2007 Reynvaan Queen’s Road White – Score: 93

Review by Jay Miller

The 2007 Queen’s Road White is a blend of 65% Marsanne and 35% Roussanne sourced from their In the Rocks Vineyard. Light gold-colored, it displays an alluring bouquet of melon, bee’s wax, poached pear, and tropical aromas. Round, smooth-textured and vibrant on the palate, it reveals nectarine, citrus, and spice notes balanced by vibrant acidity. This lengthy effort is a perfect match for stone crab claws and Maine lobster.

Reynvaan Family Vineyards’ first vintage was 2007. All of the fruit is from their Walla Walla estate vineyards, planted by them from scratch. The principal reason for the current and future success of the venture is that their viticultural and wine consultant is Christophe Baron of Cayuse. This is the only other winery that Baron works with, and that says all you need to know.

2007 Reynvaan The Contender Syrah: Score 93+

Review by Jay Miller

The 2007 The Contender Syrah is also from the In The Rocks Vineyard. It was co-fermented with Marsanne and aged in French oak for 18 months. It is a more terroir-driven effort with greater minerality and structure, and darker fruit. It merits 5-7 years of cellaring and will offer a drinking window extending from 2015 to 2027.

Reynvaan Family Vineyards’ first vintage was 2007. All of the fruit is from their Walla Walla estate vineyards, planted by them from scratch. The principal reason for the current and future success of the venture is that their viticultural and wine consultant is Christophe Baron of Cayuse. This is the only other winery that Baron works with, and that says all you need to know.

2007 Reynvaan In The Rocks Syrah:  Score 94

Review by Jay Miller

The 2007 In The Rocks Syrah was co-fermented with Viognier. Medium purple-colored, it offers up a sexy perfume of bacon, game, Asian spices, incense, lavender, blueberry, and plum. Dense, rich, and full on the palate, it has the structure to evolve for several years, but a succulent fleshiness makes it approachable now.

Reynvaan Family Vineyards’ first vintage was 2007. All of the fruit is from their Walla Walla estate vineyards, planted by them from scratch. The principal reason for the current and future success of the venture is that their viticultural and wine consultant is Christophe Baron of Cayuse. This is the only other winery that Baron works with, and that says all you need to know.

Please click here for a link to the PDF version of the review.

The French Rabbit is notoriously elusive, but after five years we have managed to coax him out of the hat and announce that, Christophe Baron is our viticulture and wine consultant.  In 2004, after turning us down several times, Christophe finally agreed to work with us because we were dedicated to creating classic wines exclusively from our Walla Walla Valley estate vineyard that would take years to establish.  Christophe is a renowned vigneron and widely regarded as one of the top farmers and wine producers in the State of Washington.  It is very important to him that we are located in a place where he would be involved on a daily basis walking and tending vines.  In addition, we are one of only a few wineries using 100% Walla Walla Valley estate grown grapes, we agreed to grow slowly, step by step and gave him carte blanche to help us build this foundation.

Since the beginning of our venture, Christophe has been with us every step of the way, helping us pick our vineyard sites, laying out the vineyards, choosing the vines that are best suited for these sites as well as farming and guiding these wines through their early development.  He brings experience, knowledge and passion to our project and demonstrates a focus and work ethic that are infectious.  He is a pleasure to work with and is an integral part of this venture.  With invaluable assistance from Christophe, we believe we have created wines that are very special.

[Show as slideshow]

More photos to follow.

6pm – 9pm

Featuring light appetizers from our Executive Chef Peter Levine and 20-25 wineries from all over WA state, including Grape Killers, Leonetti, Quilceda, Woodward Canyon, DeLille, McCrea, Andrew Will, Cote Bonneville, Sheridan, Hedges, Bunnell, Darby, DesVoigne, Reynvaan Family Vineyards, and Cuillin Hills.

For reservations or more information, please contact

Watefront Seafood Grill Pier 70 | http://www.waterfrontpier70.com | 206.956.9171 | slarsen@waterfrontpier70.com

Graced with stunning gardens and elegant grounds, Doug and Cassie Picha’s Bainbridge Island home is the magical setting for an evening of Walla Walla wine and Northwest fare. Anna Schafer of Maurice Cellars and Mike, Gale and Matt Reynvaan of Reynvaan Family Vineyards will be on hand to share their wines while beloved chef and food writer Greg Atkinson creates an exquisite meal for your enjoyment.

Check out the list of all Winemaker Dinners 2009 on the auctionofwashingtonwines.org website here.

[Show as slideshow]