February 26, 2016

REYNVAAN FAMILY “Foothills Reserve” Syrah 2014

(Walla Walla, Washington State) $67

If I had tasted this wine blind, I would have guessed that it was an expensive Côte-Rôtie from the Rhône Valley of France. The wild, surging blackness of it was an invitation into something deeply primordial. But it also swirled with minerals and a salty/peppery texture that was simply and startlingly delicious. It is probably no news that Washington State makes good syrah. But it is news just howincredibly good the state’s syrahs have become.

95 points

Underwater wine ageing is being explored by an increasing number of producers.

Answer: True.

The first Underwater Wine Congress was held in 2019. Led by expert oenologist Antonio Palacio, the conference attracted more than 50 wine experts, oenologists and winemakers. Advocates, including some winemakers and sommeliers, are convinced that wine aged underwater yields smoother, more complex wines in less time due to consistent temperature, high pressure, and limited exposure to light. In February 2020, Patagonian brand Wapisa became the first winery in Argentina to try the technique. After nine months at depths between 20 and 50 feet (6-15 meters), “the underwater-aged wine and the cellar-aged counterparts were tasted blind, and the difference was stunning: the former was rounder, more elegant and with fresher fruit,” said Wapisa owner Patricia Ortiz. Since 2005, Italian winery Bisson has cellared its Abissi sparkling wines for 12-18 months 200 feet down in a bay close to Portofino.

REYNVAAN FAMILY “Foothills Reserve” Syrah 2014

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