A few weeks back I had the chance to stop by the modern Kerloo tasting room in the SoDo district of Seattle. Ryan Crane founded Kerloo Cellars six years ago in Walla Walla, Washington. His winemaking story began at Animale Cellars in Seattle, many years before starting Kerloo. Ryan later trained under Marie-Eve Gilla at Forgeron Cellars and later completed an AAAS in Enology and Viticulture in Walla Walla.

While in Walla Walla he became Assistant Winemaker at Va Piano Vineyards for three years under Justin Wylie and finally got the nerve to start his own gig. I was highly impressed with the new Grenache release by Kerloo (WWB, 92 points) which showed a gorgeous range of flavors and the feminine side of the varietal. His 'Les Collines Vineyard' Syrah was also rich and complex (WWB, 91) as his lineup of wines showcases his winemaking talent. It is no surprise that all of his wines sell out as the quality is in the bottle. Kerloo has a very strong following in their wine club as they are always hosting big events at their SoDo winery. Kerloo changes their lineup at their tasting room quite regularly, so call ahead to check out what they are pouring. Learn more about Kerloo and their impressive lineup of wines at www.kerloocellars.com. Most of these wines are in the 30-40 dollar range and you can buy their very reasonably priced wines on their website, or look for them at some great Northwest wine shops like Esquin, Pete’s and Met Market. Here is the new lineup of Kerloo wines:

2013 Kerloo 'Upland Vineyard' Grenache- This was aged in neutral oak. The wine begins with aromas of smoke, fed raspberry and pomegranate with red cherry. Flavors of cotton candy, red cherry, pomegranate and ripe guava. Lithe and delicious wine that is a joy to savor right now. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Kerloo 'Stone Tree Vineyard' Tempranillo- This was aged 67% in neutral oak with the rest new American oak. The wine begins with aromas of wet stone, smoked meats, blueberry and teaberry aromas. There are flavors of blackberry, black tea and anise with smoky accents. Lovely structure here. Drink 2016-2026- 90

2013 Kerloo 'Les Collines Vineyard' Syrah- This wine underwent 100% whole cluster fermentation and was aged in neutral oak. The wine begins with dense aromas of boysenberry preserves, tar and sagebrush. This leads to flavors of black tea, blackberry and mocha with creosote. Wonderful minerality and depth to this wine. Drink 2016-2026- 91

2013 Kerloo 'Stone Tree Vineyard' Malbec- This comes from the Wahluke slope. It was aged in 75% neutral French oak so there's a small percentage of new. Sourced from two different blocks which were harvested a week apart, the Stone Tree vineyard sits on a 250 acre property in Mattawa, Washington. There are aromatics of milk chocolate, dill, blueberry and blackberry. This leads to flavors of blueberry, anise, blackberry and mocha. Delicious and rich effort that is hard to resist right now. Drink 2016-2025- 92

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