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Master somm, Chris Harrington, owner and head winemaker at Gramercy Cellars

Master somm, Chris Harrington, owner and head winemaker at Gramercy Cellars

Gramercy Cellars

August 7, 2015

Gramercy Cellars
A winery built on showcasing great Washington terroir, Gramercy has hit a high mark with its recent set of releases. Founder, winemaker and master sommelier, Greg Harrington, focuses on crafting Rhone and Bordeaux varietals, sourced from some of the best vineyards in the state. Harrington incredibly passed the master sommelier exam at the age of 26 in 1996, which is a considerable feat considering there are just 130 master somms in the world.
Harrington's winemaking philosophy is to choose the best fruit from the best vineyards and to utilize moderate ripeness with minimal intervention and minimal oak. The resultant wines are some of the best Rhone varietal efforts that I’ve tried. Particularly the 2012 ‘The Deuce’ Syrah was a showstopper of great terroir and finesse. Also look for the 2012 GSM Blend which impresses with its pretty array of red fruits and rich and refined mouthfeel. Check these impressive new releases out at gramercycellars.com

2012 Gramercy Cellars Columbia Valley Syrah- This fruit is sourced from 4 vineyards, the Minick and Olsen in Columbia Valley and the SJR and Stony Vine in Walla Walla. This was aged in 100% French oak with 13% new oak. The wine opens in the glass with perfumed aromas of provcencale herbs, green bell pepper, and white pepper. Palate has great minerality bringing flavors of red cherry, anise, raspberry and excellent density and viscosity with a slight saline component. This thing will age gracefully for another 10 years. This versatile wine is a fantastic effort considering this is their entry level bottling. Drink 2012-2025 -92 $40.00

2012 Gramercy Cellars ‘Inigo Montoya’ Tempranillo- Sourced from the Walla Walla and Columbia Valley fruit, this wine is a blend of 85% Tempranillo with 15% Syrah. This had a small amount of new American oak, 11% and is from the Gramercy Estate, the Los Collines and Minick vineyards. Spiced and oaky nose with also red currant and stewed strawberry. Upon entry the wine brings flavors of black plum, blueberry compote and blackberry flavors with some tar presence. Lush mouthfeel with nice minerality. This thing will be even better in a year. They plan to move this to 100% Tempranillo next year, which will be an interesting showing considering the warmth attained in the 2013 vintage. Drink 2015-2022. -92 $42.00

2012 Gramercy Cellars ‘Lagniappe’ Syrah- This is a 100% Syrah from Red Willow, Oldfield and Minick vineyards in Columbia Valley and comes in at a relatively low 14.2% alcohol. The wine has aromas of smoke, blackberry, black olive, tar and mushroom. There is a nice earthy quality to the wine. Smooth quality to the mouthfeel. Flavors of blackberry, black cherry and black olive. Nice richness and acid structure, indicative of this great vintage. Find pasta with boar ragu and crack this. Drink 2015-2025. -92 $55.00

2012 Gramercy Cellars ‘The Deuce’ Syrah- This Syrah wine is blended from two sources in the Walla Walla Valley and sees 100% French oak with only 14% new. Deep, glass staining purple color. The wine opens up with aromas of smoked meats, bacon fat and black plum with black tea. Delicious and lithe on the mouth, with rich viscosity. There are flavors of crème de cassis, blackberry, anise, black cherry and nice minerality. This has an intriguing combination of being a rich and mineral driven wine. An excellent effort, one of the best of its kinds and this thing begs for a slow roasted shortrib. Drink 2015-2025. -94 $52.00

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