Tucked into Woodinville’s wine district, Passing Time Winery offers a more personal and intimate alternative to the traditional tasting room experience. In place of a grand estate or sweeping vineyard views, the winery has built its identity around exceptional Washington wine, meaningful relationships, and a fiercely loyal, deeply local community that forms the foundation of the brand.

That local connection runs especially deep for co-founder Damon Huard and his wife, Julie, whose ties to Washington--and specifically West Bellevue--stretch back more than three decades.

Damon grew up in Puyallup, attended Puyallup High School, and later played quarterback at the University of Washington. Julie grew up in Yakima, attended Eisenhower High School, and was a cheerleader at UW. The two met at UW and married in 1996. As Damon’s NFL career unfolded, they moved from Miami to Germany, Boston, and Kansas City. But Bellevue had already made an impression.

During Damon’s final two years at the UW, he rented the downstairs of a home in Enatai. He and Julie were engaged at the time and spent much of their life in and around Bellevue. One of Damon’s early mentors, Herb Mead, lived in Medina and encouraged Huard to think beyond football and eventually attend the Foster School of Business. He also made a prediction that proved remarkably accurate. “He told me, ‘When you’re done playing football, you’re going to raise your family in West Bellevue,’” Huard said.

By 2004, while Huard was still playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, he and Julie bought a home in Clyde Hill. After years of moving for football, they knew where they wanted to put down permanent roots. “We moved back because our family was here and we knew this was where we wanted to raise our kids,” Huard said. For more than 20 years, their family has been woven into the community through schools, sports, businesses, and local organizations. 

Their three children, Holly Campbell, Sam Huard, and Brooke Huard, grew up in the community. All three attended Sacred Heart School and later Chinook Middle School, while two attended Bellevue High School. The Huards have also supported organizations in Bellevue including the Boys & Girls Clubs, Bellevue Police Foundation, and Sacred Heart Church. For Huard, those relationships and years spent in West Bellevue have shaped the way he approaches business as much as his years playing football.

Passing Time is the second chapter of Huard’s career and, in many ways, his second great passion. Huard was introduced to fine wine by his Miami Dolphins teammate and future business partner, Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino. In 1997, Marino opened a bottle of Washington wine from his cellar for Huard, who had grown up in Washington but had not yet realized the quality of the wines being produced in his own backyard. Over the following decade, their conversations evolved from casual tastings into plans for a winery devoted to making exceptional Washington Cabernet Sauvignon.

The connection was also personal. Huard’s father grew up in Prosser, and his family has agricultural roots in the Yakima Valley stretching back generations. Some of the land farmed by the family would eventually become part of Washington’s growing wine industry. “When we produced that very first Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet, I thought it might be the only Cabernet we ever made,” Huard said. “We made just 400 cases for the 2012 vintage, and it felt especially personal because my great grandfather, Nelson Huard, had farmed in that same valley.”

Today, Passing Time produces approximately 3,000 cases annually, sourcing fruit from premier vineyards across Horse Heaven Hills, Red Mountain, and Walla Walla Valley. The winery partners with growers across the state who are equally committed to producing the best possible fruit. Despite that growth, Passing Time has deliberately resisted becoming a high-volume destination winery. It does not maintain regular public tasting room hours. The winery's simple Woodinville space primarily serves club members, private tastings, and a small number of annual gatherings.

“We’re not about opulence and décor,” said General Manager Jenn Nance. “The emphasis is on what is inside the bottle and the experience people have when they try our wine.” Nance has been Passing Time’s boots on the ground since its inaugural release. With nearly two decades in the Washington wine industry, she describes camaraderie, teamwork, and sense of place as the winery’s three central pillars.

The concept of a team is more than a convenient football metaphor. Marino and Huard were teammates before they were business partners, and the winery has been built by finding people whose skills complement one another. Partners Kevin Hughes and Doug Donnelly are also part of that group, along with the winemaking team, vineyard partners, local accounts, and Julie, who has built a career of her own in fashion and personal styling. After nearly a decade in the industry, beginning in retail, she now owns JulieHstylist (juliehstylist.com) where she works with both men and women to develop their personal style. She also remains an active part of Passing Time, attending events and supporting the winery alongside Damon.

Approximately 75% of Passing Time’s wine is sold directly to consumers. The remaining production is self-distributed to about 100 restaurants, retailers, and country clubs, many located in West Bellevue. The winery has cultivated relationships with local institutions such as Overlake Golf and Country Club and the Bellevue Club, as well as restaurants including John Howie Steak, Seastar, and Cantinetta. Passing Time also creates exclusive house wines for several of these restaurants. These placements were not secured through a large sales force. They were developed by Huard himself - pouring wine, making deliveries, and forming relationships one account at a time.

Huard remains a hands-on managing partner while also serving as the University of Washington’s Director of Community and External Engagement. Whether he is delivering bottles, speaking at an event, or pouring wine for club members, he is far more than a recognizable name attached to the brand. As one of Passing Time’s most visible ambassadors, Huard is also among its hardest-working team members, personally investing the time required to build relationships and grow the winery.

Even the winery’s name captures its dual identity. Marino’s wife, Claire, suggested “Passing Time,” which is also the name of the family’s vacation home on Kiawah Island. The name references quarterbacks passing a football, but also the more meaningful act of passing time with friends over a bottle of wine. That distinction matters. Passing Time may have been founded by famous quarterbacks, but it was never intended to be a celebrity-label novelty.

“One of our earliest challenges was getting people to take the wine seriously and understand that Passing Time was more than just Damon Huard and Dan Marino’s names on a bottle,” Huard said.

The response was to let the wine speak. Passing Time’s Cabernets have since earned sustained critical recognition, while the founders’ names remain absent from the front label. They’ve since expanded into new varietals such as sparkling wine, which was Julie and Jenn’s vision, and partly inspired by Huard’s oldest daughter Holly’s summer wedding. Fourteen years after its first vintage, Passing Time has succeeded by building trust: one bottle, one account, and one relationship at a time. Its story stretches from Washington farms and vineyards to Woodinville, West Bellevue restaurants, local clubs, and the community Damon and Julie Huard chose decades ago as the place to raise their family.

At Passing Time, the most important team may no longer be the one on the football field. It is the one that has grown around the winery, and around the table.