18732 142nd AVE NE, Woodinville, WA 98072
Wines
Our wines have been made using minimal intervention in order to highlight the flavors that come naturally from the terroir of the Eastern Washington vineyards. None of the wines have been fined and they are filtered through a very coarse pad to remove sediment generated from the aging process. We have refined the malolactic fermentation process to minimize the histamines in the wine. All of our wines are aged in 225L and 500L French Oak barrels with an average age of 4 years to keep the oak influence subtle.
2013 Belle GSm blend- $33
58% grenache, 26% syrah, 16% mourvedre. This Southern Rhone style GSM blend has a nose of cranberry & flint and has red & black fruits on the palate. This blend is a versatile wine that can be paired with most light meats, but would be ideal with cassoulet.
2013 red mountain mourvedre - $33
95% mourvedre and 5% grenache. The Red Mountain Mourvedre has blueberry and sandalwood on the nose. The palate has blue / black fruits and spice with lively acidity and silky tannins. This wine is an ideal match for lamb or other game meats.
2013 columbia valley grenache - $30
92% grenache & 8% syrah. This wine has a lighter body with cranberry, white pepper, and smoke on the nose. The palate is red fruit with faint pepper, wet gravel, and nice acidity that make it an ideal wine to be paired with lighter meats such as roast chicken or sockeye salmon.
2013 red mountain syrah - $33
100% red mountain syrah. This syrah has blackberry and black pepper on the nose. The palate has blackberry and black currants with fine tannins and a persistent finish. The Syrah pairs well with grilled beef.
2014 walla walla les collines vineyard syrah - $33
100% walla walla syrah from les collines vineyard. Coming from a cooler site than our red mountain vineyard and also having much different soils, this syrah has a nose of violet, dried green herbs, and a touch of tar. The palate has a luscious mouthfeel with blackberry and black currant.
2014 Yakima valley mourvedre - $33
95% mourvedre and 5% grenache. This mourvedre comes from Minick Vineyard in the Yakima valley. These grapes are always our last to harvest which usually happens near Halloween. This wine shows off the difference by using mourvedre from a cool site. Instead of the blue / black fruit and spice from our red mountain mourvedre, this wine shows black cherry and freshly tilled soil.
vineyards
Alder ridge vineyard - horse heaven hills
We've been sourcing grenache from Alder Ridge from the beginning in 2012. This grenache is the primary component of the Belle GSM blend and gives a cranberry and white pepper character to the wine.
Ciel du cheval - red mountain
Starting with the 2017 vintage, we started sourcing grenache from Ciel du Cheval. This warm climate Grenache will add structure and depth to our Belle blend.
Heart of the hill & Ranch at the end of the road - red mountain
Managed by Scott Williams of Kiona, we started sourcing mourvedre from Heart of the Hill Vineyard in 2012. This mourvedre has wonderful concentration & spice notes.
Ranch at the end of the Road became our Red Mountain Syrah vineyard starting in 2016. This syrah has exceptional fruit purity and minerality.
Les collines vineyard - walla walla valley
Syrah and Malbec are the varietals sourced from Les Collines. The Syrah from Les Collines is unique. It has a nose of violets, black currants, and cured meats and has dark fruits and a touch of smoke on the palate.
The Malbec was sourced from Les Collines starting with the 2015 vintage. The Malbec is a departure from our Rhone varietal focus. It has blue fruit and baker's spice on the nose and the palate is lush with silky tannins and a persistent finish.
Minick vineyard - yakima valley
This vineyard is a cool climate site located in the heart of the Yakima Valley. The cooler climate and soils of this vineyard result in wines that have more minerality and earthiness than wines from warmer vineyards.
wine club
description
The Descendant Cellars Wine Club is designed to be simple. We have two half case wine shipments per year: one in the Spring and one in the Fall. The wine can be held for pickup at the winery or it can be shipped.
Each year we will produce a small quantity wine which will be released to the wine club before it will be released to the public (assuming that there is any left for public sale after allocation to the wine club).
benefits
- No cost to join
- 2 six bottle shipments: one in Spring, one in Fall
- l5% discount on half case wine club shipments as well as all tasting room purchases
- lO% additional case discount
- Select wines will be allocated to wine club members before public release
- Tasting fees are waived
accolades
2017 Seattle Wine Awards
Wine Enthusiast
April 2018
- double gold: 2013 belle GSM blend
- gold: 2012 red mountain mourvedre
- silver: 2013 red mountain syrah
- silver: 2013 columbia valley grenache
the team
winemaker
Descendant Cellars is a family winery established in 2012 by Mike and Chris Rupp. Mike’s decision to start his own wine label was born out of a passion for great old world style wines - especially paired with great food. Mike has long enjoyed traditional wines of the Rhone Valley in the south of France. After becoming more familiar with Washington wines, Mike wanted to experiment with creating traditional wines from Washington varietals and attended the Northwest Wine Academy's wine production program in 2011.
After making a few vintages in his garage on Mercer Island, Mike felt confident enough in his skills and in the quality of the vineyards to venture into the wine business. In 2012, produced a southern Rhone style blend, “Belle”, and a Mourvedre. In 2013, he added a Syrah and a Grenache to the lineup.
In 2016, Mike and Chris opened the doors to their tasting room in the Artisan Hill warehouse complex of Woodinville, Washington. The 2,200 sq. foot industrial building is also used for production and was christened with the 2015 crush. The center is also home to a number of other neighboring wineries, making a trip to the area a great wine tasting destination.
Mike enjoys experimenting with different vineyard sources and grape varietals and has added more wines to his portfolio. Mike’s appreciation for traditional minimalistic wine making techniques allows the terroir of each wine to show through. Descendant Cellars wines are handcrafted in very small quantities ranging from 50 to 250 cases. Total annual production currently averages 900 cases.
cellarmaster
Michael Guittard got into the wine industry the old-fashioned way: by tasting as much as possible and following his palate. His first exposure to the wine world occurred nearly 20 years ago while visiting family in France, sparking a lifelong curiosity and passion. After studying engineering in college, mostly to appease his family, Michael decided to switch gears and took a job in a local wine shop. Working there opened his eyes to so many different regions and styles, but also reinforced his love for the wines of France and Washington. After a few years on the front lines of retail wine sales, he met Chris and Mike Rupp while at Taste Washington and felt an immediate connection to them and Descendant Cellars. Their combination of traditional French methods and exceptional Washington terroir create wines that embody the best of both places and resonate deeply with Michael’s experience bouncing between the two. Working at Descendant has allowed him to experience the complete journey of the grapes, from vineyard to bottle, and while visiting the vineyards is immensely enjoyable, nothing can beat the thrill of releasing a new wine and seeing people enjoy it for the first time. It makes all the fun and hard work that much more fulfilling.
contact
Tasting Room:
18732 142nd Avenue Northeast
Woodinville, WA 98072
hours:
Friday: 4-7pm
Saturday: 1-5pm
Sunday: 1-5pm
Contact Us
Business name: Sip Factory Inc. dba Descendant Cellars. Descendant Cellars will be shown on Cardholder statement
Our address is 18732 142nd Ave NE, Woodinville, WA 98072, USA.
Customer Service: call 425-321-3250 or email us at info@descendantcellars.com
Credit Cards Accepted: We accept Amex, Mastercard, and Visa
Shipping Policy: Currently, we can ship to Washington, California, Oregon, and Missouri. We’ve chosen UPS as our only shipping company and the costs and estimated delivery times are shown in the checkout process.
Privacy policy: we collect all relevant information gathered during the checkout process. Worldpay is our credit card processor and Orderport is our point os sale provider who may or may not retain the credit card information. We do not retain credit card information at Descendant Cellars. We don’t share any info with any other companies other than what was already stated.