Eventually, Walla Walla is going to crush Napa Valley. It’s not just climate change, it’s the culture of the place. Rotie Cellars is a case in point. I’ve never seen winemaker/owner Sean Boyd in a perfectly clean pair of pants or sporting a manicure.  This dude works. He’s a natural winemaker, but his background was in oil and gas exploration.  There’s a grittiness to winemaking in Washington State that just seems a bit more in keeping with the times we live in.

The Stats

I’m glad to see Rotie Cellars back in the PA Wine & Spirit’s Chairman Selection Program again. A few years ago it,   The Northern Blend is Sean’s homage to Côte-Rôtie region of the Northern Rhône Valley of France: as such it’s a deep throated Syrah co-fermented with 5% of Viognier. Like traditional Côte-Rôtie, it is aged in older barrels for up to 16 months.

The grapes are sourced from southeastern Walla Walla Valley. This corner of the AVA (American Viticultural Region) is revered for its cobblestone soils and has always produced stellar Syrah. Since 2015, this sub-region has been officially an AVA in its own right, with the name “The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater” Doesn’t flow off the tongue, but what part of Washington State does?

The Wine Review

A full-throated experience, both aggressive and jubilant.  wine with. Aromas of bouquet garni and texas bbq are layered with dark fruit and black pepper. On the palate, it’s a textural pleasure, full-bodied and lush. An attack of sauvage herbs, game and blackberry coulis evolves into white pepper and tapenade. An oaky sweetness and orange zest come through on the finish.

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