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Wine Sampler Packs To-Go from Ray’s!

August is Washington State Wine Month! Celebrate our incredibly diverse and vast wine industry all August at Ray’s! You can enjoy local bottles and glass pours in the Cafe or order our brand new wine sampler packs online via Toast to sip at home!

Our Wine Director Chip Croteau has created six wine sampler packs for your sipping enjoyment, including our Washington Wine Summer Sampler Pack!

Here’s more fun details about each of the Washington wines we’re featuring in the pack! Read on below to learn about the rest of our Wine Sampler Packs and order yours on Toast today!

Washington Wine Summer Sampler Pack
Four bottles of Washington wine to enjoy in the sun! A Rosé, some bubbles and two crisp, non-oaked whites for just $70.

    • Underground Wine Project ‘Mr Pink’ Rosé 2018 

This 2018 cult rosé is back, and better than ever! Perfectly pink, with flavors full of fresh picked cherries, crisp watermelon, pomegranates, and lip-smacking acidity to balance out the mouthwatering fruit. This year’s “Mr. Pink” deserves to be stocked in your fridge! The Underground Wine Project is a collaboration between Washington wine makers Mark McNeilly (Mark Ryan Winery) and Trey Busch (Sleight of Hand Cellars). Mark and Trey are close friends of nearly 14 years and have both have launched successful wineries in their respective parts of Washington State.

    • Treveri Blanc de Blancs Brut Zero Columbia Valley NV 

Treveri’s Blanc de Blancs Dry, sparkling wine is fruit-forward and simply stunning! Hints of citrus and melon round out a creamy finish. Treveri is a family-owned sparkling wine house that has been producing some of the finest handcrafted sparkling wines in the United States since 2010.

    • Seven Hills Sauvignon Blanc Columbia Valley 2019 

Seven Hills 2019 Sauvignon Blanc is zesty, crisp and refreshing, with bright fruit and honeysuckle with an underlying richness, resulting in a wine of medium body and substance. With hints of pineapple, clementine, honeysuckle and white pepper, you’ll want a full bottle of this for summer! Casey and Vicky McClellan founded Seven Hills Winery in 1988 and were among the first handful of wineries to open in the Walla Walla Valley. Casey remains head winemaker, logging 31 vintages under his belt.

    • Idilico Albariño Yakima Valley 2018

When sipping Yakima Valley Albariño, look for notes of citrus and tropical fruit followed by luscious, crisp and refreshing flavors. Drink outside in the sunshine for best results! Idilico is the only winery in Washington focusing exclusively on Spanish varietals grown in Washington State. Washington vineyards are ideally suited to grow finicky Spanish grapes like Albariño. Contrary to popular belief, wine regions in Spain are not balmy and endlessly sunny. In fact, most top growing regions in Spain best resemble Washington State! Dry desert conditions, hot daytime temperatures with big temperature swings at night, all wrapped up in a short growing season.

Don’t miss our other sommelier-selected Wine Sampler Packs including:

100 Point Cellar Collection
All five of these wines have scored 100-points by at least one famed wine writer! Create a 500-point dinner for your friends or family! $1000 for all five bottles.

    • Cristal Brut Reims, FRA 2008 
    • Aubert Lauren Vineyard Sonoma Coast, CA 2016 
    • Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley, WA 2014 
    • Vérité ‘Le Désir’ Sonoma County, CA 2005 
    • Alvear PX ‘De Anada’ (sweet sherry), ESP 2011

Pinot Pack Introductory
Three famous wine regions, four different Pinot Noirs! $165 for all four bottles.

    • Brittan Vineyards ‘Basalt Block’ Willamette Valley, OR 2015
    • WillaKenzie Estate ‘Pierre Leon’ Willamette Valley OR 2014
    • Emeritus Hallberg Ranch Russian River Valley, CA 2014
    • Albert Bichot Savigny-lès-Beaune, FRA 2015

Pinot Pack Advanced
Three of the top Pinot Noir producers and one bottle from each of the three best places in the world to grow Pinot! $350 for all three bottles.

    • The Beaux Frères Vineyard Willamette Valley, OR 2014
    • Sea Smoke ‘Southing’ Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, CA 2017
    • Dujac Fils & Père Morey-Saint-Denis, FRA 2016

Intro to Dessert Wine
You’ve probably tried port or sherry, but our Intro to Dessert Wines Sampler Pack features three that will make liquid dessert your next favorite thing! $125 for three bottles with the option to add a fourth for an additional $85.

    • Château Roûmieu-Lacoste Sauternes, FRA 2016 (375ml)
    • Kiona Chenin Blanc Ice Wine Red Moutain, WA 2018 (375ml)
    • Royal Tokaji ‘Aszú’ 5 puttonyos, HUN 2013 (500ml)
    • ADD-ON: Inniskillin Cabernet Franc Ice Wine, Niagra, CAN 2017 (+$85)

Impress Your Friends & Blow Up Your Cellar Pack
Six legendary and rare wines! Each could be the centerpiece of your collection; together, you’ve got a flight for the ages. $1350 for all six bottles.

    • Dom Perignon Brut FRA 2008
    • Kongsgaard Chardonnay Napa Valley, CA 2016
    • Dom Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er Cru FRA 2015
    • Cayuse Syrah Cailloux Vineyard, WA 2017
    • Cht Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley, CA 2003
    • Gaja Barbaresco Piedmonte, ITA 2013
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Celebrate Washington Wine all August at Ray’s!

Ray's L'Ecole Chardonnay

Drink wine with us this August during Washington State Wine Month!

To celebrate WA Wine Month and our recent Seattle Magazine Wine Awards win, our Wine Director Chip Croteau has created an excellent ‘Washington Wine by the glass’ list August 1-31 in our first floor Boathouse.

Chip and his team’s passion for wine is exceptional and we highly recommend asking one of our 12 sommeliers for pairing recommendations during your next visit!

Click here or call 206.789.3770 to reserve today.

Our Boathouse Washington Wines By the Glass Menu includes:

 

Syncline Winery Grenache Blanc, Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley, WA 2017 16 gls / 62 btl

Rich, yet fresh and lively, this intriguing wine has aromas of orchard blossoms and citrus, complimented by flavors of fresh apple and star fruit.  Minerality, texture, acidity and enticing aromas make this a standout wine.

Long Shadows Winery Poet’s Leap Riesling, Columbia Valley, WA 2016 12 gls / 44 btl

Long Shadows Winery pairs Gilles Nicault with famed German producer, Armen Diel to create a slightly off-dry riesling, bright with honeysuckle, ripe peach, mandarin orange, slate and lime zest notes. Abundant stone fruit flavors, mouthwatering acidity!

DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon, Columbia Valley, WA 2016 16 gls / 60 btl

Riffing on the classic white Bordeaux style, this vibrant, lightly golden wine offers aromas of grapefruit, apples and pears, complimented by earthy notes of golden hay, wet stones and toasty oak.

Betz Family Winery Éleganté Grenache/Counoise/Syrah/Cinsault, Columbia Valley, WA 2015 16 gls / 60 btl

Made from grapes usually destined for Betz’s Bésoleil, this blend is named such because of the way it elegantly walks the line between an almost Pinot-like sense of silky texture and freshness, with plenty of savoury minerality, and the spicy and floral qualities of the Southern Rhone.

Ambassador Vineyards ‘Diplomat’ Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah, Red Mountain, WA 2012 15 gls / 60 btl

Famed grower Dick Boushey and Hedges winemaker Sarah Goedhart teamed up for this blend featuring blackberry, cassis and plum mixing beautifully with black licorice, spices, cocoa, and just a hint of graphite.

àMaurice Cellars ‘Night Owl’ Merlot/Cab Sauv & Franc/Pet Verdot, Walla Walla, WA 2013 23 gls / 85 btl

Offering an exotic, complex bouquet of lavender, wild herbs, loamy earth and both red and black fruits, this estate grown blend is medium-bodied and elegant with a dark, meaty, chocolaty, earthy core.

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Ray’s is the ‘Best Place to Enjoy WA Wine’!

Photo Credit: Seattle Magazine

Ray’s is thrilled to be awarded “The Best place to Enjoy Washington Wine”in Seattle Magazine’s 2018 Wine Awards! And we are honored that you, our lovely, loyal guests voted for us to win!

Check out our feature with Wine Director Chip Croteau (pictured right) and Co-owner/GM Douglas Zellers in the August issue of Seattle Magazine or online here.

Excerpt from Seattle Magazine:

Best Restaurant to Experience Washington Wine

A Puget Sound-area restaurant that hasn’t won in this category before and that offers exceptional opportunities to taste Washington state wine through Washington-wine-focused lists, unique tasting events and a professional, educated wine service staff. 

Ray’s Boathouse and Café 
Ray’s in Ballard, overlooking Puget Sound and the Olympics, boasts some of the best views available to Seattle diners. And yet a certain subset of wine-obsessed patrons is as likely to be staring at Ray’s remarkable wine list as it is at the sunset descending into the Olympic Mountains. Depending on your perspective, the views can be equally divine.

As you’d expect from a seafood-focused restaurant, the selection of Washington white wines is extensive. Perhaps more surprising is the breadth of red wine options, ranging from traditional (Washington Cabs, Merlots, Syrahs) to a section of the list called “Interesting Washington Reds” (Sangioveses, Cab-Syrah blends, etc.) The list at Ray’s (curated by wine director Chip Croteau) includes both treasures—library vintages from Quilceda Creek Vintners and Long Shadows Vintners’ Poet’s Leap—and under-the-radar gems like Amavi Cabernet Sauvignon. The restaurant also hosts numerous winemaker dinners and catered events for Washington winery clubs. A partnership with Walla Walla-based L’Ecole No. 41 produces “Ray’s Cuvees,” a lovely Chardonnay-based white and a red blend, both of which are poured by the glass and presumably guzzled on the Ray’s deck all summer long. Ballard, 6049 Seaview Ave. NW; 206.789.3770