Wine Enthusiast Reviews May/2009

2006 Gramercy Cellars John Lewis Syrah (94 pts)

This barrel-selection bottling honors the winemaker’s father-in-law, and comes from the best lots of Syrah. Sixty percent was whole-cluster fermented, yielding an intense, peppery, spicy and almost laser-like wine with sharp streaks of mint, herb, wild berry and earth. It opens elegantly into a smooth, almost silky finish, adding sweet chocolate to the mix.

2006 Gramercy Cellars Walla Walla Syrah (93 pts)

Sourced entirely from Walla Walla’s Les Collines vineyard and 40% whole-cluster fermented, this exceptional effort is satiny, spicy and long, with a sharp streak of mint running through its core. Supple and almost magically profound, it’s a melding of tight red fruits, blood, cured meat and herbs, all woven into a compact, balanced and complete expression of Syrah.

“Lagniappe,” says winemaker Greg Harrington, means “a little something extra” in New Orleans. Cofermented with Viognier and lightly pressed, this wine was aged in neutral French oak for 18 months. The result is a subtle, deceptively light wine; graceful and elegant, it sings lightly of berries, moist earth and coffee.

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