2014 Reininger Walla Walla Carmenere

Happy Friday!  It's been an adventure this week as my hard drive failed last weekend and it took a few days for my good friend David to make the repairs (I still have many files to try to recreate and passwords to reset, but I think I'll live!).  So tonight we get a new blog post as it's my first opportunity to get back to reviewing wine (though trust me, I've certainly been drinking it during the technological hiatus!).  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2014 Reininger Walla Walla Carmenere, a 100% Carmenere from the Seven Hills Vineyard, so let's see how this one tastes!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with bright garnet along the edges.  The nose is a lovely combination of green grass, tart cherry and earthy notes of mushroom and black pepper spice.  The taste is lovely with a nice array of ripe black fruit up front that transitions effortlessly to some pepper spice and dark chocolate midpalate.  The finish is supported by some nicely integrated tannins that reveal a somewhat earthy, long and very smooth dry finish.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a lovely example of the varietal but still has some potential to improve over the next few years.  The wine would pair well with some hearty meat dishes, but tonight I am enjoying this wine with some wild mushroom ravioli topped with a bit of creamy tomato basil sauce.  The earthy notes of the wine really accent the earthy flavors of the wild mushroom.  Cheers!