Tranche Cellars

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Tranche Cellars is a new label from Michael Corliss and Lauri Darnielle. While Corliss Estates focuses on red wines (see my review of their wines from Holiday Barrel Tasting here), the Tranche label will focus predominantly on whites. The word “tranche” refers to a slice or section. In the world of wine, rather than releasing a wine all at once, it is often released in slices or tranches. This is particularly true in the case of Bordeaux. The first tranche is typically the least expensive and is used as a way to test the market. Subsequent tranches will be priced at different levels depending upon how the previous one sold.

The first released wines from Tranche Cellars will be a 2005 Chardonnay from the Columbia Gorge and a 2007 Roussanne-Viognier from the Columbia Valley. Tranche Cellars is located in Walla Walla in the building that previously housed Nicholas Cole. Nicholas Cole sold its winery and vineyards and opened a downtown tasting room in Walla Walla last year.

Look for reviews of the first releases from Tranche Cellars in the future.

Sean P. Sullivan

Please e-mail any comments or questions to wawinereport@gmail.com

2 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 10, 2009 at 4:40 PM

    Hey Sean, hope you made it to the Mccarthy & Schiering Tranche tasting yesterday. My wife (the white drinker in the family) and I both loved them and had to get a couple of each. Fortunately for me, Lars, the sales manager for Corliss and Tranche, had a hidden stash of the Corliss 04 Syrah and 03 Red under the counter that he shared :) Interestingly he indicated that Michael wants the marketing for these labels to remain distinct and separate. I found this surprising given the apparent success of the Corliss launch.

    Darren

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  2. Sean P. SullivanMay 11, 2009 at 10:42 PM

    Hi Darren, didn't get to the M&S tasting unfortunately. Was out of town teaching basic climbing with the Seattle Mountaineers. Had M&S hold aside a couple of bottles for me though. How was the 2004 Syrah tasting? Not too surprising to hear that they are looking to maintain brand differentiation. Given the buzz around Corliss wines, I am sure that there will be a lot of notice given to these wines without directly connecting the labels. My understanding is that part of the focus of the Tranche wines will also be on the restaurant industry.

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