What began as a hobby in the home of Todd Threlkeld and his wife Anne Stevens in 2011 has developed into a full-fledged winery. In 2016 they had their first commercial harvest, and have since gone from being a “garage and basement winery” to opening a Seattle tasting room and wine production facility in the SoDo neighborhood in 2019.
Previously holding down careers as a high school teacher, social worker and more, Todd began fermenting wine in his home. “My wife Anne returned from a 2011 trip to Japan and found a couple of brutes of Upland Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon fermenting in our living room,” Todd remembers. “Fermenters multiplied, barrels got bigger, and we sought out more varieties.” From there, the couple together enrolled in the Northwest Wine Academy where Todd has now spent three years as cellar master under winemakers Peter Bos and Tracey LaPierre.
With the new commercial winery, Todd says he looks forward to having more space to explore the creative aspects of winemaking.
Creativity is in many respects the heart of T2 Cellar. Todd describes himself as a moderate interventionist, adding, “I consider wine grapes the art of the vineyardist, with the winemaker as creative partner in this pursuit.”
The new tasting room, designed by architect Michael Picard and built by master builder Jacob Young, is a shared space with Fall Line Winery and Republic of Cider. Visitors will get to experience Todd and Anne’s focus on Rhône varietals and blends, as well as taste their single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
The tasting room is located at 2960 4th Ave South, SoDo Gateway Center in Seattle. You can learn more about this winery at www.T2cellar.com
Below are three wines we recently reviewed:
T2 Cellar 2016 Red Willow Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, $29
Editor’s Choice – Outstanding (91-94 pts.)
Bold and stylish, with solid depth to the earthy yet pure red fruit displayed on the palate. Crushed rock notes overlap flavors of raspberry, black cherry and boysenberry stitched with tobacco, graphite and dried herb details. Well built, the refined tannins add nice weight to the finish.
T2 Cellar 2016 Syrah Grenache Mourvèdre Reserve, $24
Editor’s Choice – Excellent (88-90 pts.)
Silky and polished, with restrained notes of gravel and spice that underpin the focused profile of plum and dark red fruit, giving way to black fruit accents on the rich finish. Shows nice balance between the structure and bright acidity.
T2 Cellar 2017 Yakima Valley Rosé, $15
Editor’s Choice – Excellent (88-90 pts.)
This dry rendition is a blend of Counoise and Grenache with a splash of Viognier. Polished, and filled with zesty character underneath the beam of pure red berries, spring flowers and dried herb flavors that flow through the juicy, crisp finish.