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RoxyAnn Winery 2017 Tempranillo
A deep history on the land
It’s hard to think of another winery as historic as RoxyAnn in Southern Oregon. The Parsons family has been growing pears at the Hillcrest Orchard since 1908. (Imagine bringing pears to market before the widespread adoption of motor vehicles!)
In 1997, Jack Day — the grandson of founder Reginald Parsons — realized the potential of growing grapes and planted 20 acres on the Southwest slope of Roxy Ann peak. In 2001, their first harvest of grapes produced 200 cases of a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It sold out in two weeks and the family realized they had a hit.
Fast forward to today. The family has 70 acres of grapes planted and produces around 10,000 cases of wine each year. Jack Day left his legacy in the hands of his children, Chad Day and Crissie Olson, who run the day-to-day operations and hope to one day pass on the family business to a fifth generation.
But who, you may ask, was RoxyAnn? Well, in 1853, she and her husband Samuel Bowen were the original settlers of the land that now comprises the Hillcrest orchard and vineyards. They decided to honor her passion for the land by naming the winery after her.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
RoxyAnn Winery, Medford, Oregon
2017 Tempranillo
The Willamette Valley may be famous for Pinot Noir, but Southern Oregon wineries are rapidly building a reputation for world-class Tempranillo. They do many things well in the Rogue Valley, but I love that they’ve developed this passion for Tempranillo. After all, the Rogue Valley is at the same latitude as the home of Tempranillo — the Rioja region of Spain.
This 2017 edition from RoxyAnn is emblematic of Rogue Valley Tempranillo. Dense, dark, and concentrated fruit radiates from this wine. Dark raspberry flavors mingle with leather, earth, and spicy oak. One unique feature of RoxyAnn wines? They use exclusively American oak, believing that the spice quality of the American oak barrels complements the fruit from their site.
This wine spends 24 months in 40% new oak barrels which smooths out the tannins and builds a long finish.
A Cellar 503 selection in July 2021, Spotlight on Southern Oregon Rogue Valley | Tempranillo
