Description
Blend: 75% Tempranillo, 15% Syrah,
5% Grenache, 5% Carignan
Vineyard: Gramercy Estate & Les
Collines
Aging: 18 months in 15% new French
and American Oak Barrels
Alcohol: 14.1%
Winery Retail: 42
Case Production: 810 Cases
Drinking Window: Now – 2035
Wine Enthusiast: 91 points
We are coming to the end of a long journey with Tempranillo. After this release, we only have the 2016 Tempranillo to offer. In early 2017, Brandon and I decided to replace the Tempranillo block with Cabernet Franc. What do we have against Tempranillo? Nadda. But we are finding that we love our Cabernet with a bit of Cabernet Franc added. While we have small parcels of Cab Franc at JB George and Octave Vineyards, we don’t have enough at either vineyard for a full, healthy
ferment. Adding an acre of Cabernet Franc at JB George, where it excels, will give us the ability for a single vineyard Cabernet Franc cuvée in the future. We recently had the pleasure of dining at Harvest Vine in Seattle. The wine list at the restaurant is a treasure trove of old-school Rioja and Ribera del Duero estates. Truthfully, we have been drinking newer wave Spanish wine – Bierzo, Ribera Sacra, etc. It was fantastic to return to some of the legendary properties
that built the reputation of red wine in Spain. It reminded me of the uniqueness of Tempranillo in Walla Walla. In great vintages, it’s a dead ringer for Spain. Bad news for people who took out their Tempranillo blocks. Great news for people that have been putting aside 100 cases each vintage since 2008 to release as the wines age and change over the coming 10-15 years. While we won’t be producing Gramercy Tempranillo after 2016, we will be drinking and offering it for a long
time. The 2014 Tempranillo was fermented in open top stainless steel and punched down three times a day. Fermentation lasted for 14 days and was aged in a combination of American and French Oak barrels for 18 months. Tasting Notes: Predominately strawberry and raspberry. Red flowers, star anise, stone mineral, smoke, orange peel, campfire marshmallow. Green herbs – tarragon, rosemary. Smoked meat, soy, mushroom. Firm acidity and tannin. A bit of sweet oak with Asian spice.
91 Points Wine Enthusiast
“A blend of fruit from Gramercy Estate, Les Collines and Olsen vineyards, this wine was aged in a mixture of new and neutral American and French oak. The aromas are reserved, with notes of spice, raspberry, graphite and red cherry along with pleasing herb accents. The flavors show a lot of nuance and sophistication along with a tart finish laced with orange peel notes. Soft tannins provide support. It’s a winner.” SEAN P. SULLIVAN
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