Ed Kelly’s 235-acre site in the Frenchman Hills above Royal City, Wash., has become a breadbasket for Chelan-area wineries, and the Mellisons have done their fair share to raise the profile of this 20-year-old site by winning gold and Platinum medals. There’s wonderful complexity to the dark purple fruit, and the amount of oak doesn’t crowd out its underlying charms of dusty herbs and white pepper. “It’s round but not heavy — super drinkable with that boysenberry and plum,” noted one judge. Qualifying award: Bellingham NW (double gold)
Rating: Platinum • 93 points
Production: 120 cases
Alcohol: 14.2%
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