This is based on samples provided by the winery.

Northwest Totem Cellars – A name that pays respect to a life and people that once depended on, respected and revered their environment and the living world. We and our children are committed ambassadors to this living world. Our commitment to compassion runs broadly across many constituents; people, planet and, never to be overlooked, all other non-human living beings who share our world. Our reverence for life securely encompasses the animals of our planet. We share a view that they are their own communities, like that of our native ancestors, like us today. They are their own nations. The totem is our connection to life; old and new, human and non-human.

Tucked away on a private property, we are a small, family-owned winery producing hand-crafted wines in the heart of Woodinville Wine Country. We share our love of wine and community with some of the best wineries in WashingtonState. We’re proud to be a part of a growing wine region that is the most rapidly-increasing wine tasting area in the world!

The words “personal” and “warm” will define your experience at Northwest Totem Cellars. As you walk through the front door, you realize this tasting experience will be one of your most memorable. Pouring our wines from the “kitchen” private tasting room, Mike Sharadin, our winemaker, barrel washer, one-man show et al, will enlighten you on Washington wines, our own voyage as a small producer and will share with you the passion that has fueled our love of the grape.

Much more information as well as links to purchase wine is available on their website.

“Enjoy our glass closure

Cut foil & give it a thumbs up”

My Information

Northwest Totem Cellars was a new winery for me. I met the owner/winemaker, Mike Sharadin, on Twitter a couple years ago. Even though he is a Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Cowboys fan, which usually makes a person the “low man on the totem pole” to someone from Pittsburgh, we “tweeted” quite a bit.

As a fan of the wines coming out of the Pacific Northwest and Washington in particular, I became more intrigued and interested in learning more about Northwest Totem Cellars. When Mike offered to send me a few samples to try, I jumped at the opportunity.

I like the fact the winery uses glass stoppers on their bottles. To me, this is a fantastic alternative to cork and much classier than the “twist off” options. I won’t even bring up the synthetic cork options which I despise.

I don’t know the exact status, but Mike is opening a new eatery (and drinkery) called Mike’s Wine Café in Friday Harbor, WA. If all goes well, it could be open by June. Good Luck in the new venture! To keep up to date follow @MikesWineCafe on Twitter.

Enough with the words, onto the wines:

2008 Northwest Totem Cellars Qo-ne (SRP $35)

Qo-ne – “Friend” Haida (native American language)

This is a blend of 60% Cabernet Franc, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Syrah, and 2% Petit Verdot from Washington’s ColumbiaValley.

14.2% ABV

My Tasting Note

The wine is a medium to deep ruby red color. The very open and appealing nose has cassis, cherry, Asian spices, minerals, dried herbs, some cedar, eucalyptus, and a touch of licorice. This has medium body, fairly solid but smooth tannins, and good acidity. The palate has nice, bright fruit up front that gets joined by savory notes of dried herbs, spices, and minerals that add a ton of depth and complexity. The finish is extremely long and full of sweet fruit, dried herbs, and minerals with a touch of dark bittersweet chocolate coming through at the end. (94 pts)

On the second day, the fruit had retreated into the background on the nose with the dried herbs, minerals, and some earthiness dominating. On the palate the fruit is still sweet and juicy up front with the savory notes quickly storming in and dominating. The finish is full of the savory elements with the fruit a background note. Good on day two, but much more enjoyable on the first day.

2008 Northwest Totem Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (SRP $35)

YakimaValley

14.5% ABV

My Tasting Note

The wine is a fairly deep ruby red color. The nose is a bit tight and shy initially but opens with some air, eventually showing cassis, spice box, tobacco, dried herbs, minerals, melted licorice, violets, and a touch of cherry. This has medium body, fairly solid, slightly chalky tannins, and very nice acidity. The palate has nice cherry and cassis up front with solid spice and dried herbs that quickly build. The finish starts off very flavorful but gets clipped when then the tannins and acidity clamp down.

On the second day, the nose was much more open and accessible with the minerals, dried herbs, and spice box cranked up a notch or two. On the palate the wine had added depth and the fruit was much richer. The tannins had integrated to a point they were no longer clipping the finish, which now had great length with sweet fruit and a boat load of savory notes. This was MUCH better on day two, almost like two totally different wines. (93 pts)

I’d recommend enjoying the Qo-ne now and let the Cabernet sleep for a couple years, or at least give it plenty of air.

Even though Mike Sharidan, the owner/winemaker/barrel washer, a vegan, probably wouldn’t approve, here’s what we paired with these two wines.

Just to ensure the wines would work with a hearty dinner, we made a medium rare chuck-eye roast, oven fried potatoes with garlic, parsley, and Romano cheese, green beans, and a hot from the oven French baguette for dinner. Everything was superb.

There are additional reviews of Northwest Totem Cellars wine available here.

* Shameless Self Promotion *

Here is a link to a YouTube video of me getting “coal” from Santa for being named the “Nicest Person in Social Media” in 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOvQTeGR3-c

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Remember to support your local wine store!

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Notes – I use the “official” Cellar Tracker name for the wines. I use Cellar Tracker to help manage and organize my cellar. I highly recommend checking it out at www.cellartracker.com. Loading you existing cellar is a lot less intimidating than it would first appear. There is a good chance 99% of your wine is already in the system, so you generally only need to enter part of the wine’s name and the system will find it for you.

Prices noted are the prices I paid at the time of purchase. I don’t shop around to find the best prices, but my local store is usually VERY competitive. I generally get case discounts, and since I work there part time, I get a 5% discount. Wines purchased direct from a winery do not include any shipping charges. None of the prices include the sales tax.

All wines that were sent to me free of charge to sample will be noted and I will show suggested prices when available.