Michael Florentino Cellars

Another little gem in the Warehouse District’s crown, Michael Florentino stands out for having a relatively large number of offerings for a winery its size. In fact, the eponymous winemaker makes enough variety to be able to rotate his offerings from week to week: typically, one week will feature French and Spanish styles and the next Italian.
The partner and I hit MFC on a French/​Spanish week and the tasting started off with a white Bordeaux-​style blend (87% Sauv Blanc/​13% Semillon). This was refreshing and pleasant with medium body and acidy along with lime zest on the nose and palate. There were lots of vegetal, green notes on the palate that weren’t doing the wine any favors but weren’t particularly taking away from it either. The last stop before the reds was a kitchen sink Rosé blend of Barbera, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Primitivo and Syrah. All those varietals might suggest this wine was an afterthought, but you wouldn’t know it from the taste. With its crisp, yeasty nose the smell reminded me of a raspberry lambic, and the palate, brimming with red fruit and citrus pith, proceeded to seal the deal. They claim there’s no residual sugar left in this wine, and maybe that’s so, but the fruit was intense enough that it fooled me into thinking there was just a hint of sweetness on the palate, only adding to its versatility.
The red portion started out strong with a Counoise that had smoked meat, bacon, fines herbes and blackberry slugging it out on the nose. The palate was all about well balanced black fruit and pepper with solid acid and tannins. This was followed by a Tempranillo, a Monastrell and a Grenache (each with blending partners) which were solid examples but none the equal of the Counoise. The tasting finished with a raisiny and luscious (if slightly hot) Port-​style made with several traditional Port grapes grown in Washington, something you’re starting to see more and more of. We didn’t make the next week’s Italian tasting, but we tasted there on an Italian week before I began Unilocal*ing our way through Woodinville, and I remember the wines being solid with the Barbera being a real standout.
The tasting space is open, well-​lit and comfortable. Our wine was poured by the winemaker and an assistant, both of whom were very friendly and happy to answer questions about the wines. The tasting itself featured great variety (a white, a Rosé, four reds and a dessert wine), so you came away with a great sense of value.
Bottom line: Hit this place up on your next trip to the Warhouses for a rainbow of well crafted wines along with a few stars.

This amazing boutique wine tasting room is a must Stop when in the Woodinville warehouse district, or any where on the Eastaide and you want to taste delish wine! A fun staff and some tasty wines including Italian inspired and more! Tell them socially savvy sent you and enjoy!

The staff was wonderful. We brought our kids and since it was near to closing time out server switched it to the Disney station which helped keep them entertained. Their Pinot Grigio was delicious; a nice crisp summer wine. Very refreshing. Their Barbera though a young wine right now had a lively fruitiness. I could definitely see it paired with a spicy meal. Their Cabernet Franc was dry and spicy. My favorite by far is their Cabernet Sauvignon it has a nice full body with a strong and rich finish. Definitely buying this one.

We really enjoy these wines… some so reasonably priced so you don’t worry about indulging on a weeknight once in a while. That would be their Gecko Malbec label for me. If there is goat cheese involved, it must be the MFC Primitivo. The new MVC Cab Franc release loves mushrooms… looking forward to that evening! And when we’re wrapping up a client dinner party, there’s nothing like the Dolce Bella for a lovely port finish. Thank you Brad for sharing your talents with us. And Sarah for the food pairings that give me so many ideas!

I’m a fan of:
MICHAEL FLORENTINO CELLARS —
— 2008 Miscolato [$ 21.50]
Syrah, Grenache Mourvedre blend
Gilbert Vineyards grapes
fruity almost sweet nose
smooth clean finish
— 2007 Quinta De La Dolce Bella [$ 22.50]
a smooth and tawny like wine
made with Touriga, Tinta Cao, Sauzao and Tinta Madiera
scents of berries and raisins
delicious now
— 2008 Tempranillo [$ 28]
Rich black fruit
supple tannins
soft finish
quite nice now
GECKO CELLARS [a Michael Florentino brand]
— 2009 Sauvignon Blanc (Lion’s Oak) [$ 20]
Artz Vineyard grapes
aged in New French barrels
a very light style
exceedingly drinkable
— 2009 Rose [$ 15]
light and fruity
easy to drink
a pleasant wine
— 2007 Malbec [$ 20]
Gilbert Vineyards grapes
spicy with a dry finish
good value
This winery is doing great work at reasonable prices

We were wandering through the Woodinville winery warehouse and stumbled upon Michael Florentino Winery, a newcomer to the Woodinville wine community. For a $ 5 tasting fee (refundable upon bottle purchase), we received tastes of 4 wines. He rotates his wines from weekend to weekend and this particular day, we got to try the Sauvignon Blanc, Rose’, Primativo and Malbec. All 4 were flavorful and true to their grape: the sauv blanc was crisp and light and the rose’ was subtle and flowery. Primativo is the same grape as the Zinfandel, and it had the same powerful flavor though it was more earthy and rustic than I was expecting. My favorite was the Malbec which smelled of black pepper and the peppery spice carried over to the taste. We bought bottles of the Primativo and Malbec. I’d love to go back and try their Sangiovese, Temparnillo and Merlot on a future visit.