Vinous

• By Stephen Tanzer
  Focus on Washington: Hot Times in the Desert (Nov 2016), 11/1/2016 (link)

  (Tranche Cabernet Franc Blue Mountain Vineyard Washington) Subscribe to see review text.

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Tranche, 1/19/2018

  (Tranche Cabernet Franc Estate) Hello friends. Though it originally started as a winery meant to explore white wines for Washington favorite Corliss Estates, Tranche Cellars has evolved into a much larger study of the family’s estate vineyards. Lead by winemaker Andrew Trio, Tranche has become a place to experiment; a winery of distinction. If Corliss is the straight-laced older sibling (three wines released each year, like clockwork), Tranche is the exuberant youngster, and a precocious kid at that. Like family, there are almost as many similarities as there are differences between these two wineries. For example, both wineries believe that considerable age is nonnegotiable for their wines. Corliss will be releasing their 2013 vintage this year, and Tranche lays just ahead of their older sibling. That’s what we have for you today—the most recent releases of Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Tranche.The estate Blue Mountain Vineyard has become the core vineyard for the Tranche label. It sits next to Leonetti’s Loess Vineyard, in the deep silt-loam of the eastern Walla Walla Valley. Those of you with long memories might recall that this used to be Neuffer Estate Vineyard when Nicholas Cole Cellars was still alive and kicking. The vineyard was subsequently sold to Tranche and renamed Blue Mountain Vineyard, an apt name. The site sits on a bluff at the exact spot where the Blue Mountains run into the city of Walla Walla. Standing in the vineyard, the view is great, looking west across the greater part of WW. The wines coming off this site have been equally spectacular. We’ve sold five previous vintages of this Franc, and that’s no mistake; the site has developed a terrific track record with this variety. It clocks in at 14.8% listed alc and offers a nose brimming with wild greenery, meadow flowers, black fruit, and wood from the forest. This is a powerful wine, dense and weighty, all balanced  by shining acid. It’s complex, layering anise, fresh herbs, dark berries, and finally, black tea. The tannins are robust, the flavors bold, the overall package perfectly balanced.