Chandler Reach
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
LOCATION : Hollywood District
HOURS (as of Nov 2022): Sun-Fri 12-6pm, Sat 12-8pm (live music)
TASTING FEE (as of Nov 2022): $20, one flight (mixed white/red)
Step inside Chandler Reach’s Hollywood District tasting room and you’ll find yourself in a charming faux piazza complete with terra cotta awnings and ancient brickwork peeking through the stucco walls. The winery’s slogan — “The map says Washington, the eyes say Tuscany… Believe your eyes” — could also apply to the tongue, with Italian varietals (Sangiovese and Barbera) on the scene alongside old reliables like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec.
The $20 tasting includes five pours (a mixture of whites and reds), and at the time of my most recent visit opened with a unique sparkling Riesling before proceeding to an approachable Super Tuscan-style blend, a Syrah-dominant red blend, a Bordeaux-syle red blend and a varietally-bottled Cab to finish. The relaxed Tuscan setting sets Chandler Reach’s ambiance apart from your average Woodinville tasting room, and the tasting room staff bring a friendly, almost familial energy to each guest.
Winery founder Len Parris, a former custom homebuilder, was awakened to an affinity for Italian wine and lifestyle during a three-week trip to Tuscany. Converting an existing Benton City property to a Tuscan-inspired winery and event venue, Parris has been in the Washington wine business ever since. If you can make it as far as Benton City (about 200 miles southeast of Woodinville), Chandler Reach offers tours of their vineyard with notice. In an offering (to my knowledge) unmatched in Woodinville, Chandler Reach also offers its club members the opportunity to purchase passage on annual tours to European wine regions, echoing Parris’ gateway to the world of Italian wine.
Bottles range in price from $30-$55 and the tasting room also offers (externally sourced) beer and cider for anyone who may be burned out on wine. All the wines are estate grown except for the Malbec and the sparkling Riesling (which I wholeheartedly recommend you try if they happen to have it open when you visit). Chandler Reach offers a few varietally bottled wines less commonly seen in Woodinville (Barbera, Sangiovese and Carmenere, for example), but their red blends are where they really shine.
Reservations are recommended, but the culture of this tasting room is wholeheartedly welcoming. Their shared patio offers extra seating, but try to secure a seat inside if you come for one of their Saturday afternoon music performances; the stage is indoors. Dogs and babies are welcome; be advised that a friendly and well-behaved Golden Retriever sometimes works the floor. For the peckish, Chandler Reach offers an antipasto board with gluten-free crackers.
If you’re interested in visiting Chandler Reach as part of your tour, let us know in the pre-tour survey and we will make arrangements with the tasting room staff.
Salut, and enjoy Woodinville!
