2016 Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards Tempranillo

Reustle Prayer Rock Vineyards is in the Umpqua Valley of Oregon. It was founded in 2001 when Stephen and Gloria Reustle, former marketing professionals from greater New York, purchased 200 acres. In 2004 the couple produced the first wine from the estate's vineyards. The two estate vineyards are called Prayer Rock and Romancing Rock and together produce grapes for about 6,000 cases annually. Stephen Reustle is the winemaker and the estate makes a broad portfolio of red and white wines, from Pinot Noir, Tempranillo, Syrah and Malbec, to Viognier, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gruner Veltliner.

Umpqua Valley AVA is in the southwestern Oregon, and it is one of the state’s older AVAs, having been awarded that status in 1984. Umpqua producers like to point out that though Willamette Valley in the northern part of Oregon gets lots of attention for its fine wines, Umpqua Valley is thought to be the first winemaking region in the state. German immigrants were making up to 20,000 gallons of wine annually in Umpqua Valley in the 1880s. After Prohibition the son of one of the immigrant winemakers once again started making wines for commercial release, and by the 1960s university-trained young winemakers from California arrived seeking lower land prices and cooler grape growing climates. Today the AVA has 1,500 vineyard acres and 35 wineries. The complex topography of the appellation, which includes parts of three mountain ranges, means that both cool and hot weather grapes can thrive. Syrah and Tempranillo are frequently planted, along with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Riesling.

Think leather and cherries together for Tempranillo wines. This wine looks lighter than it is. It can be medium or full bodied, but its thin-skinned, big grapes, give it a more transparent appearance. It is grown in Spain, Portugal, the U.S. and Australia.