Seattle Weekly: Rhone Rage
"While my notes have matched what a winery has written about its wines—it was an intense cherry-and-cola bomb with an aroma I wanted to turn into powder form so I could snort it all day long."
I'm still thinking about the first releases from Sean Boyd, assistant winemaker at Waters, who self-distributes and has no tasting room as of yet. His Rôtie Cellars pays homage to the Rhône Valley with two blends that mimic the wines of the northern and southern Rhône.
My tasting of Boyd's 2007 Northern Blend (syrah and viognier) marked the first time in a while my notes have matched what a winery has written about its wines—it was an intense cherry-and-cola bomb with an aroma I wanted to turn into powder form so I could snort it all day long.
Boyd's 2007 Southern Blend, dominated by grenache and rounded out with syrah and mourvedre, has a mellower mix of red and black fruit with a spicy edge and long finish. If you could put it in the basement and forget about it for a year or two, I bet the wine would show more fruit as the underlying structure toned down.