Kerloo 2018 Blue Mountain Vineyard Grenache Blanc

Kerloo 2018 Blue Mountain Vineyard Grenache Blanc

Grapes: Grenache Blanc 100%

ABV: 13.1%

Region: Blue Mountain Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley, WA

Winemaker: Ryan Crane

Viniculture: Blue Mountain is a vineyard planted to many grape varieties, in the hills above Walla Walla, the soil is silty loam and loess

Winemaking: Destemmed, gentle press, wild-yeast fermentation, daily lees-stirring

“pineapple rind, key lime, and starfruit”

Ryan Crane’s winemaking philosophy is this: pick grapes right on time, process them as naturally as possible, and produce drinkable, balanced, food-friendly wine. That’s it. Simplicity equates to excellence.

This Grenache blanc looks like unfiltered apple juice when it’s fermenting slowly in the winery. I know because I spent the 2019 harvest stirring these lees every morning for almost two months. It’s only later that the juice clarifies and stabilizes, turning this beautiful lemony yellow color.

Grenache is a grape that thrives in hot climates, and eastern Washington’s dry floodplain can produce some awesome examples. This comes from the Blue Mountain vineyard in Walla Walla Valley, a higher-elevation site that produces wines of elegance.

This Grenache blanc smells like split rocks and lemon peel, but it’s on the palate that all the other fruit comes through. Bosc pear pulp, apricot pit, lemon curd, and in Ryan Crane’s words, “pineapple rind, Key lime, and starfruit.”