2020 Reininger Walla Walla Valley Syrah

Well, after a long holiday weekend of planting flowers, cleaning off the patio furniture and grilling hamburgers and hot dogs for a dozen guests, it's nice to be back to normal.  It's funny how holidays tend to be so much more work than actual working!  So, tonight I've opened a bottle of a recent wine club shipment from one of my long-time favorite Walla Walla producers.  The 2020 Reininger Walla Walla Valley Syrah is a 100% Syrah sourced from the Pepper Bridge (69%) and Seven Hills (31%) vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep, reddish purple in the glass, with bright ruby at the edges, just as you might expect from a nice Syrah.  After some time to breathe, the nose presents a lovely cascade of aromas ranging from ripe blackberry, plum and kirsch, intermingled with leather and lilac amid undertones of earthy loam and meat.  Take a sip and your palate is awash in fruit, boysenberry, black raspberry and lingonberry that transition easily to some earthy mineral notes of dusty limestone midpalate.  The fine grain tannins are expertly integrated to support the velvety smooth, dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's a fabulous example of the lovely Syrah being produced in the Walla Walla Valley.  This wine would pair well with a variety of summer dishes, from grilled pork tenderloin to barbecued ribs, steaks to caprese salad.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a grilled veal loin chop with herbs de Provence along with Portobello mushroom farro and grilled asparagus.  Cheers!

2022 Helix Sangiovese Rose

Happy Saturday!  I trust you are all enjoying a wonderful Memoria Day weekend.  I spend much of the day at the cemetery planting flowers for my relatives, but now I am back home and ready for a nice glass of wine dinner.  Given the near proximity of summer, tonight I've decided to open a classic summer wine, the 2022 Helix Sangiovese Rose.  This wine is a rose of 100% Sangiovese from the Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this burst of summer is tasting!

The wine is a pale peach color in the glass, and a gentle swirls reveals aromas of peach blossom, strawberry amid hints of citrus.  Take a sip and summer comes rushing in, crisp refreshing notes of grapefruit, fresh melon and tropical notes of guava and mango.  This wine has a crisp and refreshing dry finish that's just perfect for summer sipping on the patio.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5 as it's just a wonderfully simple, refreshing wine that is an ideal representation of what rose should be.  This wine would pair well with seafood, light salads or beef tartare.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with my Memorial Day lobster fest, as my local market had live Maine lobsters on sale for just $9.99, along with a sale on corn on the cob, so here I am, enjoying a perfect taste of summer in late May.  Cheers!

2019 Woodward Canyon Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Sunday!  I had a wonderful day yesterday at the local Elkhart Airshow, seeing a lot of vintage World War II airplanes and reenactments, and then I had a wonderful dinner with the neighbors.  So, today I did a bunch of yard work and now I am ready for a nice bottle of wine with dinner.  Tonight, I've opened a bottle of a recent purchase from a long-time favorite Walla Walla Winery, the 2019 Woodward Canyon Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (93%) and Petit Verdot (7%) from the Champoux, Woodward Canyon, Wallula and Weinbau Vineyards, some of the best of  Washington.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is an inky black and the center with bright ruby along the edges, letting you know that you're about to taste something special,  A gentle swirl in the glass reveals aromas of raspberry, blackberry and oak, beckoning you to take a sip.  And that first sip reveals flavors of black cherry, raspberry and dark chocolate, intermingled with mineral notes of graphite and limestone midpalate.  The tannins are well integrated providing for a velvety dry finish that lingers for a minute or more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, but it has the potential to improve with a few years in the cellar (lucky I have a couple more reserved for future consumption!).  This wine would pair well with a broad range of hearty dishes, from steaks and chops to hearty shews or rich pasta dishes.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled thick Angus porterhouse along with some grilled broccoli rabe and blistered cherry tomatoes.  Cheers!

2020 Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there!  And to help you celebrate your mom, I've opened the latest vintage of one of my favorite Cabernet Sauvignons that just came in a wine club shipment last week.  The 2020 Pepper Bridge Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (88%), Petit Verdot (6%) and Cabernet Franc (6%) sourced from the Seven Hills, Octave, Tom Waliser and Pepper Bridge Vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this wine is shaping up!

The wine is a beautiful bright and brooding ruby color in the glass, classic for the varietals.  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of black plum, blackberry and cherry intermingled with hints of lavender and sage.  Take a sip and your palate is awash in tart cherry that eases into blackberry and plum, before transitioning to some notes of dark chocolate and some earthy minerality.  The tannins are wonderfully structured yet youthful, providing for an beefy dry finish that lingers for a minute or more. 

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it lives up to prior vintages which have been a perennial favorite.  This wine would pair well with steaks and chops, wild mushroom risotto or hearty pasta.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a classic Sunday dinner of rare, pan seared filet mignon topped with Béarnaise and served with oven roasted carrots.  Cheers!

2020 Seven Hills Summit View Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  It's been raining off and on all day here, so I've been doing some indoor chores before heading to the theatre for a play later this evening.  So, to enjoy my upcoming steak dinner, I've decided to open the latest vintage of one of my favorite Cabernets, the 2020 Seven Hills Summit View Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  So, let's see how this wine is shaping up!

The wine is a deep, inky black at the center with bright garnet along the edges, just as you'd expect from a high-quality Cabernet,  A gentle swirl of the glass reveals aromas of ripe black fruit, blackberry, cherry and plum, intermingled with hints of vanilla and oak.  The first sip presents a rush of cool black fruit and dried herbs that transitions easily to some earthy mineral notes of dusty limestone and basalt midpalate.  The tannins are a bit chalky, but still providing a nice base for the long, smooth dry finish that lingers on your palate until you take another sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's a wonderfully approachable wine, but not quite up to the level of earlier vintages (I've enjoyed this wine since the release of the 2014 Vintage).  This wine would be an ideal hearty beef wine, pairing well with anything from a classic seared filet mignon to a hearty prime rib.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime New York strip along with some grilled leeks and asparagus.  Cheers!