Winemaker Notes
The 2020 Gratitude is a representation of this incredibly beautiful vintage and wine. Marionberry, dried blueberry, blood orange and white lilac intrigue-and-collide with the senses, demanding further evaluation of this beauty, elegance and complexity. Forest floor, honeysuckle, fresh sourdough bread, nutmeg, and more to discover.
Blend: 75% Mourvèdre, 20% Grenache, 5% Syrah
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a co-fermented field blend of 70% mourvedre, 25% grenache and 5% syrah. Cracked black pepper, smoked meats, olives and wild herbs on the nose, before evolving to juicy, sweet and perfectly-ripe berry and plum fruit. Supple and sleek, with a full body and creamy, seamless tannins. Joyful. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Made from 100% whole-cluster grapes, the 2020 Gratitude Olsen Brothers Vineyard offers seductive red fruit tones with notions of potpourri and dusty cherry blossoms. The wine is medium to full-bodied on the palate, with succulent flavors of spiced red plum, pink peppercorn and juicy black raspberry and lifting tannins over the food-friendly and succulent finish. Just over 8,000 bottles were filled.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Coming all from basalt soils and mostly Mourvèdre, the 2020 Gratitude Blend sports a translucent ruby hue as well as a great nose of spiced red and black fruits, peppery spice, and assorted meaty nuances. It’s medium to full-bodied, has fine tannins, and an overriding sense of elegance. Based on 75% Mourvedre, 20% Grenache, and 5% Syrah from the Olsen Brother Vineyard in the Yakima Valley, aged in neutral oak, it’s perfect for enjoying over the coming 7-8 years or so.
With bold fruit flavors and accents of sweet spice, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre form the base of the classic Rhône Red Blend, while Carignan, Cinsault and Counoise often come in to play. Though they originated from France’s southern Rhône Valley, with some creative interpretation, Rhône blends have also become popular in other countries. Somm Secret—Putting their own local spin on the Rhône Red Blend, those from Priorat often include Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In California, it is not uncommon to see Petite Sirah make an appearance.
As the first recognized wine-growing region in the Pacific Northwest, Yakima Valley is centrally located within Washington’s vast Columbia Valley. The region also includes Washington’s oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines, Otis Vineyard, planted in 1957, and Harrison Hill Vineyard, planted in 1963. Yakima Valley contains three smaller sub-regions: Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, and Snipes Mountain and is ideal for both red and white wine production. In fact, Yakima Valley is Washington’s most diverse region, boasting more than 40 different grape varieties over about one hundred miles.
The cooler parts of the valley are home to almost half of the Chardonnay and Riesling produced in the state! Both are made in a wide range of styles depending on the conditions of the vineyard site.
But its warmer locations yield a large proportion of Washington’s best Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The finest Yakima Valley reds are jam-packed full of red cherry, currant, raspberry or blackberry fruit, as well as cocoa, herb, spice and savory notes, and exhibit a supple texture, great body, focus and length.