2020 Avennia Lydian GSM Columbia Valley is sold out.

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Editors’ Choice from a Winemaker of the Year

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  • 92 pts Wine Enthusiast
    92 pts WE
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2020 Avennia Lydian GSM Columbia Valley 750 ml

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  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

One of Washington’s Most Respected Names

Chris Peterson is one of the most critically acclaimed and respected winemakers in all of Washington—and his Lydian GSM is one of his calling cards.

Chris made his name as the winemaker for DeLille—a legendary winery called “the Lafite-Rothschild of Washington State” by Robert Parker—before striking out in 2010 to make his own wines under the Avennia label. Since then, he’s earned a flotilla of 96- and 97-point scores, and a Winemaker of the Year award from Seattle Magazine—an enormous honor within the Pacific Northwest wine community.

His 2020 Lydian GSM is a classic Columbia Valley Rhône-inspired blend that earned 92-point praise and Editors’ Choice honors from Wine Enthusiast, who called it “a superb value.” A blend of 40% Grenache, 33% Mourvèdre, and 27% Syrah, it’s drawn off of some of the most prestigious sites in the Columbia Valley.

You’ll find names like Kiona, Boushey, and Olsen adorning single-vineyard bottles from some of the best producers in Washington—and fruit from all three of those sites makes its way into this Lydian. All boast a hot, dry climate that produces thick-skinned, color-rich berries—and in turn powerfully bold wines.

In this case, the Grenache base of the blend yields a silky, seductive texture—it’s called Pinot’s warm-climate cousin for a reason—as well as black raspberry and wild strawberry flavors. Peterson adds in a decent chunk of Mourvèdre, which is late-ripening, dark-fruited, and a bit earthy, grounding the Grenache and providing more substance to the bottle. Finally, a healthy whack of Washington’s signature grape, Syrah, rounds out the blend, providing even more dark fruit and a bit of black pepper.