Boudreaux Cellars

I could listen to Rob Newsom all day. He has that Louisiana Cajun thing going on with his voice. Nevertheless, despite his Southern heritage, he’s been here long enough to embrace certain Northwest trappings including ice climbing, his love of Leavenworth and, of course, Washington wines. Still, you half expect Rob to offer you a cup of chicory coffee rather than a taste of his cabernet sauvignon.

Although Rob opened a downtown Leavenworth tasting room (New Orleans French Quarter-style with gaslights) the winery is located 7.7 miles from Leavenworth off Icicle Creek Road, just a few miles past the Sleeping Lady Conference Center. It’s by appointment only but if you do happen to go there, your day just got turbo-charged. As you go over the wooden bridge to Boudreaux Cellars, look for Rob’s smiling face to greet you. It’s all homespun magic, but then again, so are his wines.

Depending upon availability, he will dispense samples of his chardonnay, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and syrah. He’s likely to inform you of sources of his grapes (which include many of Washington’s top vineyards), his winemaking training in Walla Walla, and other interesting details (e.g., the basket press was originally Leonetti’s). But being the modest man that he is, Rob will probably leave out the fact that in 2007, Seattle Magazine named Boudreaux Cellars the “Best New Winery of the Year” and Rob Newsom as the “Best New Winemaker of the Year.”

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  Boudreaux Cellars was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Leavenworth-Peshastin WineTrail on page 194!