For those of you who follow Washington wines, you're probably aware that Gramercy Cellars was just recently named by Food & Wine as "Best New Winery in America." I was just recently able to get my hands on the new releases and they definitely deserve it. I have reviews of each below and if you want to know more about their story, Sean Sullivan over at Washington Wine Report, just recently posted a great interview with Greg Harrington, the founder and winemaker. You can find it here.
2007 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon I often complain that there just isn't enough good Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. And, coming off 4 years of living in the Bay Area, I still believe I'm right. But, I never stop trying because I do think Washington fruit has something very special to offer here. One of my favorite Cabs from Washington is 21 Grams, a joint venture between Waters and Gramercy Cellars that is a true stunner. The Cab I'm reviewing here is from just Gramercy Cellars and is also a very nice wine. Dark and inky, with a nose of dark cherry, raspberry, earth, pencil shavings and mushrooms. The palate offers up something a little different though. Much more acidity than I would have expected with the earthy / mushroom notes playing a rhythm section role to the fruit front man. Really nice grippy tannins, more so than any of the other Gramercy Cellar wines tasted, with an extraordinary balance. Quite entertaining trying to pull out all the layers on this wine and I think it's one to be shared with friends who enjoy wine enough to talk about it. This is not to be wasted on the average wine drinker (or, as a good friend of mine says "I have my $10 friends, my $20 friends, my $30 friends and my $40+ friends - this should be shared with the last group). My rating: 94 / Outstanding
2008 Gramercy Cellars The Third Man From the Gramercy Cellars website: "The name 'The Third Man' follows Greg's Mt. Rainier summit in the summer of 2009. While Greg thankfully did not experience this personally, when climbers get in trouble, many have reported feeling the presence of a "third man" in the climbing team who helps them find their way down the mountain to safety. Even the only person to get down the World Trade Center from above the 86th floor, reported experiencing this phenomenon." I'm always one to like a wine with a story behind it, so was eager to try this one. And, like the other Gramercy Cellars wines, this did not disappoint. Red fruit (cherry, plum, even a little strawberry), wet stone and a subtle, refreshing portion of fresh mint. Body is relatively pretty light, showing off the fruit and balance, much like a southern Rhone or CDP (thus the strawberry). My rating: 92 / Outstanding
2008 Gramercy Cellars Tempranillo Inigo Montoya Tempranillo Seriously? They named the wine after Inigo Montoya? As in ""Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die"? That Inigo Montoya? So, these guys at Gramercy Cellars apparently have a sense of humor. And good for them for using it. But, I can assure you, there is nothing humorous about this wine . It is absolutely well-crafted and delicious. Of the 4 Gramercy wines tasted, this was my favorite (and my wife's favorite as well). The nose opens up nicely with subtle black fruit, earth, tree bark and tobacco leaf. On the palate, more of the same, but with a touch of menthol (more like a sweet menthol than a medicinal variety). Unbelievably well balanced, especially for a wine at this price point, with zero heat on a very long, almost oily finish. I would love to pair this with the right food, so will definitely go grab some more bottles. My rating: 94 / Outstanding
2008 Gramercy Cellars Syrah On the nose, dark cherry, roasted espresso bean, tobacco leaf and just a touch of vanilla caramel. Very nice level of acidity and incredibly well balanced. This is not a heavy, savory Syrah like some other high(er)-end Washington Syrah's (like Cayuse) and is remarkably complex and accessible at the same time. It's lush without feeling lazy or heavy - a pretty remarkable and unique Syrah. My rating: 92 / Outstanding
2007 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon I often complain that there just isn't enough good Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. And, coming off 4 years of living in the Bay Area, I still believe I'm right. But, I never stop trying because I do think Washington fruit has something very special to offer here. One of my favorite Cabs from Washington is 21 Grams, a joint venture between Waters and Gramercy Cellars that is a true stunner. The Cab I'm reviewing here is from just Gramercy Cellars and is also a very nice wine. Dark and inky, with a nose of dark cherry, raspberry, earth, pencil shavings and mushrooms. The palate offers up something a little different though. Much more acidity than I would have expected with the earthy / mushroom notes playing a rhythm section role to the fruit front man. Really nice grippy tannins, more so than any of the other Gramercy Cellar wines tasted, with an extraordinary balance. Quite entertaining trying to pull out all the layers on this wine and I think it's one to be shared with friends who enjoy wine enough to talk about it. This is not to be wasted on the average wine drinker (or, as a good friend of mine says "I have my $10 friends, my $20 friends, my $30 friends and my $40+ friends - this should be shared with the last group). My rating: 94 / Outstanding
2008 Gramercy Cellars The Third Man From the Gramercy Cellars website: "The name 'The Third Man' follows Greg's Mt. Rainier summit in the summer of 2009. While Greg thankfully did not experience this personally, when climbers get in trouble, many have reported feeling the presence of a "third man" in the climbing team who helps them find their way down the mountain to safety. Even the only person to get down the World Trade Center from above the 86th floor, reported experiencing this phenomenon." I'm always one to like a wine with a story behind it, so was eager to try this one. And, like the other Gramercy Cellars wines, this did not disappoint. Red fruit (cherry, plum, even a little strawberry), wet stone and a subtle, refreshing portion of fresh mint. Body is relatively pretty light, showing off the fruit and balance, much like a southern Rhone or CDP (thus the strawberry). My rating: 92 / Outstanding
2008 Gramercy Cellars Tempranillo Inigo Montoya Tempranillo Seriously? They named the wine after Inigo Montoya? As in ""Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die"? That Inigo Montoya? So, these guys at Gramercy Cellars apparently have a sense of humor. And good for them for using it. But, I can assure you, there is nothing humorous about this wine . It is absolutely well-crafted and delicious. Of the 4 Gramercy wines tasted, this was my favorite (and my wife's favorite as well). The nose opens up nicely with subtle black fruit, earth, tree bark and tobacco leaf. On the palate, more of the same, but with a touch of menthol (more like a sweet menthol than a medicinal variety). Unbelievably well balanced, especially for a wine at this price point, with zero heat on a very long, almost oily finish. I would love to pair this with the right food, so will definitely go grab some more bottles. My rating: 94 / Outstanding
2008 Gramercy Cellars Syrah On the nose, dark cherry, roasted espresso bean, tobacco leaf and just a touch of vanilla caramel. Very nice level of acidity and incredibly well balanced. This is not a heavy, savory Syrah like some other high(er)-end Washington Syrah's (like Cayuse) and is remarkably complex and accessible at the same time. It's lush without feeling lazy or heavy - a pretty remarkable and unique Syrah. My rating: 92 / Outstanding
Judging by your reviews, there should be no surprise that they dominated the new winery competition.
i'm not the only one - their getting rave reviews across the board...and deservedly so. have you tried any of their wines?