What follows is an excerpt from the 2009 Walla Walla Spring Release Weekend Report. Download the full report here (Note: Opens .pdf).

Sean Boyd is up to something special at his new winery, Rotie Cellars. The winery focuses on Rhone-style blends. The Northern Blend is 97% Syrah co-fermented with 3% Viognier. The Southern Blend is a combination of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. Both wines are standouts. Boyd, who serves as assistant winemaker at Waters Winery, is perhaps most excited about his 2008 Grenache. This wine, still in the barrel, comes from Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA. This Grenache will provide the backbone for the 2008 Southern Blend. Boyd’s style shows restraint, letting the fruit and the land speak largely for themselves. Wines sampled at 68 degrees with the exception of the Roussanne-Viognier (60 degrees).

Wines:

Score

Name

Notes

$

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2008 Roussanne-Viognier

Completely clear in color. Banana and pear aromas mark a wine that has yet to completely reveal itself due to the recent bottling. Crisp and clean on the palate. 55% Viognier; 45% Roussanne. 200 cases produced.

$25

*

2007 Southern Blend

A drop dead gorgeous nose with earth and mineral aromas surrounded by violets and a heaping of raspberries. Beautiful acid balance with a focus on the fruit and the land. The oak is there but is far out of the way. A long finish caps it off. 55% Grenache; 35% Syrah; 10% Mourvedre. 400 cases produced.

$35

*

2007 Northern Blend

Dark in color. Beautiful fruit (raspberries), bittersweet chocolate and exhilarating seed aromas on a thrilling nose. An intricate taste that plays effortlessly across the palate. A long, lingering finish that hangs and hangs. 97% Syrah co-fermented with 3% Viognier. 400 cases produced.

$35