Winemaker Notes
Black pepper, cured meats, black plum and potpourri grace the glass, followed by layer after layer of orange peel, warm spices and seashells.
Blend: 39% Grenache, 36% Mourvedre, 11% Syrah, 6% Cinsaut, 5% Counoise, 2% Grenache Blanc, 1% Picpoul
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
I like the savory complexity to this, with wafts of incense, ash and roasted thyme, followed by oyster shells and elderberries. It’s full-bodied yet agile and so alive, with silky tannins and a peppery, spicy energy to it. Long and enticing.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A Châteauneuf du Pape look-alike, the 2020 Charlotte offers a terrific array of red fruits (strawberries, cherries) as well as some spicy, sagebrush, rose, and floral nuances that develop with time in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, round, seamless, and perfectly balanced, it’s another incredibly elegant, impressive 2020 from this team that has loads of character. The blend is 50% Mourvedre, 24% Grenache, and the rest Syrah, Counoise, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul, and Cinsault, raised in neutral oak.
-
Wine Spectator
A perky red, with snappy cherry and raspberry flavors accented by tobacco, smoked pepper and rose petal tones. Mourvedre, Grenache, Syrah, Counoise, Grenache Blanc, Picpoul and Cinsault. Drink now through 2029. 411 cases made.
Located at the base of the Blue Mountains in Walla Walla Washington, K Vintners opened its doors to the public on December 3rd, 2001. The property at 820 Mill Creek Road where the winery sits was homesteaded in 1853 with the adjacent farmhouse built in 1872. The winery grounds with Titus Creek flowing through the lawn and the old pioneer planted trees, is a little slice of heartland Americana. The Winemaker: He loves to drink wine! Charles Smith, proprietor and winemaker, comes to Walla Walla after 11 years in Scandanavia. Originally from northern California, he has been involved with wine personally and professionally his whole life. And did we forget to mention... he loves to drink wine! The Vineyards: K Vintners is producing wines from 2 distinctive viticultural zones: Wahluke Slope and Walla Walla Valley. Each of these areas are unique and awesome for Syrah and the Field Blends produced. In April '02 two seperate blocks of vineyards were planted to Syrah adjacent to the winery in the rocky dry creek beds that run through K Vintners property.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.