KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"The Merlot-dominated 2018 Valery (there's 11% Cabernet Franc) comes from two great vineyards, Boushey and Champoux, and spent 20 months in 28% new French oak. Deep ruby/plum-hued, with a great nose of black cherries, plums, dried herbs, and violets, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, a round, expansive texture, soft tannins, and a great finish. This ripe, plump, sexy Merlot has loads of character and will keep for a decade. It has a certain Pomerol-like elegance, and I’m a fan."

- Jeb Dunnuck (May 2021), 94 pts

"Merlot (89%) makes up the majority of this wine, with the rest Cabernet Franc. The aromas bring notes of assorted dried herbs, raspberry and flowers. The palate is flavorful, beautifully proportioned and exquisitely balanced. Barely a hair is out of place. It lingers on the finish. It's a very pretty wine with no shortage of hedonism. One for the ages. Best after 2025. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN"

- Wine Enthusiast (July 2021), 93 pts

"Brought up in 30% new French oak, the 2016 Valery (70/30 Merlot and Cabernet Franc) offers more black cherry and earthy, herbal notes as well as a medium-bodied, seamless, beautifully balanced style. It too shows a vibrant, fresh, yet concentrated style that has a Bordeaux feel in its weight and texture."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 93 pts

"A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Valery spins out of the glass with aromas of ripe and juicy plum, sage, dark cherry skin and cocoa with signs of rocky minerality. Medium to full-bodied, there is a beautiful complexity across the mid-palate, showing youthful, dark red fruit with a mineral-driven focus. The wine lingers on the finish, with soft oak spices, healthy fruit expressions and hints of sage. I enjoyed sampling this delicious Merlot blend. This wine will go in my cellar. Only 240 cases were made. - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #246, December 2019), 92 pts

"Good medium-dark red. Aromas of blueberry, mocha, licorice and violet are a bit darker than those of the 2015 version. Dense and penetrating, with wild flavors of dark berries, licorice and game given lift by rocky minerality and a minty nuance. Chris Peterson slightly acidified his Cabernet Franc from Champoux Vineyard, which he added to the wine for richness. This beauty may yet tighten up in the bottle.- Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2018), 92+ pts

"Merlot from old blocks at Boushey Vineyards make up 70% of this wine, with the rest Cabernet Franc from esteemed Champoux Vineyard. Fascinating aromas of ripe red raspberry, earth, green herbs, cigar box and flower are followed by ripe, hedonistic fruit flavors that show the warmth of the vintage. Coffee notes linger on the finish. It's brings unignorable appeal and will have a very long life in front of it. Best after 2023. - SEAN P. SULLIVAN"
- Wine Enthusiast (September 2019), 91 pts, Cellar Selection

"The 2015 Valery (70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc brought up in 30% new French oak) offers a deep, herbal, black-fruited, coffee bean and mineral-driven style. Medium to full-bodied, nicely concentrated, and fresh on the palate, with fine tannin, give this elegant, classic, slightly old-school effort a year or two of bottle age and enjoy over the following decade."
- Jeb Dunnuck (April 2018), 92+ pts

Go to Avennia Valery Red Blend

"The Right Bank-styled effort from this estate is the 2014 Valery (60/40 Merlot and Cabernet Franc), and it sports a deep ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a rounded, sexy style in its black cherry, plum, chocolate and earth-driven aromas and flavors. Expansive, full-bodied and downright sumptuous, drink this pleasure-bent beauty over the coming decade or more. - Jeb Dunnuck."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #231, June 2017), 94 pts

Go to Avennia Valery Red Blend

"This wine is 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc, with the fruit coming from Boushey and Champoux vineyards. Seeing just 30% new French oak, the wine emphasizes the fruit, with wound-up aromas of herb, bay leaf, pencil lead and red cherry. The palate shows an exquisite sense of restraint along with a compelling mouthfeel. It's a beautiful expression of these two varieties, all about subtlety. Give it time to open up."
- Wine Enthusiast (August 2017), 92 pts

Go to Avennia Valery Red Blend

"(bottled in early June; 30% new oak): Bright red-ruby. Strong floral character to the dark aromas of blackberry, blueberry and sweet, spicy oak. The smooth dark berry fruit conveys penetrating sweetness, with subtle oak spices contributing complexity. This concentrated, very pliant wine finishes with suave, dusty tannins and palate-staining sweet cassis. The oak here is in perfect harmony with the wine's sappy fruit. Winemaker Peterson used much more Cabernet Franc in 2014 than in 2013, to exhilarating effect. - Stephen Tanzer"
- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (November 2016), 92 pts

Go to Avennia Valery Red Blend

"(35% new oak): Healthy bright ruby. Lovely mineral lift to the aromas of cassis, kirsch, violet, mocha and black pepper. Comes across as more pliant than the 2012 and a bit more nuanced in the early going, perhaps because winemaker Peterson reduced the percentage of new oak from 60%, offering a sexy sweetness but also lovely clarity to its dark berry and clove flavors. Finishes with a rich note of bitter chocolate and excellent length. Give this beauty at least a few years in the cellar."
- Vinous (November 2015), 92+ pts

Go to Avennia Valery Red Blend

"A blend of 86% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc, the 2013 Valery comes from 1986 plantings and sees moderate levels of new oak. Elegant, medium-bodied, supple and pretty, with perfumed notes of red plums, blackberry, spice-box and dried earth, it opens up nicely in the glass and has outstanding length. If it puts on weight in bottle, the score will be low."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #219, June 2015), 90-92 pts

Go to Avennia Valery Red Blend

"There’s a scant 125 cases of the 2012 Valery, and this blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc comes most from Dick Boushey’s 1986 planting of Merlot (the Cab Franc comes all from Champoux). Aged 20 months in 60% new French oak, it has beautiful density, medium to full-bodied richness and ripe tannin, as well as perfumed aromas and flavors of black raspberry, chocolate-covered cherries, wild herbs and toasted spice. I like it today, but have no doubts about its ability to evolve nicely for 15 years or more."
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #219, June 2015), 92+ pts

Go to Avennia Valery Red Blend