“2010 was my greatest achievement,” explained Matt Reynvaan. “I’ve been revisiting these wines from 2010 and I was amazed how they turned out,” Matt continued, “which is why I wanted you to revisit these wines.” 2010 in my estimation was not an ideal vintage in Washington State. Marked by cool weather, many typically full-bodied wines were leaner and more angular. Particularly upon release many 2010 Bordeaux varietals were tannic and difficult to approach. Syrah tended to fare better — particularly Syrahs from the stony terroir of Milton-Freewater. My colleague, Sean Sullivan, likes this vintage more than I do, but I have particularly liked the 2010 red wines made from the Walla Walla Rocks District.
2010 was the first vintage where the Reynvaans made the wine at their estate. In 2010 Christophe Baron helped them with processing the fruit and then the fruit was loaded onto a truck and the fermentation was done at the Reynvaan estate. Matt Raynvan did a majority of the work and pump-overs by himself, which he mentioned was a great challenge. At one point Matt averted disaster as mentioned while working in a fermenter his foot hit the clip, connecting the attachment piece and juice of the bottom of the tank started pouring out from the pressure from the top. He had to stop the wine from flying out and he could not find the cap. Fortunately his mother was called and he had to grab the cap after gallons of wine was lost. Having tried these great wines I can’t imagine how disheartening that event must have been for Matt.
Sitting next to him I noticed a particular glimmer in his eye as he tasted two of his wines from the 2010 vintage. I can imagine how satisfying it is tasting these high flying wines, now eight years of age. I do not mean this lightly saying that the two 2010 wines by Reynvaan, ‘In The Rocks’ and ‘The Contender’ are two of the absolute top wines that I tried from that vintage. The 2010 Reynvaan ‘In The Rocks’ Syrah (WWB, 94) shows wonderful stony character and a lifted, highly perfumed nose from the 4% Viognier blended in. The range of this wine is captivating, as is the mouth-watering acidity that remains. This still has another five to ten years of life left. Just as good was the 2010 Reynvaan ‘The Contender’ Syrah (WWB, 94) which had a wonderful meaty character and a strong floral nose from the Marsanne. Bringing in lighter milk chocolate tones, this was a complete stunner by Matt Reynvaan. While these gems are not available (might try winebid.com), they are reminders of how top winemakers produce top bottlings in even the most challenging of vintages. Learn more about these outstanding wines at https://www.reynvaanfamilyvineyards.com
2010 Reynvaan ‘In The Rocks’ Syrah- The wine weighs in at 14.9% alcohol. 4% Viognier was co-fermented into the Syrah. Bacon fat and green olive are shining right now, as the wine has an incredible savory nose. The palate shows incredible poise and acidity with blood orange rind, red cherry, cigar shavings, leather and smoked meats. The stony aspect of the wine really gives this an added touch of class. Drink 2018-2024- 94
2010 Reynvaan ‘The Contender’ Syrah- The wine has 2% Marsanne co-fermented. Matt Reynvann mentioned the strong floral character to the wine, which I notice as well. Rose petal, honeysuckle, black tea, wet stone and smoked brisket mark the highly perfumed nose. The palate is viscous and intense with black tea, Asian spice, milk chocolate and smoked brisket. The long finish and mouth-watering acidity is simply stunning. Drink 2018-2024- 94