Sebastopol – Wine Snob

March 29, 2022April 12, 2022

2017 Carignane by Reichwage Winery, Russian River Valley

Tonight’s Occasion: 2017 Carignane (Mancini Ranch – Russian River Valley) by Reichwage Winery, Sebastopol CA.

Soft gentle nose with ripe cherries and raspberries up front. A sweet floral nectar like essence permeates the nose. A wet wood leather undertone. Very nice, if not luxurious.

Nose can be a bit misleading. Body is bone dry. Greeting with firm, slightly acidic attack. This has the effect of stretching and opening up the palate, bringing good tension. This quickly gives way to red berries and cherries, albeit restrained, light and crisp. An unobtrusive wood further softens the expression, giving it a somewhat plush, luxurious mouth feel. Thin, crisp, firm but unobtrusive tannins quickly precipitate upon the stage, holding firm across the entire experience. Hints of cola, and citrus lemon linger about as the stage fades away leaving my lips dry, edges tingling ever so subtly with white pepper.

We continue exploring this Winemaker’s work. What caught me from the beginning was the level of finish his wines show. This one is no exception. A lighter bodied Carignane. Subtle, nuanced, perhaps a Pinot lover’s interpretation. I like it! Nicely done Max!

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October 22, 2021November 7, 2021

2018 Pinot Noir (Twin Hills) by Reichwage Winery, Sonoma Coast

Tonight’s Occasion: 2018 Pinot Noir (Twin Hills) by Reichwage Winery, Sebastopol CA.

Clear ruby color. Slightly shy nose greets with a flutter of red cherries, raspberries and subtle cola. As it breathes a damp, driftwood emerges in the background. Swirling intensifies the nose ever so slightly. Cherries turn slightly sweet with the emergence of caramel notes. Ahhhhh that quintessential Sonoma Dirt makes an appearance along with a touch of red vines licorice.

Body is light, bright. In line with the nose, greets with a slightly crisp attack which quickly hands off to a slightly viscous body of crisp caramel, damp wood leather and bitter cola. Great soft mouth feel. Thin but firm tannins provides crisp structure from front to back. Body is bone dry. Fruit carries forward in mere suggestions of raspberry. Hints of mushroom linger in the back, so faint you’d likely miss it. After a long expression, body quickly vanishes, leaving a dry palate with cola, mushroom leather, crisp lingering tannic grip an mild spice warmth.

Everything is a mere suggestion. This wine is very subtle and nuanced in its expression. It was made in the vineyard and obsessed over in the cellar. Pinot Noir doesn’t lie. It is unforgiving. In a sense a rite of passage for a winemaker. This one is squarely for the advanced palate. More traditional Burgundian style while preserving its sense of place. It reads like an exercise in core principles. What a great, well made wine! Just beautiful…

Explore more of Max Reichwage’s wines here.

August 3, 2021

2016 Pinot Noir by Reichwage Winery, Sonoma Coast

Tonight’s Occasion: 2016 Pinot Noir by Reichwage Winery, Sebastopol CA.

Big bold intense color for a Pinot. Nose is shy out of the bottle. You can definitely pick up hints of that all too familiar Sonoma dirt. Nose develops a little more weight, berries and ripe cherries as it opens up. Damp woody dirt and red vines licorice move forward. Nose is very subtle and gentle.

Body is not as big as the color suggests but very much in line with the nose. Subtle, gentle, smooth expression. Ripe cherries greet the palate with a hint of acidity more in the form of a sweet citrus that is quickly smothered by a full, plush, soft mouth feel. Transition to finish is seamless leaving the palate slightly dry under an enduring spice warmth.

This Pinot is showing nicely right now. It is clean, well executed. It feels like a classic Pinot Noir, subtle, nuanced, smooth and balanced. It channels the terroir very subtly, gracefully retaining it’s sense of place. Now I’m curious to see how the 2018 vintage is showing now. That should be an interesting vintage right about now. Stay tuned!

Nicely done Max Reichwage 🍷😁👌🏽

You can read more from my exploring of Max Reichwage’s wines here.

July 17, 2021November 7, 2021

2018 Gamay Noir (Sonoma Coast) by Reichwage

Tonight’s Occasion: 2018 Gamay Noir (Sonoma Coast) by Reichwage Winery, Sebastopol CA.

Semi opaque color. Supple aromatic nose with notes of cherries, strawberries, wet soil, subtle oak and hints of butterscotch. Swirling vigorously adds hints of eucalyptus, herbs and mushrooms in the back. It is very reminiscent of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Very interesting. I love this region and how the terroir is expressed in this wine.

Body greets with a slight bright (read acidic) attack. This is quickly matched and superseded by a full, plush, creamy, integrated, medium bodied mouth feel. Prominent notes are mushroom, wet wood, dark cherries, and hints of sweet citrus (think Meyer Lemon). Fascinating that I pick up earth notes at the front like this. The only Gamay I have explored were from France (Loire Valley I believe) and I do recall them being highly terroir driven. This one falls very much in line albeit not as heavy, slightly more expressive fruit but more subtle overall – think more of a big California Pinot. Tannins are very restrained, almost unnoticeable, providing good seamless and integrated structure. After a long and wide body, transition to finish is seamless and swift, leaving the palate under a subtle dusty, buttery, fine grained grip and modest spice tingle.

I like this wine. It is rich. I can taste the dirt. This is a Gamay and a terroir driven one at that. This wine absolutely pairs well with itself but if you must, mild artisan cheeses should do just fine. A hidden gem for sure. I am impressed with Max’s work and I look forward to following him.