Avennia Sestina 2016, Columbia Valley

Description

95+ points Jeb Dunnuck:  The 2016 Sestina checks in as 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc that saw 21 months in 48% new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. It shows the purity and elegance of the vintage beautifully and offers classic Cabernet notes of crème de cassis, lead pencil, crushed rocks, and tobacco leaf. With beautiful balance and that more elegant, finesse-driven style of the estate, it packs plenty of fruit and is a seamless wine that will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep for 15-20 years.

94 points James Suckling:  Impressive blue flowers on the nose with a wealth of fresh, ripe berries and an alluringly subtle thread of spices. The palate has a neatly contained, central drive of fresh flavor, swathed in silky, long and fine tannins. Impressive. Drink or hold.