2022 wraps up our 30th anniversary and we are excited to share some of our top moments of the year. We are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support as we couldn’t have done it without you!
We are excited to announce our placement on multiple Top 100 lists this year! D2, one of our founding Bordeaux-style blends and most widely distributed label, landed a #30 placement on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list. Chaleur Estate, DeLille’s first wine created in 1992, received placement on Jeb Dunnuck’s Top 100 at #48. On Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Cellar Selections, DeLille’s Grand Ciel Cabernet placed at #47, and Chaleur Blanc, DeLille’s white Bordeaux-style blend featuring Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, made Owen Bargreen’s Top 100 list at #59.
Always leading with Merlot, D2 is a traditional Bordeaux-style blend sourced from over a dozen of the state’s most prestigious vineyards across the Columbia Valley to create the ultimate expression of Washington State terroir.
Our inaugural wine, Chaleur Estate marks the foundation on which we have built our craft of blending Washington State fruit in the traditional style. This wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend of Bordeaux varietals, with a focus on Red Mountain vineyards. The result is a wine of depth, complexity, focus and elegance that personifies the French word for warmth, chaleur.
Our 2019 Grand Ciel Cabernet embraced the cool September weather that defined this outstanding vintage. The refreshingly moderate temperatures of the harvest season allowed for ample hangtime and flavor development, without high sugar accumulation. Grand Ciel Cabernet is a single vineyard, single varietal and single clone wine from our estate vineyard on Red Mountain. Every detail of our vineyard has been designed to produce the highest quality fruit from the unique climate and soil of this prestigious AVA known for ripe and structured Cabernet. Our rigorous selection process only permits a small portion of grapes to become part of Grand Ciel.
Crafting a white Bordeaux-style blend was unheard of in Washington when we first created Chaleur Blanc. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, this wine is fermented sur lie (kept on lees) in French oak barrels, imparting a memorable “crème brulee” finish. Served at the White House over three administrations and rivaling its French counterparts in quality and exceptional value, Chaleur Blanc has become one of our most influential blends.
DeLille Cellars’ live auction lot at the 2022 Auction of Washington Wines titled “The Best of Bordeaux” achieved the highest bid of the evening at $200,000 with a $50,000 match from the Ellison Foundation. The auction lot features a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel with DeLille Cellars Co-Founder Chris Upchurch, his wife Thea Upchurch, and two local chefs to tour Bordeaux’s renowned Grand Cru vineyards. Read more about the auction lot on our blog. A total of $4 million was raised in total throughout the weekend to support organizations such as Seattle Children’s, WSU School of Viticulture and Enology, and Vital Wines.
In 2022, DeLille Cellars supported over 20 nonprofits, donating over $80,000 in value to support their fundraising efforts.
We are honored to share that The Lounge, DeLille’s wine-centric restaurant, was voted #4 Winery Restaurant in America by USA Today. The Lounge is a full-service restaurant that opened in 2021 and is now known for its hand-crafted New American food.
The Woodinville restaurant features weekly events such as a rotating Wednesday evening Date Night menu where guests receive two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts and a bottle of wine for $145. Live music is hosted at The Lounge every Thursday 5:30 – 8:30 pm featuring local artists from the Greater Seattle area.
In addition to these other accolades, DeLille’s Woodinville tasting room was voted Best Wine Tasting in Seattle Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Awards. DeLille moved its tasting room, winemaking facility, and offices to The Old Redhook Brewery in 2019, consolidating all operations under one roof.
DeLille Cellars was also named Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year by Great Northwest Wine and a Top 100 Winery by Wine & Spirits. This achievement marks DeLille’s fifth year as a Top 100 Winery.
As part of our 30th Anniversary, we released a short documentary that captures the winery’s founding story. Founded in 1992 by Jay Soloff, Chris Upchurch, and Charles and Greg Lill, DeLille Cellars was the first winery in the state to focus distinctly on both red and white Bordeaux-style blends. The video highlights the meeting of DeLille’s founders and their idea to start a winery in Washington, the 50th to be licensed in the state. We invite you to pour a glass of Washington wine and watch the story.
