JM Cellars

Bramble Bump, Woodinville, Washinton

JM sign

Just when you think that you have visited every winery, a new one pops up on your radar! Recently, a friend introduced me to her favorite winery – JM Cellars. While located in Woodinville, it is a bit off the beaten path on a seven-acre hilltop parcel named Bramble Bump. It is a private arboretum with trails that visitors can explore while sampling the wine.

The tasting room itself is gorgeous and there is outdoor seating available (I want to come back in the summer). It was quite crowded the day we visited, but service was still very good. Reservations are required for groups of six or more. Parking is limited, but valet parking handles it quite well.

JM 2

On the day we visited (they are open Friday, Saturday and Sunday), both Laura and Emily were pouring for us. Both friendly and fun with great knowledge about the wines and the history of the winery. I like the fact that JM Cellars is a family affair. John and Peggy Bigelow have been producing limited-release wines since 1998.

All the wines are delicious. I particularly liked Tre Fanciulli which we were told means Three treasured sons after their boys: Jack, Tom and Joe. We were also told that one year that the boys were particularly unruly, the wine was simply called, “Tre”. Maybe I identified a bit too much with that story.

Here are the wines that we tasted that day:

2015 Tre Fanciulli – $49 – This cabernet, merlot, syrah blend was well balanced.

2015 Red Mountain Syrah – $49 – 100% Syrah – lots of berry favors.

2015 Bramble Bump – $28 – I thought this was a great value for a remarkable wine and bought a case! Cabernet, Malbec, merlot and petit Verdot – it is yummy now and will be even better after a few years in the cellar.

2016 Cinsaut Red – $35– a favorite of my friend. It was a bit too light for my taste.

 

Susan’s Score – a great place to visit. Really good wines, friendly staff. The only sour note for me was when my friend and I chose to purchase a case and enjoy the 10% discount the person handling the transaction tried to tell us that since we were splitting the case we had to split the discount also – 5% each not 10% total. They almost lost a $600 sale over this. I suggest a little basic math review for anyone operating the cash register.

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