2015 Reininger Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  It's been a rather lazy day for me, as it's been somewhat rainy and dreary I've spend the afternoon reading.  And now, it's time for a glass of wine before making dinner.  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of next month's office wine club selection, the 2015 Reininger Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (76%), Merlot (21%) and Petit Verdot (3%) from the Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills and XL Vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley AVA of Washington.  I recall my visit to Walla Walla during the 2015 harvest (I was there in late August, but given this was such a warm vintage, the harvest started much earlier than usual), and I recall there were extensive fires in the area in that late summer as well, as evidenced by my harrowing drive through Hell's Canyon as I departed that trip!  So, let's see how this wine has developed!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with bright garnet around the edges.  The nose is a rather elegant affair, bringing back reminiscences of leather bound volumes in my college library, intermingled with hints of rose petals and ripe black berry fruit.  The taste is a rush of cool black fruit, currant, blackberry, cherry and plum that dance around your tongue before transitioning to some lovely loamy mineral notes midpalate.  The tannins are remarkably smooth and well structured to bring a balanced, long, smooth and very dry finish that lingers for what seems like a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it has to be one of my new favorite everyday drinking Cabernets.  This wine would be ideal with a variety of hearty winter fare, from grilled steaks and chops, to beef stew, pasta or chili.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled New York strip and garlic mashed potatoes with a red wine reduction and some Brussels sprouts oven roasted with bacon fat.  Cheers!