Nota Bene Cellars

I tasted here on July 10, 2010 [Second Saturday]
Tasting Fee = $ 5
9 wines [all reds] were offered at this tasting:
— 2007 Una Notte [$ 32]
Grenache is prominent on the nose,
Spicy, floral, fruity with a kick.
— 2007 Mourvedre [$ 30]
A dark, deep wine,
Wonderful mouth feel,
Well integrated tannins
— 2006 Syrah [$ 30]
A luscious wine
Grenache is apparent on the finish, which is very clean
— 2007 Syrah
There’s a pinch of viognier
Hints of herbal spices
Another dark, complex wine
— 2007 Abbinare [$ 27]
Merlot-​dominant,
Soft and supple
Smells of cigar box
Silky tannins
— 2007 Conner Lee Vineyard [$ 32]
Cabernet Sauvignon-​dominant
I detected blackberries, pencil lead, vanilla
Dark pepper on the finish [from the addition of Cab Franc]
— 2004 Kestrel View Estates Vineyard [$ 27]
Wonderful nose
Dry on the mid-​palate
Perfect tannins
— 2006 Miscela [$ 27]
Cab Franc/​Cab Sauv blend
A broad middle palate
Cedar, cassis & black cherries
A little tight on the finish — best after 2015
— 2006 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard [$ 35]
A profound wine
Focused & balanced
Oaky, plus esspresso & blackberries
soft, mature tannins
Will improve with cellaring, but delicious now
In a word, Tim Narby rocks…

This past Saturday, there were 8 wineries open to the public in south Seattle. Like Mitzie’s review mentions, one typically doesn’t think of South Park/​Georgetown/​SoDo when they think of wineries. But I’m on Team Washington Wine, and I’m really rooting for King County wineries. The winemaker for Nota Bene was offering wine-​tasting at Swirl Wine Bar about a month ago and we had a great time. The wine was delicious and Tim was both informative and personable. We went back to Nota Bene in South Park last weekend for more. It was a little cold that day, so bundle up… though many wineries in Washington are located in warehouses. We were pleased to see that they were offering tastes of 7 wines, all reds. The $ 5 tasting fee seemed fair, as that tends to be the protocol for wine-​tasting. And they did not disappoint. I could have a glass of any of the 7 wines and been perfectly happy. I’m not a big Syrah fan, but even their Syrah (which is 75% Syrah, 25% Grenache) was quite tasty. The Kestrel blend and the Ciel Du Cheval blend were my favorites. And the Malbec was spicy goodness. They are definitely worth a visit. For more information about all 8 wineries in the southend:

The second Saturday of every month Nota Bene offers a $ 5.00 tasting at their winery in South Park, yes you read right South Park. Who knew people were producing wine in South Park, I didn’t until a few months ago.
This past Saturday being the second Saturday of the month I decided to grab a friend and head down to South Park to taste their wines. It’s in an industrial warehouse so don’t expect a cute cozy tasting room but expect to taste next to the equipment and barrels which is always cool.
For my $ 5.00 this past Saturday I was able to taste eight of their wines. I enjoyed three of them the other five were just OK but none made me go OMG this is good. The ’05 Syrah, ’04 Kestrel and ’05 Conner Lee were my favorites that day, each of them different but with a big berry taste, I must have been in the mood for berries Saturday. As we all know everyone’s palette is different so you may go and enjoy all eight.
Tim the winemaker and Carol his wife were on site to answer any questions you had about their wines, Washington vineyards, or other wineries in the area. They’ve been making wine for distribution since 2001, prior to that they were what one would consider to be home wine makers. If it’s a second Saturday and you’re down in South Park check out Nota Bene cellars you might learn something new about wine.
The one odd thing to me was before you could taste you had to fork over your $ 5.00, I know I have to pay but it was a little cold to be forced to pay before having a chance to pretty much look at the wines. Oh and if you decide to buy a bottle like most other vineyards your $ 5.00 tasting fee will go towards your purchase, I didn’t buy anything here.