Winemaker Notes
Beautifully balanced old and new world aromas of blueberry compote, black cherry, black currants, vanilla bean, crushed violet, and Bordeaux-like notes of graphite, cigar box, Ethiopian espresso, and flood minerals. The vintage really comes through on the palate, with impeccable balance, lively lifting acidity, and a seamless focus of blue and black fruits, floral and herbal complexity, along with a gravelly minerality that recalls the great wines of Bordeaux. The finish lingers with a mix of dark fruits, flowers, and ground espresso. This is a beautiful and interesting wine that is tasting great now, but will no doubt age for 12-15 years easily.
Blend: : 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesCellar Selection
Sleek and multilayered, with expressive black cherry, bitter chocolate and dusky spice flavors that build toward refined tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Made from 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot, the 2019 Gravura is impressive in the glass and offers plenty of plush dark red and black fruit aromas with hints of oak. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is complex, layered and ripe, showcasing a parade of plum and blackberry flavors followed by lifted red and purple flowers followed by a delightful mineral tension and fine-grained tannins. The long-lingering and persistent finish somersault between flavors of popcorn kernel, black plum and dark cherry skin. Rating: 93+
The 2019 Gravura is darkly alluring and intense, with masses of black currant and plums accentuated by crushed ashen stone and tobacco. Silky yet potent, it floods the palate with soothingly sweet red and blue fruits complemented by confectionary spice and a hint of dark chocolate. The Gravura tapers off with supreme elegance, as sweet tannins engulf a core of citrus-tinged black cherry. The Gravura is a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that's refined for 20 months in 20% new French oak.
Avennia is inspired by the Roman name for the city of Avignon, and signifies for us the heart of Old World winemaking. The wines are designed to tease rather than flaunt; pique interest, not beg for attention. They stand for elegance, delicacy, purity. The wines are made to enhance conversation, not dominate it, and will be a welcome guest at the table.
A large and geographically diverse AVA capable of producing a wide variety of wine styles, the Columbia Valley AVA is home to 99% of Washington state’s total vineyard area. A small section of the AVA even extends into northern Oregon!
Because of its size, it is necessarily divided into several distinctive sub-AVAs, including Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley—which are both further split into smaller, noteworthy appellations. A region this size will of course have varied microclimates, but on the whole it experiences extreme winters and long, hot, dry summers. Frost is a common risk during winter and spring. The towering Cascade mountain range creates a rain shadow, keeping the valley relatively rain-free throughout the entire year, necessitating irrigation from the Columbia River. The lack of humidity combined with sandy soils allows for vines to be grown on their own rootstock, as phylloxera is not a serious concern.
Red wines make up the majority of production in the Columbia Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant variety here, where it produces wines with a pleasant balance of dark fruit and herbs. Wines made from Merlot are typically supple, with sweet red fruit and sometimes a hint of chocolate or mint. Syrah tends to be savory and Old-World-leaning, with a wide range of possible fruit flavors and plenty of spice. The most planted white varieties are Chardonnay and Riesling. These range in style from citrus and green apple dominant in cooler sites, to riper, fleshier wines with stone fruit flavors coming from the warmer vineyards.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.