During Fall Release Weekend the Reynvaans - Mike, Gale, Amanda, Angela and Matt - held retrospective tastings on Friday and Saturday of all the wines Reynvaan Family Vineyards has produced from the 2007 through 2011 vintages, It was an awesome event, tasting through 21 wines, all exceptional. Below are my notes. Because of the number of wines and amount of time to go through them, these are capsule descriptions rather than my usual nose to finish detailed reviews.

The wines were grouped by bottlings:

Foothills in the Sun - This is the Estate Vineyard, planted in 2007, adjacent to the winery. It is so named because of its location in the sun-drenched foothills of the Blue Mountains.

2010 - Showed the strength and structure of the vintage, with fine aromatics of blackberry, blueberry, roses, lavender and violets.2011 - Crimson colored, with aromas of wild berries, lavender, rose and orange peel. Deep, focused raspberry and cassis fruits.

2011 - A fine example of the strength and structure of the vintage, with fine aromatics of blackberry, blueberry, roses, lavender and violets.

The Unnamed - When the first vintage was bottled, it was called "The Unnamed" because the Reynvaans hadn't come up with a name for it yet. That designation stuck, and stayed on as the wine's name. Co-fermented with a bit of Viognier.

2008 - A classic 2008 Syrah: Smoky, perfumed aromas and thick, earthy chewy flavors, showing varietal character all the way through.

2009 - Typical of a warmer year, this vintage showed ripe, smoky aromas and generous flavors, marked by ripe, dryish tannins.

2010 - Showed smoky, exotic perfumes, ripely fruited with long, mouth-encompassing fruit.

2011 - This exhibited a brilliant ruby color an a ripe nose of blackberry and cassis, with a full, intense mix of fruits and earth.

In the Rocks - So called, because it comes from "The Rocks" in the South Valley in the bed of the Wala Walla River before it changed to its present course. Co-fermented with varying percentages of Viognier and Marsanne.

2007 - Brick red colored, it showed a sultry, smoky nose with oriental perfrumes. Thick and meaty, with macerated fruits and a touch of leather.

2008 - Redolent of exotic perfumes, with thick, mouth-permeating fruits, beginning to round out, marked by chewy tannins.

2009 - This showed the essence of Syrah: perfumes of roses, violets and lavender, with thick, chewy, minerally dark fruit flavors.

2010 - Deep purple colored, the perfumes jumped out of the glass, followed by supple, mouth-filling flavors, the essence of the rocks, with a touch of leather.

2011 - This barrel sample showed an already seductive nose of wild berries and lavender, with focused essence of Syrah.

The Contender - Each vintage of this wine has been a contender for top ranking. Co-fermented with undisclosed amounts of Marsanne.

2007 - Garnet-colored, this showed a smoky nose, just begining to mature, with thick, black fruits throughout, intermixed with earth, game and minerals.

2008 - Showed rich, smoky aromas and thich chocolately black fruits, orange peel and dryish tannins.

2009 - Sultry perfumes, pepper and spice. Thich, chewy and meaty, with touches of orange peel and leather.

2010 - Rose and violet scented, this showed generous fruit, stony minerals, orange peel and dried berries.

2011 - This is a comer. The barrel sample showed lovely perfume (roses, violets) and broad, yet focused bright red/blue fruit flavors, with much elegance and complexity.

Stonessence - This is a "Reserve" expressing the essence of the "Rocks," (hence the name)

2009 - Still young, this showed rich aromas of berries, roses, lavender and smoldering incense, with thick, chewy flavors, accented by touches of orange peel, leather and stony minerals.

2010 Opaque colored, this emited a smoldering nose of black currants, attar of rose, incense, accompanied by lavish, mouth-encompassing fruit flavors. Rated 20/20 points on release, it still merits this score, and has a great future.

2011 - Crimson colored, this vintage showed scents of lavender, lilac and violets with elegant fruits intermixed with earth and minerals. Highly promising.

All of these wines are of high quality and would score 19 points or higher. I found the 2009 In the Rocks, the 2009 and 2010 Contender and the 2009 and 2010 Stonessence particularly compelling, scoring 19.5 or 20 points. The 2011's, from a vintage with a reputation for being "difficult," showed particularly well, offering much promise.

This was a particulary memorable tasting. Mike Reynvaan said they probably will never do a tasting like this again.