A winery that has impressed with their new releases, Valo Cellars is the brainchild of Matias Kusulas and Michael Ruhland. Matias has formerly been production winemaker at M& L Productions and has been Viticulturist for Lawrence Vineyards since 2017. Hailing from Chile, Kusulas has masters degrees in enology and viticulture from both Bordeaux and Montpelier. Kusulas has worked a range of jobs spanning the globe including stints in New Zealand and Chateauneuf-Du-Pape. Matias works with Taylor Ramsey on the project, as Taylor was formerly assistant winemaker at Sleight of Hand in Walla Walla.
I really enjoyed these wines across the board. Their great entry level Chardonnay, the 2019 Valo (OB, 90 hails from the Connor Lee Vineyard and has really nice length. Even better is their 2018 Valo Cellars ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay (OB, 91) which is sourced from the Lawrence Vineyard and shows a beautiful texture. I adored the 2018 Valo Cellars ‘Intemporal’ Red Wine (OB, 92) which is dense and chewy with some good cellaring potential. Learn more about these excellent new wines at valocellars.com and here are my tasting notes from the new Valo Cellars wines.
2019 Valo Cellars Chardonnay- Sourced from the esteemed ‘Connor Lee Vineyard’ this was age for 12 months in new and used French oak puncheons prior to bottling. The wine is soft and delivers a rich sense of mouthfeel with sweetened orchard fruit flavors alongside good acidity and good length. Drink 2021-2027- 90
2018 Valo Cellars ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay- The 2018 ‘Reserve’ is sourced from the ‘Lawrence Vineyard’ in the newly minted Royal Slope AVA. The palate is very fresh and focused with melon, green apple and vanilla cream flavors. Drink 2021-2027- 91
2018 Valo Cellars Merlot- Sourced from the ‘Lawrence Vineyard’ the 2018 Merlot has sagebrush and chocolate aromas with wild blackberry and suggestions of baking spices aromatically. The palate unveils a polished texture with intense dark fruits, pipe tobacco and chocolate fudge flavors. Beautiful now, this has another eight to ten years ahead of it. Drink 2021-2029- 91
2018 Valo Cellars Malbec Syrah- Sourced from the ‘Lawrence Vineyard’ this deeply colored wine shows off black tea, blackberry compote, graphite, chocolate cake and herbal undertones aromatically. The palate is downright gratifying with its dense mouthfeel and ripe dark fruits and chocolate tones. Full-bodied, this has another ten years to go. Drink 2021-2029- 91
2018 Valo Cellars ‘Intemporal’ Red Wine- Mainly Cabernet Sauvignon from the Solaksen Vineyard, this shows mocha, tar and rich dark fruits on the palate with chocolate and sagebrush undertones. Full-bodied and delicious to enjoy now, the ‘Intemporal’ has some good cellaring potential. Drink 2021-2031- 92
2018 Valo Celars Cabernet Sauvignon- Ripe and soft on the mouth, the 2018 Valo Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon has fresh sage and black currant flavors alongside sweetened blackberry and tar undertones on the palate. Rich and showing a good core of dark fruits, this excellent new bottling has another decade of life to go. Drink 2021-2029- 91
2018 Valo Cellars ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2018 ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Sauvignon impresses its its very soft mouthfeel and soft tannins that hold in place a great core of dark fruits with tobacco and milk chocolate flavors. Full-bodied and delicious in its youth, enjoy this beautiful wine over the next decade. Drink 2021-2031- 92
2018 Valo Cellars ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Franc- The 2018 ‘Reserve’ Cabernet Franc was sourced from the ‘Bacchus Vineyard’ in the Columbia Valley. You’re greeted to a soft mouthfeel with ripe dark currants and dark cherry flavors with underbrush accents on the palate. Slightly sweet, this has another eight to ten years to go. Drink 2021-2029- 91