Kahil Winery

Kahil Winery in Grand Junction, Colorado

Fly fishing and wine. At first thought, these two don’t seem like typical partners. So it may seem a little counterintuitive to see a chail dry fly adorned to the bottles of one of the state’s newest wineries Kahil Winery. Winemaker Tyrel Lawson needs just one sentence to make the marriage of ideas seem as natural as turning grapes into wine, however.

“Fly fishing is like wine; it’s an art and there’s a lot of time and patience that goes into doing it well,” Lawson says.

Lawson formed Kahil Winery in 2010, using a relatively new alternating winery permit law that allows existing wineries to produce an independent label under the same roof. Lawson has been the Two Rivers Winery and Chateau winemaker since 2008 — owner Bob Witham offered Lawson the chance to produce his own wine as an employee benefit, essentially giving the best incentive this side of healthcare. So now he is the lead winemaker for two labels.

Lawson has been planning the new venture since 2008, testing Malbec and using it as a blending grape in some of the Two Rivers wines. The first vintage of Kahil, named after the fly with a slight spelling change to add his fiancé Katherine’s name to the label, was the 2009 Malbec, a nearly 500-case batch of Mesa County wine. It took double gold at the Colorado Mountain WineFest and broncze at the state’s Governor’s Cup — so it’s safe to say the young winemaker is off to a good start.

The 2010 line will also include a Pinot Gris with the potential to expand to Pinot Noir and other grapes in the future.

Winemaker: Tyrel Lawson

Best bottle from the winemaker’s perspective: 2009 Mesa County Malbec. “I had experimented under Two Rivers for several years prior. …. By the time the 09 Vintage came around, I had a fair idea of how I was going to make a good Malbec under the Kahil label. It turned out better than what i had expected. … I truly feel that it is a great wine because of the work and time that I put into its creation.”

Award highlights:

• 2009 Malbec, double gold, 2010 Colorado Mountain WineFest; bronze, 2010 Governor’s Cup

Prices: $18

Wine club: Coming soon

Tasting room: None. Wines are only available at select retailers and events.

Contact:

• Phone: 970-640-3541
• Email:
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