Fine Wineries Flying into Old Walla Walla Airport
By Bob Woehler
The small new start-up wineries at the old Walla
Walla airport are no fly-by-night affairs.
Currently, five wineries are at the airport, which was built
during World War II and is adjacent to the new airport. By this time
next year, there could be as many as nine in a variety of old
airport buildings.
But just because these wineries began in humble surroundings
doesn't mean the wines are second rate.
A recent visit to two airport wineries - Reininger Winery and
Tamarack Cellars - showed it's not the digs that make the wine, but
the dedication of the winemakers.
Tamarack Cellars
Ron Coleman and his wife, Jamie, own Tamarack Cellars. The
building's past incarnations have included service as a military
barracks and a fire station. He ran a retail wine shop once in
Wisconsin, and the couple were living in Seattle when they thought
they wanted to return to their small-town roots. Jamie is an
ophthalmologist and quickly got a job in the Walla Walla area. Ron
wanted to get into wine and worked first for Waterbrook and then
Canoe Ridge before starting Tamarack in 1998. Ron still has a day
job running the popular Iceburg hamburger place in Walla Walla. Like
his hamburgers, Coleman's wines are also proving very popular.
Tamarack 1999 merlot Columbia Valley was awarded the
coveted outstanding designation by Wine Press Northwest tasting
panel for the second vintage in a row. Great fruit, nice vanilla and
spice aromas. The flavors are ripe plums and cherries with a good
mouth feel. $28.
Tamarack 1999 red table wine, Walla Walla Valley is a
blend of 60 percent cabernet sauvignon, 35 percent syrah and a
splash of cabernet franc and merlot. Good oak aromas with black
pepper and some berries. $15.
Reininger Winery
Next-door neighbor at the airport is Chuck Reininger, who came to
Walla Walla in 1992 because his wife, Tracy, was raised there. They
arrived without jobs but with a lot of determination. Reininger has
to have determination because he is also a professional mountain
climbing guide. He learned the wine ropes from Eric Rindal at
Waterbrook, and in 1997 the couple took the plunge. Chuck and Tracy
are devoted full time to the winery and have had some early success
in getting rave reviews about their wines.
Reininger 1999 Walla Walla Valley syrah won a double gold
at the prestigious San Francisco International wine competition and
a gold at the Northwest Wine Summit at Mount Hood. It is big and
fruity, with flavorful berry jam qualities with a long-lasting
finish. $30.
Reininger 1999 Walla Walla Valley merlot to be released in
September shows a beautiful marriage of vanilla oak aromas and
flavors of fruit, including plums. It is easy drinking and tasty.
$28.
Reininger 1999 Walla Walla valley cabernet sauvignon is
smooth with lots of dark chocolate and berry flavors and toasty oak
aromas. $30.
New releases
Chateau Ste. Michelle 1999 chardonnay Indian Wells Vineyard
- Good vanilla, toasty oak aromas with citrus and tropical fruit
flavors and a crisp finish. $22.
Chateau Ste. Michelle 2000 Eroica riesling - A
collaboration of German winemaker Ernst Loosen and Chateau Ste.
Michelle winemaker Erik Olsen. Charming riesling aromas, grapefruit
and apples flavors. Nice, crisp finish. $20.
Ste. Chapelle 1999 Idaho chardonnay - An outstanding
food-friendly wine. Rich fruit flavors, apples, lemon and tropical
fruit. Well balanced, clean and dry, Great with poached halibut. A
best buy. $7.
Ste. Chapelle 1999 Idaho chardonnay, winemaker's series -
Impressive acids, flavorful fruit with a lingering aftertaste.
Another good food wine. Try with Chilean sea bass. $12.
Pend d'Oreille, 2000 Idaho riesling, Ellis Family Vineyard
- Nice sweetness, grapefruit and lemon touches but lacks aromas and
body. $11.
Pend d'Oreille 1999 syrah, Columbia Valley - Another
outstanding syrah with rich blackberry flavors, cedar and other
concentrated fruits. Nice vanilla aromas with a soft, rich mouth
feel. $20.
Covey Run 2000 morio muskat, Yakima Valley - Nobody does
it better with a muscat than Covey Run. An outstanding fruity, very
aromatic wine with loads of tropical fruit and a great finish. Great
for a brunch or picnic. $15.
Covey Run 1998 merlot, barrel select, Columbia Valley -
Delightful cherries and currants, nicely balanced with oak and
fruit. A smooth finish. $15.
Columbia Winery 1998 syrah, Yakima Valley - Winemaker
David Lake has been making syrahs probably longer than any Northwest
winemaker, and it shows. An outstanding example of a robust jamlike
syrah that is rich and muscular, but with a light tasty touch of oak
toast and dry cherries. Great for barbecue. $18.
Kestrel Vintners 1999 syrah, Yakima Valley - Rich and
youthful with concentrated fruit, heavy oak and black cherries. $28.
Walla Walla Vintners 1999 sangiovese, Columbia Valley -
Outstanding blackberries with black peppercorns backed by vanilla
and almond extracts. An abundance of fruit along with solid tannins.
$25.
Hyatt 1998 cabernet sauvignon, Yakima Valley - Tar, cedar
and berries with touches of vanilla dominate this big red wine.
Great with a rib-eye steak. $14.
Bob Woehler
has been writing about grapes and wines of the Pacific Northwest
since 1978. His columns appear twice monthly in the Tri-City
Herald in Tri-Cities, Wash. and in Wine
Press Northwest.
Send
e-mail to Bob Woehler
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