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Robert Ramsay Cellars
WOODINVILLE
Traditional style, food-friendly Rhone wines are the hallmark of Robert
Ramsay Cellars, where subtleties and nuances in traditionally-crafted wine
are showcased. Here, one does not find the big, bold flavors characteristic
of wineries of California, but wines that are suited for refined palates—those
that crave a balanced acidity and appreciate complexity without a monolithic
punch of oaky flavors. Owner and winemaker Robert "Bob" Ramsay Harris
founded Robert Ramsay Cellars on the principles for his great-uncle and
namesake, Mason Ramsay, was known. Mason mentored Bob's father for years
and stories of Mason's life are still being passed down to new generations, but
they all have a common thread: treat others with respect, work with and for
the community, and don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, literally in some
cases as Mason was a shop teacher and rancher. It made sense then that Bob
would pay homage to this great man when it came to naming the winery,
where getting your hands dirty is a daily activity.
Gifted with a fine-tuned nose—and a mom who went back to school as an
adult and left her husband and boys to figure things out for themselves at
mealtimes—Bob taught himself to cook. From an early age, food and the way
flavors mixed became very important to him. Years later, while on break during
college, he met and worked for a man who owned an extensive wine cellar
that focused on European wines. The friends would cook together and share
a bottle of wine that, most of the time, impressed Bob's now sophisticated
palate. At one such get-together, he looked at the wine and thought, "This
didn't just happen. Someone built this wine and made it happen. I want to
build something like this."
FACING PAGE: Spring showers and sunlight over the Dineen
Vineyards in the Yakima Valley.
Photograph by Richard Duval
ABOVE: Owner/Winemaker Robert Ramsay behind the
tasting bar at Robert Ramsay Cellars in Woodinville.
Photograph by Keith Magae
