Kyra Wines

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You have to scratch your head and wonder why we don’t see more chenin blanc produced in Washington. Perhaps it got a bad rap a couple decades ago when someone declared it “flat” relative to the French version. Certainly, the delicious Anjou white wines of the Loire Valley in France are anything but flat possessing the right acidity to give these fruity wines a crispness that’s unrivaled elsewhere except perhaps the chenin blanc of South Africa where locals call it Steen. Nevertheless, if the grape is cultivated properly, Washington’s version of chenin blanc also sings with memorable can’t-stop-drinking-it results.

Personally, I hadn’t tasted a Washington chenin blanc this delectable since enjoying a glass of L’Ecole No 41 or a similar fruity delight from McKinley Springs. While tasting Krya Wines’ 2010 Chenin Blanc I read their tasting notes which declared, “This beauty opens with a fragrance of orange blossom then slides into green almond, pineapple, kiwi, and honey notes before finishing with Granny Apple and sweetened lemon rind.” Hmmm, I thought to myself, there’s a reason this wine took home the Double Gold at the Seattle 2000 Wine Awards.

To enjoy Bruce and Kyra Baerlocher’s wines at their Moses Lake winery and tasting room, you have to check their website/Facebook page to see when they are open – generally during select event weekends throughout the year. However, for those venturing to Snohomish, WA in western Washington, you can experience Kyra Wines, along with a host of other wines, at the Wine Cellars of Washington. Open weekends, visitors to the Snohomish tasting pavilion can taste Kyra’s other creations including her chardonnay, pinot gris, merlot, dolcetto (hard to find in Washington), sangiovese, pinot noir (also rare) and PSV red table wine.

Be sure to study the label adorned with a red poppy flower. It’s beautiful and clearly stands out from other wine labels. Interestingly, ancient Egyptian doctors would have their patients eat seeds from a poppy to relieve pain. Modern science tells us why this worked: poppy seeds contain both morphine and codeine, excellent pain-relieving drugs still used today. I suspect a bottle of Kyra Merlot would also relieve pain.