While the Alexana Estate is now focused on its exceptional Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling, a few years ago head winemaker Brian Weil crafted a special series of wines from grapes sourced from the Lonesome Spring Ranch in Washington’s Columbia Valley — a fascinating terroir where the valley meets the desert and the mountains, and where the warm, dry conditions produce GSM fruit of a quite different and deeply compelling character to Alexana’s Oregon home. The results are nothing short of excellent.

The 2017 Grande Rouge is a Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre blend of real expressiveness and depth: smoky pepper, ripe raspberry, and grilled herb on the nose and palate, with medium-grained tannins and eighteen months of oak ageing that give the wine a lovely structure and warmth. And here is the detail that makes this wine genuinely special: due to Alexana’s focus on their core Oregon varietals, these GSM wines have remained quietly at the back of the cellar since bottling — ageing perfectly, unhurried, and emerging now in precisely the condition that only time and patience can produce. Matured to perfection and ready to drink right now, yet with the structure and depth to sit happily in the cellar for a few more years if you prefer. A rare and beautifully aged American GSM — and at £26.99, one of the most interesting and characterful bottles in our range.