Ocelli Cellars - Washington Grenache

Ocelli (ah-sell-eye) Cellars is the realization of the dream of John & Sirpa Peacock, born out of a shared passion for food and wine. Driven by the desire to “work” on our passion, we just couldn’t escape the need to make our own mark on the wine world, and we can’t wait for you to enjoy our wines!

Who we are:
Two people with a shared love of food and wine, with aspirations to truly be in charge of our own future, and decided that wine was the way forward.

Why Grenache?
The complexity and nuance of the variety are immense, and there is a great variation of style. While Grenache is a relatively familiar grape variety, it is distinctly different from the more common focus of Washington, like Syrah or Cabernet. Grenache can be delicate and pretty, elegant and rich, or more structured and intense, and this range of styles lends to the variety to being a great one to create and build a brand portfolio with. As far as we know, we are the only winery in the northwest focused solely on Grenache. Our goal is to take a look at the various vineyards across the state producing Grenache and give them a touch of dedication and focus and make 100% Grenache from each of the sites we can.

Why Ocelli?
When brainstorming ideas for the name of the winery, we wanted the name to be associated with our surname, Peacock. Naming anything is a tedious undertaking and this was no different. The obvious options were already taken, so after learning far more about peacocks than we would care to admit, we came across a diagram of the various types of feathers, and saw the term ocelli when referring to the tail plumage. Ocelli are spots that look like eyes, like those of butterflies, ocelots, and the tail feathers of a peacock. After lengthy consideration, we felt that this name truly fit our brand and we had discovered our name.

We got started on our journey by working with Ryan Crane of Kerloo Cellars. As our consulting winemaker, Ryan is integral in helping us make of our winemaking decisions, from when to pick to how much whole cluster fermentation to use to the blends of barrels we decide on. By working closely with Ryan, we feel we are able to bring the best possible wines to you.

Thanks for the interesting background. Love the story behind the name.