Personal Wine Labels & Custom Label Wine from:

Choose Your Label

Our award-winning wines ship with your
choice of the Northwest Cellars label,
or your own custom-designed label.

For more info, call 1.866.421.WINE (9463)

  |   Shopping Cart   Items:    Subtotal:   |   Checkout   |   Customer Center

Wine Reviews :: Customers Speak :: Case Studies

Wine Reviews

DrinkNectar.com | Episode #89, Northwest Cellars

"At only $17 this wine surprised and mesmerized me. I loved the different interpretation of Merlot and enjoyed the soft, yet captivating flavors. I score this wine 4 out of 5." - Josh Wade, DrinkNectar.com

 

Wine Press Northwest | Winter 2009-2010, p.94

"Excellent"

Northwest Cellars
2006 Intrigue Red Wine
Columbia Valley, 528 cases, 13.8% alc., $28

Excellent. Early on, Bob Delf's operation in Kirkland, Wash., made its name withe personalized labels, but the wines soon became serious. This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (51%), Syrah (22$), Pinot Noir (18%) and Carmenere is eclectic and enthralling, starting with blackberry, boysenberry and a slice of green bell pepper as well as coffee. Big blue fruit streams in and stretches across the juicy palate with French oak accents and chocolaty tannin.

 

Good wine under $20 | March 2009

Good Wine Under $20

WBW #55: Merlots North and South

The 2005 Northwest Cellars Merlot was an excellent QPR bottling blended from 75% Merlot, 13% Syrah, and 12% Cabernet Sauvignon. (suggested retail, $15) Slow to open, the wine developed to reveal plum and cassis aromas with a bright raspberry note. The flavors underwent a metamorphosis from a simple taste of fresh plums to something darker and more complex, with plums, graphite, and smoke. There was some green stemminess as well--which I always like in Merlot--and the rich aftertaste was luscious with milk chocolate notes. This was an undeniably complex and elegant wine, and would be enough to convince any Merlot skeptic still having horrible flashbacks from the 90s that the grape is worth a second try.

 

Fred Koeppel, biggerthanyourhead.net | March 2009

Beef Salad and Six Wines

2005 Merlot

"a Great Bargain"

So, the first red I opened was the Northwest Cellars Merlot 2005, made from three vineyards in Washington’s Yakima Valley: Olsen Estates, Roza Ridge and 3 Rocks. The blend barely qualifies the wine as merlot; it’s 75 percent merlot (the minimum for a varietal wine), 13 percent syrah and 12 percent cabernet sauvignon. In an era in which winemakers strive for intense extraction and deep colors, this wine’s moderate dark ruby shading to a brick-red rim is a lovely reminder of sensible restraint. Aromas of black and red currents, black cherry, cedar and lead pencil twine with a touch of smoke; in the mouth, fairly concentrated black fruit flavors are ripe and meaty and slightly stewed, as in macerated plums and cherries. There’s nothing plush or over-ripe here; the balance between the rigor of the wine’s acid and tannic structure and the vibrant nature of its sensuous appeal is deftly handled. Very Good+, the revelation being that the suggested price is $15, making this wine a Great Bargain.

This Northwest Cellars Merlot 2005 made the best match with the beef salad, nicely bringing together the ripe fleshiness of the wine and the meaty flavors of the steak and allowing the other spicy-herbal nuances plenty of play.


Wine Press Northwest | Fall 2008

Northwest Cellars

2005 Intrigue

Columbia Valley, 1,000 cases, 13.8% alc., $17

"Outstanding!"

"Bob Delf has built his Kirkland, Wash., winery using a variety of Northwest wines, selling them under the "Northwest Cellars" label as well as the private-label market (for weddings, corporate gifts, etc.). This red, a blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, is loaded with aromas of black plums, blackberries and coffee, followed by big, lush flavors of berries, cherries, coffee and oak. This wine has huge richness, thanks to the massive levels of fruit, yet there's plenty of structure to back it up."


Seattle Magazine | September 2008

Surprisingly elegant

Northwest Cellars
2005 Lenny Wilkens Red Blend ($19.95)

This surprisingly elegant wine–a blend of Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot–shows lovely aromas of black cherry, bacon and smoke. Juicy cherry and plum fill your mouth with a burst of complex flavors. Pairs with: Seared pork loin with Cabernet-blackberry reduction sauce.

Northwest Cellars
Rachel Red 2004 ($14.99)

Created to honor Pike Place Market's centennial last year, this blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah has aromas of fresh cherry and dust, followed by juicy flavors and mouthwatering acidity. Pairs with: Kobe beef burger with garlic a..ioli and blue cheese.


Wine & Spirits Northwest | Oct 2008

90 Points

Northwest Cellars 2005 Columbia Valley Intrigue

(Bordeaux Style Red Blend)

This juicy, forward blend consisting of about one half merlot, with the balance mostly syrah and cabernet, leads with strawberry aromas accented by a spiced peppercorn note. After a day a deeper herbal component – tanbark, sassafras – appears, complementing flavors of black cherry and plum. Firm but pleasingly light, it's a generous wine for a late-season barbecue.


Northwest Palate | July/August 2008

Northwest Cellars

2005 Intrigue, Columbia Valley

The herbal-focused nose includes dried sage and grass, plus notes of leather and dried dark fruit. On the palate bright brambly black fruit flavors are plush with earthy accents of pine boughs. The savory qualities are mitigated by good fruit concentration and chocolate on the finish. Well balanced, the tannins compensate for the lushness of the fruit. Drink with green peppercorn steak. Good value. (50% Merlot, 28% Syrah, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot; 1,000 cases made.)


Wine Press Northwest | Winter 2007-2008

Northwest Cellars

2004 Merlot, WA

"Excellent."

"This Kirkland, Wash., operation makes wines with the idea that you will want to order some with personalized labels. Additionally, it is making its products available through wine retailers with beautiful Northwest-centric scenes on its labels. This Merlot from Washington's oldest wine-growing region is superb, thanks to aromas of black pepper, raspberries, moist earth, black cherries and black olives. The medium-bodied flavors are rich with notes of dark plums, black cherries and chocolate. Assertive tannins back up the flavors and have us thinking about opening it with a grilled ribeye."


Northwest Palate | July/August 2007

Northwest Cellars

2004 Rachel Red, WA

"Light perfume of sandalwood and graham surrounds a sense of red fruit and rose petal in the nose. On the palate, cassis and blackberry fruitiness is appealingly juicy. The youthful tautness and somewhat angular tannins call for 1—2 years of cellaring to smooth out. (1,000 cases made; 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc; available at www.northwestcellars.com and select Seattle restaurants; a portion of sales benefits the Pike Place Market Foundation.)


Wine Press Northwest | Winter 2006/2007

WINE REVIEWS - recent releases

Northwest Cellars
2005 Chardonnay-Viognier
Walla Walla Valley, 325 cases, $15

Bob Delf's slogan with his custom-label wine business is, "Now it gets personal." He's getting more serious, too, evidenced by this 75/25 blend of pricey Walla Walla fruit. Nice lemon, some orange zest, spice and oak form the aromatics. Inside, the structure rides the line between fruit-forward — refreshing citrus — and oak-driven with butterscotch and creaminess. A good dose of late acidity and a touch of pithy bitterness should find fans among either crowd. Try with corn chowder or lobster.


Wine Press Northwest | Spring 2007

Winepress NW rated this wine "Excellent" and "Best Buy"!

2004 Northwest Cellars Red

" ... inside is this charming wine of Cab (51%), Merlot (25%), and Cab Franc. A sweet nose of brownies, plums, cooked cherries and cassis is met on the tongue by smooth and complex flavors of bright cherries, red licorice, vanilla, and allspice."