2016 Gramercy Cellars Walla Walla Valley Syrah

2016 Gramercy Cellars Walla Walla Valley Syrah

Grapes: 100% Syrah

ABV: 12.5%

Region: Walla Walla Valley, WA

Winemaker: Greg Harrington

Viniculture: sustainable (Forgotten Hills is farmed organically)

Winemaking: 18 months in neutral French Oak Puncheons & Barrels

“smoked meat, dusty black peppercorn and violets”

After an illustrious career spanning multiple decades, and stints at some of the greatest restaurant groups in the USA, Greg Harrington decided it was time to settle down and start a winery. Being an avid lover of Syrah and Grenache, the clear choice in his mind was Washington state, where he’d been blown away by the quality of Rhône varieties, and the opportunity to start a winery was too tough to pass up. Even though winemaking isn’t as glamorous as working the floor at Emeril’s and Wolfgang Puck’s Spago, serving the likes of Nicholas Cage and other illustrious stars, it’s easy to say that Greg found his true calling making wine.

This wine is a blend of two excellent vineyards in Walla Walla. Holy Roller Vineyard is in the Rocks District, where spicy and peppery aromas run amok. Forgotten Hills Vineyard sits at the foot of the Blue Mountains, and provides tannins, floral aromatics, and acidity. Consistent with Gramercy Cellars’ winemaking practices, this was fermented with wild yeasts in open-topped containers, with 65% whole clusters included. Fermenting wine with whole clusters contributes spice, funk, and pepper notes to the final product, and you’ll definitely sense that picking up the glass.

Winemaker’s tasting notes: “Classic Syrah, the 2016 Walla Walla Syrah opens with a tight core of blackberry, red currant, dusty plum and crème de cassis aromas, with complex and subtle nuances of smoked meat, dusty black peppercorn and violets. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is structured and precise, with a rocky tension on the mid-palate. The wine is clean and expressive, finishing long and contemplative with hints of violets and leather on the aftertaste.” 

I’d agree, and add: this is delicious Syrah, captivating you with notes of funk, pepper, spice and black fruit. It accomplishes something that’s hard to do, which is showcasing multiple facets of Walla Walla Valley fruit at once. It’s not just aromatics and pepper, and it’s not just juicy fruit and weight. It’s got everything going on.