2014 Avennia Sestina Red Blend

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2014 Avennia Sestina Red Blend

Producer: Avennia (Complete Product Listing for this producer.)

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Avennia

Web Site: www.avennia.com

Wine Region: United States - Washington - Red Mountain, Walla Walla Valley

Overview

avennia logotype 72dpi

Avennia was founded on the passion to showcase Washington as a unique and compelling place for great wines. Their priority is to acquire fruit from some of the finest vineyards in Washington, and allow them to express themselves. They chose to focus on the grape varieties used in Bordeaux and the Rhone, as their similar latitude to Washington makes them a natural fit to excel here.

Timing is everything.
Our winemaking partnership is built on mutual respect, complimentary skills, and a love of great wine.
Our goal is to make wines that evoke clarity: clarity of place, clarity of type, clarity of purpose.
We believe this is best expressed by using the classic French varietals and blends, with methods passed down over generations. We work within this context to allow Washington vineyards and terroirs to distinguish themselves. Terroir is only readily appreciable in a well-formed, harmonious wine. Structure is the backbone from which beauty can radiate.

avennia owner

Chris Peterson (Winemaker/Partner) and Marty Taucher (Managing Partner)

History

Date Founded: 2009

Owner: Marty Taucher & Chris Peterson

Winery Philosophy: Talk Less, Say More.
Our minimalist approach in the cellar, results in wines of elegance, complexity, and balance.

When Marty Taucher asked Chris Peterson to review his draft winery business plan in 2009, it fortuitously coincided with Peterson’s desire to start a new chapter in his winemaking career. The conversation continued at the friendly confines of North Seattle’s Fiddlers Inn, where the vision for Avennia was born. Mutual esteem for their respective strengths and experiences allowed them to forge an effective partnership. Ultimately, they agreed on the Avennia’s core principals – a passionate commitment to signature vineyards and natural processes in the cellar - resulting in timeless, world class wines that are solely and undeniably Washington.

With the support and input from Chris’ wife Lauren Smith and Marty’s wife Colleen, Avennia was a reality. By the end of 2010, 16 tons of fruit were transformed to wine (released to much acclaim in 2012) and relationships in place with the state’s most legendary growers, enabling them to secure the best fruit in the region for future vintages. Almost a decade later, the same core principles continue to inform the direction of the winery and the business day to day.

Winery/Vineyards

Winemaker: Chris Peterson

Avennia is inspired by the Roman name for the city of Avignon, and signifies for us the heart of Old World winemaking. Inspired by the naturalist vigneron methods in the Old World, their winemaking is based on doing less in order to let the fruit speak for itself. With this approach, sourcing the finest fruit possible is paramount, they use native yeast to ferment the wines, and bottle them unfined to preserve the most complexity and expression. Blending trials are used extensively to achieve the finest texture and balance possible.
Their 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.

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In the Vineyard
A lot of thought is put into choosing vineyard sites to match their winemaking style and preference. They choose not only the vineyard sources themselves, but down to their favorite vineyard blocks. There is an emphasis on older vines, and moderate climates, as these features tend to create wine with more depth and complexity—a balance between fruit and non-fruit characteristics. They sample the grapes frequently as harvest approaches, tasting the fruit to try and find the ideal day to harvest. Their picking philosophy is simple: pick the fruit when it is barely, yet definitively, ripe.

In the Winery
Their natural-leaning hand during harvest and fermentation results in many unique blocks of wine in the cellar. The next question is: where do they go? For them, the next critical step is finding the blends. Their approach to blending is extensive and purposeful. This means blending different varieties together of course, but it can also mean blending wines of the same variety from different blocks; wines in new oak with wines in older oak; large barrels with small barrels, or wine aged in concrete. When tasting through blends, the emphasis is on finding balance, structure, and teasing out that inimitable character that makes a wine recognizable related to past vintages, while also being unique.

The Result
For them, the highest compliment in a wine is to be balanced and harmonious. They strive for the main elements—the bones of the wine—to be in harmony: fruit, acid, tannin, perhaps oak. The wine moves seamlessly from the front of the palate to the finish, without any of these aspects dominating the others. This is a key tenet of Old World winemaking, and perhaps the one they take most to heart. When you open your next bottle of Sestina, or Arnaut, or any Avennia wine, they hope you taste the care and attention they put into each bottle.

Gallery

/10

Reviews

Avennia - Jeb Dunnuck 2018

"I continue to consider Chris Peterson’s Avennia estate to be one of the best in Washington State and he’s been making world-class wines for a number of years now. He releases two white wines: A Sauvignon Blanc called Oliane and a Rhone blend of Roussanne and Marsanne called La Perle. The reds are broken up into a Rhône/Bordeaux groups, with the Rhônes including a Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre blend called Justine, and two single-vineyard Syrahs, the Le Corbeau from Mays’ Discovery Vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills and the Arnaut from Dick Boushey’s Boushey Vineyard on the western side of the Yakima Valley. The Bordeaux releases are built around the appellation blends and include the entry-level Gravura, Valery (Merlot dominated), and Sestina (Cabernet Sauvignon dominated). In addition, Peterson also makes a pure Cabernet Franc from Champoux Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills and a pure Cabernet Sauvignon from very old vines in the Red Willow Vineyard. As I hope these reviews show, these are brilliant wines readers need to seek out..” - Jeb Dunnuck (April 2018)
Avennia - Chris Peterson - Winemaker of the Year 2017 - Seattle Magazine

12th Annual Washington Wine Awards Winners Are In.
Honoring the best in Washington wine, from all-star vineyards to the top bottles.

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2014 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Details

WA95

WE91

VIN93

The Sestina is an ancient form of poetry from Medieval France. Just as a modern poet can fill this form with new expressions, we use the traditional Bordeaux blend to express Washington. Sestina is our vision for an old vine, complex blend where all of the components complement each other. This wine is designed for the cellar, so the emphasis is on structure, balance, and complexity.

Winemaker's notes: "Beautiful and complex aromas of plum, cherry, blackberry, mocha, fresh savory herbs, with lead pencil and earthy notes lead off this wine. It is bright, deep, and firm on the palate, featuring focused red and black fruits, mountain flowers, vanilla, bitter chocolate and cigar box. This wine should really be singing in 2-3 years, and hit age fifteen in great shape." - Chris Peterson

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Product Formats

Item Number	Unit	Units/Case	Type	UPC - bottle	SCC - case	SRP/Unit
W0EE327014BLL	750ml	12	Glass	8 58793 00402 2	1 08 58793 00402 9	$55.00

Specifications

Grape Varietals

70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc

ABV

14.3%

Aging

21 months in 60% New French Oak

Serving Temp

65-70°F

Closure

Cork

Production

486 cases

Wine Making Notes

Vineyards:
30% Red Willow Cabernet Sauvignon
30% Dionysus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
10% Bacchus Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Red Willow Merlot
5% Boushey Vineyard Merlot
10% Bacchus Vineyard Cabernet Franc

Reviews

2016 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93-95 PTS - JD

"The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Sestina checks in as 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Merlot, and 6% Cabernet Franc that will spend 20 months in 60% new French oak. This is the first year this will cuvée be labeled as a Cabernet Sauvignon. Blackcurrants, tobacco leaf, iodine, and hints of olive all give way to a rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, yet elegant wine that's going to age for 20+ years.."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2018), 93-95 pts

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2015 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 96 PTS - WA

"The 2015 Sestina is showing very well, offering up a rich, more exuberant bouquet than the 2014 rendition. This emphasizes notes of cassis, black plums, dark chocolate, espresso roast and a subtle framing of new oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied and lavish but controlled, with an ample, more sun-kissed core of fruit and fine-grained structuring tannins. Like the 2014, it's a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. While the 2014 and 2015 are quite different in style, it's hard to choose between them qualitatively. While it needs a few years in the cellar, I suspect the 2015 will hit its peak sooner. - William Kelley"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 237, June 29th 2018), 96 pts

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2015 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 95+ PTS - JD

"The flagship 2015 Sestina checks in as 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc brought up in 60% new French oak. Gorgeous notes of blackcurrants, black cherries, graphite, wet river rock, and leafy herbs all emerge from this beautifully balanced, fresh, classic wine that's still tight and backward. It's not a blockbuster but has building richness and tannin, as well as a great finish. Give bottles 2-3 years and enjoy over the following 10-15."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2018), 95+ pts

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2015 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93 PTS - WE

"This delicious blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc hails from the Red Willow, Dionysus and Bacchus Vineyards. It's locked-up on first pour, opening to reveal bittersweet chocolate, graphite, raspberry, blackberry and dried herb notes. The palate is soft and smooth yet dense, showing sophistication, structure and impressive length. Best from 2023–2029. - Sean P Sullivan"
- Wine Enthusiast Magazine (August 1st 2018), 93 pts + Top 100 Cellar Selections for 2018 (#93)

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2015 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93 PTS - VINOUS

"(bottled in June; from a 1997 planting; 60% new oak): Bright medium ruby. Very expressive, perfumed scents of cassis, violet and cocoa powder. At once large-scaled and brisk, showing captivating Cabernet Franc floral lift to its flavors of black fruits, espresso and minerals. A juicy, energetic midweight with serious rising length, this beauty delivers excellent palate coverage without any impression of weightiness. Stands out now for its flashy 2015 fruit but this wine should settle down in bottle and mature gracefully. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (October 2017), 93 pts

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2014 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 95 PTS - WA

"The Left Bank-style/Cabernet-dominated wine is the 2014 Sestina, and in 2014 it's a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Cassis, licorice, violets, lead pencil shavings and hints of herbs all give way to a layered, full-bodied, multi-dimensional wine that has sweet tannin and a great finish. It's about as voluptuous and sexy a wine as Chris has ever made. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 95 pts

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2014 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93 PTS - VINOUS

"Bright ruby-red. Aromas of plum, dark berries, bitter chocolate, graphite and earth. Compellingly sweet, plush, suave wine with intense dark fruit and spice flavors clarified and enlivened by excellent integrated acidity. Really superb brambly New World fruit leads to a brisk, gripping back end featuring serious but fine-grained mouthcoating tannins and terrific length and lift. I retasted the 2013 bottling next to this beauty and its tannins were less pliant and refined. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2016), 93 pts

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2014 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 91 PTS - WE

"Coming from older vine plantings at Dionysus, Red Willow, Boushey and Bacchus vineyards, Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) takes the lead, with the rest Merlot (20%) and Cabernet Franc. Aromas of graphite, savory herb and red and black fruit are followed by refined fruit flavors. It shows a sophisticated sensibility, bringing a sense of texture and vibrancy, along with a lingering finish."
- Wine Enthusiast (August 2017), 91 pts

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2013 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 94 PTS - IWRep

"Head winemaker, Chris Peterson, has crafted another stunner with this new 'Sestina' bottling. This wine is a blend of 73% Cabernet, 18% Merlot and 9% Cab Franc. The wine opens with gorgeous aromas of black cherry, black olive, blackberry preserves and dark chocolate. There is a real Bordelaise feel to this wine. The wine has flavors of crushed wild flowers, Turkish coffee, black olive, blackberry preserves, graphite, and an exceedingly long finish. There is a wonderful range of flavors and aromatics at play to this exceptional bottling. Try to wait at least another year before consuming. (Best 2017-2030).- OB"
- International Wine Report (October 2016), 94 pts

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2013 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93 PTS - WE

"More brains than brawn, the focus on this understated Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend is on old vines, with fruit coming mostly from early '70s and '80s Dionysus, Bacchus and Red Willow vineyard plantings. The earth, black cherry, peppercorn, currant and dried herb aromas start out tightly coiled. The flavors have laser-focused purity and a compelling sense of balance, with plenty of subtleties. It's all about nuance."
- Wine Enthusiast (July 2016), 93 pts

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2013 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93 PTS - WA

"The 2013 Sestina checks in as a mix of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc, and sees native fermentation followed by aging in 70% new French oak. Gorgeously elegant and rounded, with the approachable style of the vintage, it gives up a classic notes of black currants, crushed rocks, leafy herbs and tobacco in a medium to full-bodied, impeccably made style. It will have two decades of longevity."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #225, June 2016), 93 pts

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2013 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 92 PTS - VINOUS

"Bright medium ruby. Aromas of black cherry, mocha and licorice pastille. Attractive, tactile and sweet, with notes of chocolate and mocha but less fruit concentration than the 2012. Finishes with serious ripe tannins and lovely length. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Vinous (November 2015), 92 pts

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2012 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 95 PTS - WA

"The top Bordeaux blend of the estate, the 2012 Sestina (72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc, aged 20 months in 70% new French oak) is a serious, age-worthy effort that will need a decade to hit full maturity. Exhibiting notes of black fruits, smoke tobacco, scorched earth and graphite, it’s full-bodied, structured and concentrated, with a great finish. It opens up nicely in the glass, and will still be kicking on its 20th birthday.
Winemaker Chris Peterson calls 2012 an "Iconic vintage," adding that there were no heat spikes and that it's as good as, if not better than, 2007. I'm in complete agreement with him and loved these latest releases. Chris's wines always have firm, savory characters, yet back it up with serious mid-palate depth and concentration. These are all wines I can't wait to taste when they're at full maturity."
- Jeb Dunnuck"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 219, June 2015), 95 pts

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2012 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 94-96 PTS - WA

"More concentrated and structured, the 2012 Sestina is notable. Comprised of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and the rest Cabernet Franc that will see 20 months in 70% new French oak, this knockout barrel-sample exhibits classic blackberry and currant-styled fruit, graphite, crushed rock and smoke to go with a savory, chewy and full-bodied feel on the palate. Staying fresh and lively, with high tannin, it will benefit from short-term cellaring and have upward of two decades of longevity."
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 213, June 2014), 94-96 pts

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2012 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93 PTS - WS

"Firm in texture, with expressive layers of toasty, sassafras-infused cherry and coffee flavors, lingering against powdery tannins. Has all the pieces in an elegant package. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best after 2016. -HS"

Wine Spectator's insider (May 20th 2015), 93 pts

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2011 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93+ PTS - WA

"More firm and structured, the 2011 Sestina is one of the few 2011s that will benefit from short-term cellaring. Made from a blend of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc that saw 20 months in 70% new French oak, it offers medium to full-bodied richness, a stacked mid-palate and integrated acidity to go with plenty of currant, blackberry, charcoal and smoked-earth aromas and flavors. Give it another 2-3 years and plan on drinking bottles through 2026. - Jeb Dunnuck"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 213, June 2014), 93+ pts

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2011 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93 PTS - WS

"Fine, powdery tannins surround a glowing core of blackberry, currant, licorice and dried sage flavors that pulse enticingly through a long and vivid finish. Elegant and almost approachable now, but give this time. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2016 through 2022. 250 cases made."
- Wine Spectator (August 2014), 93 pts

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2010 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93 PTS + Cellar Selection - WE

"Sestina is the bigger sister to the winery’s Gravura; again Cabernet Sauvignon takes front and center, with Merlot (18%) and Cabernet Franc (9%) filling in the rest. 70% of the French oak used was new, and the wine has more toast, smoke and barrel depth than its companion, though less of the luscious red fruit is showing. Espresso, cacao and other dark, roasted flavors wrap around black cherry cola and milk chocolate; the finish thoroughly delicious."

Wine Enthusiast (June 1st 2013), 93 pts + Cellar Selection

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2010 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 93 PTS - WA

"More toasty, rich and muscular, the 2010 Sestina has more Cabernet in the blend (73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 9% Cabernet Franc) and saw 70% new oak for 20 months. Coming from both Bacchus and Red Willow Vineyards, it offers up a serious bouquet of black raspberries, graphite, grilled toast, chocolate and wild herbs that flows to a full-bodied, concentrated and powerful 2010 that has outstanding purity of fruit and burly back-end structure that will take some time to integrate. Less approachable at present than the Gravura, it needs 3-4 years of bottle age and will have 15+ years or more of total longevity. Drink 2016-2025+.
Founded by Chris Peterson (winemaker and formerly of DeLille Cellars) and Marty Taucher, and releasing their first vintage in 2010, this Woodinville-based operation needs to be on everyone’s radar. The wines are superb across the board and while they have solid fruit, they stress purity and elegance, with vibrant cores of acidity. The 2011 reds are also superb across the board. Slightly less concentrated than the 2010s, they have excellent mid-palate depth, ripe tannin structure and plenty of texture."
- Jeb Dunnuck"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue 207, June 2013), 93 pts

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2010 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 92 PTS - WS

"Focused, expressive and generous, with cedary blackberry and curry spice flavors that linger on the polished finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2018. 200 cases made. -HS"

Wine Spectator (May 31st 2013), 92 pts

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2010 Avennia Sestina Red Blend Columbia Valley - 91 PTS - IWC

"(all from older vines, including a lot of 1972 Bacchus cabernet sauvignon; 73% cabernet, 18% merlot and 9% cabernet franc; aged in 70% new oak): Good full, dark red. Enticing aromas of redcurrant and sandalwood. Generous, pliant and rich, with sweet black raspberry fruit nicely lifted by strong minerality. The sweetest, roundest and fullest of these 2010s, more opulent than the Gravura and impressively broad on the back end. The tannins are serious but sweet on the very broad finish. This was the best set of new wines I tasted in Washington in July, but given their pedigree this should not come as a surprise."

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Nov/Dec 2012), 91 pts

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