It is great to see a new winery burst onto the wine scene. Even better when the winery gains recognition and respect for the quality of its wine. McKahn Family Cellars is a perfect example, serving great wine in their wonderful new tasting room. We returned to find out what was new!
McKahn Family Cellars delivers a personalized, seated tasting experience. For that reason, reservations are encouraged, and we complied. When we arrived we received a very warm welcome from Denise McKahn, matriarch of the McKahn family, who got us seated and set up for our tasting. We settled in for what promised to be a wonderful tasting experience.
We started with their 2016 Viognier, made with fruit from the Catie’s Corner vineyard in the Russian River area. We enjoyed the citrus nose, leading to grapefruit and lemon zest on the tongue, with a crisp and zesty finish. We then tasted the end of the line for their 2015 Chardonnay. This was the last day for tasting this balanced and clean Chard as it makes way for new varietals. Denise then poured a favorite: their 2014 Zinfandel. Smooth, with restrained pepper, this is a wine that we can’t keep in stock at home, so it led off our “take home” list.
Their 2016 Grenache was making its debut today! We loved the nice layers of fruit, with cherry and spice notes leading the way. We were glad to be among the first to purchase this wine. We finished our tasting with the 2015 Syrah. Amazing right now, with smooth, nuanced fruit cascading across the palate. This joined our take home list with notes to cellar for a few years to let it achieve its full potential.
Our tasting was complete, our wine purchases bulging, so we thanked the entire McKahn family for their gracious attention. Time to explore another winery!
About the Author: John grills a mean steak and is always in the market for another wine fridge. Believes that if a winery has more than 10 employees, it's probably too big. Buys wine faster than he drinks it, but who cares?
