Rotie Cellars Southern Red Blend 2013
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The flavor of wine red raspberry, currant, and anise dominate the nose. On the palate fresh red fruits integrate seamlessly with black licorice and tobacco and that wine finishes with long, refined tannins.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sean's Grenache dominated cuvee, the 2013 Southern Blend checks in as a mix of 75% Grenache, 15% Syrah and 10% Mourvedre that was aged 14-16 months in 2nd and 3rd-fill barrels. It's ruby/semi-opaque color is followed by lively, complex bouquet of kirsch, blackberries, dried herbs and pepper. Savory, medium to full-bodied, supple and beautifully made, it's already complex and approachable, yet will evolve nicely through 2023.
Other Vintages
2016-
Jeb
Dunnuck -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Robert
Parker
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.
An important winegrowing state increasingly recognized for its high-quality reds and whites, Washington ranks second in production in the U.S. after California. Washington wines continue to gain well-deserved popularity as they garner higher and higher praise from critics and consumers alike.
Washington winemakers draw inspiration mainly from Napa Valley, Bordeaux and the Rhône as well as increasingly from other regions like Spain and Italy. Most viticulture takes place on the eastern side of the state—an arid desert in the rain shadow of the Cascade mountains. Irrigation is made possible by the Columbia River. Temperatures are extreme, with hot and dry summers and cold winters, during which frost can be a risk.
Washington’s wine industry was initially built on Merlot, which remains an important variety to this day, despite having been overtaken in acreage planted by Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Bordeaux blends and Rhône blends are common as well as single varietal bottlings. Washington reds tend to express a real purity of concentrated fruit. The best examples have a bold richness, seamless texture, plush or powdery tannins and flavors such as licorice, herb, forest floor, espresso and dark chocolate.
In terms of white wine from Washington state, Riesling is the state’s major success story, producing crisp, aromatic examples with plenty of stone fruit that range from bone dry to lusciously sweet. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc perform nicely here as well, and Viognier is beginning to pick up steam.