Winemaker Notes
The 2018 Bésoleil shows what it’s made of from the moment it hits the glass, displaying a brilliant, bright ruby color. The aromas are intense and complex: strawberry preserves, orange zest, and raspberry, tellicherry pepper, fresh rose petals, and herbs de Provence. The texture is silky and the palate expansive, adding layers of fresh spice and cedar. Freshness and delicacy are the name of the game here as it moves into a focused, lengthy, and saline finish that’s supported by a fine tannic structure. Delicious. The 2018 Bésoleil will continue to gain nuance over the next 8-12 years.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A medium-to full-bodied red with aromas of red berries, plums, orange zest, flowers, black pepper and dried herbs. Fine-grained tannins frame layers of herbs and spiced fruit with some saline undertones. Fresh and delicious. 46% grenache, 24% counoise, 24% mourvedre and 6% syrah. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Bésoleil is made from 46% Grenache, 24% Mourvedre, 24% Couniose and 6% Syrah. The wine has a classic ruby color and opens with precision and focus on the nose, singing a beautiful song with strawberries and cherry skin, plus a spiced finesse and dusty minerality in the glass. Medium-bodied, flavors of red licorice and red spiced potpourri are balanced effortlessly on the palate, and it ends with a compact yet lingering oaky finish, making this wine food-friendly, expressing red and black spices with a soft dustiness.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The Southern Rhône blend from this estate, the 2018 Bésoleil checks in as 55% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 12% Counoise, and 3% Syrah that was 60% destemmed and brought up in used barrels. It's always a lighter hued effort and offers a translucent ruby color as well as perfumed flowers, sandalwood, herbes de Provence, and assorted red fruit characteristics. Medium-bodied, nicely textured, and balanced, it's a charming, undeniably delicious blend to enjoy over the coming 5-7 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.
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.