From Tukwila to the Roosevelt District, urban wineries are popping up, with tasting rooms to serve the locals (and anyone else). When the mood strikes, you don't have to head to eastern Washington or Woodinville. You have options right here, including 24 wineries comprising the Seattle Urban Wineries association.
Bacovino is one of these, located in an office park four blocks from the Museum of Flight in south Seattle. Office park, you say. But wait! There's parking and a lovely tasting room where you can sample flights from two of their collections (flights change periodically), and a full-on production winery in back. Charcuterie and cheese plates can be had, along with music on most Thursday nights and a plethora of other events like wine blending, cheese making, chocolate bar making classes, and more. There are non-alcoholic fruit drinks served in wine glasses for those designated drivers or non-drinkers.
All great, but the wine is what will draw you in. "We're predominately a French house," explains owner/winemaker Randy Brooks. "I have an affinity for Bordeaux varietals, so we focus on the Bordeaux region. My goal is to use Washington fruit to accentuate flavor and profile in our Bordeaux-style blends that speak to the person who drinks it. Our winemaking style is to use a more genteel method of processing and aging and is stylistically more old-world; it's a slower process using gravity as much as practical, with the occasional nudge. Reds are aged in barrels, whites in stainless. We leave the fine lees in barrel with the juice to accentuate mouth feel and flavor. "Everything is done onsite, from grapes arriving to be sorted, destemmed, crushed, fermented, and bottled. Because each harvest is different, we evaluate the uniqueness of the year's fruit to determine our course of science to be applied to the current vintage. We perform the majority of our own lab work in-house; that helps us decide what we'll do with the fruit's personality."
Randy has strong relationships with growers and sources fruit from 12-13 vineyards in 10 different AVAs.
Bacovino's wines are split into three collections:
Signature Collection (white label). These wines are ready to drink and include whites, rosé, and red blends.
Vintner Collection (gray label). This red-focused collection has a single varietal focus, showcasing Washington fruit from several AVAs. This collection contains single varietals, like Barbera and Cabernet Franc.
Reserve Collection (black label). Bigger, bolder, more complex wines come from Randy's passion and love, mostly blends with a few single varietals. The right bank Bordeaux-style blend is named after the Dordogne River (Merlot dominant) and the left bank blend after the Garonne River (Cabernet Sauvignon dominant). Il Livorno is their Super Tuscan.
While collections differ, there is a Merlot in both the Signature and Vintner Collections, both from the same Yakima AVA vineyard, both aged in oak. The Vintner's Merlot was aged an additional year, 50% in new oak and 50% in neutral oak. "There's a lot more going on in this one," laughs Randy. "Another of our goals is to have our price point be as affordable as possible while appealing to all different types of wine drinkers, whether they're just starting on their wine journey or they've been on it for 40 years.
"Rivalon in our Signature Collection will change with each vintage. "Rivalon" in French means "rival," and we want each year to rival the last. It's a winemaker's wine and based on what speaks to us each year. We also make a Syrah-based port ('Rubi') from Red Mountain. We have so many varietals that grow well here; I think we have some of the best Merlot in the U.S."
Like many of us, Randy started out drinking whites in his 20s. The winemaking journey started with a 40-year family tradition of gathering. Every year, his uncle would host a special dinner; he would bring fresh Alaskan salmon and guests would bring fine wine. Over the years, the event grew and became a time-honored tradition. "What brought us together was our enduring friendships and our shared love of good food and great wine." This eventually led to his introduction to winemaking in 2007 with his uncle; they would blend and bottle together. "My first vintage was in 2007, with Red Mountain fruit in a garage in Vancouver, Washington. This winemaking continued until 2019 when I decided to open Bacovino offering small lot, artisanal wines through a diverse selection of grape varietals."
Randy's wine travels have taken him from Europe to Australia. He incorporates different facets of winemaking from each region. Combining experiences gained on three continents and drawing inspiration from various regions around the world, Randy experiments with different approaches in winemaking that accentuate the character and complexity of the growing conditions.
His goal is to achieve clean, ripe, stylistically expressive, and aromatic wines that let the individual site characteristics of each vineyard shine. The realization of this balance between fruit, acidity, tannin, and alcohol ensures a vibrant wine full of finesse, complexity, expressive aromas, and enduring elegance. "No matter what you drink or who you are, at the end of the day, it's just juice. You can appreciate it at all different levels, and the friendships you make are the best part."
Randy has had an eclectic career, studying pre-med which gave him a science background. He got into business, finance, and contracts in various industries. "My background and love of science brought me to wine."
With no end to his fun aspirations and projects, Bacovino bears watching-and drinking.
Connie Adams/January 2023
Bacovino
3225 S 116 th St, Suite 169
Seattle, WA 98168
206-337-8911