Elsom Cellars

In short: Wonderful space, wonderful people, wine ranges from fine to pretty good. In long:This is a converted warehouse space nestled among many converted warehouse spaces, surrounded by other wineries, a cidery, and a distillery. They do everything here--crushing, aging, blending, bottling, pouring, and selling. The operation is small enough that the tanks just give the room some character; it mostly feels like a tasting room (at least when they're not on a big milestone day like crush or bottling). Real tables here and there, some 2-tops around old wine barrels, two big bars where the staff flit back and forth. One of the bars has a pair of huge old roof brackets from a Montreal bank over it, which makes it feel like Griphook might be bringing your wine up from the vaults at Gringott's or something. They do have cheese and snacks, and of course they have wine. There's a little chipboard with all the info clipped to it sitting on your table. Glass and bottle prices, case price, club price, and so on. They were pouring 9 wines yesterday, and you can order both flights to get all 9 to your table. We split them so we got maybe 3-4 good sips of each wine, each. The staff are wonderful--friendly, deeply knowledgable about both their wines and wine in general. They're easy to talk to, and give you a good sense of each wine they pour you. Even though there are tons of awesome wine people around us doing a great job, ya never wanna take 'em for granted. You learn the most about the wineries and the wines by chatting with cool staff. The reds are for the most part not very layered with complexity, and tend to have a bit of sweetness overriding the flavor profile. I can *easily* see these wines being big hits in a crowded tasting room, and certainly none of them tasted the least bit bad. These folks are known for their rosés, and for good reason. The one they poured yesterday was one of the nicest things in the lineup. That and the albariño came out before the reds, and those were the two champs of the day. At the end they poured a vermouth and a brandy, which each had tons of personality. Bottom line, you can bring all kinds of people here and have a blast for sure. It's an amazing space, and the awards it's gotten are well-deserved. I might be a little pickier about the wines themselves, but that's just me.

Service was really slow, even when no more than 2 other parties were there. I sat outside and the server took about 10 minutes to even bring me a menu. Overall the wine was fine, but the glass/bottle prices seemed a little high. $15 for a single glass of wine? No thanks. The tasting fee is waived with a $50 bottle purchase, but of course none of the bottles are $50 so that's another gimmick. Also there is a check-in option on their specific yelp page that says if you click it, go through the steps, you get 50% off a wine tasting. That was a big reason I went, and so when I showed the coupon to the server he denied me and said they no longer offer that promotion, even though it is clearly marked on their page. I asked him to honor it, and he said no. It's not my problem you guys haven't adjusted your page... and now you just lost a future customer and I'll never tell my friend's to go here. There is much better wine in Seattle! Don't waste your time.

Not great but fine. Weird place. Felt too big and weird space. Wines were nice. We stayed at the W and they gave us a bottle there in a basket. (We are on a wine tour.) Weird location too industrial? Parking lot? I like urban wineries but this one was weird but nice folks.

As new twice a purchase members we were a bit surprised by a very indifferent reception. We were there to pick up our recent wine order and enjoy our free tasting. We were told where we couldn't sit because the smaller tables all had reserved signs on them. We were left to find ourselves some seating ( in the time we were there, no one came in to sit at the reserved tables, they remained empty and unclaimed)!.!When asked about their wines to decide which ones we might desire to taste, they handed me about a dozen laminated sheets to read. No real eye contact from the two ladies behind the counter. After choosing our tastings, I numbered them in the order I thought best to taste.The lady who started the tasting was indifferent to us and her wines.She argued my order and used the faultless reasoning I have ever heard regarding the mourvedre. I have been cellaring wine since the 70's an currently have over 200 bottles in my cellar. I have also tasted over 120 different grape variables and taste tested on behalf of the American Wine Society. Finally, Allen came to save our day.Knowledge, interest, and humor.We did purchase more wine and love the old world oaking evident. Seems like an event driven tasting place targeting King County novices for tasting.Would have loved to talk to the winemaker and their personal vinting philosophy and particularly their interest in oaking because it's time and labor expense and opposite of newbies drinking almost all Stainless steel. Think we will use Elsom as a place to take wine novices and see if Allen is on duty.

They are officially open!! Go enjoy some fantastic wine! Malbec is their jam! their Rose is really yum too! We had a small and appropriately social distanced group get together. Elsom has the space inside and outside. Wine tasting and excellent service (thanks to Kassie). They have the PIE lady here. We shared a berry pie. In the past I have enjoyed a pot pie! It was the best and thickest pot pie I had every had in my entire life! Call a few days early if you want to ensure a big pie for pickup or dine in! Aesthetically pleasing and fun! There are a few wineries right near by and in the city! Be sure to say hello to Kassie because she will hook you up with all of the details you need to have a fun evening or lovely event!

Dear Elsom, What a cool winery and event space you have! Also...everyone I met was so down-to-earth and incredibly sweet. Cassie was spectacular and they host I can't wait to come back...oh, and, did someone say, pie? Because your pie is outstanding. Jodi's 2011 Logan blend is the perfect drink to pair with the Adventureberry Pie. I REALLY want to try your Raspberry Rhubarb pie too. I guess I like pie. Anyhow, I can't wait to see you again soon! Xxo, Liana

Only came here once but I'm instantly charmed. Elsom shares a space with Kaf Adventures, so I came for an Avalanche Awareness meeting and was able to partake in a glass of wine they were pouring that evening. I went with a red blend (cab sav, merlot, and malbec) and was delighted by the flavor and silky smooth sipping experience. I would love to come back and try more of their wines. It looks like they have a lot of limited edition bottles that could be really fun to buy as a member. The location is in the industrial-looking SoDo neighborhood. It is fitting because Elsom Cellars has a distinctly industrial feel to it because they do all the grape crushing, aging, blending, and bottling in-house! During the evening I went, they had barrels out in the open because they had just been testing them and re-racking that day! Also, Elsom is woman-owned and operated! This is super rare in the wine industry (and in many others) so super cool to see a successful, local business with strong women leading the way. So why not 5-stars? One, as I said, SoDo is pretty industrial so coming here at night was a bit sketchy. Tasting hours are normally during the day, but still, just something to note when you are coming down. Two, a glass was $12, which I understand this is high-quality, local wine, but it's a bit high in terms of cost. I was here for a smaller event so take my review with that in mind. I cannot wait to come back during open hours or a larger event to get another experience and try more wines!

I discovered Elsom Cellars while hosting an event next door with Kaf Adventures. And since they had wine for purchase, I'm happy to review my experience tasting their gorgeous red wines! First of all, please know that Elsom is a red-focused winery. I know this summer they're experimenting with a rose, but for the most part--come here for reds. I started out with their red wine blend and it was light, fruity, juicy and very easy to drink. And at $10 for happy hour, I was happy with my choice. Afterwards, I tried their Malbec and that was my favorite--bold, spicy, so delicious. Kassie, the Operations and Tasting Room Specialist, was on site pouring and chatting up their wines. She was warm, welcoming, and spoke about wines in a very down-to-earth way. I know just enough about wines, thanks to my dad. But I still appreciate not feeling like a complete idiot when the conversation dives into wine nerdery. The vibe of the space is totally chill, dark and warm. But they have a big garage door that opens up the space with bright light and a space to hang outside with your glass. I can't wait to come back and try the rest of their reds!

There was a nearby pop-up market going on, but Elsom was right next door, so it was decided we'd come in for some tasting.The setting is that of a nice wine cellar. Very wooded, with a fair amount of seating. The line was long and not wanting to take up too much time asking about descriptions, I opted to simply ask what was the most popular choice. "Isabella" the attendant told us. So my friend and I decided to grab a bottle of of the 2017 Isabella. The description reads - "Barrel aged 33 months | 24% new oak: 100% French | Kiona, Artz & Alder Ridge Vineyards"It was very smooth and a nice not too sweet taste for a blend with a pretty good price to boot at $46. Most wines with that year are going to start hard at $50 and quickly go up.There was a craft table where you could make Holiday ornaments out of used corks, and they had $10 tastings which included 4 pours which we also partook in.The surrounding area is a bit industrial, just down a bit from the stadiums, but if you're in the area and looking to relax with some decent wine options, pop by Elsom.

Truly, Elsom has the most consistently delicious wines using Washington grapes that we've been able to find in Seattle. We're delighted, moreover, that this is a women-owned and run enterprise. It's a remarkable bonus that you've created one of the most comfortable, beautiful spaces to sip wines in the city (yep, in SODO) with the kindest of customer care. (We've also discerned that your clientele runs the gamut of local folks who invariably all seem so warm and gentle themselves.) We just found you recently, but we can tell the town that we're so impressed we're writing this review in celebration for one and all to come enjoy Elsom. Thank you so much for what you've created in this little, humane, tasty winery.