Gramercy Cellars

Almost 300 miles south-east, inland of Washington State’s largest city Seattle, the wine region of Walla Walla is surely North America’s most remote wine region. Yet here, in the rain shadow of the Cascade Mountains, meaning irrigation is often required, and in a region with long days and cool nights, there’s the potential to make wines that impress with their ripeness, but with ample freshness.

It was this potential, seen at a tasting event in New York for the wines of Walla Walla, that tempted New York-based Master Sommelier Greg Harrington and his wife Pam to uproot and move to the heart of Washington State.

They started Gramercy Cellars in 2005, initially focussing on Rhône varieties. It was the Syrahs from the region that had taken Greg’s breath away at that tasting. But they’ve gradually expanded the range, with exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon alongside their Syrahs, Grenache, and Viognier.

They own three of their own estate vineyards, and have also built close relationships with the growers of the other grapes they source. They favour old vines, as well as organic grapes where possible, and in the cellar intervention is minimal, with extended ageing, with only minimal amounts of new oak.

These are real old-world-meets-new wines, that show impressive complexity and longevity. From a distant spot, they’re well worth discovering.