Jen and I have been really intrigued to get over and explore Efeste‘s tasting room here in Woodinville. Finally in late February we were able to fit it into our wine tasting schedule!
We eagerly explored the modern, spacious tasting room. There’s plenty of seating for events, and a kitchen area.
Do you see what I see in this photo? A wood fired pizza oven in the background! Ooh. I see a lot of potential here – I worship wood fired pizza. The oven is used for wine club events or available for venue rentals.
We asked about the pronunciation of Efeste – It’s pronounced “F S T” because it stands for the first letter of the last names of the three winery founders: Ferrelli, Smith and Taylor.
Efeste is now owned by Helen and Daniel Ferrelli, and Kevin and Angela Taylor. The winemaker is Mark Fiore. (You can read a recent interview with him at Washington Wine Blog).
You’ll see a lot of family names on their wine bottles – Lola, the Chardonnay, is named after a granddaughter; the Eleni Syrah is named after a Greek wife; and the Nana Bordeaux is named after an Italian grandmother; and the Big Papa Cabernet Sauvignon is named after an Italian grandfather.
We enjoyed meeting and chatting with Efeste’s tasting room steward, Annie. She showed us around the space, explaining that they do everything on site except grow the grapes. She introduced us to owner Daniel Ferrelli, who happened to be in on the day we visited.
We began the tasting with their 2014 Evergreen Riesling, named for the Evergreen Vineyards the grapes are grown in.
Next, we sampled the 2014 Sauvage Sauvignon Blanc, which I especially appreciated. I can’t wait to serve this at my next luncheon!
Annie taught us that Sauvage has a focus on natural fermentation, and is meant to be “wild and carefree.”
Jen normally doesn’t prefer white wines, but enjoyed these two!
Our tasting continued with Efeste’s 2014 Upright, a 100% Merlot made in response to the 2004 “Sideways” film (which you might remember diminishing Merlot and putting Pinot Noir on a pedestal!)
We continued tasting Efeste’s red wines, with their 2014 Ceidleigh Syrah. (It’s pronounced “Caylee” and means Celebration in Gaelic.) This one is fruit forward, with high tannins. It’s from the Red Mountain AVA.
Our next tasting was their 2013 Final Final red blend. It’s 58% Cabernet and 42% Syrah.
The tasting finished with the 2013 “Big Papa” Cabernet Sauvignon, 100% Cab Sauv. You can read Wine Enthusiast‘s review of this 92 point wine here.
We snuck a peek at their fermenters – we always like to geek out for a minute at behind-the-scenes winemaking equipment!
Here’s a nice display of their 92 and 93 points wines and their Top 100, nestled into stones from the vineyard.
I regret not taking the time to inquire about the story behind these festively decorated wine bottles!
For reference, here’s a list of their current wine offerings and bottle prices.
Here is their price list for their large format bottles. Don’t miss the stunning chalk art depicting a chapel at Red Willow vineyards in Yakima Valley!
Imagine gathering around this cozy seating area with several close friends and enjoying a tasting or some wine glass pours together? Efeste, like most tasting rooms, requires advance reservations for groups of ten or more.
Efeste has meat, cheese and cracker plates available. They’re open 7 days a week, from 12pm to 5pm.
You can rent the tasting room for private events. It can host 20-300 people. They have plenty of parking, a stereo system and flatscreen TV. They use Old Press Catering – you can preview the catering menu here.
Because they have a kitchen, this is not a dog-friendly tasting room. However, Annie said it’s a very kid-friendly tasting room and to definitely please bring children with you!
Efeste recently held their third annual “Rockin’ Sips” benefit for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We love to see wineries and tasting rooms getting involved in charitable efforts! Their “Tough Guy” wine is named for a young family member, Joseph Taylor.
We’re looking forward to trying their 2017 Oldfield Estate Rose, which will be released in April.
Note that Efeste has a second tasting room, in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood.
-Carrie
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