Description
A Manhattan-based Master Sommelier tastes some Washington State wines and is so inspired, he sells everything to move across the country to make his own. That’s the start of the story of Gramercy Cellars, where a close eye on the grapes (picked for almost-peak ripeness, mostly organic), matched with minimalist wine making techniques (no or little new oak, no additives) and a lot of time (extended aging) has created wine that’s considered some of the best that Washington offers.
Sommelier for leading restauranteurs and the near perfect growing conditions near Walla Walla to create some of the best-reviewed wines from the region. The results are intense, yet restrained; elegant, yet earthy.
This kind of balance starts with the vineyards. The Walla Walla and surrounding AVAs offer the perfect climate and soil conditions for the kind of wines Greg wanted to make. Gramercy farms its grapes from old vines, carefully tended. It owns three estate vineyards, and controls several others, to ensure the grapes are grown and picked for the specific profile Gramercy is trying to achieve. Many of its wines—particularly its Rhônes—are single-vineyard estate wines.
At the winery, Greg and partner/co-winemaker Brandon Moss carefully design fermentation per the effect they are trying to achieve; sometimes in concrete, sometimes in oak, always with patience and minimalism. The result is honest and complex wines that pair well with food and age well. And get reviewed well!
Every once in a while, I get that “I can’t believe we made this” feeling from a wine. As I sat in the backyard of our house enjoying the fantastic Seattle weekend, my first thought was, “Wow, this wine just got serious.” I have always loved our Viognier. I don’t, however, always love Viognier. Too many producers bottle Viognier as a cloying, oaky, Toucan Sam fruit bomb that is tough to choke down on a summer day. We have always sought the opposite – acid-driven, fresh citrus, and tree fruit, with low alcohol. Thirst-quenching on the beach or the boat. Our Viognier reminds me of my first trip to the Rhône Valley. I’ve explained this story before, but I somehow managed to secure an appointment at Rostaing, my absolute model for Syrah anywhere. As Rene Rostaing led us through the tasting of his incredible Syrahs, not that I heard anything he actually said as I was completely starstruck, he completed the tasting with the estate’s most recent Condrieu – La Bonette. This is a true unicorn wine – impossible to source. I’ve only had it a few times. But for me, it’s the epitome of Viognier, falling somewhere between the aromatics of a great dry Riesling (no petrol) and the complexities of a restrained white Burgundy. Now, we aren’t making anything close to that; our vineyard will need another 50 years or so of maturity. But as I sniffed the wine, memories of that tasting popped into my head. This wine is perfectly in line with the balanced Viogniers we have crafted in the past using the cool sites of Antoine Creek near Lake Chelan and our Forgotten Hills Estate vineyard. We fermented the wine in stainless steel to give the wine freshness. Aging for eight months in neutral wood adds texture to the wine. Tasting Notes: Very vibrant aromatics lift out of the glass. Showing stone fruits, white peach, D’anjou pear, and apricot. Tropical notes of pineapple, mango, and lemon zest. The fresh fruit stands out as if you were plucking it right off the tree. Just a touch of meringue creaminess. The palate is all about balance and length. Completely plush and inviting but finishes with just enough acidity to keep a fine balance between the acid and texture.
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