Senoj Estates

Unedited

Noteworthy is how Senoj Estates describes themselves, stating, “Senoj Estates is a Woodinville-based business dedicated to offering fine wine and entertainment.” Use of the word entertainment is not by accident in that their tasting room features a 120" projection screen, HDTVs, ping-pong tables and dartboards. Yes, man does not live by wine alone. He needs a giant screen TV to check out the football scores while visiting with friends. Clearly, owner/winemaker Jeff Jones (Senoj is Jones spelled backwards) likes to pair his wine with life’s modern day pleasures.

At Senoj’s tasting room, you’re entering the fun zone. It’s a spacious fun zone at that with space large enough to host corporate events, fashion shows, movie screenings or a small high school’s reunion bash. When there, you want to shout aloud to check the echo effect but that’s ill advised.

Their merlot dominant Passport is their signature red wine. It packs boatloads of “oomph.” It’s a big, hairy monster and just the kind of Washington red that I love. Wine blogger Greg Wacks commented, “When I recently opened the 2006 Passport from Senoj Estates, I thought for sure I had stumbled upon an impostor of a wine with no real sense of terroir. From the deep ruby color in the glass to the notes of oak, menthol, and heat on the nose, I was convinced that this jumble of flavors would be neither here nor there. Even reading the label I noted that the wine has “roots in Bordeaux” but is made from Washington State fruit. After the first sip, I was thrilled to be proven wrong.” Wacks goes on to say, “The Passport was not only indicative of true Washington State terroir, it proved to me again that Washington is churning out some of the most exciting wines in the US right now.”

Nice praise. I couldn’t have said it better myself. So I didn’t.