Rocky Pond Estate Winery has moved from Woodinville’s warehouse winery district into a sleek tasting room located across town in the hip, urban Woodin Creek Village complex. Borrowing a page from the playbook of Napa Valley wineries, they now offer illuminating chef-driven food and wine pairings that bring an elevated experience to wine tasting. There’s a ton of seating indoors, as well as two large outdoor patios.
David and Michelle Dufenhorst established the winery in 2013, building an estate winery and destination venue in Orondo, and setting up a tasting room in Chelan. “The new tasting room in Woodinville will take our King County and Northeastern Seattle offerings to the next level,” says David Dufenhorst. In 2020 he recruited an impressive team to accomplish that goal company wide.
“Rocky Pond is all about experiences,” emphasizes John Ware, the company’s president who joined the winery in early 2020. Ware, formerly with Quilceda Creek for two decades, says their new culinary program will raise the hospitality bar. “And our tasting room manager and wine educator in Woodinville, Holly La Porta-Jones, is a Level II Sommelier,” adds Ware.
Leading the culinary program is veteran chef Douglas Setniker. He brings nearly 30 years of high-touch catering expertise to the winery. “It’s a tasting room first and all about the wine—we want the food to elevate the wine here, and we’ve got a special menu just for our Rocks Society wine club membership,” Setniker says. He’s created a dazzling menu of rotating small bites, weekly chef specials and multi-course wine dinners. Each menu item is thoughtfully paired with the wines.
The quality of estate-grown fruit shines in the wines, matched with incredible talent from the winemaking and vineyard teams. Acclaimed Napa Valley winemaker Steve Leveque signed on as a consultant to Rocky Pond in 2020; he will work alongside winemaker Shane Collins. Leveque produced high-scoring wines at Robert Mondavi Winery, Chalk Hill and Opus One. “This is another building block in our mission to elevate Rocky Pond as the top Eastern Washington wine destination,” states owner David Dufenhorst.
There’s no doubt that with an all-star team of this caliber, Rocky Pond is poised for greatness.
Visit the Woodinville tasting room:
• Tasting fees are $15 and $25
• 13475 NE Village Square Dr, Suite 1010, Woodinville
• Phone: (425) 949-9044
• Open Wed-Sun, check website for current hours at www.rockypondwinery.com.
Visit the Lake Chelan tasting room:
• Tasting fees are $15 and $25
• 212 E Woodin Ave, Chelan
• Phone: (425) 949-9044
• Open Wed-Sun, check website for current hours at www.rockypondwinery.com.
Below are two releases we recently reviewed:
Rocky Pond 2017 Double D Vineyard La Domestique Reserve
92 pts.
Sultry and aromatic, this Bordeaux-style red offers fine tannins and well-honed structure matched by resounding plum and dark cherry flavors that mingle with details of vanilla and graphite. Picks up warm stone and cedary overtones on the lingering finish. $45
Rocky Pond 2019 Clos CheValle Vineyard Gewürztraminer
91 pts.
This elegant version leaps out of the glass with aromas of lychee, ginger, spice, honeysuckle and orange blossom. Crisply balanced on the palate, exuding pear, apricot and zesty minerality on a sleek frame. $24