Meet the DJ at Structure Cellars

I am a DJ, I am what I play so goes the David Bowie lyric from his song “DJ.”  Watch the video here on YouTube

Brian Grasso is THE DJ at Structure Cellars.  He is also the wine maker and co-owner along with his wife Brandee.

I sat down with Brian and Brandee on a recent Friday night at their newest tasting room in SODO to learn more about Structure’s wines and Brian’s taste in music.

When you visit Structure’s tasting rooms you will be greeted warmly by Brian or Brandee and some cool tunes are sure to be playing in the background.  Now that they have two tasting rooms Brian and Brandee can set different moods depending on which spot you choose to hang out. Up front in the newest space you are likely to hear some acid jazz or electronica creating a hipster cocktail hour vibe with Brandee.  In the back room (their original space) you will hear old-school hip hop courtesy of Brian.

Since Brian is the DJ, he also selects different styles of music to go with his wine making activities.  For picking up grapes, Brian prefers classic rock. When he is crushing grapes Brian gets in the groove with Beastie Boys style hip hop.  Fermentation and punch downs are Brian’s favorite time in the winemaking process since the grapes release all their aromas when punching down the cap of grapes that form on the top of bins.

Just like their tastes in music, Brian and Brandee have different favorites when it comes to wine grapes.  Brian favors the Syrah for its spiciness. Brandee’s favorite is the earthy Cabernet Franc. You will see this theme run through Structure’s lineup with single variety Syrahs and Cabernet Francs standing alongside blends that include Syrah and Cab Franc.  Perhaps, the most unique wine is “Newel” a blend of Syrah and Cab Franc.

TIme Flies when you’re having fun

Brian started making wine at home in 2008.  That year he made one barrel of Syrah from Destiny Ridge vineyard.  In 2009 he added Cabernet Sauvignon to his portfolio, also from Destiny Ridge.  

In 2010 Brandee recognized that this wine making thing was likely to stick.  That is when she exclaimed “I need Cab Franc!” 2010 became the first vintage for Cabernet Franc along with the new addition of Merlot.  

Time has really flown, here we are 10 years later and Structure Cellars is making about 2,500 cases of wine each year that includes three different wine programs with a fourth experimental label underway.

Each program is designated by a specific label color.  This makes it easy to distinguish the different approaches to the wines.

The blue label is the original Structure label.  Brian and Brandee wanted it to look like a blueprint since Brandee brings a strong architectural influence to the Structure philosophy.  For an architect, the blueprint represents the plan for a building. For Structure Cellars, the blueprint represents their business plan to deliver wines that let the character of the grape shine through.  

The white label was introduced in 2012 as the “Foundation” series.  The Foundation wines are made from the best barrels of each vintage.  The selections will vary from vintage to vintage depending on which grapes stand out  Just like the foundation of a house, these wines represent the strength of Structure’s lineup.  

The brown label was introduced in 2014 to showcase the effects of terroir on wine.  This label focuses on single variety, single vineyard wines. My personal favorites in this series are the 2014 Syrahs from the Destiny Ridge, Upland, Still Water and Wallula vineyards.  Structure will release two new brown label wines from the 2016 vintage; a Cabernet Sauvignon from Upland vineyard and a Syrah from the Wallula vineyard. Brandee says this is Brian’s “best syrah ever!”  High praise from somebody that is not a Syrah fan.

2014 also marked the year that Brian and Brandee moved Structure out of their basement  in Ballard into their first space in SODO. They needed more space for storage and production as their winery grew.  They are “Seattle People” and wanted a place where they could remain connected to Seattle. Brian thought “There are way more people in Seattle than Woodinville, why not provide them with great wine right here?!”

The newest label is the Graphite series, which features a single variety aged in new oak barrels.  The first wine in this series is a single barrel of Mourvedre. Right now the Graphite label is a “one off.”  There might be another, or there might not. A wine must stand out as unique to Brian and Brandee ,and be spectacular in multiple ways, to qualify for the Graphite label.  

All of this adds up to Brian’s ability to continue to experiment with his wine making.  He says it is amazingly freeing to not be locked into anything specific.

SODO seems like the perfect spot for Structure Cellars.  They were one of the first wineries to move in to the SODO Urban Works.  Now, they have Sleight of Hand, Rotie, Latta, Kerloo, Waters and Nine Hats as neighbors.  The Seattle Urban winery scene is booming in SODO and Structure is a big part of the momentum.  Brian is flattered to be able to “hold his own” with his bigger, more well known, neighbors.

I am a DJ and I’ve got believers

Brian is creating believers in Structure through his approach to wine making.  He wants to make wine that is soft, approachable, food friendly and well balanced.  Many people think that “soft” means a wine will not be complex. This certainly isn’t true with Structure.  Every wine in their lineup shows interesting character that can be enjoyed as soon as you get your bottle home.  Or, you can choose to lay your wine down for a few years and you will also be rewarded with outstanding character.

Brian primarily uses whole berry fermentation and very little new oak in is barrel program. HIs 2016 vintage will only see about 12% new oak.  This wine making style highlights the character of the grapes and the vineyards. Brian says he wants to let “the dirt do the talking.” This is the inspiration behind his brown label wines.

The number of believers in Structure have contributed to significant growth since they moved into their SODO space.  By 2017, Brian needed more production space as their popularity and wine lineup grew. Their speedy growth lead to opening a second SODO tasting room in the later part of 2017.

One of the reasons behind Structure’s growth is the wine club experience.  Brian and Brandee want to create an interactive, engaging experience for their club members.  People are encouraged to do their own thing by selecting the wines that will be in their shipments rather than having Brian or Brandee make the choice for them.

A highlight of the year is the annual Cantilever wine event, a wine club party where the members create a wine club exclusive wine.  The event has become so popular it required two separate dates this year. The idea behind the blending party is that club members will learn about the character of three or four grapes and then create a blend that suits their individual tastes.  Everybody submits their favorite blend and the aggregate of all blends becomes the “winner” that is selected to be that vintage’s exclusive wine club wine.

Brian and Brandee are creating a unique experience at their SODO tasting rooms.  Brian is the winemaker and the DJ. He might even take a request and spin some tunes you pick out while you kick back and enjoy some of their fabulous Washington wines in the heart of Seattle.  

Two to try:

2015 Still Water Creek Syrah

The nose shows blueberry, white pepper, smoke and earthy savory notes.  The palate follows suit with notes of dark blue fruit, cracked pepper, olive brine followed by well balanced tannins on the finish.

2015 Boushey Cabernet Franc

The nose is dark and oily featuring a variety of dark berry aromas with notes of raspberry, and logan berry backed up by subtle herbal spices.  The palate shows dark berry, white pepper and herbal notes with a lightly tannin driven finish that includes notes of coffee bean and cocoa.