As part of Washington Wine Month we bring you one of the great faces of Washington wine. Ryan Crane has made a great success of Kerloo Cellars, founded roughly eight years ago in Walla Walla. Ryan has created a major following for his releases that range from Rose to Chardonnay to now Cabernet Sauvignon. Ryan is a super energetic guy that is a blast to taste wine with. Highly knowledgeable, Ryan crafts wines that show an old world feel and typically show wonderful range. A few days ago I visited the modern Kerloo tasting room in the SoDo district of Seattle and tasted with Ryan. Some stuff out of the barrel was amazing and shows serious potential, including his upcoming Tempranillo release and a Syrah from the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. Ryan got his start at Animale Cellars in Seattle, and then later trained under Marie-Eve Gilla at Forgeron Cellars while completing his degree in Enology and Viticulture at Walla Walla Community College.
The new 2015 Kerloo Cellars ‘Upland Vineyard’ Grenache (WWB, 94) is one of the best wines that I have tried from this exciting winery. This wine has tremendous range and showcases this very special vineyard. For a great value, check out the 2017 SoDo Cellars ‘Love Birds’ Rose (WWB, 90) which shows wonderful weight and tension which makes it impossible to resist on these last few days of summer. Learn more about Kerloo and their impressive lineup of wines at www.kerloocellars.com. Here are the great new releases by the talented Ryan Crane and his Kerloo Cellars.
2017 Kerloo Cellars ‘Boushey Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc- The 2017 Kerloo Cellars ‘Boushey Vineyards’ Sauvignon Blanc is an awesome wine that is up there with the best of its kind made in the state. The tension and weight to this wine is truly outstanding as tree and citrus rind flavors develop marvelously in the glass. Showing a seductive edge this is a simply stunning Sauvignon Blanc by superstar winemaker Ryan Crane. Drink 2018-2022- 92
2017 Kerloo Cellars ‘Painted Hills Vineyard’ Grenache Rose- The wine begins with aromas of gooseberry, starfruit and red cherry candy. The palate shows wonderful freshness and reveals melon and starfruit flavors with a touch of guava. This shows some pretty serious range. Drink 2018-2022- 90
2016 Kerloo Cellars ‘Upland Vineyard’ Grenache- The wine underwent 50% whole cluster fermentation and was 100% fermented in concrete. The wine shows a wonderful pretty aromatic profile with very good range. Rose petals, red cherry candy and cran-guava aromas show nicely. The palate has a silky texture and a wonderfully satisfying mouthfeel. The freshness shows beautifully as does the range of flavors from red fruits to citrus. This is just an insanely good effort that shows great tension and poise in this warm vintage. Drink 2018-2028- 94
2016 Kerloo ‘Upland Vineyard’ Tempranillo (barrel sample)- 91-93
2017 SoDo Cellars ‘Love Birds’ Rose- Ryan Crane crafts this great value Rose which was first aged in stainless and then transferred to neutral oak barrels for five months to age. The wine shows marvelously with beautiful red fruits and a touch of bright citrus rind flavors rounding out this awesome value Rose. Drink 2018-2022- 90