There are so many wineries that I really like in Washington State, and I am sure I will leave many great wines out of my reviews for the month of August. However, I would feel bad if I left Kyra Winery out of the picture. Kyra’s 2012 Chenin Blanc is one of my favorite whites so far this year. I had a chance to taste through a few of Kyra’s wines this year and I was very impressed…Here are my thoughts.
2011 Kyra Chardonnay (Columbia Valley, WA) … $12.99
Nice vibrancy on the nose with notes of perfumed pears and apples. Very clean on the palate with notes of Asian Pear backed by a core of minerality that lingers on the finish. Good acidity and nice balance. Very simple, clean and fresh Chardonnay. (C+)
2011 Kyra Pinot Gris (Columbia Valley, WA) … $12.99
Nice brightness on the nose with notes of perfumed pears and dusty minerals. Very edgy on the palate with bracing notes of kiwi and apples with a hit of peach pit. There is a nice steely element to this pinot gris that is backed by a core of minerality. This is a mouth-watering white that has a load of character, good balance and a backbone of minerality that lingers. (A)
2012 Kyra Chenin Blanc (Columbia Valley, WA) … $12.99
This was my “Pick Of The Week” on my Blue Collar Wine Guy blog a couple of months ago. I am a big fan of Chenin Blanc and this one fit the bill. Aromas of fennel and wool with a back-round of apples. Cutting acidity on the palate drives the Red Delicious apple core expanding on the mid-palate and penetrating into a long, mouth-watering finish. A “10” in the delicious category and the price is stupid for the quality that you get. (A)
2010 Kyra Dolcetto (Wahluke Slope “Purple Sage Vineyard”, WA) … $17.99
Aromas of crushed red bricks soaked in plum juice. Very earthy with a little rust and rose petal action. Red berries come through on the palate backed by notes of rose petals and minerals. Black olive notes show up on the mid-palate flowing into a finish with a little white pepper hit. Nice balance of fruit and acidity. (B+)
2008 Kyra Syrah (Columbia Valley, WA) … $17.99
Aromas of charred currants with a hit of sulfur and a trace of bacon fat. Red fruits all over the palate with a bright edge to it. A little bacon fat and spice show on the back of the mid-palate into the finish. There is an earthy edge to this syrah with hits of minerals that reminds me a lot of some wines from the Rhone Valley. (B)
As I have said before, Krya is a very nice lady and a seriously talented wine maker. I urge you to seek her wines out. They are reasonably priced and excellent. As we would say in the biz…They are great qpr (Quality-to-Price Ratio) wines. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man
