Our Wines
Making tradition though partnership
Since 2009 Lauren Ashton Cellars has been fortunate to have access to quality wine grapes from celebrated vineyards in the Yakima Valley, Columbia Valley, and Red Mountain American Viticulture Areas (AVA). Quality red fruit has been sourced from Klipsun and Ambassador Vineyards in the Red Mountain AVA; from the Old Field Vineyard and the Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Columbia Valley AVA; and from the Red Willow Vineyard in the Yakima Valley AVA. Our sources for white grapes are the Arete, Dineen Family, Wautoma, Sagemoor, and den Hoed vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA.
Our close partnership with each vigneron allows us to perfect the timing of the harvest in accordance with the style of wine to be made from each selected block of grapes. The grapes are then transported in refrigerated trucks from eastern Washington to our production facility in Woodinville. In our cellar those grapes are carefully processed to express wines of a True Washington CharacterTM.
We have been successful at creating varietals such as Chardonnay, Roussanne, Syrah, Riesling, and Semillon as well as both Bordeaux and Rhone style blends.
Here are the descriptions of wines in our current portfolio:
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2009 Cuvée Arlette
Limited Selection
Only available at the Tasting Studio
95 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
This is a stunning Bordeaux-style blend of 57% Merlot, 19% Cabernet Franc and 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 2.5% each of Petit Verdot and Malbec. Tight, dark and dense, it showcases the detailed styling that epitomizes the Lauren Ashton portfolio. Perfectly ripe and perfectly proportioned, it has the power and tannin to age for decades. — P.G.
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2009 Cuvée Mirabelle
Limited Selection
Only available at the Tasting Studio
94 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
This is mostly Syrah, with 10% each Grenache and Mourvèdre. Fat and beefy, it starts with a scent of fresh carpaccio around dense black cherry fruit. Lush and generous, with notes of both fruit and barrel, it adds streaks of coffee and cacao that wind through a long and beautifully defined finish. — P.G.
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2009 Proprietor’s Cuvée
Limited Selection
Only available at the Tasting Studio
94 Points, Wine Advocate Magazine
Dense and dark to the point of being slightly liqueur-like, it bursts with notes of rich black fruit, licorice, tar, smoke and espresso. The wine seems to hang on the palate for an extraordinarily long time, continuing on like an endless coal mine. — P.G.
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2011 Cabernet Sauvignon
94 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Don’t look for this new producer to remain under the radar for long; this is the third successive vintage featuring beautifully crafted, distinctive wines. The Red Mountain fruit has that region’s stony minerality. Immaculate, tart red currant and cherry flavors, still tight and young, are wrapped with lightly toasty notes from barrel aging. — P.G.
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2011 Cuvée Arlette
94 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Winemaker Kit Singh has tweaked this Right Bank-style blend, but it remains solidly anchored in 49% Merlot and 29% Cabernet Franc, with a small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. Tart, young raspberry and pomegranate fruit flavors are set against vividly crisp mineral notes. Tannins are supple and proportionate and the flavors beautifully defined. On… — P.G.
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2011 Cuvée Estelle
93 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Merlot is the principal grape here, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot filling out the blend. This is an elegant, sculpted wine, built upon a sturdy foundation of supple, ripe Columbia Valley fruit. Raspberry and cherry flavors get a spicy lift from the Petit Verdot, while the Cabernet adds focus and heft to the tannins. — P.G.
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2011 Cuvée Méline
92 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Excellent texture and overall balance typify all of the wines from this exciting new producer. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, this brings a mix of melon, apple, herb and grass into play. Zippy, citrusy acids add zesty minerality as the wine rolls into a rocking finish, with just a hint of barrel toast. — P.G.
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2011 Cuvée Mirabelle
91 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Grenache and Syrah are the anchors here, with just a splash of Mourvèdre. Lush red fruits, long and balanced, capture a pleasing whiff of umami, along with nuances of cured meat, licorice and sea salt. — P.G.
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2011 Proprietor’s Cuvée
92 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Lovely aromatics push scents of espresso, cassis, truffle and baker’s chocolate right up front. The wine is polished, fine-boned and balanced, with taut cranberry and raspberry fruit. It brings in subtle accents of chalk, earth, rock and lead pencil, building to a firm, beautifully structured finish. — P.G.
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2011 Reserve Syrah
90 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Penetrating aromas of baking spices, cocoa powder, cassis and black cherry, along with a hint of cherry cola, define this reserve. It shows creamy, mocha-infused flavors that can’t help but appeal. The time in barrel is dominant here, as the fruit, though ripe enough, falls on the lighter side. — P.G.
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2011 Syrah
90 Points, Robert Parker
It is powerfully flavored and full bodied, opening with earthy, yet fruity aromatics. You will experience black pepper, huckleberry, espresso, and herbs. Offering accents of orange peel and volcanic stone.
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2012 Cuvée Méline
91 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
The blend in this new vintage remains three quarters Sauvignon Blanc and one quarter Sémillon, but amps up the alcohol a notch from the 2011 version. It’s a lightly toasty, very flavorful wine, adroitly mixing slightly bitter skin flavors, citrus pith and flesh, and a tangy core of grapefruit and pineapple. The length and detail are impressive. — P.G.
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2012 Reserve Chardonnay
92 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
This is a textural, bracing study in how to layer a Chardonnay. Green berries, apples, Asian pears, jicama, cucumber, wet stone and creamy lees flavors all combine seamlessly, placing the small percentage of wine aged in new oak in an appropriately light supporting role. Excellent length and perfect balance. — P.G.
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2012 Roussanne
92 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
An excellent follow-up to the 2011 Roussanne, this elegant, precise wine intrigues from the first sniffs of camomile, lemon zest and honeysuckle, right on through a full-bodied middle with a range of stone fruits. There’s a refreshing baseline of wet stone, and some very pretty toast from a mix of new, neutral oak and stainless fermentations. — P.G.
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2012 Sémillon
92 Points, Robert Parker
Our Sémillon was barrel fermented and aged in neutral French oak. As a result, you will be surprised by fruity aromas of honeysuckle, peaches and sweet melon with a hint of nutmeg and oak vanilla. It has a crisp balance and smooth finish.
2013 Riesling
Our Riesling from the Columbia Valley AVA is youthful fruit intentionally preserved by low temperature fermentation in stainless steel. This luscious Riesling balances floral notes with flavors of pear, pineapple, peaches, and cinnamon against high acidity. The wines’ intensity with a lovely rounded edge and refreshing finish pairs superbly with spicy Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cuisine.
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2013 Rosé
Refined and essentially elegant, our Rosé is a fruity and juicy blend of Grenache 50% and Mourvèdre 50% creating a perfectly refreshing summer wine. Opening with strawberry and raspberry notes and essence of citrus zest on the palate, the lightly spiced finish will tantalize. Serve slightly chilled pairing with hors d’oeuvres, seafood dishes, smoked salmon, or charbroiled barbeque.
Cellar Selection
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2011 Proprietor’s Cuvée
92 Points, Paul Gregutt, Wine Enthusiast Magazine
Lovely aromatics push scents of espresso, cassis, truffle and baker’s chocolate right up front. The wine is polished, fine-boned and balanced, with taut cranberry and raspberry fruit. It brings in subtle accents of chalk, earth, rock and lead pencil, building to a firm, beautifully structured finish. — P.G.