Gramercy Cellar in Walla Walla, WA – their first wine releases now available

One of my good friends from high school married a guy named Greg Harrington and two years ago they both moved to the Seattle/Walla Walla area to start their own winery.

There are a lot of wineries out there now-a-days, so I was sort of skeptical at first.  However, after hearing Greg’s passion for wine, his philosophy on wine blending, as well as learning more about his pedigree, I had a strong feeling that they would be successful.

Not only is Greg the youngest American to ever pass the Master Sommelier exam but prior to starting the winery, Greg was also the wine and beverages head for BR Guest Restaurants, Wolfgang Puck restaurant group, and Emerile Lagasse’s restaurant group.

As of a few weeks ago the results are in, and Pam and Greg have to be proud.  They got a great/funny consumer-friendly write-up in Daily Candy which talks about their latest Syrah releases but more importantly, they also got a great review from Steven Tanzer — a famous wine critic.

Tanzer reviewed two of Gramercy’s Syrah’s (see below) and they both got phenomenal scores.  Especially for their first reviews from Tanzer.

2005 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Lagniappe Columbia Valley – 89
($32; fermented with 30% whole clusters) Good medium ruby. Vibrant aromas of violet, bacon fat and smoked meat. Juicy, fresh and precise, with a saline nuance adding complexity to the wine’s dark fruit flavors. With alcohol just under 14% and only 10% new oak used for aging, this offers lovely purity of flavor.

2005 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Walla Walla Valley – 90
($40; 20% new oak) Good full medium ruby. Complex aromas and flavors of black raspberry, cherry candy, brown spices, game and roasted nuts. Supple but fresh, with its sweet fruit and spice flavors nicely framed by harmonious, ripe acidity. Finishes with noteworthy length and verve. This is the first set of releases from Master Sommelier Greg Harrington (total production in 2005 was about 800 cases)-and clearly a label to follow.

So… go check them out.   If you live locally in Seattle, you can get them from McCarthy & Schiering located at 2401b Queen Anne Avenue North or you can also order them online directly from their website at: http://gramercycellars.com.