Avennia Lydian GSM Columbia Valley 2019

A tremendous GSM out of Washington State has been collecting high praise in review after review from critics all over…and for great reason! The quality of this bottle is immaculate – surely convincing a great many drinkers it could be straight out of Southern Rhone, even though it’s made domestically in Washington’s continually winning Columbia Valley, and pristine enough to warrant 93 points from Wine Enthusiast. All this for 52% OFF, sitting pretty under $18?! This isn’t spring fever making you see stars, Invino comrade. 

No, this Avennia red is a blend of 48% grenache, 39% mourvèdre, and 13% syrah, coming together to make one beast of long, complex wine that we can’t help but dig. The producer was inspired by the Roman name for the city of Avignon, symbolizing and personifying the Old World style of winemaking in their classic French varieties with a modern twist. Hand-crafted in small batches, Avennia wines reflect the unique expression of Washington’s terroir and are mostly sold direct-to-consumer to their club members. Meaning, we were pretty thrilled to be able to get our hands on a batch of their Lydian GSM, especially so for a deal as sweet as 52% off normal retail!

No lie, we first tasted this and thought it was at least a sixty-buck Chateauneuf-du-Pape – the resemblance is uncanny. It’s deep, rich, spiced, warm, and concentrated, with black cherry, red raspberry, currants, blueberries, bacon fat, white pepper, and dried Herbs de Provence, somehow all wrapped up into the lush, medium-bodied palate. You’ll probably want to grab at least a few of these to share – for this price and level of quality, there’s no reason not to!