2017 Vacation to Walla Walla Wine Country - Day 2

You know there is certain truth the that saying about the best laid plans of mice and men...Today was my second day of a fabulous vacation in Walla Walla Wine Country, and although I had plans to visit several wineries, I ended up at only two, and of course that was just fine because it was the most awesome day anyway!  First I have to thank Jacque from Seven Hills who was so kind to lend me her car for the afternoon so I could head out to visit the wineries on the west side of town, it's just so amazing that the folks here in Walla Walla are so friendly and helpful!

The veggie hand rolls at Soi 71.

But first there was lunch!  There are many classic restaurants in town the I love to visit when I'm here, but then there are new ones, like Soi 71, a new Thai restaurant located next to another great restaurant, Saffron.  Had a lovely lunch of veggie hand rolls and Pad Kee Mao (which is the dish by which I judge all Thai restaurants) and it was delicious!

The beautiful tasting room at Cougar Crest Winery

Next I was on the road to the west side where I stopped at Cougar Crest to taste some wines (I am a big fan of their Dedication wine, as it's a great everyday wine for just $20!) and I also tried their "Syrillo" which was a blend of 50/50 Syrah and Tempranillo and it was very good.

The entrance at Reininger Winery

Next I was off to Reininger Winery, as I'm a big fan of their wonderful red wines, and I'm always impressed with the creativity of Chuck Reininger in combining different varietals and vintages to come up with some truly outstanding wines.  Over a nice charcuterie board, I had a very pleasant conversation with Chuck, as we share an appreciation for the wines of the Walla Walla Valley.

The painting the graces the label of "Mr. Owl's Red" as Chuck's kids had trouble
pronouncing winemaker Raul's name, so it came out "Mr. Owl"

So many other regions are known for particular varietals (think Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Australian Shiraz, Lodi Zinfandel), but Walla Walla doesn't really have a signature varietal.  To me, this region is much more like Bordeaux, where different areas and varietals really exemplify the terroir, or sense of place where these wines were made.  This also makes the wines more subtle and nuanced, more of a thinking person's wine, not like some big bold wines that practically hit you in the face with a figurative 2x4.  These are the types of wines that you can sip on the patio for an entire afternoon and continually taste something new.

Cia and I in the barrel room, she was a wonderful host with an interesting background,
as she grew up in Walla Walla but then spent time teaching in Columbia.

Next it was off to the barrel room for some barrel tasting of some future wonderful wines.  I have to thank my hosts, Cia who hosted my entire afternoon, along with Dorian and Keith who were busy racking barrels.  For those unfamiliar with the process, as the wines are barrel aged, they are usually racked three times.  This is a process where the barrels are emptied and then the sediment is removed, after which the wine is returned to the barrel to continue aging.  The result is the removal of most of the sediment by the time the wine is ready to be bottled.

Dorian and Keith, Dorian is enthusiastic and great at walking me through what we
were tasting and really helping understand the reasons for how things come together.
Keith was a great young man who was working for the summer while attending college. 

The fun of barrel tasting is that you are literally tasting the future, and I must admit the future is looking very tasty at Reininger!  We had the chance to taste the third and fourth editions of CPR, a creation that exemplifies the creativity of Chuck Reininger.  The current, second edition CPR is a blend of seven varietals from five vineyards across vintages ranging from 2005 - 2012!  The third and fourth editions were quite delicious and I anxiously await their release.

Some wonderful future Reininger wines still growing up in the barrel!

In addition to CPR, we had the opportunity to taste the 2013 Cima (this should be another big winner), 2015 Malbec, 2016 Syrah and 2016 Cabernet Franc.  That last wine was interesting as it was fermented with skins of Viognier, which rally imparted a lovely floral note over the finish of the wine, again illustrating the creativity here and appreciation for old world techniques (think Cote Rotie, though this was done with Cabernet Franc instead of Syrah).  After this wonderful afternoon, I was back downtown to have a dinner of Moules Frites at Brasserie Four, always on my list of favorites when I visit Walla Walla.  Overall, it was a fantastic day, even though I didn't accomplish everything on my list!