This just goes to show how great Reynvaan wines can become with some age. Medium purple color, medium body, and a bit of noticeable alcohol on the nose. The nose further shows smoke, cherries, iron, hoisin, and a classic "rocks" aroma. The palate brings much of the same with more present sweetened ripe dark and red fruits, all encompassed with velvety tannins and a great finish. This is drinking superbly now, but is just coming into its own. I just hope I have the patience to hold onto my last bottles for another 10 years to see what happens. Really good juice!
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Rich, silky and mouth-coating in the best possible way. All of what is typical of the Rocks and Reynvaan--brine, olive, smoked meat, umami for days--with the advantage of 10+ years. Absolutely gorgeous at this point. No reason to drink up yet, but it will not disappoint if you do.
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Last tasted three years ago. Dark garnet, opaque. Immediate pronounced Rhone-style nose of dark fruits, roasted meats, smoke, complex. Full-bodied but completely balanced, with rich dark fruit flavors leading the way, acid and tannin in the background. A mouth-coating wine typical of Reynvaan's style. Nice long aftertaste, just a touch on the hot side and a hint of bitterness on the late palate. Very drinkable now, can't improve much at all, should easily last at its peak another few years. Ric
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Damn fine juice! Rocks syrah profile (with less funk than Cayuse, IMO a good thing), with wonderful glycerine-sweet finish that goes on forever. Surely this is at peak.
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Washington State Tasting (John's House Bloomington, MN): The Rocks, Rocks! Best place to grow the Syrah grape in the world for the money. Black olives, stone, white pepper, minerals, blueberries and sour cherries. Long and complex finish. Wine is off the charts. Drink now to 2028.
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Nice rocks funk on the nose. The Rocks wines are so distinctive. A hint of olives some salinity. Great tannins. Super long finish. In a perfect place now but will hold for several years.
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totally get why people poo poo on dat rocky funk syrah...its def not vanilla coke...and I'm guessing those same poo poo-ers would rather suck down a raspberry White Claw with the soro'z on spring break than keep it classy with a dirty martini lol
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Crimson in color. 14.8% ABV. Funky nose of game, olives, bacon fat and smoke. Medium body with medium acidity. Plush, powerful and concentrated. Sour cherries, barbecued meat, soy sauce and minerals on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. The Syrah just screams the "Rocks District" and is reminiscent of the early Cayuse wines. Drink over the next 2-4 years.
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Bigger than I usually like them, but high quality and tasty all the same. Dense and teeth staining, very purple fruited. Smoked meat, leather, while still floral and lavender. BlackBerry and just so dark fruited. Great wine in its window.
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Medium garnet color lightening up a little towards the rim. Pretty explosive nose of crushed rocks, bacon, some leather, spices, also some gamey notes and some peach (probably from the Viognier), also some floral notes and some tobacco. It's pretty full-bodied but with good structure of medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin. Good length. An interesting Syrah from Washington that is pretty big, but not over-the-top and has nice freshness too. It's not the last word about complexity but fun to drink.
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Giant oaky smokiness at first, but eventually calmed down to a much more approachable wine. Still big eastern WA style Syrah. It was good, but not unlike many others.
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Strange and strong with abundant orange peel, lava rock and fruit that called to mind kid-friendly cereal or vitamins. I did not get a lot of the meat or bacon notes others got, but would have welcomed them. These bottles are starting to grow on me, but leave me worthless in trying to give a number score at this point.
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Not overly complex -- but drinking beautifully right now. Balanced, smooth -- northern rhone notes of bacon fat, grilled meets and dark fruit. Mouth-coating, but neither too hot nor too heavy. Not a big finish, but that's okay. Drink now.
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Dark fruit, earthy minerals and berries. Beatiful nose and a long finish. This is excellent and will continue to evolve. Reynvaan is starting to hit their stride with successive winners of this particular wine. But not for the faint of heart as this is a big, bad boy.
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Nose - black pepper Mouth - black pepper, black fruit, somewhat savory, strong in flavor. Good with some air and not significantly better on day 2. A unique style of wine that I appreciate but I'm not sure I really like.
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What a pleasure to drink this. Amazing complexity, dark fruits, minerals, bacon fat, very well balanced. The nose just jumps out of the glass and the finish goes on and on. Nice job.
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Dark garnet, opaque. Immediate pronounced Rhone-style nose of dark fruits, roasted meats, smoke, complex. Full-bodied but completely balanced, with rich dark fruit flavors leading the way, acid and tannin in the background. A mouth-coating wine typical of Reynvaan's style. Nice long aftertaste, just a touch on the hot side. Very drinkable now, can't improve much at all, should easily last at its peak another five years or more. Ric
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Nose - soy sauce, savory plum, teriyaki Mouth - bold dark fruit on the attack but nicely mineral and surprisingly sleek on the mid palate. Pretty yummy. My palate has moved away from Syrah but I quite like this (still)
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Notes from second night; no change since the first night. I've got limited experience with the WA "rocks" region, but this impression of terroir feels as distinct as any I've seen from around the world.
Nose is really expressive -- invites you in from at least a foot away. It's like being at a pig roast in a grove of eucalyptus. On the palate, the black cherry and plum fruit is direct and pure. Olive, beef jerky, and chipotle bring up the rear. The tannins are like polished river stones. Every sip demands contemplation. Life is good.
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This had a beautiful nose of olive tapenade, bacon fat, and eucalyptus. On the palate, at first this showed black cherry, plum, bacon, and some black olive and brine, with an odd bitter note on the short finish. Over the course of two hours, it opened up with jammy red cherry, dried beef, olive tapenade, and black pepper, with the bitterness fading into the background, but never entirely disappearing. The change from black to red fruit was impressive -- my wife noted that it tasted like a totally different wine at the end of the two hours. The finish became longer, but only by a few seconds. I was expecting to notice some heat, but the alcohol did not put in an appearance. Even so, aeration is not enough to bring this around. This was well balanced and had the distinctive Reynvaan character, but it fell well short of the 2008 version. I'm glad I skipped this vintage except for this one bottle. A bit below average value for the money at about $44.
Drank over two days. The ups: loads of 'in the Rocks' funk, herbaceousness, meatiness, dustiness, and minerality. The downs: angular alcohol, jammy fruit (results of the hot vintage), and excessive oak treatment. All these qualities remained prominent on the bouquet and palate from the pnp until the last drop. Medium plus acid, generous, and mouth-coating, with the 'Rocks' terroir ever competing with the alcohol, jam, and lumber. Wanted to like more than I did; the jam and lumber were tolerable but the alcohol was distracting. Without the downs, 94-95, with them, 92-93.
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This wine was hard to pinpoint down. Had an amazing nose with notes of leather and beef jerky. Was dark in color but clear. On the pallet it was muted at first but came alive after about an hour. I would decant this for 1-3 hours if you plan on drinking it soon. This was never a fruit focused driven new world wine, but instead kept with the earthy undertones which I love. Put this in a line up of Northern Rhone's and I'm quite sure many people will mistake it. One of the top American Syrah's with out a doubt.
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Kickin' as always. CT says this is my last bottle, but unless I read it wrong in the cellar I have another bottle of this to look forward to. Love the nose on this and love the taste too, sweet fruit, smoky bacon, blood, game, leather, bitter minerality -- appeals to the heart and the head.
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A Golden Retriever of a wine. So warm and friendly and eager to please. There is something for everyone here: great sweet fruit wrapped around a core of minerality, with smoky gaminess making its presence felt. A crowd pleaser with geek appeal. One of the few wines I buy that it would be hard to do without.
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Wonderful as always! Completely opaque dark garnet. Very pronounced complex aromas of smoke, leather, dark cherries and berries, with just the right touch of oak. Full-bodied flavors, but perfectly balanced, round, and smooth. The flavor builds as it sits on the palate. Concentrated, lingering aftertaste, slightly hot on the finish, with just a hint of a "bite" on the end. About as good as it gets. It should last several more years, but it's quite ready to drink now. Ric
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This wine was a bomb of funky delicious. The nose was indisputably Rocks with savory notes of meat brine, olives and smokey sweaty funk but with dense red fruit flavors that matched the funk step for step. In fact, this was less funky than both the 2010 Unnamed and the 2008 In the Rocks I had earlier in the year. The palate is signature Reynvaan - huge, silky with weightless but present tannins. This wine also seemed more dense than the other two, probably due to the heat in the vintage, with the alcohol showing slightly at a couple of different points (although this could have been due to a less than ideal food pairing). Either way, it is a more full throttle style. If this settles down only a little bit, it will be incredible. I'll be saving my other bottles for at least 2-3 more years - 93+.
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Took an hour to open up but after that, the wine showed lovely notes of red and black fruit, charcuterie, violets, and dried herbs. Medium plus in body and medium plus acidity. Won't touch last bottle for a few years.
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Beautiful nose, dark, very silky, lots of fruit, & a little bit funky. The first thing the nose reminded me of was Cayuse, which is one of my all-time favorite wines. Were it not for the funk, I think this could have a significantly higher rating, but ultimately that's what's holding me back from really loving this wine. Still quite good though!
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A perfect wine, to my taste. Garnet color, mostly but not completely opaque. Very pronounced complex aroma of smoke, meat, leather, with toasty French oak. Rich and smooth flavors, that build over time, with the same components. Perfectly in balance with fruit, tannin, and acid. Anise late on the palate and into the aftertaste, which also builds and lingers. Matt Reynvaan has done a remarkable job of making a wine that rivals or maybe exceeds Guigal's single vineyard Cote Roties, at a fraction of the price. This wine is perfectly drinkable now but should easily last another 3-5 years. Ric
a fresh berry and smoky forest nose leads way to a delicious and strait-forward palate of ripe red berries, smoked meats, plum sauce and black cherry, this is the perfect syrah to accompany duck, well-balanced, not overly complex, but very classy, just a nice drink
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If you pop and pour this wine, it feels brief and austere and is dominated by a bitter note at the end. But given just a little time in the decanter -- an hour or so -- it blossoms into something just a bit generous, soft around the edges but with a solid and serious core.
I suspect that this is the same fruit as "The Unnamed", but with less Viognier. Strangely, this is the profile of Syrah that I like better, but I do feel like The Unnamed is drinking better right now.
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I was really looking forward to trying this wine and it didn't disappoint. Decanted and drank over a few hours. It is all of the funkiness that you expect from in the rocks - I get bacon and meat and mushrooms and bandaids. It's perhaps a touch less complex than a Cayuse, but a great value and a fun wine.
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I served this in my wine course. One of the better North American syrah's I've encountered. Smokey nose with black cherry and plum and lots of other complexities I can't quite finger. I see one of the reviewers mentions orange peel, and I agree it's something along those lines. The mouth has medium to full weight with some bacon fat. Good acidity on the finish. The finish also has some darker tones like soy.
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Opened early for the Hawks game. Benefitted from a 2 hour decant, pushing the overwhelming funk (for me) into the background. Absolutely delicious. Go Hawks!
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God help me because I can't keep my hands off this stuff, and I don't even like American syrah very much. Just made the list--better mail in my Allocation form!!!!
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The more times I open a bottle of In the Rocks the more convinced I am that this is the most complete wine in the Reynvaan Family Vineyards' impressive lineup. I hold a minority view on this one and concede that my idea of completeness is grounded firmly in personal preference. But still. Great floral nose, round fruit, a subtle bacon flavor, all shot through with a taut underlying minerality. Great stuff.
Popped and poured for a serious pinot noir collector after we'd had one of his top Oregon pinots. He was seriously impressed with In the Rocks. Full, elegant, just wonderful. I emailed in my allocation reserve for the 2012s this morning.
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This was pure pleasure on all cylinders! From the funky dark concentrated nose to the deep luxurious fruit in the mouth this had everything that I love about Washington Syrah. Funk, mushroom, olive, dark black and red fruit. Wow wow wow I need more of these.
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nose - in need of airtime to flesh out, deep grapeskin nose, almost like a fermenting pile of grapeskins...earthy, stanky mouth - powerful mouthfeel, raw red and dark fruit intermixed, with a ripe stemmy backbone, that facilitates the transition from sweet to savory. soy sauce notes on the finish. pair with barbeque. or hold for sometime yet. impossible to rate. 88-96 (¿)
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Opened a bottle to show John and Annabelle what Reynvaan can do. Made some fans! Raspberry, olive, tar, roasted meat and funk--all that old world stuff was there, and it's as exciting a young bottle of WA syrah as I've ever had.
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Notes from day 2. Purple in color. Nose of black raspberry, black olive, brine, seared meat. Palate of black raspberry, tar, black olive, brine, seared meat, herb and pepper. The finish was long in length, nice mouthfeel, maybe a little low on acid, but that is more due to the warm vintage than anything else. Overall the wine was solid, really well made wine by Matt. Hold or drink: 50+5+13+17+7 4
Decanted for 4 hours. This is a nicely balanced and complete wine. The acidity of the viognier shined through at first, but integrated after another hour or so. Notes are similar to before, but, I also got a little hint of sweat and game on the nose. The mouth has a hint of smoked Canadian bacon. There is a bit of heat, but I'm liking this a lot.
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Nose - maple, per Evan slightly molding raspberries Mouth - high pH wine, lush mouthfeel but lacking acidity, very savory as I find the whole Reynvaan stable to be, yet with a healthy dollop of dark fruit to keep it balanced. For sure this is a food wine, and paired great with anchovy stuffed olives. Overall I find this wine a bit tiresome.
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Nose - salt plum, Mouth - unctuous saline, soy sauce , very savory and a touch syrupy. possibly even under fruited. Bill thinks that with time this will come around and be great. For me nice with potential.
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Slow ox for over an hour. Game and forest floor on the nose. Savory palate - sastes of game, meat, forest floor, bacon and hint of mineral. Medium, smooth body with medium finish.
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Nose - olive, smoked meat, soy sauce Mouth - An intriguing mix of sweet and savory, rich dark berries fruit on the attack, but almost a salted dark fruit, followed by a Britney saline soy sauce infused fruit compote and a frankly salty finish. Pared well with pasta puttanesca. Quite a unique wine.
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nose - smoked meat, soy sauce, teriyaki mouth - extreme savory with nice fruity acidic finish. unctuous mouthfeel. if you poured it in a small dish it could be a dipping sauce for the steak.
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Mmm, back to the breadbasket. While I still need to complain a bit about the similiarities between the 3 Reynvaan offerings I've now tasted ... their simply can't be any denying the damned-fine fun factor here. Beautiful gams running down to the pooling of roasted-meat infused juice with wild flowers, ash, and rock as side dishes. Bon appetit!
All kinds of funky stuff on the nose...I won't pontificate. Christophe's influence is obvious in the treatment of this rock-laden soil - domiciled fruit. Needs air. This drinks well at this stage and should morph well over 5 years.
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My first Reynvaan, and I'm impressed. There is a lot of funk in the nose: gamey meat, coffee grounds, petrol, and a touch of sweetness. The mouth is a bewildering mix of fruit, olives, and anise. If I didn't know it, I'd guess Cayuse, and, of course, the influence is there. Looking forward to trying some of their other wines.
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Notes from day 2. Dark purple in color. Nose of black raspberry, cassis, black olive, brine, tar. Palate of cassis, black raspberry, lots of tar, some seared meat, herb, some pepper. The finish was above average in length and good acidity. Overall a great wine wine good structure. Drink or Hold: 50+5+12+17+7 4
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Prominent funky nose with a mix a red and black fruit and a little spicyness. On the palate hints of sweetness from possibly the Viognier with a black/red fruit, licorice and other components not well defined. A ittle acid with smooth tannins ending in a soft finish. Other Syrah/Viognier blends showed better, an OK wine.
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After being disappointed by my first experience with Reynvaan (a 2009 Unnamed), I decided to try another wine from their stable, which I have found to be better, though still not my style. This has been open for 3 days, showing best on day 2 and 3. Very dark in color, with a beefy, smokey, black fruit heavy nose. A big-boned wine, but unlike the Unnamed, this seemed to have a bit more structure and complexity, and to my tastes at least, was noticeably less spoofy. Has an interesting minty edge to the fruit (especially evident on day 1). Very new world, with a rich mouthfeel and very long resinous finish of blueberries, tar, and earth. This will be very appealing to most people. When in the mood for a bigger New World wine, I would reach for this, though I prefer Gramercy or Carlisle and they are more wallet-friendly as well.
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K&L Washington Tasting (San Francisco): Fabulous nose, jumps out of the glass, but of brett/funk, but then fades relatively quickly; excellent complexity on the palate, very nice overall. 91-92
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Opened accidentally in the morning instead of a Contender. Decanted 8 hours. Very typical Reynvaan. Similar notes, just wasn't as impressed with this bottle as the last one...missing a bit of the complexity, but overall very nice and great bottle.
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Had to try one. Decanted 5 hours. Nice funk, olive, blueberry nose. Smooth and complex but not heavy in the mouth. Meaty, olive, pepper flavors. Very nice but a bit tight at end. Needs time to fully integrate. Will wait a while on next one. Great effort.
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Notes from day 2. Dark purple to black in color. Nose of red berries, mint, eucalyptus, little pepper. Palate of rainer cherry, red raspberry, mint, little funk, little olive,seared meat, pepper. The finish was above average in length, solid mouthfeel and decent acidity as well Overall this wine showed well, but I really think it needs some time right now for more of the complexities to come out. Was suprisingly a little better on day 1 as the funk and olive notes showed a little on the nose, which was a little shy compaired to the other two. Hold: 50+5+11+17+8
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Deep purple color with strong aromatics as soon as I opened the bottle. The nose was closed and hot with some black fruit, herbs, and earth. After 15 minutes it opened some and the meat comes through.
Raspberry and tart cherry on the palate with a nice finish. Good acidity and chalky tannins. Olive and iron on the finish.
The longer this is open the more the non-fruit flavors move up and the more it comes together. I am going to hold off on the other bottles to give this one some time.
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This needs time and is very fruit forward. The Viognier shines through big time. Translucent in color with magenta at the rim. I think this vineyard has so much potential, but the wines are still very young. Doesn't have the minerality that Cayuse brings.
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WA Tasting Trip Day 3: Cougar Crest, Reynvaan, Woodward Canyon; 4/9/2011-4/13/2011 (Walla Walla): Barrel sample at the winery. Unsure of the vio blend on this one. Dark purple to black in color. Nose of black raspberry, toast, lavender, peppered bacon. Palate of black raspberry, pepper, olive, funk, minerals, and tons of bacon. Finish was long in length and there was good minerality and lots acidity present as well. 92-94
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11/24/2022 - DaneM Likes this wine:
REALLY mellowed out from an overbearing wine in its youth to a mature, pleasant rocks syrah. Overdelivered.
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12/18/2021 - Radboy wrote: 89 Points
Overall disappointing tonight. Crazy aromatics on the nose, but middling mid fruit and a wimpy finish. Off bottle?
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1/25/2021 - Acohen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark raspberry, blueberry, bacon and funk in a lovely finish
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1/8/2021 - Winning_Wines Likes this wine: 96 Points
This just goes to show how great Reynvaan wines can become with some age. Medium purple color, medium body, and a bit of noticeable alcohol on the nose. The nose further shows smoke, cherries, iron, hoisin, and a classic "rocks" aroma. The palate brings much of the same with more present sweetened ripe dark and red fruits, all encompassed with velvety tannins and a great finish. This is drinking superbly now, but is just coming into its own. I just hope I have the patience to hold onto my last bottles for another 10 years to see what happens. Really good juice!
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9/23/2020 - Radboy wrote: 95 Points
Simply astonishing at this point. Silky tannins with a mouthful of polished stone. Damn fine.
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3/24/2020 - Fugu Me Likes this wine:
Rich, silky and mouth-coating in the best possible way. All of what is typical of the Rocks and Reynvaan--brine, olive, smoked meat, umami for days--with the advantage of 10+ years. Absolutely gorgeous at this point. No reason to drink up yet, but it will not disappoint if you do.
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1/12/2020 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 98 Points
Last tasted three years ago. Dark garnet, opaque. Immediate pronounced Rhone-style nose of dark fruits, roasted meats, smoke, complex. Full-bodied but completely balanced, with rich dark fruit flavors leading the way, acid and tannin in the background. A mouth-coating wine typical of Reynvaan's style. Nice long aftertaste, just a touch on the hot side and a hint of bitterness on the late palate. Very drinkable now, can't improve much at all, should easily last at its peak another few years.
Ric
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9/7/2019 - Magnolian Likes this wine: 94 Points
Damn fine juice! Rocks syrah profile (with less funk than Cayuse, IMO a good thing), with wonderful glycerine-sweet finish that goes on forever. Surely this is at peak.
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7/26/2019 - 3daywinereview.com wrote: 96 Points
Washington State Tasting (John's House Bloomington, MN): The Rocks, Rocks! Best place to grow the Syrah grape in the world for the money. Black olives, stone, white pepper, minerals, blueberries and sour cherries. Long and complex finish. Wine is off the charts. Drink now to 2028.
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7/19/2019 - Brian Glas Likes this wine: 95 Points
Nice rocks funk on the nose. The Rocks wines are so distinctive. A hint of olives some salinity. Great tannins. Super long finish. In a perfect place now but will hold for several years.
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5/17/2019 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
Drinking well and ready to go.
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3/8/2019 - Bro-rolo Likes this wine: 94 Points
totally get why people poo poo on dat rocky funk syrah...its def not vanilla coke...and I'm guessing those same poo poo-ers would rather suck down a raspberry White Claw with the soro'z on spring break than keep it classy with a dirty martini lol
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8/17/2018 - tomlee wrote: 94 Points
Crimson in color. 14.8% ABV. Funky nose of game, olives, bacon fat and smoke. Medium body with medium acidity. Plush, powerful and concentrated. Sour cherries, barbecued meat, soy sauce and minerals on the palate. Exceptional length on the finish. The Syrah just screams the "Rocks District" and is reminiscent of the early Cayuse wines. Drink over the next 2-4 years.
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8/9/2018 - Radboy wrote: 94 Points
Terrific as usual.
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5/26/2018 - jeffreylubowski Likes this wine: 92 Points
Bigger than I usually like them, but high quality and tasty all the same. Dense and teeth staining, very purple fruited. Smoked meat, leather, while still floral and lavender. BlackBerry and just so dark fruited. Great wine in its window.
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11/7/2017 - devman wrote: 95 Points
Absolutely divine. Meaty, minerality, and gobs of fruit on the nose and palate. Finish goes on and on. Could last another 5-7 years in the cellar.
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5/27/2017 - NostraBacchus Likes this wine: 92 Points
Medium garnet color lightening up a little towards the rim. Pretty explosive nose of crushed rocks, bacon, some leather, spices, also some gamey notes and some peach (probably from the Viognier), also some floral notes and some tobacco. It's pretty full-bodied but with good structure of medium-high acidity and medium+ tannin. Good length. An interesting Syrah from Washington that is pretty big, but not over-the-top and has nice freshness too. It's not the last word about complexity but fun to drink.
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4/17/2017 - Neecies Likes this wine: 93 Points
Roasted meats, lava rock, smokehouse and iron dominate black fruits. Big, complex, sweet warm-vintage finish.
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3/18/2017 - norsktorsk wrote: 92 Points
smoky on opening then rounded out nicely. a very nice bottle.
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2/25/2017 - SeattlePaul wrote:
Giant oaky smokiness at first, but eventually calmed down to a much more approachable wine. Still big eastern WA style Syrah. It was good, but not unlike many others.
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2/18/2017 - gmbdds wrote:
Strange and strong with abundant orange peel, lava rock and fruit that called to mind kid-friendly cereal or vitamins. I did not get a lot of the meat or bacon notes others got, but would have welcomed them. These bottles are starting to grow on me, but leave me worthless in trying to give a number score at this point.
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1/23/2017 - Floyd77 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not overly complex -- but drinking beautifully right now. Balanced, smooth -- northern rhone notes of bacon fat, grilled meets and dark fruit. Mouth-coating, but neither too hot nor too heavy. Not a big finish, but that's okay. Drink now.
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7/24/2016 - Radboy wrote: 95 Points
Dark fruit, earthy minerals and berries. Beatiful nose and a long finish. This is excellent and will continue to evolve. Reynvaan is starting to hit their stride with successive winners of this particular wine. But not for the faint of heart as this is a big, bad boy.
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6/12/2016 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - black pepper
Mouth - black pepper, black fruit, somewhat savory, strong in flavor. Good with some air and not significantly better on day 2. A unique style of wine that I appreciate but I'm not sure I really like.
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4/9/2016 - zinnut wrote: 95 Points
What a pleasure to drink this. Amazing complexity, dark fruits, minerals, bacon fat, very well balanced. The nose just jumps out of the glass and the finish goes on and on. Nice job.
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3/24/2016 - Ex-Ray wrote: 97 Points
Dark garnet, opaque. Immediate pronounced Rhone-style nose of dark fruits, roasted meats, smoke, complex. Full-bodied but completely balanced, with rich dark fruit flavors leading the way, acid and tannin in the background. A mouth-coating wine typical of Reynvaan's style. Nice long aftertaste, just a touch on the hot side. Very drinkable now, can't improve much at all, should easily last at its peak another five years or more.
Ric
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1/9/2016 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - soy sauce, savory plum, teriyaki
Mouth - bold dark fruit on the attack but nicely mineral and surprisingly sleek on the mid palate. Pretty yummy. My palate has moved away from Syrah but I quite like this (still)
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10/27/2015 - tomherer Likes this wine: 94 Points
Notes from second night; no change since the first night. I've got limited experience with the WA "rocks" region, but this impression of terroir feels as distinct as any I've seen from around the world.
Nose is really expressive -- invites you in from at least a foot away. It's like being at a pig roast in a grove of eucalyptus. On the palate, the black cherry and plum fruit is direct and pure. Olive, beef jerky, and chipotle bring up the rear. The tannins are like polished river stones. Every sip demands contemplation. Life is good.
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10/24/2015 - RichardP wrote: 90 Points
This had a beautiful nose of olive tapenade, bacon fat, and eucalyptus. On the palate, at first this showed black cherry, plum, bacon, and some black olive and brine, with an odd bitter note on the short finish. Over the course of two hours, it opened up with jammy red cherry, dried beef, olive tapenade, and black pepper, with the bitterness fading into the background, but never entirely disappearing. The change from black to red fruit was impressive -- my wife noted that it tasted like a totally different wine at the end of the two hours. The finish became longer, but only by a few seconds. I was expecting to notice some heat, but the alcohol did not put in an appearance. Even so, aeration is not enough to bring this around. This was well balanced and had the distinctive Reynvaan character, but it fell well short of the 2008 version. I'm glad I skipped this vintage except for this one bottle. A bit below average value for the money at about $44.
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8/31/2015 - Motz wrote: 92 Points
Drank over two days. The ups: loads of 'in the Rocks' funk, herbaceousness, meatiness, dustiness, and minerality. The downs: angular alcohol, jammy fruit (results of the hot vintage), and excessive oak treatment. All these qualities remained prominent on the bouquet and palate from the pnp until the last drop. Medium plus acid, generous, and mouth-coating, with the 'Rocks' terroir ever competing with the alcohol, jam, and lumber. Wanted to like more than I did; the jam and lumber were tolerable but the alcohol was distracting. Without the downs, 94-95, with them, 92-93.
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8/30/2015 - cpsmith33 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Great showing for the '09.
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5/25/2015 - kdubler Likes this wine:
This wine was hard to pinpoint down. Had an amazing nose with notes of leather and beef jerky. Was dark in color but clear. On the pallet it was muted at first but came alive after about an hour. I would decant this for 1-3 hours if you plan on drinking it soon. This was never a fruit focused driven new world wine, but instead kept with the earthy undertones which I love. Put this in a line up of Northern Rhone's and I'm quite sure many people will mistake it. One of the top American Syrah's with out a doubt.
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4/18/2015 - bhouk Likes this wine:
Kickin' as always. CT says this is my last bottle, but unless I read it wrong in the cellar I have another bottle of this to look forward to. Love the nose on this and love the taste too, sweet fruit, smoky bacon, blood, game, leather, bitter minerality -- appeals to the heart and the head.
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1/20/2015 - pdemaio wrote: 94 Points
PQQ93+
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1/20/2015 - pdemaio wrote: 93 Points
PDQ93+
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1/3/2015 - forensc wrote: 94 Points
fabulous wine in every way
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12/21/2014 - bhouk wrote:
A Golden Retriever of a wine. So warm and friendly and eager to please. There is something for everyone here: great sweet fruit wrapped around a core of minerality, with smoky gaminess making its presence felt. A crowd pleaser with geek appeal. One of the few wines I buy that it would be hard to do without.
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11/20/2014 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 98 Points
Wonderful as always! Completely opaque dark garnet. Very pronounced complex aromas of smoke, leather, dark cherries and berries, with just the right touch of oak. Full-bodied flavors, but perfectly balanced, round, and smooth. The flavor builds as it sits on the palate. Concentrated, lingering aftertaste, slightly hot on the finish, with just a hint of a "bite" on the end. About as good as it gets. It should last several more years, but it's quite ready to drink now.
Ric
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11/17/2014 - junglejuice wrote: 93 Points
This wine was a bomb of funky delicious. The nose was indisputably Rocks with savory notes of meat brine, olives and smokey sweaty funk but with dense red fruit flavors that matched the funk step for step. In fact, this was less funky than both the 2010 Unnamed and the 2008 In the Rocks I had earlier in the year. The palate is signature Reynvaan - huge, silky with weightless but present tannins. This wine also seemed more dense than the other two, probably due to the heat in the vintage, with the alcohol showing slightly at a couple of different points (although this could have been due to a less than ideal food pairing). Either way, it is a more full throttle style. If this settles down only a little bit, it will be incredible. I'll be saving my other bottles for at least 2-3 more years - 93+.
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11/16/2014 - wineretriever wrote: 90 Points
Took an hour to open up but after that, the wine showed lovely notes of red and black fruit, charcuterie, violets, and dried herbs. Medium plus in body and medium plus acidity. Won't touch last bottle for a few years.
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10/26/2014 - joshabramson Likes this wine: 92 Points
Beautiful nose, dark, very silky, lots of fruit, & a little bit funky. The first thing the nose reminded me of was Cayuse, which is one of my all-time favorite wines. Were it not for the funk, I think this could have a significantly higher rating, but ultimately that's what's holding me back from really loving this wine. Still quite good though!
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10/15/2014 - pdemaio Likes this wine: 94 Points
Typical, lovely, ethereal rocks profile on the nose and palate. Good balance with a long finish.
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10/5/2014 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 100 Points
A perfect wine, to my taste. Garnet color, mostly but not completely opaque. Very pronounced complex aroma of smoke, meat, leather, with toasty French oak. Rich and smooth flavors, that build over time, with the same components. Perfectly in balance with fruit, tannin, and acid. Anise late on the palate and into the aftertaste, which also builds and lingers. Matt Reynvaan has done a remarkable job of making a wine that rivals or maybe exceeds Guigal's single vineyard Cote Roties, at a fraction of the price. This wine is perfectly drinkable now but should easily last another 3-5 years.
Ric
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7/26/2014 - Acohen Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark fruit with funky, bacon and smoke but nice purity of fruit with raspberry and dark fruits and nice finish
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7/6/2014 - Neecies Likes this wine:
Gav lunch. My bottle: inky and intense with black raspberry, bacon and some red iron notes. Another terrific bottle.
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6/7/2014 - whits Likes this wine: 92 Points
a fresh berry and smoky forest nose leads way to a delicious and strait-forward palate of ripe red berries, smoked meats, plum sauce and black cherry, this is the perfect syrah to accompany duck, well-balanced, not overly complex, but very classy, just a nice drink
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5/31/2014 - ghostofgotham wrote: 94 Points
Man, this is lovely. Would benefit from a few more years, but the richness is fantastic now.
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5/16/2014 - alpha_ori wrote: 92 Points
If you pop and pour this wine, it feels brief and austere and is dominated by a bitter note at the end. But given just a little time in the decanter -- an hour or so -- it blossoms into something just a bit generous, soft around the edges but with a solid and serious core.
I suspect that this is the same fruit as "The Unnamed", but with less Viognier. Strangely, this is the profile of Syrah that I like better, but I do feel like The Unnamed is drinking better right now.
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5/10/2014 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
I was really looking forward to trying this wine and it didn't disappoint. Decanted and drank over a few hours. It is all of the funkiness that you expect from in the rocks - I get bacon and meat and mushrooms and bandaids. It's perhaps a touch less complex than a Cayuse, but a great value and a fun wine.
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2/26/2014 - phantphant wrote: 94 Points
THe best of Washington State Syrah in a bottle. What special deliciousness.
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1/24/2014 - juffer Likes this wine: 94 Points
I served this in my wine course. One of the better North American syrah's I've encountered. Smokey nose with black cherry and plum and lots of other complexities I can't quite finger. I see one of the reviewers mentions orange peel, and I agree it's something along those lines. The mouth has medium to full weight with some bacon fat. Good acidity on the finish. The finish also has some darker tones like soy.
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1/19/2014 - KPieper Likes this wine:
Opened early for the Hawks game. Benefitted from a 2 hour decant, pushing the overwhelming funk (for me) into the background. Absolutely delicious. Go Hawks!
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1/8/2014 - Neecies Likes this wine: 95 Points
God help me because I can't keep my hands off this stuff, and I don't even like American syrah very much. Just made the list--better mail in my Allocation form!!!!
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11/26/2013 - Chriskrueger wrote: 95 Points
Better than Bionic Frog. Amazing stuff
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11/22/2013 - bhouk Likes this wine:
The more times I open a bottle of In the Rocks the more convinced I am that this is the most complete wine in the Reynvaan Family Vineyards' impressive lineup. I hold a minority view on this one and concede that my idea of completeness is grounded firmly in personal preference. But still. Great floral nose, round fruit, a subtle bacon flavor, all shot through with a taut underlying minerality. Great stuff.
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11/4/2013 - rbaum wrote: 95 Points
Popped and poured for a serious pinot noir collector after we'd had one of his top Oregon pinots. He was seriously impressed with In the Rocks. Full, elegant, just wonderful. I emailed in my allocation reserve for the 2012s this morning.
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9/19/2013 - twelch wrote: 96 Points
This was pure pleasure on all cylinders! From the funky dark concentrated nose to the deep luxurious fruit in the mouth this had everything that I love about Washington Syrah. Funk, mushroom, olive, dark black and red fruit. Wow wow wow I need more of these.
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9/13/2013 - soyhead wrote: 92 Points
nose - in need of airtime to flesh out, deep grapeskin nose, almost like a fermenting pile of grapeskins...earthy, stanky
mouth - powerful mouthfeel, raw red and dark fruit intermixed, with a ripe stemmy backbone, that facilitates the transition from sweet to savory. soy sauce notes on the finish. pair with barbeque. or hold for sometime yet. impossible to rate. 88-96 (¿)
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9/9/2013 - fredman wrote: 92 Points
Really opened up nicely after 1/2 hour, showing all its black fruit and cassis qualities. Should easily last for 8-10 more years
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8/29/2013 - jhieb Likes this wine: 93 Points
Oops... last bottle. This is coming around really nicely. Such a rich, savory, and unique wine.
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7/26/2013 - wineberg Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 6+ hours, leftovers rebottled overnight. 14.8% ABV.
I could drink this all day. Funky dried/aged meat, umami, olives, pepper, flowers, slate and graphite.
Second day is just as good, if not a bit better. Should be even more interesting in another 5 or 6 years.
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6/11/2013 - Neecies Likes this wine: 93 Points
Opened a bottle to show John and Annabelle what Reynvaan can do. Made some fans! Raspberry, olive, tar, roasted meat and funk--all that old world stuff was there, and it's as exciting a young bottle of WA syrah as I've ever had.
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4/24/2013 - manonthemoon wrote: 92 Points
Notes from day 2.
Purple in color.
Nose of black raspberry, black olive, brine, seared meat.
Palate of black raspberry, tar, black olive, brine, seared meat, herb and pepper.
The finish was long in length, nice mouthfeel, maybe a little low on acid, but that is more due to the warm vintage than anything else.
Overall the wine was solid, really well made wine by Matt.
Hold or drink: 50+5+13+17+7
4
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4/21/2013 - jhieb Likes this wine: 92 Points
Decanted for 4 hours. This is a nicely balanced and complete wine. The acidity of the viognier shined through at first, but integrated after another hour or so. Notes are similar to before, but, I also got a little hint of sweat and game on the nose. The mouth has a hint of smoked Canadian bacon. There is a bit of heat, but I'm liking this a lot.
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4/20/2013 - soyhead wrote: 87 Points
Nose - maple, per Evan slightly molding raspberries
Mouth - high pH wine, lush mouthfeel but lacking acidity, very savory as I find the whole Reynvaan stable to be, yet with a healthy dollop of dark fruit to keep it balanced. For sure this is a food wine, and paired great with anchovy stuffed olives. Overall I find this wine a bit tiresome.
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2/1/2013 - soyhead wrote: 90 Points
Nose - salt plum,
Mouth - unctuous saline, soy sauce , very savory and a touch syrupy. possibly even under fruited. Bill thinks that with time this will come around and be great. For me nice with potential.
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12/21/2012 - WestbyGod wrote: 93 Points
Slow ox for over an hour. Game and forest floor on the nose. Savory palate - sastes of game, meat, forest floor, bacon and hint of mineral. Medium, smooth body with medium finish.
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12/9/2012 - soyhead wrote: 92 Points
Nose - olive, smoked meat, soy sauce
Mouth - An intriguing mix of sweet and savory, rich dark berries fruit on the attack, but almost a salted dark fruit, followed by a Britney saline soy sauce infused fruit compote and a frankly salty finish. Pared well with pasta puttanesca. Quite a unique wine.
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12/7/2012 - jhieb Likes this wine: 92 Points
Consistent with previous bottles. I prefer this wine by itself than as a dinner wine.
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11/10/2012 - soyhead wrote: 91 Points
nose - smoked meat, soy sauce, teriyaki
mouth - extreme savory with nice fruity acidic finish. unctuous mouthfeel. if you poured it in a small dish it could be a dipping sauce for the steak.
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11/10/2012 - fitchbuck Likes this wine: 94 Points
Mmm, back to the breadbasket. While I still need to complain a bit about the similiarities between the 3 Reynvaan offerings I've now tasted ... their simply can't be any denying the damned-fine fun factor here. Beautiful gams running down to the pooling of roasted-meat infused juice with wild flowers, ash, and rock as side dishes. Bon appetit!
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11/10/2012 - hdchappy wrote: 90 Points
Pretty good, but not sure what all the fuss is about.
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8/12/2012 - arthrovine wrote: 92 Points
All kinds of funky stuff on the nose...I won't pontificate. Christophe's influence is obvious in the treatment of this rock-laden soil - domiciled fruit. Needs air. This drinks well at this stage and should morph well over 5 years.
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8/5/2012 - jhieb wrote: 92 Points
My first Reynvaan, and I'm impressed. There is a lot of funk in the nose: gamey meat, coffee grounds, petrol, and a touch of sweetness. The mouth is a bewildering mix of fruit, olives, and anise. If I didn't know it, I'd guess Cayuse, and, of course, the influence is there. Looking forward to trying some of their other wines.
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7/29/2012 - manonthemoon wrote: 91 Points
Notes from day 2.
Dark purple in color.
Nose of black raspberry, cassis, black olive, brine, tar.
Palate of cassis, black raspberry, lots of tar, some seared meat, herb, some pepper.
The finish was above average in length and good acidity.
Overall a great wine wine good structure.
Drink or Hold: 50+5+12+17+7
4
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3/18/2012 - JustDrinkIt wrote: 89 Points
Prominent funky nose with a mix a red and black fruit and a little spicyness. On the palate hints of sweetness from possibly the Viognier with a black/red fruit, licorice and other components not well defined. A ittle acid with smooth tannins ending in a soft finish. Other Syrah/Viognier blends showed better, an OK wine.
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3/16/2012 - GrapeScott wrote: 91 Points
After being disappointed by my first experience with Reynvaan (a 2009 Unnamed), I decided to try another wine from their stable, which I have found to be better, though still not my style. This has been open for 3 days, showing best on day 2 and 3. Very dark in color, with a beefy, smokey, black fruit heavy nose. A big-boned wine, but unlike the Unnamed, this seemed to have a bit more structure and complexity, and to my tastes at least, was noticeably less spoofy. Has an interesting minty edge to the fruit (especially evident on day 1). Very new world, with a rich mouthfeel and very long resinous finish of blueberries, tar, and earth. This will be very appealing to most people. When in the mood for a bigger New World wine, I would reach for this, though I prefer Gramercy or Carlisle and they are more wallet-friendly as well.
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1/28/2012 - aagrawal wrote: 92 Points
K&L Washington Tasting (San Francisco): Fabulous nose, jumps out of the glass, but of brett/funk, but then fades relatively quickly; excellent complexity on the palate, very nice overall. 91-92
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1/28/2012 - cpsmith33 wrote: 91 Points
Opened accidentally in the morning instead of a Contender. Decanted 8 hours. Very typical Reynvaan. Similar notes, just wasn't as impressed with this bottle as the last one...missing a bit of the complexity, but overall very nice and great bottle.
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1/6/2012 - kidsmurf2000 wrote: 93 Points
Oooo, good stuff, me-likey. I'm not normally one for these newfangled New World wines, but this was nice, creamy, with earthy undertones.
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12/8/2011 - cpsmith33 wrote: 93 Points
Had to try one. Decanted 5 hours. Nice funk, olive, blueberry nose. Smooth and complex but not heavy in the mouth. Meaty, olive, pepper flavors. Very nice but a bit tight at end. Needs time to fully integrate. Will wait a while on next one. Great effort.
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11/20/2011 - manonthemoon wrote: 91 Points
Notes from day 2.
Dark purple to black in color.
Nose of red berries, mint, eucalyptus, little pepper.
Palate of rainer cherry, red raspberry, mint, little funk, little olive,seared meat, pepper.
The finish was above average in length, solid mouthfeel and decent acidity as well
Overall this wine showed well, but I really think it needs some time right now for more of the complexities to come out.
Was suprisingly a little better on day 1 as the funk and olive notes showed a little on the nose, which was a little shy compaired to the other two.
Hold: 50+5+11+17+8
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11/12/2011 - atrox wrote: 95 Points
Tasted over the course of 3 days.
Deep purple color with strong aromatics as soon as I opened the bottle. The nose was closed and hot with some black fruit, herbs, and earth. After 15 minutes it opened some and the meat comes through.
Raspberry and tart cherry on the palate with a nice finish. Good acidity and chalky tannins. Olive and iron on the finish.
The longer this is open the more the non-fruit flavors move up and the more it comes together. I am going to hold off on the other bottles to give this one some time.
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9/30/2011 - emdub wrote: 91 Points
This needs time and is very fruit forward. The Viognier shines through big time. Translucent in color with magenta at the rim. I think this vineyard has so much potential, but the wines are still very young. Doesn't have the minerality that Cayuse brings.
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4/10/2011 - manonthemoon wrote: 93 Points
WA Tasting Trip Day 3: Cougar Crest, Reynvaan, Woodward Canyon; 4/9/2011-4/13/2011 (Walla Walla): Barrel sample at the winery.
Unsure of the vio blend on this one.
Dark purple to black in color.
Nose of black raspberry, toast, lavender, peppered bacon.
Palate of black raspberry, pepper, olive, funk, minerals, and tons of bacon.
Finish was long in length and there was good minerality and lots acidity present as well.
92-94
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