The Wine Advocate Nov/2009

Issue 185, October 31st
Jay Miller

Gramercy Cellars was started by Master Sommelier Greg Harrington in 2005. He states, "My goal is to make wines that I like to drink, lower alcohol, higher acid, wines that taste like they came from some specific place." His last set of releases, reviewed in Issue 177, was first-class but the latest collection is eye-opening. My advice: get on Gramercy's mailing list while you still can.

2007 Syrah "John Lewis" Walla Walla (96 pts)
The 2007 John Lewis Syrah was made with no destemming and was a barrel selection (all 500-liter casks) of the best Syrah in the cellar. It was aged in 25% new French oak for 18 months. It offers an ethereal bouquet of slate/mineral, garrigue, olives, smoked meat, sausage, and blueberry. Medium to full-bodied, on the palate, it displays exceptional density, richness, and incipient complexity. Loaded with fruit and impeccably balanced, it will evolve for a decade. How long will it last? Who can say, but I'd like to be around to find out.

2007 Syrah Walla Walla (94 pts)
The Syrahs begin with the 2007 Syrah Walla Walla Valley sourced from Les Collines and Forgotten Hills Vineyards. Purple-colored, it displays a super-spicy nose of garrigue, olives, bacon, smoked meat, and blueberry. Dense, layered, and concentrated, it skillfully combines elegance with power. Silky on the palate, the succulent flavors last for nearly one minute. It has the structure to evolve for several years but will be hard to resist now.

2007 Tempranillo Walla Walla (93 pts)
The 2007 Tempranillo Inigo Montoya was raised in second use oak. It is deep crimson-colored with a super-expressive perfume of smoke, earth notes, black cherry, and blackberry. Medium-bodied and elegant on the palate, it has superb depth, lots of spice, succulent flavors, and exceptional length. It will drink well for a decade. Its only domestic competition is Cayuse' Impulsivo Tempranillo made by Christophe Baron.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley (93 pts)
Gramercy's 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced from the Portteus, Phinney Hill, and Pepper Bridge Vineyards, each from a different AVA. Dark ruby-colored, it emits a superb bouquet of cigar box, violets, incense, black cherry, and black raspberry. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, smooth-textured, deep, opulent Cabernet with plenty of underlying structure, excellent integration of oak, tannin, and acidity, and a lengthy, fruit-filled finish. It will continue to unfold with another 6-8 years of cellaring and offer a drinking window extending through 2026.

2007 Syrah "Lagniappe" Columbia Valley (92 pts)
The purple-colored 2007 Syrah Lagniappe contains 5% Viognier with the fruit sourced from Forgotten Hills and Minick Vineyards. Very expressive from the aromatic lift provided by the Viognier, it is a bit more elegant and forward than the Walla Walla cuvee. This spicy, savory, intense effort can be enjoyed now but will drink well for a decade

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