Hands down, some of the most electric wines being produced in Washington are coming from Reynvaan Family Vineyards. Matt Reynvaan trained under Christophe Baron and even spent time at famed Bordeaux house Chateau Smith Haut-Lafitte before starting at his family winery in 2007. Most of you who have come to enjoy the value of the Washington state wines by Matt Reynvaan will be excited to hear that these ‘second wines’ of Reynvaan have been recently rebranded as ‘The Unnamed Series.’
Reynvaan's philosophy is simple, plant your own vineyards on exceptional sites, then farm those vineyards, with crew and family, with great care. Trust Matt’s instincts in the vineyards and winery every day. Be absolutely certain to maintain a maniacal focus on the quality of the wine. This has unequivocally paid off!
Syrah vineyards grown and maintained by this winery come from two areas. The first known as "In the Rocks", located in Milton-Freewater, Oregon between a cherry orchard and En Cerise Vineyard. Described as the most unique terroir in the United States, this dried-up river bed contains large smooth river sized rocks reminiscent of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The soils of this vineyard are the result of an alluvial fan formed by the Walla Walla River about 15,000 years ago. This ancient riverbed of rocky soils is a world class site to grow grapes. with this terroir they are able to create unique, well balanced and very special wines. The other being "Foothills in the Sun", at the base of the Blue Mountains on the Washington/Oregon border. The vineyard is planted with Syrah, Viognier, a little bit of Cabernet Sauvignon and is one of the highest elevation vineyards in Washington. It sits at 1600 ft. with a gradual western and southwestern exposure. Temperatures can be in the 90’s and drop almost forty degrees at night which helps to retain natural acidity and freshness in the wines. The soils consist of deep silty loam, with small amounts of clay, iron and pockets of rocks.
The 2016 Unnamed Series Syrah is a sensational new release that shows the wonderful warmth of the vintage. While vineyard sourcing is unspecified, the aromatics take me primarily to their high elevation Foothills In The Sun Vineyard, with lovely thyme and sagebrush tones that mingle with suggestions of Hoisin sauce and wild blackberry. The palate has wonderful poise and a plush texture showing off ripe dark fruits and minerals — all leading to an exceedingly long and gratifying finish. Simply put, this wine is a steal at $25.
Every time we pop open a bottle of this syrah, I get blown away by what it delivers for the price! Such a stunning bottle, drinking fantasticly right now and with its profile I'd expect it to evolve wonderfully for years to come.