Today we share a brand new project by the talented Andrew Latta. Latta Wines was founded in 2011 by winemaker and owner Andrew Latta. Andrew came to wine through years of restaurant work, from bussing tables in his home state of Kentucky all the way to a Sommelier position in Thailand, directing one of the finest wine programs in the country.
Formerly with K Vintners, Latta has been at his SoDo location since 2015. He has a new line of wines called Lucius which is named after his grandfather. I had the chance to sit down with Latta yesterday as he described the wines as “pushing the envelope” and “Wanting to do something different with typical and atypical varietals.” The wines were seriously good across the board. I love the 2022 Lucius ‘Concrete’ Albarino (OB, 93) which is a steal at only 25 bucks and has serious texture, weight and poise. Learn more at lattawines.com and here are my reviews of the new Lucius wines.
2022 Lucius ‘Concrete’ Albarino- Coming from the Lawrence Vineyard, this was mainly stored in concrete before bottling. Texturally this is really outstanding as this shows good freshness with pear, nectarine and kiwi fruit flavors alongside nutty nuances. The combination of freshness and mouthfeel really drives this beautiful wine. Drink 2024-2029- 93
2023 Lucious ‘Concrete’ Albarino- Big and bold, with a serious sense of weight, the 2023 Lucious Albarino offers a rich melange of citrus, and orchard fruit flavors with mango and nutty accents. Totally dazzling with good freshness, enjoy now and over the next few years. This saw extended skin contact compared to the 2022 bottling. Drink 2024-2030- 93
2022 Lucious ‘Skin Contact’ Viognier- The 2022 ‘Skin Contact’ comes from the Lawrence and Freewater Rock Vineyards. Right away this shows beautiful white florals on the nose alongside white peach and pear notes. The palate is lush and refined with a silky texture and fantastic sense of weight. Very juicy, with loads of mouth-watering acidity, enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2024-2030- 94
2022 Lucious ‘Carbonic’ Mourvedre- A really unique wine coming from the Upland Vineyard, the 2022 Lucious ‘Carbonic’ Mourvedre offers purple flowers and juicy red currants on the nose alongside bright strawberry tones on the nose. The palate is very fresh and lovely with a silky texture and beautiful sense of finesse. What a wine for the price! Drink 2024-2030- 93
2021 Lucious ‘Bojo Cru’ Syrah- The 2021 Lucious ‘Bojo Cru’ Syrah was sourced from the Stoneridge Vineyard. Very inky in the glass, offering compost and black currants alongside violets, wet stone , soy sauce and suggestions of Kalamata tapenade. Very fresh and lively with a serious sense of texture and weight, this is a stunning bottling that is a total steal at 30 bucks a bottle. Drink 2024-2032- 94
2020 Latta Wines ‘Weathereye’ Syrah- This is a fall release Syrah wine that has 5% Viognier blended in. Given 60% whole cluster fermentation. Coming from Block 9 where there are five different clones on the block, this is sourced from the northern slope of the vineyard. Very inky in the glass, this offers hoisin sauce, blackberry compote, smoked brisket and suggestions of Oyster sauce on the palate. Drink now. Drink 2024-2029- 94