Leavenworth

Gramercy Cellars’ “The Third Man” Is a Winner

I love the state of Washington, and I also love their wines.

A few years back my husband and I made a 10-day journey throughout the state’s wine regions.  We started in Woodinville at the many tasting rooms scattered around the cute suburb of Seattle. Next we headed to Leavenworth, a wonderful little Bavarian town set in the Cascade Mountains, also full of tasting rooms. From there we ventured to Yakima and then finally on to Walla Walla. We obviously tasted a lot of wines along the way and I fell in love with many of them.

I’ve been back to the land of Washington wines quite a few times since that visit and have discovered some new gems, one of them being Gramercy Cellars.

Founded in 2005 by Master Sommelier Greg Harrington and his wife Pam, Gramercy Cellars focuses on wines made in the Rhone and Bordeaux styles. France’s Rhone Valley is perhaps my favorite wine region of all, and who doesn’t love Bordeaux? Washington is great for both, and I’ve never had a Gramercy Cellar wine that I didn’t like!

The other night my husband and I opened a 2009 “The Third Man” from Gramercy. A blend of 50% Grenache, 28% Syrah and 22% Mourvedre, (all varietals that perform very well in Washington) this is a fabulous wine! On the nose are lavender, tobacco, garrigue, mocha and dark fruit. The palate has loads of lush fruit, and yet is oh so complex. There’s also tomato, spice, soft tannins and the finish goes on and on and on. I sure do wish we had some more of the ’09 in our cellar.

I’ve tasted with Greg a few times now. He’s full of lots of knowledge, yet humble as can be! So … with wine this great and a nice guy to boot, I can’t recommend these wines enough.

Check out Gramercy Cellars here: http://gramercycellars.com

Leavenworth, WA 2011

The drive from Woodinville to Leavenworth via Hwy 2 was beautiful.  The roads were windy and mostly 2 lanes, with patches of snow in late April.  The views were stunning.

We arrived in the adorable Bavarian town of Leavenworth and went directly to the little downtown area on Front Street.  This quant stretch of shops and wine tasting rooms proved to be the perfect spot to spend an afternoon or even an entire weekend.

Leavenworth and the surrounding areas have about 15 wineries.  Some of them grow their grapes nearby, while others have them trucked in from Yakima Valley and Walla Walla.

We decided to start off with a bang and hit the tasting rooms.  We tasted at Boudreaux Cellars (in their new tasting room that just opened on April 1st), Ryan Patrick and Kestrel Vintners.

Our first stop was Boudreaux, which definitely set the bar high for tasting in this small town.  Jennifer was pouring, and she was a delight.  We felt very well taken care of as she poured and shared stories of the winery, including the origin of the name.  Owner and winemaker Rob Newsom, originally from Louisiana, worked for years with Leonetti.   The large number of guys named Rob made it essential to hand out some nicknames, and because of his Cajun roots Newsom was given “Boudreaux” in honor of the infamous Cajun folklore character.  When Rob decided to start making his own wines, the winery name was an obvious one!  And the wines?   Ahhhhh … they are wonderful.  I especially loved the ’06 Merlot, which has violets and cinnamon on the nose and lovely smooth tannins on the palate, and the ’06 Cabernet Sauvignon with its smoky nose and fabulously long finish.

Our next stop was Ryan Patrick, where they had a nice little red blend called “Rock Island” that doesn’t break the bank.  Toni was pouring and she was very nice.

Our last wine stop that day was Kestler Vintners.  Their wine production is done in Yakima Valley, but they have a nice tasting room in Leavenworth.  I was actually pleasantly surprised at their wines.  I’ve had their “Lady In Red” line in the past and haven’t been thrilled with them.  We tasted a great 2007 Co-ferment Syrah.  They’ve blended 7% Viognier with 93% Syrah (done in Rhone style) which adds a nice floral aspect to the nose with violet and lavender, and there is a spice and mocha on the palate.  They also have a nice basic Cabernet Sauvignon at the $20 price point.

We then headed to Cheesemongers, a wonderful cheese shop where we got to try lots of samples.  It was a hard decision of what to buy, but we ended up with 3 to take back to our B&B.

We stayed at Abendblume Pension, in their Tannenbaum suite.  We had two fireplaces, one gas and one wood burning, a beautiful view and a very comfy bed.  The breakfasts were to die for and on Easter Sunday we were delighted to be entertained by the owner’s father playing his alpine horn.

The next day we golfed at a wonderful mountain golf course with spectacular views at every turn.  The Leavenworth Golf Club isn’t a difficult course; and can be enjoyed by players of all levels.

Next Stop:  Yakima Valley

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