Spring Release Party

I am so excited I can hardly contain myself! Spring Release Weekend here in the Walla Walla Valley is fast approaching and the town is a-buzz with all kinds of exciting events! And speaking of exciting events, we are hosting a shindig of our own. Saturday, May 7th 5pm-10pm we will be celebrating with wine, food, music, and fun at the Tranche Vineyard. There will be a wine tasting of new and library releases. Great food from Andrae's Kitchen will be served. And you won't want to miss the rockin' music from Imperial Twang. And to top the evening off, we will be having a s'more's roast and bonfire at dusk.

Enjoy all the great winery open houses through the weekend, but make sure to join us for great wine and a great time Saturday night of Spring Release Weekend in Walla Walla.

$10 Advance tickets on sale now. Please email info@tranchecellars.com for purchase and more information.

Like us on Facebook and gain free admission!
 
We can't wait to see everyone there!

Busy Days in the Cellar

Even though it is not yet Crush, there is still plenty to do in the cellar. Barrels need to be mixed, tested, and filtered, wine is bottled and labeled, and preparations are already being made for this year's harvest season. Last week wine makers Andrew and Griffin sampled and chose coopers for our new barrels. This week new variable capacity tanks arrived. It's like Christmas in April!

Variable capacity tanks are amazing. They allow you to ferment any volume of wine that you would like. They are smaller than your large 1200 gallon + sized tanks, so they are great for small lot, specific fermentations. This makes for more care and hand management of the wine, which results in better wine in the bottle. The tanks come with a lid that seals at whatever level the wine reaches to prevent oxidation.

A good scrubbing will be given before the tanks are put to use, add that to the cellar to-do list. It will be exciting to see them in action this Fall.

Spring Has Sprung at Tranche Vineyards

 The lighting is just right on our sign at the entryway

 Posts placed for new plantings

 A view from near the top of the vineyard

Since the weather was absolutely gorgeous Friday afternoon, it seemed like a good idea to pop over to our vineyard and check in on the new plantings. James, our vineyard manager, and his crew have been hard at work installing the posts, and once the vines are bigger we'll run the trellis wire. What currently looks like sticks in the ground, will soon grow into phenomenal fruit producing vines! We have planted some exciting and truly fun varietals: Viognier, Marsanne, Clairette Blanc, Picpoul Blanc, Grenache Blanc, and Rousanne. 

Since it was so nice out and I was already there, I decided to check out some of our other vines that have already been pruned, are embracing the Spring spirit, and are in the beginning stages their growing season. What a lovely way to end the work week!

Cab Sauv Vines

Sangiovese vines on the GDC trellis system

What did you do this beautiful spring weekend?

Holiday Barrel Tasting Event @tranchecellars

Join us at Tranche Cellars for Holiday Barrel Weekend. 

705 Berney Drive

Walla Walla, WA 

509-526-3500

Saturday, December 4th 11:00 AM until 4:00 PM

Sunday, December 5th 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM

No Tasting Fee

Fall Release Weekend at Tranche

Please join us at Tranche Cellars as we celebrate the end of harvest and Fall Release weekend.

705 Berney Drive, Walla Walla, WA  99362

Saturday, November 6th from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM.
Sunday, November 7th from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM

No tasting fee

Auction of Washington Wines

Mike and Lauri Corliss, Proprietors of Tranche Cellars and Corliss Estates will be attending the Gala Auction of Washington Wines on Saturday where we have donated 120 etched magnums of Tranche wine as well as an etched 6 liter of Tranche wine.  These wines will be auctioned in the live auction.

They also poured at the Auction of Washington Wine’s Picnic and Barrel Auction where they donated a barrel of  2007 Corliss Cabernet Sauvignon.   It was a fun evening with many Walla Walla wineries in attendance and about 1,200 tickets sold for the event.

Seattle Magazine recognizes Tranche Cellars as one of ten upcoming wineries

"Seattle magazine’s 2010 Most Outstanding Wine of the Year from Corliss Estates winery in Walla Walla is the sister to this new label. Tranche, or “slice” in French, refers to the system in Bordeaux of releasing wines in small lots, but here it could mean a prime little slice of the Washington wine world. Affordable, with quality that exceeds their price points, Tranche’s Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Barbera are some of the best values around; the wines are elegant, balanced and lively. Must try: 2006 Chardonnay ($30) .."  Read the full story at Seattle Magazine

Wine Bloggers Conference 2010

As a Tranche Staff member and local Walla Wallan, I was fortunate enough to be able to get a last minute ticket to the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference, held at The Marcus Whitman Hotel this past weekend.  A highlight for me was a talk entitled, Terriors of the Walla Walla Valley, presented by Dr.Kevin Pogue of Whitman College.  There were both a live white wine blogging event on Friday and a live red wine blogging event on Saturday that were fast and furious.  The idea was to taste through a flight of wines and offer our opinions to the blogosphere immediately.  On Saturday, we 300 bloggers, in groups of 15 or so, boarded school buses for lunch destinations unknown.  My group had lunch above McQueen Vineyard, owned by Drew Bledsoe. This vineyard is sited to the South of Seven Hills vineyard and has the most astonishing views of the entire Walla Walla valley.  My camera did not capture the actual beauty of the scene.   Chris Figgins, Consulting Winemaker for Doubleback, and Winemaker for Leonetti Cellar hosted, along with Drew Bledsoe and Heidi Wells of Doubleback.  We enjoyed wines from each of their cellars.  An amazing lunch which was catered by Graze Catering included petite hamburgers, the beef which was supplied by Lostine Cattle Company, a true free range cattle company established by Chris Figgins in 2008.

Tranche Cellars at Blueacre Seafood Grill

Join Tranche staffers Ali Mayfield and Lars Ryssdal at Blueacre Seafood Grill next Friday, June 25th, between 4:00 and 6:00 PM for a complimentary tasting of the yummy Tranche Chardonnay, Roussanne/Viogner, Barbera and Slice of Pape. Can't make Happy Hour? Ali and Lars will be floating the dining room from 6 to 8 that night offering friendly pricing of those wines by the glass or bottle, paired with Chef Kevin Davis’ delicious American Seafood.
Call Blueacre at 206-659-0737 for directions or reservations or visit http://www.blueacreseafood.com/ for more information on the restaurant.

Tranche Slice of Pape - 92+

We are pleased to announce that Tranche Cellars 2005 Slice of Pape, our Rhone Style Red, has been given 92+ by Jeb Dunnuck, author of  The Rhone Report, where he says "...Slice of Pape exhibits deep, rich aromas of black cherries, graphite, earth and licorice.  With air, a touch of underlying garrigue and underbrush emerge and the wine has solid depth and complexity.  The palate is rocking and is medium to full bodied with a full mid-palate, a fantastic silky texture and a long, focused finish...."

Tranche Cellars, Walla Walla, WA - Social Media

Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter join our registry at Tranche Cellars.  We would love to hear from you and be able to respond back.

Tranche Cellars, Walla Walla, WA - Concert on the Green June 19th

Tranche Cellars is having a Concert on the Green. We invite you to join us at Corliss on June 19th between 6:00 and 10:00 PM. We'll be serving tasty food, even tastier Tranche wines and live music will be provided by Where's Mary.

Vintage Walla Walla BBQ at Northstar

Join us for Vintage Walla Walla Weekend. If you are attending the BBQ on Friday evening, Tranche Cellars will be pouring. Tickets are required in advance and we look forward to seeing you there.