Entrepreneur Marty Taucher and esteemed winemaker Chris Peterson partnered in 2010, forming a tour de force that consistently turns out impressive vintages. They recently purchased the prominent Tapteil Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA, in addition to Tapteil’s former tasting room on the property, which has been transformed into Avennia’s Red Mountain tasting room adjacent to the vineyard.
Part of this winery’s success has been the ability to pull premium fruit from some of the oldest blocks of vines in the state. “When the opportunity came along to purchase a vineyard with such pedigree as Tapteil, one of the oldest on Red Mountain, we finally found a great home to establish our first estate vineyard,” commented Eli Traverse, who oversees the Red Mountain estate property. “We have worked with other Red Mountain vineyards, such as Klipsun, Kiona, WeatherEye and so forth, and know of the absolute potential of this AVA.”
Taucher and Peterson instantly hired grower Dick Boushey, who runs a sought-after vineyard management team in the Yakima Valley, to take charge of the vineyard. Boushey will help supervise the planting of the best-suited clones for new blocks that will be added, too.
The crush and fermentation will remain at the winery’s main production facility in Woodinville. Both the Woodinville tasting room, as well as the newer Red Mountain Estate tasting room, provide similar tasting lineups, although the Estate offers arguably one of the finest panoramic views on the mountain.
The patio and sleek modern tasting room provide multiple outdoor and indoor options for a full tasting, chilling with a glass of wine, or picnicking under the shade of the poplar trees. There is a small, curated food menu of charcuterie and snacks available.
The Red Mountain Estate will start taking reservations for vineyard tour and tasting experiences, as well as wine dinners, harvest events, and a vineyard wine education series culminating in a tour, seminar, and a paired wine dinner on premise.
Visit: $25 tasting fee, refundable with $50 bottle purchase. The Red Mountain tasting room location is 20206 E 583 PR NE, Benton City; (509) 588-6870, open Thurs-Sun, check website for hours at www.avennia.com.
Below are 3 releases we recently reviewed:
Avennia 2019 Sestina Cabernet Sauvignon
94 pts.
Ethereal and seamlessly structured, this Left Bank style red offers brooding aromas of violet, dark plum and cocoa mixed with a tinge of smoldering mesquite. Grippy yet refined tannins give muscle to the lean profile of black currant, cigar box and eucalyptus leaf, revealing red fruit, dried thyme, stone and mineral accents on the long, focused finish. $75
Avennia 2019 Gravura
93 pts.
This Bordeaux varietal red is dominated with Cabernet and Merlot components that evoke aromas of dark fruit, spice box, cocoa and graphite. There’s nice tension between the firm yet snowflake tannins and fresh acidity, filled in with a range of concentrated blue and black fruit, layered with dark cherry, cocoa nib, loamy earth, mineral and spice. $40
Avennia 2020 Oliane Sauvignon Blanc
92 pts.
This Yakima Valley rendition is made with grapes from Boushey Vineyard and Red Willow Vineyard, leading with herbaceous aromas streamlined with lime, orange blossom and white stone fruit. Crisp and mouthwatering, the palate bursts with saline minerality punctuated by flavors of nectarine, Meyer lemon, citrus peel and fresh-cut green apple. A benchmark version of this varietal in Washington. $28