2006 Gramercy Cellars Syrah “Lagniappe”- USA, Washington, Columbia Valley (2/24/2014)
I wish I bought more of this. Still very, very fresh with lots of black plum, cherry, and strawberry aromas and a bit of black pepper and vanilla in the background. The palate is very light-footed despite a very dark purple colour, with the same fresh fruit bursting through in a ray of sunshine. Counterbalancing that are some scorched earth notes. The palate’s density leaves a bit to be desired but as far as deliciousness goes, this will be hard to top. The tannins have since faded into the back, though they are still present. A simply wonderful bottle of syrah. A testament to the aging potential of the Gramercy wines, though this is definitely close to its peak right now. (93 pts.)
You are right, they are awesome. The 2008 Lagniappe was really nice as well. I’m letting my newer vintages age before popping.
Let me know if you need to get rid of any of those 06’s!
Great note. I have only been buying Gramercy since 2010 so notes on older vintages and opinions on the aging curve are appreciated. Greg, Brandon and crew are hitting on all cylinders.
Over the holidays I stumbled across a bottle of the '08 syrah that had somehow found its way into a liquor store/DVD rental/pachinko parlor type of establishment in southern Colorado. Even though it had been living in less than ideal conditions it drank wonderfully and all commented that it was clearly a wine of very high caliber. One small example that endorses the idea that Gramercy wines can successfully age into special wines.
Our monthly tasting group here in Napa had the 06 in one of our flights last month and it rocked. Was the wine of the night for me and several others. The nose was so intoxicating that I could have just sat with a glass for hours.
Adrian - I totally agree with you. Greg & Pam are making some really good wines. I have been a big fan for awhile now and I just love the juicy acidity that Greg gets into his wines. His wines are very lively in the mouth and not over ripe. If you like the Syrahs, make sure you try his Tempranillo as well. My wine group just did a Tempranillo tasting. We had Tempranillo from Spain, Argentina and the US. I contributed a Spanish bottle and a bottle of 2008 Gramercy Tempranillo. Greg’s Tempranillo was wonderful. I am just in the process of writing up the tasting notes, but I will post a link here once I have them. Thanks for posting.
I seem to have missed the 2006 but gave the 2007 and 2008 Lagniappe both 92 points in TWA so we are in close agreement. My successor, Jeb Dunnock, seems to like Greg Harrington’s work as much or more than I do. My advice is to get on the mailing list.
How much life ahead does the 2008 Tempranillo have and what would you pair it with? I have one bottle in the cellar and would be curious to hear your thoughts.
Ben - I don’t think there is any rush on the '08 Tempranillo, but it is drinking really well right now. I would give it about an hour of air time though. For my wine group we had a chicken dish with cut up chorizo, potatoes, tomatoes carrots and red bell pepper and a little white wine. There were some spices in there as well, but I don’t know what my wife put in. The Chorizo added just a little kick, but not too much. You don’t want the dish to come off as hot and spicy. We just wanted a little flavor to add to the chicken. Let us know what you think of the wine when you open it.
