Avennia Sestina Red Blend is made from 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc.
The Sestina is a poetic form from Medieval France. Just as a contemporary poet can use an old form like the Sestina to express modern ideas, we use the traditional Bordeaux blend to make modern wines that express Washington fruit. Sestina is our vision for an old vine blend where the focus is on structure, balance, and complexity. This wine is designed for the cellar, but is enjoyable now.
Sestina: This wine is a blockbuster, with black currant, black raspberry, saddle leather, freshly tilled earth, vanilla, and violet on the nose. Exceedingly rich and balanced on the palate, with great poise and structure for long aging. The finish echoes with fresh black fruits, minerally touches, and floral notes.
Review:
The Bordeaux blend is where winemaker Chris Peterson shows his skillset, and this 2022 version of Sestina, a Left Bank homage, is no different. The Sestina showcases Washington's top sites, including Red Willow, Bacchus, DuBrul and Dionysus. There is a splendid sophistication in the aromatics, with singed violets, chipped flint, dusty berries and dried mint leaves. The palate, still wound tight, luxuriates in red fruits, with strawberries and cherries lifted by piquant blood orange notes. There's a sophisticated dark element of graphite minerals and smoky salinity. Fine tannin, superb structure and a mocha-tinged finish that is kissed with a green peppercorn. This wine shows a brilliant acidity to balance its depth. Classic and concise, exceptional.
-Decanter World Wine Awards 97 Points
The winery’s flagship Bordeaux blend, the 2022 Sestina is a grand vin made from older vines, mostly from grapevines put in the ground in the 1970s and 1980s. It combines 78% Cabernet Sauvignon with 14% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, sourcing from the likes of Red Willow, Dionysus, DuBrul, and Bacchus. Elegantly full-bodied and concentrated in cassis, dried herb, and oak spice, it shows structure and refined tannins for aging another 15-20 years.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points
The 2022 Sestina entices with a spicy blend of cedar shavings, dried rosemary and crushed black cherries. It displays silken textures and admirable weight offset by tart wild berry fruits and mineral tones. A wave of lavender pastille adds a welcoming confectionery tinge. A coating of fine tannins flexes upon the palate as this tapers off dramatically long with staining of liquid florals and hints of spice. Fantastic.
-Eric Guido (Vinous) 94 Points
We offer free shipping on 6 or more bottles, mix and match any 6 bottles that have free ground shipping
