Reininger Winery in Walla Walla has bottled a special wine for the Intermountain Opera Bozeman presentation of Puccini’s “Tosca”. Previous bottlings of this blend have sold out to rave reviews and this edition is really something special.
The label was painted by Bozeman artist Laurel Hatch. Her work, entitled “Recondita armonia”, is her interpretation of the famous aria in the first scene of “Tosca”. In the aria, artist Mario Cavaradossi proclaims the mysterious harmony and diversity of beauty. In the sacristy of a church, he paints a beautiful blue-eyed, blond Madonna. As he sings he muses how his own true love, Tosca, is beautiful in her own right with dark hair and dark eyes. Laurel’s painting shows the dark haired Tosca looking into a mirror whose reflection is the blond woman.
Inside the “Tosca” bottle is a mysterious and beautiful blend of Columbia Valley red grapes from Reininger Winery in Walla Walla. It features Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot and a splash of Petit Verdot all from the 2009 vintage. Tosca’s Blend is a lush, plush, intensely garnet colored red wine with big fruit aromatics of dark plums, black currents and hints of sweet oak spice. The palate is a cavalcade of cassis, blackberry, toffee and nutmeg finishing with smooth but complex tannins. Previous vintages of this blend have sold out in a matter of days and bottles of those vintages that remain are collectors’ items. Fewer than nine hundred bottles of this commemorative “Tosca” special cuvee were made. Like the “Recondita armonia” label art, the Intermountain Opera Bozeman’s “Tosca” reflects a wine that bears all the hallmarks of careful viticulture and expert wine making given to artisanal small lot production.
Tosca’s blend can be purchased exclusively at the Wine Gallery at 2320 West Main. The bottle cost is $18. Net proceeds go to Intermountain Opera Bozeman to support its 40th Anniversary year.
