Westport Winery in Aberdeen was founded in 2008 by Blaine and Kim Roberts. This splendid coastal destination is also home to Ocean’s Daughter Distillery, the Sea Glass Grill restaurant, and the International Mermaid Museum, the only one of its kind in the world. The breadth and scope of the wines have grown in recent years, evidenced by this latest batch of releases.
Visit: The 15-acre resort is located halfway between Westport and Aberdeen at 1 South Arbor Road, Aberdeen WA. The restaurant, distillery, tasting room, gift shop and gardens are open daily from 11am to 6pm. For more information visit the website at www.westportwinery.com.
Below are six releases we recently reviewed:
Westport Winery 2019 Kraken
93 pts.
Aged two years in French oak barrels, this reserve Cabernet is filled with luscious blackberry, blueberry and currant flavors laid out on a sleek frame of fine tannins that belies the underlying power and finesse. A distinctive range of dark chocolate, crushed granite, anise and forest floor details add definition and refined focus to the long finish. $50
Westport Winery 2019 Mermaid Merlot
90 pts.
Rich and suave, with a minerally freshness driving savory expressions of graphite and loam draped over black cherry and violet flavors. Shows good energy and a nice grip on the finish, while maintaining balanced synergy between the fruit and earth flavors. Sourced from older vines planted in 1998 at Elephant Mountain Vineyard. $31
Westport Winery 2019 Message in a Bottle
91 pts.
Elegant and richly smooth, this single-vineyard Grenache grown at Elephant Mountain Vineyard charms with polished red berries, dried black currants and rose petal expressions tiered with lovely accents of olive, vanilla and herbes de Provence. Surprisingly graceful, with notes of white pepper that extend the finish. $30
Westport Winery 2019 Nirvana
90 pts.
Sourced from Elephant Mountain Vineyard, this GSM Rhone style red displays flavors of boysenberry, plum and violet well-meshed with a meaty undertow of leather and smoky, pepper herb on the fresh, open-textured structure. Ends with a surge of fine, grainy tannins. $31
Westport Winery 2020 Shorebird Chardonnay
91 pts.
Smooth on the entry, offering tropical flavors of ripe pineapple, apple tart and dried pear flanked by warm baking spices and precise structure balanced on a beam of lemony citrus. The elements build with nice length and on the crisp finish. Sourced from Olsen Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. $29
Westport Winery 2020 Medusa
90 pts.
Crisp, with zealous acidity, this 50/50 white blend of Viognier and Pinot Gris from Sugarloaf Vineyard delivers refreshing green apple and pear flavors with white flower, honeysuckle and grapefruit accents that wrap around lip-smacking limestone minerality on the complex finish. $29