2012 Reininger Carmenere

Here we are, Oscar night!  Everyone getting excited about the Academy Awards, personally I don't really get all that into it, though it was usually funny when Billy Crystal was hosting it at least.  So instead I'll just enjoy some wine and casually watch to see which big movie I've no doubt never seen takes home the little golden statue.  So to help me with that endeavor tonight, I've opened a bottle of 2012 Reininger Carmenere from the Seven Hills Vineyard in Walla Walla.

The wine is a deep, inky purple color in the glass, with a hint of garnet along the edges.  The nose is a wonderful combination of dark ripe fruit, black currant, blackberry and some spice over a layer of earthy aromas of oak and smoke.  The taste is quite complex, with some dark fruit up front, blackberry, black currant and a hint of raspberry, over some dark chocolate and mocha notes that transitions nicely to some wonderful spice notes of white pepper, fresh herbs and vanilla bean midpalate.  The fine tannins support a lovely, smooth dry finish with just enough acidity to keep it interesting.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's another solid Carmenere effort from Reininger.  Tonight I am pairing this with a classic east coast Italian dinner of hot Italian sausage links with onions and peppers along with some spaghetti tossed with garlic and olive oil.  The nice fruit and earthy spice in this wine makes it ideal to pair with hearty Italian dishes.  Cheers!