‘Wow!’ I contemplated to myself, as I took in the intoxicating aromatics from the glass. ‘The Umami!’ Christophe proclaimed. I looked at the talented Cayuse assistant vigneronne, Elizabeth Bourcier, responsible for making the wine, and she simply nodded. Last spring I had the chance to visit Cayuse Vineyards and interview Elizabeth, who has been working under the guidance of the eminent vigneron, Christophe Baron, since 2008. During the tasting portion I had the chance to try Elizabeth’s new release of La Rata, the 2013 which follows up the enticing 2012 bottling.
The ‘La Rata’ is a bottling like no other in Washington. It is Elizabeth’s take on Clos Erasmus wines of the Priorat region, as she was initially inspired after tasting these incredible wines made by head winemaker Daphne Glorian. Elizabeth saw a great potential to blend both Grenache and Cabernet together, since they wines tend to ripen at the same time. Elizabeth chose to use Grenache from Armada Vineyard and Cabernet from En Cerise Vineyard. The wine was named “The Rat.” And then Spanglish-cized: ‘La Rata’. The name ‘La Rata’ also connects with Elizabeth, as her zodiac sign is the rat. The new 2013 ‘La Rata’ Red Wine shows a similar but slightly more fruit forward fruit profile than her 2012 bottling. I would say that while both wines have a graceful minerality, the 2013 is slightly more intense, capturing the heat of that great vintage. The minerality is there, however, as this wine will cellar gracefully into the next decade. The texture of this wine is absolutely gorgeous as the 2013 ‘La Rata’ shows a slightly higher viscosity than the 2012 bottling as well. The 2013 ‘La Rata’ is only offered by Full Pull Wines and is very challenging to find in the market but you might be able to find it online. Learn more at http://laratawines.com/wines.html Here is my review of the absolutely outstanding new 2013 La Rata Red Wine by Elizabeth Bourcier of Cayuse Vineyards.
2013 La Rata Red Wine- This absolutely incredible bottling follows up the amazing ’12 La Rata Red Wine. The wine is made by Elizabeth Bourcier, Cayuse’s assistant vigneronne, who was first inspired by Clos Erasmus wines and wanted to combine Armada Vineyard Grenache with En Cerise Vineyard Cabernet. The resultant 60% Grenache and 40% Cabernet red blend is a stunner. As the wine slowly develops in the glass, it begins to release dense aromatics of wet stone, red cherry, smoke with red raspberry with rose petal accents. The aromatics are intense and bring you back to the glass for more. There are ripe aromas of cherry cola, wet stone, red raspberry, orange rind and lavender. The wine possesses a gorgeous minerality and balance. The novelty of this wine is apparent as there is really nothing like this in Washington. The texture is voluptuous as this it is impossible to resist this intense wine. Drink 2016-2028- 95