It probably comes as no surprise, but I find myself again gushing over the Gramercy Cellars wines. I try so hard not to like them, to find flaws, to find something - anything - that will allow me to say "well, if they had just done this differently" or "finally, one that doesn't suit my palate." But, again, I come up empty. Greg Harrington and his crew over at Gramercy Cellars are making beautiful wines, plain and simple.

In this, Part II of the new releases (you can find Gramercy Cellars Part I here), I review two more of the wines: the 2008 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 Gramercy Cellars Syrah John Lewis Reserve:

2008 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
Fairly typical nose on this Cabernet with dark cherry, sweet tobacco, vanilla and maple syrup, with similar elements on the palate. But, don't be tricked into thinking this isn't something special as it is incredibly smooth and well balanced, with a finish that's lingered longer than any wine for me in the past 6 months (with the exception of the John Lewis Syrah, reviewed below). Once again, Gramercy Cab shines in a crowded marketplace of Washington Cabs.
My rating: 92 / Outstanding

2009 Gramercy Cellars Syrah John Lewis Reserve
Oh man, was I excited to dive back into this wine when I got it. One of my favorites and the '09 does not disappoint. On the nose, dark ripe fruit, with a touch of cedar, sage and leather. On the palate, more dark fruit, both red and black, with swirling notes of cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, all pull together with a nice woodsy undertone. This is truly one of the most silky wines out there, with incredible balance and an absolutely stunning structure. And, if that weren't enough, it's the longest finish I've experienced in 6 - 12 months. Unbelievable and a true find for Washington Syrah lovers.
My rating: 95 / Classic

NOTE: these wines were sent to me as a free sample.

For those of you who have followed me pretty regularly in the past, you probably noticed that I've fallen off a cliff this year with only a few blog posts.  Sorry about that - real life took hold and my time has been very limited this year.  I'm hoping to get the time to start back up in full force soon, but, in the meantime, I wanted to re-post one of my few posts this week that just showed up as the #1 wine on Wine Spectator's Top 100 for 2011 - the Kosta Browne 2009 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir.  Wine Spectator gave it a 95, I gave it a 93, so it looks like like I'll need to dig back into the cellar to try another bottle and see who's right.  

Original post from April 8, 2011:

Once again, Kosta Browne comes through with a stunner. This is not your delicate flowery Pinot that decided it would be a a ski bum in Mount Hood, Oregon...this one makes no apologies about being a big, bold, in your face California Pinot.

On the nose, it's rose petals smashed into a queen-size bed of dark chocolate, with a hint of marshmallow and spice. The palate is stemmy - good tree bark stemmy - with a wash of rose petals, mocha and dried cherry.


Okay, so that was a little dramatic on the description, but, at least take this away - if you have not had Kosta Browne Pinot Noir before, I'm not sure I want to hear from you until you have.


My rating: 93