Woodinville, Wash.—Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Rhone winemakers Michel Gassier and Philippe Gambie have launched Tenet Wines to showcase Syrah and other Rhone varietals from Washington state. Tenet Wines consists of Tenet, a GSM, and The Pundit a Syrah from Washington’s Columbia Valley and Le Fervent Syrah from the Costieres de Nîmes in the Rhône Valley. Chateau Ste. Michelle winemaker Bob Bertheau and Michel Gassier are co-winemakers for Tenet Wines. Philippe Cambie is consulting oenologist.

According to a press release about the new brand, the three winemakers first convened in Washington State in the fall of 2012 to taste wines from that year’s just-completed harvest. They decided to begin their collaboration in the vineyard the following year, in order to align vineyard management and winemaking strategies.

This collaborative process continued when the grapes reached the cellar, with Bertheau lending expertise in picking decisions, phenolic profiles and tannin management, and Gassier and Cambie offering experience with stem inclusion and whole cluster fermentation and extended maceration. When the time came to assemble the final wines, the blending process was again a collaboration.

From the inaugural 2013 vintage, Tenet Wines produced just 1,069 cases of “Tenet” GSM, 8,113 cases of “The Pundit” Syrah, and 5,000 cases of “Le Fervent” Syrah. “Tenet” GSM will retail for $70, “The Pundit” Syrah will retail for $24.99, and “Le Fervent” Syrah will retail for $21.99.