AvenniaGravura Bordeaux 2017

Bright, dark, saturated red with ruby tones. Redcurrant, milk chocolate, graphite and fresh herbs on the nose. Densely packed, juicy and light on its feet, with dominant flavors of redcurrant and graphite perked up by a note of peppermint. A distinctly elegant, refined style with a creamy old-vines character (the Cabernet Franc was planted in 1997 and most of the rest of the fruit is from older vines) and lovely inner-mouth violet lift. Finishes with serious dusty tannins, hints of licorice and violet and subtle rising length. The 2016 version of this wine has a darker fruit character while this one is more Bordeaux-like in its graphite minerality (the wine is named after Graves) and classic dryness. This wine is also a bit more backward at this early stage than the 2016 was last year. I would not be at all surprised if it merited an even higher score five or six years down the road. (14.6% alcohol)

-- Stephen Tanzer

A blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 41% Merlot and 11% Cabernet Franc, the 2016 Gravura opens to a mineral-laced core of dark fruits on the nose, followed by blackberry, dusty plum and cassis, with hints of sage and black tea wafting from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine gives flavors of graphite and soft, sweet herbs on the palate. The finish is elegant, long and lingering, revealing a wine that will last for years to come. Only 350 cases were produced.