Gramercy Cellars - Cabernet Sauvignon 'Lower East' 2020 (750ml)

Price: $33.99

Producer	Gramercy Cellars
Country	United States
Region	Washington State
Varietal	Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage	2020
Sku	203224
Size	750ml

Gramercy Cellars Description

A Manhattan-based 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.

The Harrington family moved to Walla Walla in 2005 to make a specific kind of old-world-meets-new Rhône and Bordeaux varietals. Their goal was to utalize 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 they 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.

Walla Walla, located in the Lower East corner of Washington, is a home for world-class Cabernet. We created Lower East as a thank you to our customers and industry friends. Our goal was to make a fantastic Cabernet at a fantastic price.

This idea began when we asked Dick Beightol at Phinny Hill in the Horse Heaven Hills to plant Cabernet specifically for us. He replied that he had a special gravel outcropping that he would love to plant for us. Phinny Hill is near perfect for Cabernet. It shows red fruit, gravel, herbs, bright acidity, and firm tannin. We soon realized this fruit would blend fantastically with our Walla Walla Estate Vineyard and Sagemoor's Dionysus blocks.

The 2020 Lower East Cabernet Sauvignon is 60% Phinny Hill, 30% Gramercy Estate Vineyard, with a finishing touch of 10% Dionysus. A testament to the 2020 vintage, the 2020 Lower East is not a blend but stands out as 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tasting Note: Bright aromas of marionberry, macerated raspberries, and just-ripe blackberries leap from the glass, full of vibrant acidity. Though dark-fruited, it retains remarkable freshness. Secondary notes of roasted coffee beans, dark chocolate, and garrigue herbs add depth, while hints of graphite, bay leaf, and crushed gravel bring a subtle, earthy complexity. The mouthfeel is plush, with round tannins that melt into a long, silky finish. There's a perfect harmony between the alcohol and acidity, making the wine approachable yet aromatically intricate. Enjoy now or cellar until 2030—its lively acidity ensures a graceful evolution if you can wait.