Winemaker Notes
Wine is superb crimson color with bluish hues. Deep and complex nose exhibiting wild strawberries & raspberry jam with blueberry accents. Rich and velvety with complex flavors of blond tobacco, white pepper, clove and star anise. Great concentration of very fine tannins giving this wine tremendous length and great aging potential.
Blend: 50% Grenache, 24% Mourvèdre, 24% Syrah, 2% Cinsault
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Tasting like a topflight Châteauneuf du Pape, the 2016 Tenet GSM is based on 50% Grenache, 24% Mourvèdre, 24% Syrah, and the balance Cinsault, all aged 15 months in 40% new 500-liter French oak. A big, gorgeous nose of kirsch liqueur, Asian spices, pepper, and flowery incense gives way to a super plush, full-bodied, opulent red that has loads of fruit and texture yet stays balanced, weightless, and silky on the palate.
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James Suckling
A collaborative project, this has a beautifully fresh and convincing array of ripe dark berries and plums, delivered with a supple and entrancingly plush, seamless textural quality. Exceptional wine.
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Wine Spectator
Opens with plush and expressive black cherry and toasted spice flavors that slowly build complexity and tension toward refined tannins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre, the 2016 Tenet GSM begins with a rustic sensation on the nose. It has a dusty, red-fruited core on the palate, with wild strawberry and dusty honeysuckle, moving to a spice tone, grippy tannins and lively acidity that lifts and energizes the mid-palate. The wine lingers on the finish with a sandy and spicy expression.
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.