Partners Marty Taucher and Chris Peterson are crafting gorgeous wines in the heart of Woodinville. In a little under a decade, Avennia has become a winery that demands attention with their Bordeaux and Rhône styled wines. As the winemaker, Chris holds a dozen years of experience under his belt and spent seven years making award-winning wines for Delille Cellars. They are now focused on developing three different wine brands:

Avennia - founded as a passion to showcase Washington wines as a unique and compelling place that can produce wines that are as good, or better, than anywhere in the world.

Liminal - Stunning wines sourced entirely from the Weathereye Vineyard in Red Mountain AVA. These are wines built to age and have limited production.

Lydian - Some of the best wines for the price point in Washington. Chris Peterson is making wines that are ready to drink now, that are fruit-forward and will fit any budget. 

VINTAGE OVERVIEW

2019 Vintage - The year started with a lot of snow in the area which along with cooler temperatures, pushed back bud break and flowering for a few weeks. Summer was non-eventful and near normal until a high smoke layer cooled things off in early September for about one week. After the smoke cleared, September continued to be cooler than normal, which pushed back picking by 7-10 days from the same time in 2018. The whites are showing a lively nerviness with nice concentration of fruit and the reds offer a beautiful elegance, with good acidity and moderate alcohol. Color is solid, but not to the extraction level of the 2018s. 

2020 Vintage - Bud break was back on schedule as a ‘typical’ vintage, followed by a warmer summer than usual. The fruit was ripening very quickly by early September due to high temperatures and yields were 15-20% lower than normal. Wildfires raged up and down the entire West Coast of the United States which caused smoke to hang in the sky for about one week which slowed ripening down considerably. After the smoke cleared, the warm weather continued which finished up ripeness levels at normal times. These wines are already showing deep color, considerable extraction and complex flavors. It’s still very early, but this vintage seems to be a very promising one.