“I love the wines from ’22” said Andrew Latta as we tasted together. “2022 was kind of the opposite of 2021. We have native yeasts with native ML and we don’t describe ourselves as natural wines but we do traditional Rhone winemaking. Stems, hand punchdowns and not much new French oak” he explained. The wines reflected those with beautiful texture, without a lot of oak impact or toasty oak character.
“I like both 2021 and 2022. The vintages reflect the weather. Tannins and mouthfeel are a hallmark of what I do and I think about a lot of that in the maceration and pressing. My style is more rounded and developed rather than being really aggressive early and so ‘21s reflect a more tannic vintage but 2022s are fresher.”
Andrew Latta is making some of the best Grenache Blanc in the state. Check out his 2023 ‘Frankie’ Grenache Blanc (OB, 95) which comes from the famed WeatherEye Vineyard and has amazing flavor density and flavor range. Learn more about these outstanding wines at https://www.lattawines.com/ and here are my reviews of the new wines by Andrew Latta.
2023 Lucius ‘Concrete’ Albarino- Aged in concrete, this 2023 Albarino saw a day of skin contact and comes form the Lawrence Vineyard. This is rich, neatly-textured and unctuous and concentrated with serious tension and salty nuances, with heady melon fruits. Drink 2025-2032- 93
2023 Lucius ‘Skin Contact’ Viognier- The 2023 ‘Skin Contact’ Viognier saw four days on the skins an then was pressed into neutral oak barrels. Golden in the glass, this deliverers star jasmine water and dense papaya and unctuous melons on the nose. The palate is rich and viscous with great underlying tension. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2024 Lucius ‘Chillable’ Mourvedre- The 2024 Lucius ‘Chillable’ Mourvedre saw a heavy press and was sealed in the tank for ten days in the carbonic style. This is fresh and nervy with a great texture and loads of bright red fruits with citrus zest notes. Drink 2025-2031- 92
2023 Lucius ‘Carbonic’ Syrah- The 2023 Lucius ‘Carbonic’ Syrah is 100% varietal coming from the Upland Vineyard. Green olives and bacon fat fill the nose with white pepper dusted pork shoulder. The palate is fresh and fragrant with loads of juicy black and red fruits. Enjoy now and over the next six plus years. 100% whole cluster fermented. Drink 2025-2031- 92
2023 Latta ‘Latta Latta’ White Wine- A blend of Grenache Blanc and Roussanne coming from the Lawrence Vineyard. The wine was stored in natural oak (barriques and puncheons). The palate is rich and viscous with terrific texture. Rich melon fruits mingle well with salted cashew nut and green papaya on the palate. Drink 2025-2032- 92
2023 Latta Roussanne- Also coming from the Lawrence Vineyard, the 2023 Roussane was stored in 15% new French oak before bottling with some lees stirring. The palate is unbelievably good with serious weight and texture. Honeydew melon and walnut flavors combine with shades of mango on the palate. Unctuous and rich, enjoy now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2023 Latta ‘Frankie’ Grenache Blanc- The stunning 2023 ‘Frankie’ was sourced from the north site of the WeatherEye Vineyard, this 2023 Grenache Blanc is dense, rich and loaded with tension. Japanese pear and juicy nectarine combine with hints of passion fruit on the palate. This is amazing, dense Grenache Blanc that is amongst the finest of its kind in the Northwest. Drink 2025-2032- 95
2022 Latta ‘Latta Latta’ Red Wine- The 2022 ‘Latta Latta’ is an amazing value that combines 57% Grenache with 28% Syrah and the remainder Mourvèdre. Mainly coming from the Upland Vineyard, this delivers smoldering stones alongside crushed red fruits with green olive tapenade. The palate is fresh and loaded with mouth-watering acidity. Drink 2025-2031- 92
2022 Latta ‘Upland Vineyard’ Grenache- Andrew Latta has been working with this vineyard since 2010. This is the oldest vineyard in Washington, planted in the 1910s. This exudes class with its beautiful red florals and high-toned red fruits alongside baking spices and blood orange zest. The palate is deep, concentrated and loaded with finesse. Enjoy this beauty now and over the next eight years. Drink 2025-2033- 95
2022 Latta ‘Upland Vineyard’ Mourvedre- The 2022 ‘Upland Vineyard’ Mourvèdre offers iodine and bulls blood alongside shades of wild strawberry and smoked meats on the nose. Mostly whole-cluster fermented, this delivers stony and salty nuances alongside bright red fruits with orange peel notes. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Latta ‘Mayor Bill’ Red Wine- All coming from the Upland Vineyard, the ‘Mayor Bill’ combines Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. Stored in all neutral oak white pepper and crushed gravel alongside pretty red fruits and red rose petals on the nose. The palate is beautifully-structured, with loads of salty and stony character. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Latta ‘Upland Vineyard’ Syrah- The 2022 ‘Upland Vineyard’ Syrah is a limited production bottling that was stored in all neutral oak before bottling. The palate is nicely textured with loads of salty and stony red and dark fruits alongside green peppercorns and smoked pork shoulder. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Latta ‘Lawrence Vineyard’ Syrah- The 2022 Latta ‘Lawrence Vineyard’ Syrah combines both Joseph Phelps and Tablas Creek clonal selections, as this was stored in neutral oak barrels before bottling. White pepper dusted bacon and black florals mark the nose with Hoisin sauce and wild blackberry. The palate is fresh and loaded with mouth-watering acidity. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Latta ‘Dana’ Syrah- The 2022 ‘Dana’ has 2% Viognier that was co-fermented. Sourced from the Freewater Rocks Vineyard, this delivers iodine and bulls blood alongside Unami and wintergreen notes. The palate is incredibly stony and mineral-laden with great freshness and texture. Drink 2025-2033- 95
2022 Latta ‘Piece’ Syrah- The 2022 ‘Piece’ is named after Andrew Latta’s first born child. Coming from the WeatherEye Vineyard, this has 5% Viognier blended in. Yarrow and fresh sage mingle well with pretty red florals and crunchy red fruits on the nose. The palate is fresh and loaded with finesse, as your mouth waters with each sip. This is outstanding stuff that is best enjoyed now and over the next decade. 50% whole cluster fermented. Drink 2025-2035- 95
2022 Latta ‘Cabernet/Syrah’ Red Wine- Coming from the Freewater Rocks Vineyard in the Rocks District, this 2022 Provence-inspired blend offers huckleberry and crushed wet rock alongside oyster sauce notes. The palate is dense and mineral-laden with terrific freshness and great stony essence. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Latta ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Malbec- The 2022 Latta ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Malbec comes from 30 year old plantings at this historic site. This comes off very fresh and is loaded with black and blue fruits alongside Christmas spice and hints of chocolate pie. Drink 2025-2035- 93
2022 Latta ‘Gants de Suede’ Red Wine- A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec that was co-fermented from the Solaksen Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA. Rich cassis and anise notes combine with exotic spices on the nose. This has terrific power and finesse, with great freshness as heady dark fruits parade with pipe tobacco and stony nuances on the palate. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2022 Latta ‘Lawrence Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2022 ‘Lawrence Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon offers sagebrush, dark currants and tobacco leaf on the nose with shades of wet rock. The palate is beautifully-structured with serious texture and finesse. A great core of dark fruits greets you, alongside wet rocky nuances. Drink 2025-2035- 94