Reviews & Ratings

2012 Reininger Chardonnay "Reserve"

Winery: Reininger

Vintage: 2012

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Reserve"

Wine Category: Chardonnay

Grape blend: 100% Chardonnay

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Walla Walla Valley

State or country: WA

Price: $48

Cases produced: 47

KWG Score: 91.5 (based on 2 reviews)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (92)

Review date: July 26, 2015

Wine Review: This pale straw colored Chardonnay from Reininger is very good! It opens with pair and light oak bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, very smooth, elegant and very easy to drink. The flavor profile is a tasty green apple with notes of Bartlett pear. I also detected hints of minerality and a touch of green melon. The finish is dry and fades away nicely. This Chard is very food friendly and would pair well with Chicken St. Timothy. It's a shame they made so little. Enjoy - Ken

Winemaker Notes: Our Reininger "Reserve" Chardonnay is a homage to the grape. Its style was created by stainless steel fermentation to focus the fruit, then barrel aged in a one year old 500L French oak puncheon, sur lie (lees contact with occasional stirring) to develop more fruit and a broader mouth feel with subtle oak while experiencing partial malolactic fermentation. The bright straw color intimates its nuanced oak which compliments, rather than subjugates, its fruit and mineral character. Ripe-mushy pear with a touch of apple, a hint of pineapple churned with slate, wheat straw, an atom or two of dried sage and completed by a dollop of Creme Brule.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Reininger 2012 Reserve Chardonnay.