Now I bought a couple bottle of the Helix Pomatia since in the tasting room it just struck me as an ideal everyday red wine, that still had such wonderful flavor and quality that it made you feel special every time you open a bottle. The 2008 vintage is a wonderful blend of Merlot (30%), Cabernet Sauvignon (27%), Syrah (27%) and Cabernet Franc (16%), a solid blend of the classic grapes that make Walla Walla's Bordeaux blends so fabulous.
The wine itself is a wonderful deep ruby in the glass, with a nose of ripe berries, leather and tobacco. The taste is quite nice with flavors of plum, sour cherries, and black currants, giving way to spicy notes of black pepper, dark chocolate and a bit of licorice. The smooth tannins create a wonderful, and playful finish that's long and dry, just as you would expect from a high quality Bordeaux.
Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, and I think it was a solid value but I can't remember what exactly I paid for it (but I think it was around $20). The Helix label is Reininger's second label, which is more value priced, but in the tasting room, I found the two labels to be quite different and wonderful in their own ways. And of course, tonight I've decided to treat myself to a wonderful dinner of surf and turf, which this wine so wonderfully complemented. I had a nice rare porterhouse along with a Maine lobster tail nicely grilled, along with some grilled zucchini and corn on the cob. The wonderful richness of this wine stood up well against the red meat, but the dryness also worked very well against the richness of the lobster, a great pick all around!
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