KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 57%% of this wine, with fruit coming from Bacchus, Dionysus, and Weinbau vineyards. The rest is Merlot (31%) from Red Willow and Boushey along with Cabernet Franc from Bacchus. Aged in half new French oak, the aromas meld notes of coffee, bittersweet chocolate, dried leaf, graphite, black cherry, and licorice. The palate brings all that and more, with impressive balance and freshness, but plenty of richness as well. Give it a long decant if drinking in the near term. 14.6% alcohol. 594 cases produced."

- Northwest Wine Report (January 2023), 92 pts - Critic's Choice

"Notes of blueberries and plums with dark chocolate, dried herbs and stones. Medium- to full-bodied, refined and polished, with dusty tannins that are well integrated. Firm, yet juicy and sleek, with a flavorful blue-fruit finish. 57% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot and 12% cabernet franc. Drink or hold."

- James Suckling (April 2023), 92 pts

"Sleek and multilayered, with expressive black cherry, bitter chocolate and dusky spice flavors that build toward refined tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2030. -Tim FISH."

- Wine Spectator Insider (February 9th 2022), 93 pts

"This blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 12% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot is aged in 50% new French oak for 20 months. Aromas of fresh boysenberry fruit leather, wild blueberry, milk chocolate shavings, graphite and toasted spice pop on the nose, while flavors of sour cherry, bitter herbs and oak take front and center. Medium plus acidity, medium tannins and a medium to full body finish the beautiful Bordeaux blend styled wine. Drink 2021-2028.” - Jeremy Young"

- International Wine Report (2021), 93 pts

"Checking in as a blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 12% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Gravura gives up a big, rich, Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated nose of darker currants, leafy herbs, graphite, and damp earth. It shows more floral and sappy herb notes with time in the glass and is wonderfully complex. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it has sweet tannins, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a charming, undeniably delicious, and ready-to-go profile that should still keep for a decade."

- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 94 pts

"Cabernet Sauvignon makes up 48% of this wine, with Merlot another 40% and the rest Cabernet Franc. Coming from top sites Dionysus, Bacchus, Red Willow, Klipsun and Boushey, it's all about sophistication, with its aromas and flavors of cherry, dried herbs, plum, leaf and graphite. The balance of the restrained but action-packed fruit flavors is exquisite. The finish sticks around. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN"

- Wine Enthusiast (May 2021), 92 pts

"Bright ruby-red. Musky, smoky, Graves-like aromas of redcurrant, red cherry, milk chocolate, warm stones and graphite minerality. Wonderfully suave, sweet and fine-grained, offering terrific intensity--even a creamy quality (the Cab and Merlot are from pre-1990 plantings, according to Chris Peterson)--and lovely pliancy to its redcurrant, spice, mineral, stone and mocha flavors. Finishes with very smooth but substantial dusty tannins and subtle lingering red berry flavor. Classically dry and already wonderfully attractive wine: seamless, complex, tactile and edge-free. (aged for 20 months in 50% new French oak) - Stephen Tanzer"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2020), 92 pts

"Bright, dark, saturated red with ruby tones. Redcurrant, milk chocolate, graphite and fresh herbs on the nose. Densely packed, juicy and light on its feet, with dominant flavors of redcurrant and graphite perked up by a note of peppermint. A distinctly elegant, refined style with a creamy old-vines character (the Cabernet Franc was planted in 1997 and most of the rest of the fruit is from older vines) and lovely inner-mouth violet lift. Finishes with serious dusty tannins, hints of licorice and violet and subtle rising length. The 2016 version of this wine has a darker fruit character while this one is more Bordeaux-like in its graphite minerality (the wine is named after Graves) and classic dryness. This wine is also a bit more backward at this early stage than the 2016 was last year. I would not be at all surprised if it merited an even higher score five or six years down the road. (14.6% alcohol) - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (December 2019), 93+ pts

"Cabernet Sauvignon (47%) and Merlot (42%) make up the heart of this wine, with Cabernet Franc providing its soul. The aromas impress, with notes of bay leaf, thyme, graphite, dark coffee, raspberry and spice. The palate is classically styled and exquisitely balanced, bringing a sense of sophistication and detail, with plentiful cherry and herb accents. There's lovely sense of complexity. Firm, slightly green tannins back it all up. Just a baby now, it wants some time in the bottle to grow up. Best from 2024 to 2032. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN"
- Wine Enthusiast (April 2020), 93 pts

"The 2016 Gravura checks in as 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc, aged 20 months in 60% new French oak. It's another rock star of a wine from Chris that sports a saturated purple color, complex notes of blackberries, black cherries, damp earth, and spring flowers, hints of subtle oak, medium body, and perfect balance. Drink this seamless blend over the coming 10-15 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 94 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley

"Attractive rich dark berries with some blueberries of offer, as well as dark, bracken-like, savory influences. The palate has a smooth and succulent edge that really holds a lot of flavor in effortless style. Approachable yet age-worthy red. Drink or hold."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 93 pts

"(about 60% new oak; bottled in June): Bright dark red. Aromas of dark berries, licorice and hot rocks. Plush, smooth and concentrated, with something distinctly old-fashioned about its flavors of black fruits and spices complicated by leather, minerals and warm stones. A good portion of these vines date back to the early 1970s, says winemaker Peterson. Conveys a captivating sweetness owing to its glyceral character and slower wild-yeast fermentation but this is classically dry at less than one gram per liter of residual sugar. (14.6% alcohol) - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2018), 92 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley

"A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 47% Merlot and 7% Cabernet Franc, the 2015 Gravura exhibits a classic bouquet of cassis, pencil shavings and rich soil, followed by a medium-bodied, velvety and layered palate, with a rich core of fruit that's attractively vibrant and already incipiently complex. This is a sophisticated, well-balanced and keenly priced Bordeaux blend that definitely impressed me. - William Kelley"
 - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #237, June 2018), 93 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley

"The entry-level Bordeaux blend is the 2015 Gravura, made from 47% Merlot, 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the balance Cabernet Franc and aged 20 months in 70% new French oak. It's the most open-knit, sexy, and voluptuous of the 2015s and has tons of ripe red and black fruits, chocolate, earth, and assorted spicy aromas and flavors. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully textured, drink it over the coming decade."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2018), 92 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley

"Densely structured and framed by taut tannins that are balanced by refined black cherry, crushed stone and bittersweet chocolate flavors. Needs time. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2019 through 2023. 1,050 cases made. –TF"

Wine Spectator's insider (May 2018), 91 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley

"This wine is near equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, with the balance Cabernet Franc. Coming from a who's who of vineyards, the aromas are expressive, with notes of leafy dried herb, graphite, raspberry, cherry, toast, scorched earth, dark coffee and mineral. The palate shows an assortment of sweet red- and black-fruit flavors that display an exquisite sense of balance and polish. It's a superb value with a long life ahead of it."
 - Wine Enthusiast (July 2018), 91 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley

"(owner/winemaker Chris Peterson upped the percentage of new oak in 2015 to 70%): Full medium-dark red. Aromas of currant, blackberry and black cherry complemented by sexy oak tones. Plush, plummy and sweet, conveying a fine-grained texture but also lovely mid-palate energy. Not hugely complex but offers captivating sweetness and considerable immediate appeal, with the Merlot component softening the wine. Peterson says his model here is the Graves. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (October 2017), 90 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley

"Another great year for this cuvee, the 2014 Gravura checks in as 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and the balance Cabernet Franc. And while it’s the entry-level cuvee, it still spent 20 months in 50% new French oak. It's a plump, rounded, sexy red from Chris that has terrific notes of blackcurrants, leafy herbs and lead pencil. Medium to full-bodied, it shows the house style but in a more forward, early drinking, delicious style. - Jeb Dunnuck"
 - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 92 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley

"This wine is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 12% Cabernet Franc. Aromas of plum, dried herb, cocoa and barrel spice are followed by reserved fruit and savory flavors. It shows a sense of poise and polish."
 - Wine Enthusiast (June 2017), 91 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley

"(this is Avennia's entry-level Bordeaux blend): Dark red-ruby. Aromas of blackberry and licorice with a touch of spicy oak. Broad and easygoing, offering a pliant texture and inviting sweetness. Doesn't have the complexity of the more ambitious bottlings here but delivers lovely warm-year fruit with an accent of fresh herbs from the Red Willow component. Nicely structured wine with a fine dusting of tannins and no rough edges. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2016), 90 pts

Go To Avennia Gravura Red Blend Columbia Valley