Reininger Winery 2007 Cima, Walla Walla Valley, $52
Named for the Italian reference to the summit of a mountain, this is a pet project of former climbing guide Chuck Reininger. The Walla Walla winemaker has been producing these tributes to Super Tuscan red blends for more than a decade, and he sources them from renowned Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills vineyards. As is typical, he didn’t release this until six years beyond harvest, and he followed his template by aging it in barrel for five years before more than year of bottle-aging. The final blend of Sangiovese (53%), Cabernet Sauvignon (21%), Petit Verdot (16%) and Merlot carries aromas of red currant, Rainier cherry, vanilla and malted milk balls. On the palate, its theme is cherry jam, dark plum and dried strawberry with a nice rush of acidity and tannin. The enjoyable and lengthy finish hints at blackberry.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 235 cases
Alcohol: 15.2%
Lisa Gerber says
Thank you for including us in this great list. We’re looking forward to trying a few of these we haven’t tasted before
Morten Scholer says
Thanks this update on red blends – and the bottles presented.
Could someone let me know whether any of the many blends happen to be co-fermented, i.e. grapes blended prior to fermentation. And whether co-fermentation is at all used in your area.
A wine-grower in Northern California told me that the old tradition with field blends is gaining popularity with some producers near him. However, not in the old-fashioned form of true field blends where different grapes are planted next to each other.
Burgundy in France does traditionally not blend wines (different from Bordeaux) but there are a few exceptions – called passetoutgrains or passe-tout-grains. And they are wonderful. Some parts of Austria have a strong tradition of field blending and co-fermentation but that is mainly for white wines.
Interested as I plan a wine-tour to Washington-Oregon-California in June-July 2014.
Morten Scholer, Coppet, Switzerland
Andy Perdue says
Morten,
Thank you for taking the time to write. Generally speaking, the only co-fermented wines we see are Syrah with a bit of Viognier, made in the Cote-Rotie tradition. There are rare instances where field blends are co-fermented, as well.
We’ve tasted one example of a passetoutgrains-style blend in the Northwest, and that is JoieFarm in Naramata, British Columbia, which makes a wine called, appropriately, PTG. It is superb, and if you make your way to British Columbia in your travels, that wine is well worth seeking out.
Take care.