Anyone else notice a pretty huge change in style for reds from Rotie? Tasted through the 2020 Southern and Northern blends, the 470 and Tablas (clonal) bottlings and they are dramatically different in style than previous vintages. Much more rocks terroir/savoriness along with a softer mouthfeel (higher ph??) than before. I haven’t tried them in every single vintage but I’ve had the vast majority of vintages going back to 2009 so I don’t know exactly when they might have shifted. They’ve always been very well done but in the past they were much more mainstream leaning with those savory notes in the background behind deeper fruit. They are using grapes from their own estate vineyard put in 2012 which perhaps account for this shift.
I consider the new style a nice pleasant surprise as I love them but I am surprised how dramatic the change seemed to be.