Steve Rowell was a cardiology director for over 40 years and, outside of the winery, he is a consultant in heart catheterization labs across the country. His wife Keira was a paralegal for nearly 25 years. She recently retired to run the winery’s front of the house.
Steve started making wine in 2010 as a garagiste, sourcing fruit through a group of hobby winemakers who called themselves the Virtuous Vintners. The group had established grape contracts with vineyards in the state.
When Steve’s expensive hobby outgrew the space in their garage, Keira, who had urged her husband to take up a hobby in the first place, says that’s when they decided to take the plunge and go commercial. Steve underwent formal training at WSU’s enology program and worked as a cellar hand for Barrage Cellars. The Rowell’s first commercial vintage was 300 cases in 2014, where Steve made their first wine on a friend’s equestrian property near Issaquah.
After a year of exhaustive 75-mile round trips from home, they rented a warehouse in Woodinville’s Artisan Hill District. In the fall of 2017 they opened a brand new, much larger tasting room to keep pace with their growing annual case volume, which has increased nearly six-fold.
“Being an incredibly smart man, Steve named the winery after his wife,” says Keira jokingly. The tastefully appointed interior of the tasting room is in a modern French style, mixing antique and modern lighting and furniture pieces to create a welcoming ambiance—with a dramatic antique crystal chandelier and hanging lights, sturdy wrought iron and wood tables and chairs, stylish soft seating, and photos and art with enough open space it doesn’t feel crowded.
The red wines are centered around Bordeaux and Rhône varieties, richly built and finely structured, augmented with Chardonnay and Riesling.
Visit Keira Cellars at the tasting room in Woodinville’s Artisan Warehouse District: 18746 142nd Ave NE, Woodinville; open Sat-Sun 1-5pm, (425) 765-9159, www.keiracellars.com
Here are 6 wines we recently reviewed:
Keira Cellars 2015 GSM, $34
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding (91-95 pts.)
A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre, this grippy red delivers fresh acidity and smooth flavors of cherry, red plum and dark berries swirling with soft cedar spice detailed with shaved coconut and vanilla notes.
Keira Cellars 2015 Red Mountain Revere Red Wine, $44
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding (91-95 pts.)
Well structured, sophisticated and expressive, this harmonious Bordeaux varietal blend delivers rich blackberry, cassis and raspberry flavors layered with suave notes of violet, cocoa, tea leaf and crushed rock. Fine grained tannins offer uplift on the long, smoothly balanced finish. (Cabernet Sauvigon 50%, Merlot 25%, Cabernet Franc 15%, Malbec 10%)
Keira Cellars 2015 Conner-Lee Vineyard Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, $44
Editor’s Choice – Excellent (86-90 pts.)
Supple, elegant and expressive, there’s a blueberry cast to the rich blackberry and vanilla flavors with a weave of rolled tobacco and soft spice. Well-buffed tannins flow through the finish.
Keira Cellars 2015 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, $42
Editor’s Choice – Excellent (86-90 pts.)
Powerfully structured, with a concentrated core of cassis, cherry and pomegranate flavors flanked with graphite and tobacco leaf. A wave of powdery tannins adds massive grip and depth long into the finish. (Cabernet Sauvignon 83%, Malbec 13%, Cabernet Franc 2%, Petit Verdot 2%)
Keira Cellars 2016 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Chardonnay, $24
Editor’s Choice – Excellent (86-90 pts.)
Creamy and smooth, offering aromas and flavors of tropical fruit, vanilla, and almond shavings with a kiss of clove, butterscotch and lemon citrus on the graceful finish. (Clone 15 Chardonnay; Aged in 66% one time used French oak and 33% new French oak)
Keira Cellars 2015 Yakima Valley Riesling, $17
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding (91-95 pts.)
Made with old vine grapes from VineHeart Vineyard in Prosser. This medium dry version displays lovely aromas matched with luscious flavors of poached pear, white nectarine and honeysuckle. Well-balanced structure and crisp acidity give this a polished mouthfeel, with notes of lemon citrus and chalky minerality that linger on the finish.