B. Leighton, Gratitude, Rhone Blend, 2019 (Washington)

Producer Notes: The wine is velvet smooth and long as a summer day. It continues with black raspberry, spring flowers, fresh pine needles, crushed black slate and orange peel. It is something to be discovered, grace and contentment.

Jeb Dunnuck, 95 Points: The 2019 Gratitude Blend checks in as 70% Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache, and the rest Syrah, all from the Olsen Brother's vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Brought up in neutral barrels, it's a smoking good wine from Leighton offering medium to full-bodied aromas and flavors of ripe red and black fruits, peppery herbs, iron, and loamy earth. With the fresher, focused, elegant style of the vintage, it brings ripe tannins, has a great mouthfeel, and beautiful length on the finish. Count me impressed. This is one thrilling expression of Mourvèdre that will keep for a decade. Best After 2022.

VINOUS, 94 Points: The gorgeous 2019 Gratitude shows a really nice aromatic range, from salted meats and green olives to shades of exotic spices. The palate is seamless with a great veil of tension and length. Enjoy this highly elegant GSM-style wine over the next seven to nine years.

James Suckling, 93 Points: Aromas of ripe red cherry, rose and ripe raspberry. Medium-bodied with bright acidity. Velvety tannins. Strawberry chocolate with an underlying floral note. Peppery too, with bright acidity. Delightful. 70% mourvedre, 25% grenache and 5% syrah.

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