Palouse Winery

From the moment you walk in until the moment you leave you are in such a lovely atmosphere to taste these exeptional wines, handcrafted by the owners, who are charming. Never rushed and you can ask them questions directly about their wines.
Their Portage Port is like nothing I’ve ever tried. Supple and rich and very sexy! Their Zinfandel, Z Spot is described by my hubby as a party in your mouth and I must agree. I wasn’t surprised to see all of the award plaques on the wall. Join the wine club. You get to go to release parties and get discounts on the wine. They also have special multi-​course dinners prepared by reknown local chefs that they pair with their wines. Beyond fun. Pure magic. Pretty location, too. It is a spot we now visit routinely on weekends.

We never miss an opportunity to visit Palouse Winery while on Vashon Island. The wine is excellent, but what separates Palouse is the attention given to every person who walks in. We have literally brought dozens of friends to Palouse over the last few years. George and Linda make everyone feel like they have known them forever! This is truly an island gem, not to be missed. In my opinion, 100 points!

Palouse could be the easiest winery to find in Washington State. Drive off the ferry, head down the only drag you’re able to for just shy of one and a half miles and then turn right into the driveway of a lovely blue house just beyond some helpful signage. Simple as that. Once in the driveway, additional signage will direct you to the converted garage (same blue shade as the house) that doubles as the winery and tasting room (it’s a big garage). Inside, some very friendly folks will set you up at a long wooden tasting bar and off you go. You can taste a flight of six wines (2 whites and 4 reds) for $ 10 dollars and, if you’re adventurous, taste four more reds for and additional five. Maybe a little steep, but hey, the grapes didn’t catch a ferry out to the island by themselves. There was a cheese and cracker plate available for tasters, and from what I could gather that’s usually the case. So far so good.
Unfortunately, things started to go south with the wines themselves. The Riesling you’ll start with was fine, showing some nice fruit but maybe not enough acid to completely balance the 2.1% residual sugar. I wouldn’t pass it up, though, if offered to me. I can’t say the same for the Viognier, which had a heavy quality from the oak that masked its fruit. Our hostess told us they used 50% neutral French oak, but it wasn’t neutral enough. The first red was a disappointing Cab Franc that was green and tart. The remaining reds (a Cab, a Merlot, a Bordeaux-​style blend and a Syrah) in the first flight were better, though generally pretty acidic, with the Bordeaux-​style Eclipse blend being the best in show, again, a wine I wouldn’t pass up if offered.
The first wine in the next flight was a Grenache, a personal favorite grape of ours, so, of course, we ponied up and lifted our glasses in anticipation. I have to report we weren’t feeling this one; the nose didn’t have the floral, brown spice notes we were looking for, and the palate was missing the red fruit, fullness and body of a good Grenache. Things made a recovery with the Malbec (that had a good acid balance and seemed like it would be very food friendly) only to dip once again with the Petite Sirah that was thin and peppery. The final pour was a Port-​style made from Petite Sirah, which probably wasn’t the best choice as the black pepper notes from the base wine weren’t playing well with the residual sugar.
Bottom line: Though there were several wines that were solid to drink, overall our tasting had more than enough ups and downs to compensate for our smooth ferry ride to the island. If you happen to be on Vashon and have a few shekels to spare, go and check these folks out, but I can’t recommend making a trip out just for that purpose.

Palouse is the only wine club I belong to, and for great reasons!
Linda and George are the nicest people, and they make fantastic wine! I particularly like full bodied reds and they certainly know what they’re doing in that realm. All their grapes are from Washington and they run most of the operation from their garage on Vashon.
The wine club gets discounts on all wines and gets free delivery on 3 or 6 bottles per month. Plus wine club members get to taste for free and even bring a party of 4 to taste for free as well. There’s a standard and a reds only option.
Wine tastings run the full spectrum of palouse wines from reisling to petit verdot… and now a port. They are complimented with complimentary cheese, crackers and meats. The tasting room is open 12 – 5 every weekend.

Whites they were pouring way too sweet for me. But several of the reds very nice. The best thing about this place is having a glass out on their patio in back which has a great view. $ 10 for standard tasting, keeps the riffraff away I imagine. On the day I was there this included two whites and six reds.

Tasted through an amazing line up of wines and loved every one of them. Generally when I wine taste I like some, some are ok and others I don’t care for, but at Palouse every wine they make is amazing. They make 15 different varietals from a perfect Riesling to a big dark Syrah as well as the usual suspects of Cab, Cab Franc, and Merlot. They also offer some unusual varietals — Tempranillo, Grenache, Petit Verdot, and Petite Sirah. If you like good wine at a reasonable price stop in. Definitely worth the ferry ride.

I visited Palouse Winery on Vashon Island on Sunday with friends. We tasted all their wines. I purchased 11 bottles of which 4 were merlot and 1 cabernet sauvignon. When I got home I unpacked the box to discover I had 4 cab and 1 merlot. I contacted the winery. Linda said they would get the 3 bottles of merlot to me right away. I asked them to check my order form to ensure the mistake wasn’t mine. Linda responded «It doesn’t really matter who made the mistake just that you get what you wanted…» they hand delivered 3 bottles of merlot to my doorstep today at no charge and told me to keep the cabs. Wow.
I want to give a plug to Palouse Winery for outstanding customer service! Please go visit Linda and George to taste their wines. We had a great time at the tasting room.

We were vising the island and stopped by «this place». Which may have been one of the best things to ever happen to us.
Let me start by saying I’m a beer guy, I prefer beer to wine and I am ok with this. I do love wine tasting and occasionally enjoying a big bold cab with a medium-​rare dead animal. You know the kind of red that has enough tannin to suck your entire face inside out. OR ANY wine made by George and Linda at Palouse. After the first visit we became members and about a year later cancelled our other wine memberships because… well honestly why consume an inferior product? Palouse really made me rethink what I thought was «good wine».
I would use this analogy: why would you want to ride some Harley that hasn’t won a race or hasn’t even been a relevant piece of engineering in the last 60 years if it weren’t for some T-​Shirt/​attitude they sell, when you can ride a beautiful Ducati? The same company that currently has 4 out of the top 10 bikes in the World Cup? (Just kidding George).
I hate to admit it but one of my favorites here is the Golden pearl Viognier. I know!!! A white!!! Is it even legal to like one? I say it’s one of my favorites here because I can’t really find a white anywhere worth speaking about and this one is definitely worth Unilocaling about. This is the only white I drink. George described it to me as a «red drinker’s white» I couldn’t agree more.
I can sit here and talk all day about how good the Eclipse blend is or how amazing the 08 Cab Franc is. As we know, taste is subjective and THIS is the real reason why I love this winery, it’s the people behind the wine that make this wine great! George makes wine that he and his wife Linda enjoy. They just happen to share it with others. It also just so happens that most of their wines are rated in the high 90s and it also just so happens a few of them are Double Gold winners. Wait! There’s a Double Gold?
If you’re on Vashon on a weekend don’t pass this up and do try their wines. You don’t have to like them but I’m sure you’ll love them.

My boyfriend and I have had the pleasure of getting to know the owners of Palouse Winery over the past couple of years. We sort of wound up at the winery one Sunday afternoon by accident, and it was one of the greatest discoveries we’ve ever made. After a disastrous birthday weekend getaway with some «friends» that ended abruptly, we found ourselves with some extra time to kill before heading back to Seattle. My BF knows how much I love wine, so he found a little winery on the island for us to go check out in hopes of cheering me up a bit. When we walked in, we were cheerfully greeted by Linda, one of the owners. At that moment and for the next couple of hours, she sat at the table with us and chit-​chatted while pouring us some of the best wines either of us had ever tasted. Right before close her husband, George, arrived, and the man-​talk ensued between him and my BF, in an almost father/​son kind of way. Needless to say we closed the place down, in addition to joining their wine club and buying several bottles. We hit it off so much with them we even joined them for dinner afterwards.
Just to prove it wasn’t a fluke, we’ve been back several times since that day. We always look for an excuse to get out to Vashon, and Palouse in and of itself is reason enough. Most recently we were there in January, and I looked around at all the tables once the numerous guests had left. I noticed that the dump pots where people pour the wine they don’t like or care to finish were completely empty! I’ve been to many, many wineries before, and this was a first for me. It’s a testament to how delicious every single wine is. Even the wines that don’t suit my palate, like their chardonnay, are done in a way you can’t help but appreciate. Since George and Linda are personally involved with the processing and production of each of their wines, they remain a small-​lot winery. I look forward to my Palate Club delivery every 3 – 4 months, but I honestly can’t bear to share the deliciousness of it with anyone else, (sometimes not even the BF!). Deservedly, many of their wines have won local and national awards, with scores of 90+ by some pretty heavy hitters. My favorite wine OF ALL TIME is their 2009 «Z Spot» Zinfandel. It’s too bad (for you) I bought the last case they had. The Black Pearl, Ahh Syrah!, Eclipse, Dynamique, and Golden Pearl (viognier that red-​wine drinkers will love!!) are also big-​time winners.
I like a wine that has something to say, that conjures up some sort of reaction in me. Even if my response is negative, I’ll respect the winemaker (s) for being bold in their delivery. George and Linda at Palouse make some big, unforgettable wines. The atmosphere of the winery and the top-​notch quality of the wines makes Paluse a must stop for any serious wine-​o in Washington and beyond.

i would have given palouse 2 stars if it wasn’t for their cabernet franc, and because one of the wine stewards was friendly.
we really like cabernet franc and have a really hard time finding local, 100% wines at a reasonable cost – and palouse had a decent one at a decent price.
otherwise, the wines were ok. because of their location near the ferry terminal, they charge $ 5 for a tasting and do not waive the fee with a bottle purchase.

Palouse Winery is a wonderful small and friendly winery. The wines are rich and complex. The winemaker, George Kirkish, makes many different award winning wines making for a delightful tasting.