A winery that continues to ascend into the top brass of Washington wine, Avennia makes a range of world-class Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. The winery is partnership between former Microsoft exec Marty Taucher and winemaker Chris Peterson. These wines are incredibly consistent and extremely well-made. They also cellar particularly well as Peterson employs an old-world mentality with the wines, producing wines with richness and finesse. A former head winemaker at DeLille Cellars, he is making some of the best red and white wines in the state. I love the 2022 Avennia ‘Justine’ Red Wine (OB, 95) which is rich and layered with serious complexity. Even better is the world-class 2022 Avennia ‘Parapine’ Grenache (OB, 96) which is one of the finest new world Grenache wines that I have tasted over the past year. Learn more about these special wines at avennia.com Here are my reviews of the new Avennia wines.
2023 Lydian ‘SB S’ White Wine- A great blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc with the remainder Semillon, this offers forward kiwi, green melon and gooseberry notes on the palate, with a soft texture. Enjoy now. Drink 2024-2028- 90
2022 Lydian Cabernet Sauvignon- 100% varietal, the 2022 Lydian Cabernet Sauvignon opens with medium-bodied fresh sage alongside tar, mocha and cassis notes. Soft and round, enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2024-2030- 91
2022 Lydian ‘GSM’ Red Wine- The 2022 ‘GSM’ is a great value wine that combines mostly Grenache (63%) with smaller parts Mourvèdre and Syrah. Dried herbs, red currants and suggestions of red raspberry all mark the nose. The palate is soft and juicy with serious texture and good tension. A wonderful bang for your buck, enjoy now. Drink 2024-2030- 92
2022 Avennia ‘Parapine’ Grenache- The 2022 ‘Parapine’ really needs about an hour in the decanter to fully get going. Once aroused this unleashes a gorgeous core of bright red fruits that meld well with tobacco leaf, umami and orange peel notes, with salty soil accents. Full-bodied and unabashedly bold in terms of flavor density, enjoy this outstanding wine now and over the next ten plus years to come. Drink 2024-2034- 96
2022 Avennia ‘Justine’ Red Wine- The 2022 ‘justine’ is a beautiful wine made from this slightly cooler vintage. Made from largely Grenache grapes (61%) this takes on garrigue and scorched earth notes on the nose alongside red rose petals, cran-orange and suggestions of red currants. The palate is soft and beautifully balanced, with great underlying verve and meaty character from the Mourvèdre. A joy to consume now, watch this evolve for another ten plus years. Drink 2024-2036- 95
2022 Avennia ‘Arnaut’ Syrah- The 2022 ‘Arnaut’ is 100% Syrah coming from the Boushey Vineyard. This is beautiful stuff aromatically with citrus peel and high-toned red rose petal notes that combine wth suggestions of salty soils and smoked brisket. The palate is rich and refined with good tension and a smooth sense of mouthfeel. Showing good length, this mineral-laden Syrah is fabulous to consume now and should live on for at least another decade. Drink 2024-2036- 95