Sometimes the best things are found in the strangest of places.  Out for a Sunday drive on the Washington peninsula we were enjoying the afternoon and a brief glimpse of the spring sunshine en route to Ocean Shores for a mini family reunion. 

One of those roadside signs, you know the ones that usually have the logos of Motel 8, McDonalds, and a Shell gas station, jumped out at me with the Walter Dacon image, same one on this page.  I had enjoyed a bottle of this as a take home prize from our volunteer work at the Washington Wine Auction Winemakers Picnic last summer, and the logo and name are unforgettably unique.

After blowing past the exit, we turned around, backtracked and tracked down this isolated winery near Shelton, Washington.  Their grounds are beautiful and their wine dog slightly intimidating.  We almost didn’t want to get out of the car, but the assistant winemaker Rick went out of his way to greet us and assure us that the dog was indeed quite friendly.

Walter Dacon’s website is under construction and really doesn’t give any background or satisfying story behind this winery that is so far off the beaten path – which is disappointing.

But, they do have a warm and friendly tasting room and happened to be pouring a horizontal selection of 4 different 06 Syrah’s.  All were tasty, but my favorite was the C’est Belle, which contained a small amount of Viognier – a nice Rhone style blending touch.  Walter Dacon is serious about blending and according to Rick, they believe that even .5% makes a big difference in their final products.

All said, a really good Syrah, and if you are in the neighborhood, Walter Dacon is worth a stop.