Le Dessein

The 2022 ‘’Le Dessein’ is a dazzling combination of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. This offers bright red fruits with good smoky character alongside braised meats, white pepper and suggestions of blood orange zest. Very vibrant and fresh, enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2025-2031

This dynamic red combines structure and personality, offering spirited flavors of raspberry and pomegranate highlighted by garrigue, pepper and clove notes before finishing with zesty tannins. Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. Drink now through 2033. 2,500 cases made.

A juicy and delicious GSM blend, very perfumed, with aromas of lavender, sweet paprika, cinnamon, sweet cherries and strawberries. It’s full-bodied with supple tannins and a silky, ripe and tasty finish. 43% mourvedre, 39% grenache and 18% syrah. Drink now or hold.

A wonderful mélange of 43% Mourvèdre, 39% Grenache, and 18% Syrah presents a medium, moving to dark, blue-purple core with a ruby rim in the glass. Starting off with notes of black pepper spice, nutmeg, cedary herbs, and loamy earth, it opens up after time to black fruit and sweet spice aromas. Fine-grained tannins, medium acidity, and a congruous finish complete the wine. 1350 cases made.

A graceful, detailed blend, with supple raspberry and blueberry flavors accented by garrigue, licorice and black pepper. Ends with polished tannins. Mourvèdre, Grenache and Syrah. Drink now through 2031. 1,400 cases made.

The 2021 Le Dessein is spicy from the first tilt of the glass, with a whiff of dusty rose and incense giving way to dried strawberries. This is juicy and round on the palate, with a crisp blend of ripe red fruits and sweet spice elevated by vibrant acidity. Framed by subtle tannins, it finishes wonderfully fresh and admirably long, leaving a licorice twang and hints of spice on the close.

This ripe and ready M-G-S blend sports silky tannins and an ample amount of acidity. Aromas of blackcap raspberries, rose petals, thyme, coriander and grilled meat are just the beginning. The wine’s black cherry and blackberry flavors are ripe, with jasmine tea, lemon and toasted pecans joining the fun.

A blend of 44% Mourvedre, 36% Grenache, and 20% Syrah, the 2020 Le Dessein used to be named Le Métier, is aged in large format neutral French oak barrels for approximately 15 months. Showcasing a shimmering deep purple-colored core with a blueish rim, it’s stunning in the glass. Starting off with some strawberry fruit leather, black cherry, and barbecue beef tones, it progresses with some lovely Mouvedre qualities of black pepper and tomato leaf. The finish is balanced and luscious, ending with a touch of wild blueberry and orange caramel.

This is a blend of Mourvèdre (44%), Grenache (36%), and Syrah. Aromas of pot roast, raspberry, ground black pepper, and fresh herb are followed by deft, forward, medium-plus bodied red fruit flavors. It’s captivating, with the feel bringing as much appeal as the flavors. Pair it with spice-rubbed lamb shank. 14.5% alcohol. Natural cork. Critic’s Choice

Based on 44% Mourvèdre, 36% Grenache, and the rest Syrah, the 2020 Le Dessein has a meaty, medium-bodied, juicy style as well as both red and black fruits, some peppery, herbal, meaty nuances, high acidity, and a good finish. Well-made, this firmer, focused, slightly angular 2020 will benefit from 2-3 years of bottle age and keep through 2030.

The 2019 Métier is a gorgeous blend of 42% Grenache and Mourvèdre (36%) with smaller parts Syrah and Cinsault. The garrigue notes are gorgeous, and bright red cherry and cigar box tones mingle with black olive on the nose. The palate shows good freshness, a soft mouthfeel and a light dusting of salinity. Layers of ripe red and dark fruits parade with stony and earthy tones, sagebrush and creosote. This just fantastic Rhône-inspired wine for the price.

Grenache makes up 42% of this wine, with the rest Mourvèdre (36%), Syrah (20%) and a pinch of Cinsault. The aromas rise up from the glass, with notes of blueberry, huckleberry, fresh herbs, raspberry, black pepper and moist earth. The palate is light on its feet, showing elegance and dexterity.

Full of Mourvedre character (which makes up half the blend with grenache, syrah, and a dollop of cinsault), this wine imparts flavors of dried strawberries and dark red cherries with a mild florality. There’s plenty of dry extract and grippy, meaty savor, with a delightful peppery finish for lamb.

Blackberry and tar with some spice on the nose. Bark, too. Full-to medium-bodied with round, juicy tannins and a flavorful finish. Rather creamy and delicious.

The 2018 ‘Metier’ Red Wine is a thrilling new Rhone style release by superstar winemaker Jason Gorski. A blend of mostly Mourvedre (50%) with smaller portions Grenache, Syrah, Syah and a touch of Cinsault, this reveals smoked brisket and red cherry candy with Provenceale herbs on the nose. The palate is plush, showing off its silky texture. Very pretty guava preserves mingle with roasted dates, blackberry compote, smoke, cigar box and dried herbs on the palate. The 2018 ‘Metier’ captures the art of blending as this fantastic new wine will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2020-2030

Good dark red. Expressive aromas of raspberry, strawberry, fennel, licorice and peppery herbs, along with a faint suggestion of cured meats. Smooth and suave but firm on entry, offering lovely density and energy to its red berry, spice and lavender flavors. Finishes with very fine-grained tannins and rising floral/herbal persistence. Still very youthful and built to expand with bottle aging, but smooth and flavorful right now. This struck me as a bit more brisk than the 2017.

This delicious wine is a blend of Mourvèdre (50%), Grenache (28%), Syrah (20%) and Cinsault. The aromas bring notes of iron, earth, dried herb, flower and berry. The palate is pure, rich unadulterated hedonism, with superb length.

With a classic ruby center, the 2018 Metier is a blend of 39% Grenache, 39% Mourvedre, 19% Syrah and 3% Cinsault. The wine is expressive and opens to a nose full of dusty red fruit and subtle black spices with hints of dusty cherry skin, licorice and baked earth. Medium to full-bodied, it has a youthful and energetic appeal across the mid-palate before showing soft flavors of dried herbs and potpourri on the lingering finish. I see this being a crowd-pleaser to anyone who likes CDP. The wine fermented in stainless steel and aged for 16 months in neutral French oak.

Healthy moderately saturated dark red. Raspberry, strawberry and red licorice aromas convey a slightly high-toned candied quality in a positive way. Silky, nicely concentrated, graceful blend with lovely sweetness and a light touch to its wild red berry, spice and floral flavors. Wonderfully lively, fine-grained but firm wine with noteworthy complexity, smooth ripe tannins and sneaky persistence.

Lots of darker red and black berry fruits as well as notes of peppery meat and spice emerge from the 2017 Metier. It’s medium-bodied and has silky tannins, outstanding balance, and an already upfront, charming, undeniably delicious style. A Rhone-like blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Cinsault, this cuvée ages gracefully, and the 2017 will keep for at least a decade.

The Southern Rhône blend is the 2016 Metier, which is 42% Grenache and 36% Mourvèdre, with the balance Cinsault. Violets, peppery spice, cedar, and sweet black raspberry fruits all emerge from the glass and it’s ripe, rounded, and medium to full-bodied on the palate. There’s some subtle background oak, but this is upfront and ready to go.

(made in a high percentage of large-format oak, with none of the casks younger than four years old; Beaucastel is the model for this wine, according to winemaker Gorski): Dark red with ruby highlights. Aromas of blackberry, licorice and tree bark, plus a spicy nuance. Combines compelling spicy intensity and serious thickness of texture, with its red berry and spice flavors showing virtually no greenness. Concentrated, broad, rich and long, finishing with substantial dusty tannins. Incidentally, the team did not make this wine with whole clusters. “We don’t like stems, but we did include some in our 2016 Syrah,” noted Gorski.

Bright, dark red. Brambly red berries, crushed cherry, spices and hints of smoked meat and herbs on the nose. Plush, sappy and utterly seamless, conveying a creaminess of texture to the flavors of dried red berries, cherry and tree bark firmed by underlying minerality. Really terrific flavor intensity here without any heaviness or phenolic roughness. The pH is “3.8 at the most,” according to winemaker Chris Upchurch, and the very long finish is lifted by a pungent note of pomegranate.

Two-thirds of this grenache-syrah-mourvedre blend comes from Ciel du Cheval on Red Mountain, with the balance from the Boushey and Stone Tree vineyards. The fruit from Red Mountain surely accounts for the density of the wine, the dark, feral tannins and the dark blue core of fruit within while the cool fruit from Boushey seems to give it elegance and lift. For lamb stew. (800 cases)

Refined and well-structured, with focused smoked cherry, licorice and peppered meat flavors. Mourvèdre, Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault. Drink now through 2023. 800 cases made.

A final blend of 40% Mourvedre, 37% Grenache, 19% Syrah and the balance Cinsault, the 2014 Metier is beautiful, with a voluptuous, rich yet still graceful and lively style. Offering up lots of raspberry, spice, herbes de Provence and licorice aromatics, this medium to full-bodied beauty is impeccably balanced, has no hard edges and a great finish. I’d happily drink bottles over the coming 6-7 years, and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see it keep longer.

(no new oak; this wine was previously called Doyenne Metier Red Wine): Moderately saturated medium red-ruby. Cherry and flowers on the nose, plus some suggestions of exotic fruits. Suave, creamy and complex. offering impressive palate presence to the flavors of purple fruits, violet, tree bark and pungent pepper. The small Cinsault component helped to lower this wine’s alcohol level, noted winemaker Chris Upchurch, but it’s still a lofty 15.3%. Finishes with very suave tannins, lovely balance and excellent length.

I loved the 2013 Doyenne Metier Proprietary Red Blend, and this mix of 39% Mourvedre, 36% Grenache and the rest Cinsault offers ripe, textured, downright sexy notes of ripe black cherries, ground herbs, melted licorice and caramelized meats to go with a full-bodied, concentrated, unctuous style on the palate. Beautifully concentrated, textured and with solid underlying structure, it should continue to drink beautifully through 2025.

Good dark red. Sexy, sappy aromas of raspberry syrup, licorice and wild herbs. A fat fruit bomb of raspberry, strawberry and boysenberry, complicated by clove and meaty nuances. A wonderfully plush, broad, dry blend with a slightly liqueur-like ripeness that lends itself to early consumption. Spreads out horizontal on the lingering, ripely tannic back end.

(a southern Rhone blend of 39% each Grenache and Mourvedre, 20% Syrah and 2% cinsault): Bright ruby. High-toned aromas of blackberry, wildflowers and Moroccan spices. Juicy, fine-grained and light on its feet, conveying wonderfully perfumed flavors of blackberry, wild herbs and flowers, cumin and black olive. Really explosive fruit here, extended by lively acidity through a long, floral finish. This beautifully balanced wine combines Old World savoir faire with New World fruit intensity.

The estate’s Southern Rhone-style release, the 2012 Doyenne Metier Proprietary Red Blend is 39% Grenache, 39% Mourvedre, 20% Syrah and the rest Cinsault. Deep ruby and mostly opaque, it offers up classic black cherries, black raspberries, roasted herbs, pepper and hints of leather to go with a medium to full-bodied, ripe, layered and balanced feel on the palate. Possessing more than a passing resemblance to a quality Chateauneuf du Pape, this is a great Rhone blend from Washington.

(40% grenache, 35% mourvedre and 25% syrah; fermented in stainless steel and aged in neutral French oak): Good deep red. Captivating aromas of strawberry leaf, cherry and blood orange. Supple and smooth on the palate, with superb texture and depth to the slightly high-toned flavors of red fruits, spices and orange. Boasts terrific lift and spine for a southern Rhone blend. Finishes generous and long, with a complicating saline quality.

Looking at their Doyenne releases (i.e. their Rhone blends), the 2011 Doyenne Metier is a mix of 40% Grenache, 35% Mourvedre and 25% Syrah that offers up a Cotes du Rhone-like bouquet of garrigue, licorice, kirsch and assorted spices to go with a medium to full-bodied, supple and layered profile on the palate. Up-front and ready-to-go, enjoy this outstanding blend over the coming 5 – 6 years.

Starting the reds, the 2010 Doyenne Metier is a blend of 40% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre and 20% Syrah that saw mostly (75%) neutral oak. Coming from the Boushey and Ciel du Cheval Vineyards, it offers up a knockout bouquet of ripe red and black berry fruits, licorice, roasted meats and hints of graphite to go with a full-bodied, voluptuously textured mouthfeel that keeps you coming back to the glass. Decadently styled, yet also pure, balanced and fresh, it should impress for 7-8 years. Drink now-2021.

(a blend of grenache, syrah and mourvedre: “our Chateauneuf du Pape blend,” notes executive winemaker/partner Chris Upchurch): Bright dark red. Spicy red berries, cherry and rose petal on the nose. Sweet, plush and pliant, with bright candied red berry and floral flavors complicated by spices and earth. This rich, highly aromatic wine finishes very long, with tannins that are virtually invisible.

The estate’s southern Rhône release and a blend of 51% Grenache, 32% Mourvedre, and 17% Syrah, the 2009 DeLille Cellars Doyenne Métier Red shows outstanding Grenache flair, with wild strawberry, spice, bramble, Provencal herbs, and earthy scents flowing to a medium to full-bodied, supple, and polished red that has excellent richness, yet stays light and clean on the palate. Straight up delicious and oh so drinkable, it should be enjoyed over the coming 4-6 years.