Facelli Winery

Located in one of Woodinville’s many business parks is a gem of a winery: Facelli Winery. This family-owned and -operated winery prides itself on producing outstanding reds and offering an especially friendly welcome to the many visitors who frequent the winery. Its varietals include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, sangiovese, cabernet franc, lemberger, chardonnay, and fumé blanc. Some wines are only available at the winery. All grapes are grown by renowned Columbia Valley growers and are hand-picked, hand-sorted, and processed with gravity flow. Winemaker Louis Facelli celebrates more than 20 years of experience with Washington grapes and, more often than not, Lou himself is there to autograph your purchased bottle of wine. With an annual production of 4,500 cases, Louis Facelli has gone through a lot of Sharpies.

Especially unusual is Facelli’s late-harvest syrah. This after-dinner treat contains 4 percent residual sugar, yet it doesn’t seem overly sweet, which is a tribute to the syrah’s rich flavors and overall tasting experience. Also, a warning to the hungry wine sampler: The sangiovese is created from grapes from the famous Red Willow Vineyard, and this Italian-style wine conjures up images of fresh mozzarella and basil drizzled with extra virgin olive oil as well as other Italian fare with which this wine pairs so nicely.

Directions: From SR-522 take first Woodinville exit onto SR-202 [131st Ave. NE]. Turn right (west) onto SR-2-2 [NE 175th St.] and go about .3 miles. Turn left (southeast) onto SR-202 [Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE] and go about .75 miles. At the "Riverfront" business park, turn left. (Facelli Winery sign out on weekends). The Facelli Winery is around the back of the second building on the right.

Events: Passport to Woodinville (First weekend of April); St. Nicholas Weekend (first weekend of December) in collaboration with other Woodinville wineries -- see www.woodinvillewinecountry.com.

Addresses

• Woodinville WineTrail South

  Winery

  16120 Woodinville-Redmond Road NE, Suite 1, Woodinville, WA 98072-9090
  Hours: Saturday and Sunday 12–4, groups by appointment only
  47.743552-122.159636