2021 Reininger Walla Walla Valley Syrah

Happy Sunday!  I have the day off tomorrow so I've been doing more than my share of relaxing today!  In any case, we eventually come to a time to start making dinner and enjoying a nice glass of wine.  Given my eclectic dining preferences, I've decided to select the wine before diving headlong into dinner.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of a wine club shipment (I can't say if it is recent!) from one of my favorite Walla Walla producers, Reininger Winery!  The 2021 Reininger Walla Walla Valley Syrah is a 100% Syrah sourced evenly from the Seven Hills and Pepper Bridge Vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

With an approachable deep ruby color in the glass, this wine presents aromas of leather, bing cherry, lilac and plum enticing you to take a sip and get this party started!  That first sip is a plunge into sophistication and nuance, within a fun party atmosphere.  Floral notes and hints of baking spice and luxurious leather and basalt that easily surrender to ripe red fruit notes of cherry, raspberry and currant.  The tannins are expertly structured to provide the ideal backbone for a long, smooth dry finish that lingers on your palate for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's one of my favorite Syrah's from the Walla Walla Valley.  This wine is a perfect accompaniment for a range of tough-to-pair dishes, from barbecue to any number of pork dishes, Thai to Indian and tonight I am taking this wine to task and enjoying it with some chicken and vegetables in a Filipino Caldereta tomato sauce served over steamed basmati rice.  The bright fruit and earthiness of the wine is a perfect foil to the richness of this dish.  Cheers!

2023 Pepper Bridge Seven Hills Vineyard Red Wine

Happy Saturday!  It's been a relaxing day, but a cold day, and a good day for a hearty red wine!  Tonight I've opened a bottle of 2023 Pepper Bridge Seven Hills Vineyard Red Wine, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%), Cabernet Franc (12%), Petit Verdot (9%) and Malbec (9%) all harvested from the Seven Hills Vineyard in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington. So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a very deep ruby color in the glass, with the exact look you'd expect from such a Cabernet dominant wine.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals the classic earthiness of this Walla Walla wine, green grass, mushroom, earthy peat and black pepper spice with hints of umami and floral notes.  The first sip is a rush of earthy elements emblazoned with spice, blackberry, cherry and currant that eases into some notes of baking spice, dusty limestone and tart cherry notes midpalate.  The tannins are well structured, providing the base for a wonderfully smooth dry finish that lingers until you take your next sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it represents the quintessential Walla Walla Bordeaux-style red blend that has me coming back year after year. This wine would pair well with winter, whether simply sipping next to the fireplace, or enjoying with a hearty supper of beef stew, braised short ribs or wild mushroom risotto.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled bone-in ribeye, grilled asparagus and a big baked potato.  Cheers!

2021 Esteban Martin Red Wine

Happy Thursday!  It's been an interested day or so, as I drove home from work in a snowstorm yesterday, but since it was all lake effect, by the time I got home there was hardly any snow at all!  Meanwhile there was about a foot at my office, so I worked from home today and now it's time for dinner and a glass of wine.  Tonight I've opened a bottle that I picked up at Costco in a "case sale" which they tend to do around the holidays, selling cases of wine for low prices, in this case $49 or just over $4 a bottle for the 2021 Esteban Martin Red Wine.  This one is a blend of Grenache (60%) and Syrah (40%) from Spain, so let's see how it's tasting.

The wine is a deep ruby in the glass as you'd expect from these varietals.  The nose presents aromas of cherry, oak, hints of anise and a bit of peppery spice.  Take a sip and you're awash in classic red fruit, cherry, currant and plum with just a bit of tartness, leading you into some earthy notes of tar, oak and peppery spice midpalate.  The tannins are subdued, but still play along for a nice smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8, as it's nothing spectacular, but for $4 a bottle this is a very easy weekday wine.  This wine would pair well with a lot of casual dinners, from pizza and burgers to pasta or Chinese.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a classic linguine and meatballs as the wine holds up well to the spice of the sauce and richness of the meatballs.  Cheers!