This is the tale of two brothers and a close friend, working together with a goal of making the best Zinfandel wines. Winemaker Mike Wisler took a trip to Healdsburg, CA in 2011 and got hooked on Zinfandel. His brother Brian had originally introduced Mike to premium wines from Napa and Washington. The brothers met Tim Oas, now a pastor, and the three quickly bonded over a shared enthusiasm for wine.
Mike has moved through his life touching many lives through incredibly active roles—first as a lifeguard, then Coast Guard search and rescue, seminary leadership, therapist, and most recently as a fire inspector for the Everett Fire Department. “Ultimately, I learned how to hold someone’s personal story as sacred,” says Mike. “And that translates to stories over wine that connect people.”
Mike started making wine as a hobby in 2012, taking classes at Northwest Wine Academy along the way, and released the first commercial vintage in 2014. “Things escalated quickly from making wine to share with friends, to ‘Hey, let’s do this!’” says Mike. Mike serves as head winemaker and Tim as assistant winemaker, while Brian heads up business operations and assists with pressing and fermentation.
“We didn’t make wine just to make wine,” Mike insists. “We really believed in the idea of teaching people to have meaningful encounters in the midst of wine.”
Mike’s reverence for crafting premium Zin shows in his latest release, a 2016 Zinfandel. It’s made with fruit from Red Heaven Vineyard and is a breathtaking, extraordinary version worth seeking out.
Visit: 19501 144th Ave NE, Ste. A-500, Woodinville; (425) 246-8511, check the website for updated information at www.storycellars.com
Below are two releases we recently reviewed:
Story Cellars 2016 The Whale Red Mountain Zinfandel
93 pts.
This bruiser is bold and assertive, yet brilliantly assembled with jammy, compact flavors of cassis, black raspberry and crushed cherry interwoven with lovely briary herbs, dill, cracked pepper and pencil shavings. Impeccably structured, with a firm grip and intensely long finish. $34
Story Cellars 2015 The Bull Red Wine
90 pts.
Smooth and round with intriguing earthy character, exuding cherry and red thistle fruit flavors neatly layered with bits of tar, graphite and mild barrel spice. Offering good grip to the tannins, the elements pick up mineral accents that linger on the aftertaste. $28