Grape Varietal: Grenache Country: USA Region: Rattlesnake Hills, Yakima Valley, Washington The Wine: Esja (pronounced "Es-Ya") is the project of Tanya Bjornsson, a first-generation American born to Icelandic immigrants, who found her way through harvest work at Union Wine Company in Oregon, Greystone Wines in New Zealand, and Darby Winery in Washington before launching her own label in 2020 from a garage outside Seattle. Her approach is deliberately counter to Washington's bold, high-extraction identity — early picking, wild fermentation, neutral oak, no additions, and a commitment to acid-driven, light-bodied wines that reflect place over power. The Sonrisa Vineyard Grenache comes from an organically farmed site high in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA, situated above the reach of the Missoula Floods on silty loam over Ellensburg Formation sedimentary bedrock, where elevation, Cascade-shielded winters, and strong diurnal swings produce fruit with natural freshness and mineral definition. Fermented wild, pressed to tank, settled, then raised in neutral French oak before bottling with minimal intervention. The 2022 Sonrisa Vineyard Grenache is a transparent, lighter-styled Washington red that wears the grape's natural charm without amplification. It opens with aromas of sour cherry, fresh raspberry, and dried rose petal, lifted by a note of cinnamon spice and chalky earth. On the palate, it is round and lively, with bright acidity, gentle tannin, and a clean, mineral-tinged finish that lingers with more depth than its delicate frame suggests. Pairing: Roasted salmon with pinot-braised lentils, a platter of charcuterie with grain mustard and cornichons, stuffed peppers with herbed rice and tomato, or a lazy weeknight dinner of pasta with roasted cherry tomatoes and good olive oil eaten straight from the pan.
