JM Cellars

Leave the crowds behind at the big wineries, drive up the hill west of Chateau Ste. Michelle, and look for the sandwich board on the left. After leaving your vehicle with a valet parking attendant, you follow the shrub-lined path to the tasting room. The tasting fee might be a bit steep for some ($10), but you get it back with a purchase of wine (and generous pours not to mention a cheese bar, select meats and crackers) not to mention with a purchase. And odds are you won't be able to resist these treasures.

John and Peggy Bigelow began JM Cellars in 1998 in the basement of their Laurelhurst home. In 2001, the Bigelows moved their operation and home to Woodinville. Like so many other “artisan” winery owners starting out, John Bigelow kept his high tech job and found time at night and on the weekends to produce some lovely blends of red wines. However, lucky for us, John jettisoned his day job in 2006 and now devotes full-time to the winery.

While enjoying your visit with John and Peggy, check out these red beauties: their flagship wine Tre Fanciulli (tray-fan-CHEW-lee), Longevity and Bramble Bump Red (named after the location of their home/winery). All these wines are breathtakingly gorgeous and equally deserving of your Visa.

Bramble Bump with its acres of trees and quietude is a spa-like wine tasting experience. You feel refreshed in a special way – especially if John is on hand to give you a guided tour of the barrel room, which he often does. Here’s what Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate had to say about JM Cellars, “John and Peggy Bigelow’s JM Cellars is a required visit for wine tourists in the Seattle/Woodinville area. The winery’s landscaping is breath-taking and, most important, the wines are first-class and reasonably priced.”

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  JM Cellars was featured in WineTrails of Washington as part of the Woodinville Heritage WineTrail on page 144!