Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Crushin’ It, 6/10/2018

  (Result of a Crush Red Wine (Black Label)) Hello friends. It really is better to be lucky than good sometimes. Last autumn, we tasted two wines from Result of a Crush: the 2015 Christmas Cuvee and the 2014 Black Label. Both wines showed beautifully, but we really only had space for one in our holiday schedule. Shocker, I’m sure: we chose to run the Christmas Cuvee for the holidays; not only because of the ho-ho-ho factor, but also because it was the least expensive of the pair. So yeah, on November 21, we offered up the Christmas Cuvee at 27.99/24.99 TPU. At that time, the black label would have gone out at something like 33.99/29.99 TPU. But now we’re here in early summer, and the winery has moved on to start selling the 2015 vintage black label. Which means they’re a little more eager to see the 2014 disappear. Which means they’re willing to offer compelling prices to certain retail partners who have been working with Reynvann wines since 2009 and who are willing to commit to a metric cuss-ton of wine with perfect confidence that their (in all ways above average) list members will recognize a serious deal when they see one and will snap this wine up en masse:Best wine-searcher price I see is 27.00, so our TPU tag today is pretty darned competitive. I should also say: while this now comes in *lower* than the Christmas Cuvee pricing, I’ve always viewed the Black Label as the more serious of the two wines. You can kind of tell by the packaging, and certainly by the juice inside, which is 100% declassified Reynvaan juice, with no purchased bulk juice involved. Here is a quick reminder about the winery from the Reynvaan family, in case we have some list newbies who haven’t taken the plunge on our previous RoaC offers: Since 2011, sisters Amanda Reynvaan and Angela Reynvaan Garratt have been producing approachable red blends and Rosés from elite vineyards throughout the Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Valley in conjunction with their brother and consulting winemaker, Matt Reynvaan. The family started out in the wine business in 2004, launching Reynvaan Family Vineyards in Walla Walla, which quickly developed into a Washington State cult winery. With the Result of a Crush project the family aims to produce wines that are distinctive, affordable, consistent in quality and showcase the owners’ sometimes whimsical attitude toward wine. This particular bottling is 85% Syrah, from both of the family’s estate vineyards – In The Rocks and Foothills – along with 10% Foothills Viognier and 5% Foothills Cabernet Sauvignon. It clocks in at 13.5% listed alc and comes roaring up out of the glass with an outrageous savory nose, beginning with a mineral note so sanguine that it reminded me of nothing so much as a good boudin noir. Followed by waves of mixed berry fruit, wildflowers, and smoky/meaty ham hock. This is a pretty damned solid impersonation of the higher-end Reynvaan aromatics; like Jay Pharoah’s-Denzel-impersonation-level good. The palate continues the theme – all savory umami goodness – but does so on a textural frame that is bright, balanced, propulsive. The finish is all naughty salty briny goodness, so appetizing and just begging for another bite of food. The thought of this with earthy barbequed pork ribs this summer makes my mouth water instantly.