Earlier this year I wrote about Pine Lake Cellars in New Winery in West Seattle. Today we paid a visit to Darby Winery that is just a mile away.
Darby Winery was founded by Darby English in 2005. Darby has tasting rooms in both Woodinville and West Seattle and produces 4000 cases per year of Bordeaux Blends and Rhone Varietals.
The West Seattle tasting room is located in the Junction near the iconic Easy Street Records. There are 4-5 tables for indoor seating along with a bar along one of the walls. The tasting fee is $15 and refundable with a purchase of a bottle. All 5 wines being poured were well made and fairly priced at $35 and under.
We brought home a wine made for the wine club which my wife joined.
2019 Darby “The Junction Blend #2 – Purple in color. 14.9% ABV. 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Malbec and 8% Petit Verdot. Savory nose of black fruits, leather and graphite. Rich and full bodied with medium acidity. Soft and silky on the palate. Flavors of black cherry, currants, cassis and tobacco. The finish is long and supple with round tannins. Best over the next 4-6 years. $35 at the winery. My rating: 89 points.
West Seattle to Woodinville was a 45 minute drive before the West Seattle Bridge was taken out of commission. West Seattle residents now have SoDo and local West Seattle wineries that are a viable substitute if the drive seems excessive. I’ll be back to Pine Lake and Darby soon and will report on a few other West Seattle wineries in the coming months.