As another great Washington Wine Month comes to a close, we bring you one of the great wineries that is headed in Seattle. Our wineries need your help right now, and please consider supporting your favorite local wineries that have been financially impacted by the pandemic.
Ryan Crane crafts some absolutely thrilling wines. His winemaking continues to evolve over the past several years, as the releases seem to get better and better. He began his winemaking career 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.
I absolutely love the 2019 Kerloo Cellars ‘Lonesome Springs Ranch’ Rose (WWB, 91) which has brilliant tension and delicate red fruit flavors, with a silky texture. This wine is a superb value. An even better value for a mere $15.00 is the 2018 SoDo Cellars ‘GSM’ Red Wine (WWB, 91) which has awesome freshness and bright red fruits with a silky mouthfeel.
Learn more about this great SoDo winery at www.kerloocellars.com. Here are the great new releases by the talented Ryan Crane and his Kerloo Cellars.
2019 Kerloo Cellars ‘Lonesome Springs Ranch’ Rose- The 2019 Kerloo Cellars ‘Lonesome Springs Ranch’ Rose is a blend of equal parts Mouvedre and Grenache. A pretty pale pink ones in the glass, the Rose shows off shades of rose water and blood orange that collide with lighter melon tones aromatically. The palate has marvelous freshness with delicate red fruits that dance with the wonderful sense of minerality. This is Washington meeting Bandol. Drink 2020-2025- 91
2019 Kerloo Cellars ‘Blue Mountain Vineyard’ Grenache Blanc- Over the years Ryan Crane has secured the accolade of being one of the top winemakers for this unique Rhone varietal. He has been sourcing from this top notch Walla Walla vineyard for several years. The prototypical melon tones jump out of the glass with the shades of green papaya and mango on this exotic nose. The palate has a kiss of sweetness with bright melon tones that collide with minerals, damp stone and Pink Lady apple flavors. This is sensational in its youth and really needs a hot summer day (not March in Seattle). Drink 2020-2025- 92
2018 SoDo Cellars ‘GSM’ Red Wine- For a mere fifteen dollars, Ryan Crane has crafted a seriously good wine that punches above his weight class. Very pretty red fruits dance with shades of rose water and blood orange zest on this evocative nose. The palate has a sterling sense of minerality and a seriously good sense of balance. While not particularly big, the elegance of the perfumed and downright juicy red fruits and silky mouthfeel really shines through. With good length, this is a complete wine by Kerloo as I can see this cellaring well for five to seven years. Drink 2020-2027- 91
2018 Kerloo Cellars ‘Black Rock Vineyard’ Syrah- The ‘Black Rock Vineyard’ is a cooler site located in the Yakima Valley. A 6% Viogner co-ferment was given to this wine that shines with its high-toned citrus rind and guava tones, while the core of smoked pork shoulder and blackberry jam all create some gorgeous aromatic range. The tension of the wine truly entices and layers of dark fruit deftly combine with more subtle milk chocolate, Hoisin sauce and creosote tones. Seriously good in its youth, the 2018 ‘Black Rock Vineyard’ Syrah will have another decade ahead of it. This wine is a perfect example of how Ryan Crane is crafting some of the most exciting wines made in this state. Drink 2020-2030- 93