Gramercy Cellars Fall Release 2019
Hello!
Directly before harvest, we hosted our annual grower party. Once a year, we like to get all the growers together for lunch. We break out both current and library vintages as well as wines from around the world. It’s one of my favorite days of the year. As I looked around the room that day, it struck me how fortunate we are to work with these growers – Mike Sauer, Dick Beightol, Kenny Hart, Kent Waliser, on and on. We are so honored. I feel we work with the best of the best and each year it’s getting better and better.
We have been extremely fortunate in the past few years with a string of exceptional vintages from 2014 – 2016. The 2014 Syrah’s are just starting to open. If you have any of the 2014 Columbia Valley Syrah, it is outstanding right now. The 2015 wines across the board make us proud. The wines of our current release, 2016, are both fresh and built for the long term. The 2017 vintage is exceptional. With Brandon and crew, we just blended the 2018 wines, which I believe will also be terrific.
This release mostly closes out the 2016 vintage. We have two fantastic MTA wines – one representing Bordeaux varieties and the other in the Rhône camp. For years, we have wanted to feature a Phinny Hill Cabernet Sauvignon. As it is the base of both the Columbia Valley and Reserve Cabernets, it was never a possibility. However, with the availability of some additional older vine blocks in 2016, this became a reality. In short, this may be my favorite Cabernet to date at Gramercy. It’s simply stunning and was blowing minds at the grower party.
Our second MTA feature, a Grenache, comes from the MTA bottling record holder, Olsen Vineyard. When one goes to the Southern Rhône to taste, it’s always impressive to see the preponderance of large casks. After tasting the Olsen Grenache from our 20 hectoliter large cask, it’s easy to see why larger vessels are the defacto standard in places like Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas. They are magic Grenache barrels. While the Southern Rhône emphasizes power and richness, this wine is all about grace and elegance. It’s reminiscent of a full-body structured Pinot Noir. Thank you, Leif Olsen, for growing this!
The traditional Fall offerings also include Lagniappe Syrah, L’Idiot du Village Mourvèdre, and the Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. You may notice some new wording on the Lagniappe label. For the first time, the wine is labeled as a Red Willow vineyard designate bottling. Red Willow is an incredible vineyard, deserving of a single vineyard branding every year.
As always, thank you so much for your support. At the winery, we work tirelessly to get a bit better every vintage and are continually thinking about how to make each wine better. We look forward to seeing you at the winery or events across the nation very soon.
Best,
Greg, Pam, Brandon, Robbi, Nichole
For extended tasting notes on the Fall Release Wines see bottom of this article.
Upcoming Gramercy Events
Wednesday, October 23rd – Seattle MTA Party 5:00 – 8:00pm
Free for MTA Members – Guests at $25
Registration – email nichole@gramercycellars.com
November 1st & 2nd – Fall Release Weekend
Tasting Room Hours – Open Friday & Saturday from 11-5pm, no appointments necessary for groups of 6 or fewer.
MTA Event: Friday, November 1st – Wine Club Party 5:30 – 8:00pm
Free for MTA members – Guests at $15
Registration – email nichole@gramercycellars.com
December 6th & 7th – Holiday Barrel Weekend
Tasting Room Hours – Open Friday & Saturday from 11-5pm, no appointments necessary for groups of 6 or fewer.
No MTA Events
Email nichole@gramercycellars.com with any questions.
