prior to taking off to Woodinville. The tour company will provide a meat and cheese platter at one of the wineries. However, I highly recommend bringing snacks so that you don’t get too woosey. Ha! We packed our beef jerky and granola bars (very posh) to snack during the ride. Bring enough to share!!! The tour take anywhere from 2-10 people. Our tour had a group of 8 from all over the U.S. It was fun chatting it up with a group, laughing along the way.
Evergreen Escapes:
Just outside Seattle lies Woodinville wine country, boasting nearly 100 wineries and tasting rooms. On this half-day quest, visit three award-winning wineries that deliver on elegance but leave the pretense at the door. Meet winemakers, tour wineries and taste fine wine, while our expert guides give a lesson in viticulture. You’ll clean your palate with local meats and cheeses, and shuttle this all-inclusive experience in one of our plush bio-diesel Mercedes vans.
First stop, Eslom Cellars!!!! Everyone’s favorite that day was the 2009 Columbia Valley Isabella (red) and the Road to Hell (white).
Elsom Cellars
Wine Tasting Menu
Red Wine Blend!!!! Be sure to ask for this one.
My husband’s second favorite was the 2009 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon. The tastings at this winery were primarily reds. The staff was personable, knowledgable and fun!!! Be sure to ask for Erich!!He took us back to the barrels where we were able to sample directly from the barrel.
For more information be sure to visit
their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elsom-Cellars/106846303129
We were thrilled to be able to experience a tasting from an additional winery that day called Celaeno Winery. Brian was very accommodating and described the details of his amazing wine- Road to Hell. The benefits of wine tasting from two wineries all in one place!!
Elsom Menu
As people who don’t typically drink white wine, we were blown away by the flavor and body of the white wine “Road to Hell”. Brian offered a taste of two different versions of his white wine. Both wines were the exact same grape and made at the exact same time. The difference in the two was that one was in an oak barrel and the other was in a stainless steel tank. We couldn’t believe the difference in the two. The wine from the stainless steel was a softer wine that left your palate immediately, while the “Road to Hell” had a bold flavor that lasted well after the taste. In addition, you were able to get a really good taste of the oak; it wasn’t overwhelmingly oaky, just perfect. The Road to Hell would be excellent with good chicken or seafood. We even asked the owner if we could have another glass – which he was nice enough to give.
Be sure to check them out on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CelaenoWinery?ref=br_rs
JM Cellars
Our next stop was JM Cellars located up in the hills of Woodinville.
Barrels at JM Cellars
Driving into the winery was amazing. The trees were so tall and you can smell them immediately stepping out of the van. The property and winery itself was absolutely beautiful. It has a very classy feel. When we walked up the path to the entrance there was a table setup with the wine glasses and a very
John at JM Cellars
nice lady standing behind waiting to pour our drinks. Before pouring though, she began telling us about the property, the owners and the wine.
JM Cellars pouring
The introduction was very educational and had us all eager to try the wine. The ambiance and setting at this winery was quite inviting. After our second tasting of the wine, John the owner took us in the back of the winery to show the barrels and explain where the wine was made. John took the time to explain their vineyards, the process, and THEIR style of making wine. Oh yeah, he also gave us two tastings of the wine right out of the barrel!!! We learned more about the process of wine making in the 15 minutes in the back of JM than ever before. We learned about the different kinds of oak barrels and why they use the ones they do. After he was finished explaining, we went to the next room for tasting. This is where we tasted our favorite JM wine the 2010 TRE, which is named after their three sons. The wine was amazing and something we wish we could have all of the time – for when we have company or just eating steak. This was a great wine!
John mentioned monthly family dinners that are held at the winery. I contacted the winery to find out more information.
“We hold what we call “Family Dinners” each quarter. These are usually for our wine club members and guests featuring a local chef who will cook on site and share the process with the guests as the evening progresses. They are intimate groups of 40 and we always have amazing food.”
Contact Brenda Butler at brenda@jmcellars.com if you have questions regarding the family dinners.
JM Cellars
JM Wine Tasting List
JM Cellars is a family-owned winery in Woodinville, Washington working in
partnership with a diverse collection of the Columbia Valley’s
best vineyards to produce high quality wines styled for balance, power,
dimension and finesse. Best known for blended reds (we make four), many regard
Tre (formerly Tre Fanciulli) as JM Cellars’ “signature”
wine.
Production of all our wines is limited and so too is availability.
The wines are sold through our tasting room in Woodinville, our mailing list and in select wine shops
and restaurants. We hope your family will enjoy drinking them as much as our
family has enjoyed making them.
http://www.jmcellars.com/
Group wine tasting at Kestrel Winery
Kestrel
Final stop, Kestrel Winery.
Kestrel Winery
We opened our winery in early 1999 on three acresin the Prosser Wine and Food Park.Our winery building is 15,000 square feet, which includes a 13,500 square foot cellar, tank, warehouse and barrel area as well as a 1,500 square foot tasting room, gift shop and office.We opened our doors as a 3,000 case winery and are now at approximately 35,000 cases.We are predominately a red wine producer with 90% of our production in Lady in Red, our red table blend, as well as our red varietals – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. The remaining 10% is in Platinum – a blend of Gewurztraminer and Viognier, as well as Chardonnay and Viognier varietals.Barrel aging plays an important part in our wine production. Our wines are aged one-to-two years in the finest French, American and Hungarian oak barrels and provided bottle aging prior to release.http://www.kestrelwines.com/aboutus/
Meat and Cheese Platter
$$ saving tips: Highly recommend booking a tour for several reasons. You can wine taste at numerous wineries and not worry about driving. Although the wine tastings were only about $10 per person, you will save money booking the tour because you wont have to rent a car, deal with GPS, hire a driver nor pay for gas. Also, the tour guides are so knowledgable and you don’t have to choose which wineries to visit when there are over 100 in Woodinville. The tour guides encourage feedback from the clients. We had an exceptional tour guide who kept us laughing while educating the group about each winery.
5 Wheels to 5 Star 