Sitting with friends at Rotie Cellars in SoDo we chatted casually about the wines that we were tasting. My friends had little experience in wine tasting but they were thoroughly enjoying every wine that was presented to them. When Rotie Cellars was first founded there was a Syrah boom going on in Washington State. Rotie founder and winemaker Sean Boyd saw this trend and was drawn to the Rhone style wines made in Walla Walla. A downright awesome guy to spend time with, Sean makes a fantastic range of Rhone style white and red wines for Rotie. He has a beautiful tasting room in Milton-Freewater right in the Rocks District. For those who live on the west side of Washington, you don't want to miss out on a visit to their tasting room in the SoDo District of Seattle.
Sean is originally from Tacoma, and began working at Waters Cellars before starting his own winery. I adored the new 2021 Rotie Cellars ‘Southern White’ White Wine (OB, 92) which is wonderfully flinty and shows a soft mouthfeel. All of the Rotie Cellars wines are reasonably priced and nearly all are available under fifty dollars. Learn more about these outstanding wines at https://www.rotiecellars.com Here are my reviews of the beautiful white wine and rose new release wines by Rotie Cellars.
2021 Rotie Cellars ‘Southern White’ White Wine- A blend of 70% Viognier with the remainder Marsanne and Roussanne, this delivers plenty of wet stone characters with white peach and Bartlett pear flavors alongside serious texture and tension. Enjoy over the next seven years. Drink 2022-2028- 92
2021 Rotie Cellars ‘Northern White’ White Wine- Big and fleshy, with good finesse the 2021 Rotie Cellars ‘Northern White’ offers salted Macadamia nut, lychee and starfruit flavors that combine with a great sense of weight and lengthy finish. Gorgeous to consume now, this will cellar well over the next five to seven years. Drink 2022-2028- 92
2021 Rotie Cellars Rose- Crisp and inviting on the mouth, the 2021 Rotie Cellars Rose offers wet stone and ripe raspberry flavors alongside citrus rind and green papaya tones on the palate. Beautifully textured, enjoy over the next five years. Drink 2022-2027- 91
2021 Rotie Cellars ‘Stonewall’ Rose- The 2021 Rotie Cellars ‘Stonewall’ Rose is a gorgeous blend of 80% Syrah and 20% Mourvedre. Soft on the mouth, the Rose shows red rose water, red cherry candy and kumquat flavors that mingle well with copious minerals on the palate. Drink 2022-2026- 91
2021 Rotie Cellars Grenache Blanc- Stony and very mineral-driven, the 2021 Rotie Cellars Grenache Blanc is a gorgeous effort from this exciting vintage for white wines. Green papaya and vanilla cream mingle well with stony minerals and green apple flavors on the palate. Finishing long, this is gorgeous wine that really needs to be served on the warmer side to take in the fantastic range of flavors and aromas. Drink 2022-2027- 92