Tasting Our Way Around Lake Chelan
It is no secret that we love our wines… And the west side of the state has some fantastic tasting locations that we enjoy frequenting. However, part of looking forward to our yearly trip to Chelan is anticipation of the phenomenally unique flavors this region has to offer. The nickname of wine country has been well earned!
Ancestry Cellars
Part 1 Day 1
Coming into town Wednesday night before a holiday weekend, there was a limited number of things open. We really just wanted to putter around downtown Manson for a couple hours with dinner and some wine tastings. Come 5:00pm… that was a more difficult request to achieve than we thought. So, after some pizza, we went to the one place open, Ancestry Cellars.
They had red and white tasting menus. We both tasted the 5 reds while our daughter tasted the 5 whites.
We did walk away with five bottles: two 2017 reserve Cabernet Sauvignons, two 2016 La Seurs, and one Sauvignon Blanc for our daughter, a favorite of hers as it is Keto friendly.
However, we found out they would be sampling four years of Cabernet Sauvignons from the Red Mountain region, 2014-2017, starting Friday… We knew we would be back for a round 2!
Part 2 - Returning for the Red Mountain
Three magic words: Red Mountain AVA… Friday evening we knew we HAD to return to Ancestry cellars to catch the tasting of their four years of Cabernet Sauvignons. While the 2018 fruit has, in my (Zeek) opinion, produced the best fruit due to the Canadian wildfire smoke that blanketed the vineyards during harvest season, to have the opportunity to compare tastings over four years from 2014-2017 was a special treat!
2014: Aged in French Oak, with a wonderful scent of raspberry but not fruity in flavor. It is smooth with a slight warming sensation and a medium finish.
2015: Aged in French Oak, it has a deep rich opaque red color. With high minerality complimented by dark fruit flavors, yet not sweet, it is mildly acidic with a short finish.
2016: Aged in a mix of French and American Oak, echoing the color and minerality of the 2015, the smell is reminiscent of a slate rock after the first rain of a season. The smokey robust flavor is felt throughout your entire mouth, with a long finish that stays warm even after you finished the sip.
2017: Aged in a mix of French and American Oak, it was refreshing yet dry, with a mix between the minerality and fruitiness of the 2015 and 2016 and a smooth short finish that lingers.
Out of all four, there was truly no way to go wrong… But Denice’s favorite was the 2014, Zeek’s favorite was the 2016, and our daughter’s favorite was 2017. We left with a specialty bottle of the 2016 to add to our collection. Huge thank you to the phenomenal tasting room attendant who made our experience incredibly fun, and their knowledge of the wine selection added immensely to our enjoyment of the flavors.
Rocky Pond Tasting Room
We had briefly stopped at the Rocky Pond tasting room on our way out of town last year, and the charcuterie board has been my (Zeek) phone background for a year… We knew we had to go back!
Chef Austin’s food is divine, and we have yet to meet someone who disagrees. The charcuterie, changed up from last year, still did not disappoint. We also tried the asparagus with whipped salmon and dill reduction, the boar tartare, and macaroons and sorbet from the kitchen. We went back that evening for music and a third time on our way out of town!
2021 Glacial Treasure: This was a uniquely dry white. While it didn’t appease the refreshing sweetness that most of the white wine drinkers in our group look for, the crispness was a rather welcome surprise to those who enjoy reds.
2021 Stratestone Rosé: Some rosés taste pink… But this was a rather big rose! It was bold and dry but smooth.
2019 Stratestone: This was a bright flavored red with smooth finish. It was easy to enjoy with a classic red taste. As a semi dry red, it had wide appeal to our group.
2019 11 Dams: With a strong berry flavor, but not sweet, this was a dry red. It was mildly acidic with a medium finish.
2019 Cabernet Sauvignon: This cab sav hit exactly our expectations. With no surprises, it had a full mouth flavor, medium finish, and slight warming.
2019 Domain CheValle: This was not on the tasting menu, but I (Denice) had two glasses of very dry and crisp. Perfect for a warm summer evening, it was great to enjoy with tasting plates and some music in the background.
Amos and Rome Tasting Room and Vineyard
Amos and Rome, with a unique logo of the name back-to-back, is named after the owner’s daughter’s cats. When they opened, with the father owning the land and his son-in-law as the winemaker, they gave the girls the right to name the tasting room. As a joke to their mother, who cannot stand cats and is allergic, they named it after each of their respective cats, Amos and Rome.
2021 Estate Malbec Rosé: This was a dry rose, with bold flavors but yet reminiscent of a classic rose flavor.
2021 Estate Riesling: This was a dry crisp Riesling, refreshing but not sweet with a slight minerality reminiscent of Lake Chelan grapes.
2020 Estate Riesling Reinless: This was not on the tasting menu, but our daughter had a glass of this to enjoy a semi-dry white during the tasting. It was slightly sweet but still crisp.
2021 Estate Concrete Gruner Veltliner: This was an unexpected taste for a white wine. It was dry but fruity while not sweet. A good pairing for a fish dinner.
2019 Estate Duo: A medium finish red, this Merlot and Malbec blend had a medium finish with slight acidity.
2019 Estate The Machine: This was a strong Merlot flavor with the strength of a Cab Franc behind it. A good generally enjoyable table red.
The tastings were unique and highly enjoyable. We walked away with a bottle of the Malbec Rosé for our son, and a 2019 Estate Embers that was not available for tasting but piqued our interest following the flavors we had tasted.
Skagit Cellars
Skagit Cellars was a completely unexpected star of our tasting trips. We had planned to visit a few tasting rooms along Manson’s main road, and walked into the tasting room unsure of what we would find… Well, we walked away with a case of wine! The most purchases we made anywhere!
Kasmira Elliot was beyond welcoming when we came in and was excited to walk us through their fantastic selection. We had a blast trying delicious wines and chatting with her about everything to do with creating such perfect bottles!
2019 Pinot Noir: The tasting immediately started on the right note. This Pinot was extremely easy to enjoy! It had a completely balanced flavor with a mildly warming finish.
2018 Barbera: Full flavored and smooth, this Barbera went down easy. It had obvious tannins which only added to the lingering taste.
2018 Syrah: The 2018 had savory and spicy notes with the punch of a Syrah. This one was a little more warming with a longer finish.
2019 Syrah: The 2019, while spicy, was more evident of baking spices. Compared to the 2018 it was smoother with a shorter finish but fantastic flavor nonetheless.
2019 Tempranillo: The classic Spain style was evident, but this Tempranillo was bigger and bolder. It goes down smooth and would elevate any meal it is paired with
Having the opportunity to taste the 2018 and 2019 Syrah’s back-to-back was a special treat. While both packed the refined punch expected in a Syrah, they were incredibly unique flavors. Similar to the comparison of the Cabernet Sauvignon’s at Ancestry Cellars, comparing wines of the same variety from the same vineyards across different years is an experience that cannot be topped!
Alta Cellars
We did not complete a full tasting at Alta Cellars but wanted to be certain to mention it. We stopped by Alta to listen to live music and danced to a few songs on the sidewalk. The energy and atmosphere of the tasting room was fantastic, and despite the bustling atmosphere, the tasting room attendant was attentive and taking care of each customer. We purchased a bottle of their 2019 Syrah to share. It was bold with a medium finish and slight warming sensation. Altogether a perfect red to enjoy on the porch in the evening sun. We hope to make it back on our next trip for a full tasting!
Although I (Denice) did make a friend! We met Zion, an incredibly sweet black lab with the couple sitting next to us. His sweet 10-year-old face full of love reminded me of my sweet pups!
Chelan Ridge
While there are a variety of “Chelan” named wineries, vineyards, and tasting rooms, the Chelan Ridge name was new to us. However, we had purchased a bottle from Chelan Ridge in one of the downtown Chelan restaurants the day before and were excited to try more! Originally built in 2003, the winery had been purchased in September of 2021 by Bill and his family, and they are working to grow the tasting room and wine offerings alike.
2019 Chardonnay: This was a classic Chardonnay flavor, buttery and smooth. Easy to drink and great for Chardonnay lovers.
2020 Pretty in Pink Rosé: This was a dry Rosé, fruity but not sweet, with a smooth finish.
2015 Cabernet Franc: This had a big and deep flavor. It had a long and warming finish.
2016 Syrah: Mildly warming with a long finish, yet smooth and balanced. This was an easy to drink Syrah.
2016 Ridge Rendezvous: A spicy Bordeaux style red wine, it was a big taste blending Cab Franc and Malbec, two of our favorite wines!
2016 Malbec: This Malbec was smooth and rich with dark fruit flavors and a medium finish.
2015 Merlot: This bonus taster had one of the deepest flavors we have tasted in a Merlot. It was reminiscent of strawberry, very acidic with a big bite for a Merlot! We had to ask again to confirm it was truly a Merlot… They shared there was concern after the vineyard had been blanketed by smoke that the grapes would leave smokey notes in any wine. So, they let it sit in barrels for an extra year to remove any smokiness, which did the job spectacularly!
Along with the wine we enjoyed a charcuterie board complete with Cab Franc butter and Cab Sav grape jam made from the winery’s grapes! Both were delicious and we were sad we had eaten prior to coming as we would have loved to sample their house made pizzas. And once again, I (Denice) enjoyed meeting the sweet winery dogs. While we didn’t catch their names, we did hear that a specialty wine is being released in their honor! Altogether, the staff and wine alike were fantastic, and it was a great experience. We are excited to see them grow in years to come.
Silver Bell
Our final tasting of the trip was Silver Bell. Nearing their one-year anniversary, they opened in June 2021 on their wine maker Allen’s birthday. Their grapes generally come from Yakima and Walla Walla regions instead of the glacial till soil of the Chelan region. We enjoyed tasting from a different region, while Tom, my (Zeek) father-in-law, enjoyed a diet coke!
2021 Semillon: This white wine was semi-dry with a light citrus flavor.
2021 Essence: This white was also semi-dry but fruity, not sweet. It had a smooth finish and refreshing flavor.
Silhouette: This was a smooth simple red with a fruity smell. It had a medium finish and slight warming feel.
Moxie: A red wine smooth and easy to drink with a mildly warming short finish. This is a good table wine.
Aubaine: Mild but dark fruit red wine but a little spicy on the tongue. It was warming with a long finish.
We had a fantastic time tasting wines all along the lake! We’ve discovered new favorites that we cannot wait to revisit. And we walked away with more than a couple dozen bottles to add to our collection back home. We hope you check out some of these fantastic locations either in tasting rooms or online and have the opportunity to discover the wide range of wines available from the shores of Lake Chelan!