Learning About Wine at Lauren Ashton Cellars

When we arrived at Lauren Ashton Cellars, we met the lovely Bill Collins, who spent at least two hours educating us about wine and wine tasting! He was by far the most passionate wine expert we’ve yet met. Right from the start, we felt so welcomed.

Riinu, who is the Director of Marketing, (and wife of winemaker Kit Singh) prepared a special tasting menu for us! If you are planning a large group visit, I would highly suggest contacting her via email at info@laurenashtoncellars.com in order to make arrangements.

The winery is named after the winemaker’s two children, Ashley Lauren and Ashton Troy. That family focus continues on in the branding and labeling of Lauren Ashton Cellars wines. All of the Lauren Ashton Cellars bottle labels showcase his wife Riinu’s family heritage, featuring images of buildings in Estonia.

Bill taught Carrie and I so much about the differences in wine bottles.

Lauren Ashton Cellars uses four basic bottle shapes. In the old days, winemakers did not even use labels on their bottles, because they knew what was inside just by the shape. At Lauren Ashton Cellars, they use “shoulder” bottles for Bordeaux because “You don’t break with tradition.”

The Riesling bottle is tall and slender. The Cabernet Sauvignon bottle is heavier and has a deeper indentation, known as a “punt”.

Syrah and Roussanne are from the Rhone region, so their bottles are shaped a little taller.

It was fun to hold the different bottles and feel for ourselves the differences in weight. There is the same amount of wine in each bottle, and a case of wine typically weighs 40 pounds. However, a case of Cabernet weighs 50 pounds!

Here is Bill, our host and wine educator. I learned so much from talking with him! It was interesting to learn that when we smell wine, we are smelling the esters. Esters are molecules that are created by the reaction of acids and alcohol in the wine fermentation and aging process.

This tasting room has plenty of space and comfortable seating. Lauren Ashton Cellars also hosts live music sometimes. Check out their events page to see more about upcoming shows and Seattle area events. For your planning purposes, note that cheese plates are available to snack on while you taste delicious wines!

The beautiful intense color of this 2016 Proprietor’s Cuvee is mirrored in notes of black fruit, licorice, espresso and smoke. I loved the rich aroma of this red blend, which is only available for purchase in the tasting room. The 2011 Proprietor’s Cuvee earned 92 points from Wine Enthusiast magazine!

This 2016 Cuvee Meline is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. We were talking about the beautiful color of this flavorful wine and Bill told us that he prefers to describe colors of wine with “Gold” and “gems” instead of colors like “Yellow”.

The winery displays its heavy acclaim from Wine Enthusiast for Lauren Ashton Cellars’ hand-crafted blends. Winemaker Kit Singh’s appreciation of wine goes back many years to a time when he explored the best-known wine regions in France, Napa and Sonoma. Singh, a dentist by profession, splits time between his Bellevue dental practice and his Woodinville wine production facility.

Carrie is all smiles as she sips a glass of 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Red Mountain AVA. It is a full-bodied, rich wine, opening with aromas of black cherry, blackberry and ripe plum, followed by hints of spiciness.

Swirl, smell and sip your way to a wonderful wine tasting experience at Lauren Ashton Cellars’s Woodinville tasting room! They are located in the Hollywood District at the Apple Farm Village. The address is 14545 148th Ave NE, Suite 211 Woodinville, WA 98072. You can contact them for more information at (425) 445-7171.

Current hours of operation are: