Bryan - not only is the Ankleroller from the same vineyard as the Some Days are Stones, but is made by the same winemaker! The Block Wines are a project from the Full Pull crew and they have roped in Morgan from Two Vintners to make their wine. Very cool comparison!
These wines are very good already. Sadly we missed going there Cayuse weekend as I got a horrible asthma attack.
That makes the contrast between the two wines even more interesting!
What wines from The Walls are coming from the rocks? I know there’s Tempranillo, but are the rest going to released later on, or is that the only one?
We had the WT Vintners Stoney Vine Syrah the other night. It is really good. All their wines are worth checking out.
Rulo’s Syrah punches WAAAAY above its price point as well, I’m surprised more people haven’t discovered them yet.
This was worth repeating because it is so, so true.
Where would you start with the Rulo Syrah? Any particular vintage or are they ready to go out of the gate? Any other varietals that they make particularly well?
Thanks.
Oh, interesting, I totally didn’t put that together!
So it’s weird, Rulo’s regular Syrah bottling, they usually hang onto a little longer, they’re usually releasing it 4 or 5 years past vintage, and their Rocks Syrah “Silo” which people might consider their “reserve” bottling, they release much closer to vintage but it usually needs more time. I’ve had the '11 Syrah and it’s a drink now, totally ready, already drank all 3 I bought last January. I haven’t had the '12. The '11 is some Wahluke Slope fruit and some Rocks fruit, but the '12 is all Wahluke, so YMMV. I tried the '13 Silo when I was there last January and it was delicious but more structured so I’m still sleeping on the bottle I picked up back then. The idea of getting a 100% River Rock Syrah for $35 is pure madness.
Actually, Washington wineries cannot use the official name of “The Rocks” AVA on their bottle labeling. Federal regulations state that in order for an AVA name to be used on a label, the wine must be produced in the same state as the AVA. For “The Rocks”, it is entirely within Oregon, therefore only Oregon wineries can use the AVA name on labels. For Walla Walla and Columbia Valley AVAs, because the AVA boundaries extend across two states, wine can be made in either state and carry the AVA name.
Good to know! Thanks!
Rotie Cellars Northern Blend is now entirely Rocks fruit. When we visited Zerba last fall we were told a Reserve syrah from their Winesap Road vineyard was forthcoming; but I have not seen it on their website.
I completely forgot about Rotie, thanks! I’ll keep an eye out for Zebra’s since they have a tasting room fairly close to me.