Reviews & Ratings

2010 Reininger Merlot "Helix Stillwater Creek Vineyard"

Winery: Reininger

Vintage: 2010

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Helix Stillwater Creek Vineyard"

Wine Category: Merlot

Grape blend: 100% Merlot

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Columbia Valley

State or country: WA

Price: $31

Cases produced: 677

KWG Score: 87.5 (based on 2 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good (89)

Review date: August 30, 2014

Wine Review: This dark ruby colored Merlot from Reininger opens with a red currant and mild leather bouquet with a hint of clay and spice. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, smooth, and easy going. The flavor profile is a pleasant black cherry with hints of coffee, spice, plum and oak. The finish is dry and its flavors are nicely prolonged. The panel suggested that this Merlot would pair well with Hungarian goulash or barbecue burnt ends. Enjoy - KWGTP

Winemaker Notes: Opened and poured straight out of the cellar shows why Stillwater Creek Vineyard, sitting atop the Frenchman Hills with a southern exposure above the Royal Slope, is a perfect location for Merlot. It's a soft, beautifully focused example of an elegant Merlot with its ruby red color that models flavors of plum, macerated ripe strawberries, black currant, a delicate perfume of wilting rose petal and vanilla bean, and my favorite on the mid to back palate, an 8oz. double shot whole milk latte from Walla Walla's Colville Street Patisserie. A combination of the vineyard's higher elevation and a cool 2010 vintage, account for its remarkable "food worshipping" acidity.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Helix 2010 Stillwater Creek Vineyard Merlot.