Happy Wine Wednesday! It's been a while since I've posted on a Wednesday, so let's make this a little special. Tonight, I've opened a bottle from a recent wine club shipment from one of my favorite Walla Walla winemakers, the 2017 Reininger Tahoma. This wine is not a regular production wine, but the most recent vintage (I reviewed the 2012 vintage here and I have a bottle or two of the 2015 vintage in the cellar, but chose to go out of order!). Tahoma is a Super Tuscan blend of Sangiovese (42%), Cabernet Sauvignon (33%) and Merlot (25%) from the Seven Hills and Pepper Bridge Vineyards in the Walla Walla AVA of Washington. Let's see how this latest vintage is tasting!
The color is deeper than a Sangiovese but lighter than a Cabernet, a perfect cross for the blend. The nose is a welcoming combination of leather, candied cherry, and dried floral notes, that will have you picturing a grocer in Little Italy. The first sip is a rush of tart cherry, that easily transitions to earthy notes of graphite intermingled with vanilla caramel midpalate. The tannins are a bit sharp, but still a nice foundation for the lingering dry finish with a reprise of acidity at the end.
Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just a pleasant drinking wine today, but likely to become more interesting over the next few years, highlighting Chuck Reininger's creativity in winemaking. This wine would pair well with about any dish you could enjoy on a Roman holiday, from pasta to steak, Tuscan toast to lobster risotto. Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a pan seared New York strip with oven roasted cauliflower and blistered cocktail tomatoes. Cheers!
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