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Gramercy Cellars 2008 Inigo Montoya Tempranillo -- Wine Review

Walla Walla Valley, Washington

Our Selection for Wine of the Week January 3, 2011


A bottle of Gramercy Cellars 2008 Inigo Montoya Tempranillo, our Wine of the Week review

Gramercy Cellars
2008 Inigo Montoya Tempranillo

Washington

At age 26, Greg Harrington was the youngest American to ever pass the Master Sommelier exam. The distinction afforded him the opportunity to run wine programs for such notable chefs as Wolfgang Puck and Emeril Lagasse, but Harrington's true passion was to make his own wine. This dream became a reality when he headed to Walla Walla in 2004 to work the harvest. By the fall of 2005, he was harvesting his own wine for the winery he named Gramercy. Harrington's is a boutique operation, focused on quality and sustainability rather than quantity. Currently, Gramercy concentrates on the reds that excel in the Walla Walla and Columbia Valley growing climates, including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Tempranillo. The 2008 Tempranillo was made with the addition of 5 per cent Syrah and 5 per cent Mourvedre. The result, which shares a name with the Mandy Patinkin character from "The Princess Bride," offers fruit, floral and woodsy notes on the nose. In the mouth, its ripe blackberry and black plum flavors are enhanced with licorice, vanilla and coffee at the back of the palate. The wine’s luscious fruit is beautifully balanced by tart acidity, making it food-friendly in style. Try it with earthy, mushroom or truffle-flavored risottos and pastas, coffee-rubbed pork or grilled quail. Or serve it to finish the meal with a plate of Spanish sheeps’ milk cheeses or simple, faintly sweet desserts like olive oil cake or sponge with berry compote.

Rating: 14.5/20
Price:
$45


Other Tempranillo Wines we have tasted
Check out our Washington Travel Guide

For more information, visit www.gramercycellars.com


See also:
Tasting Notes on Gramercy Cellars 2008 "The Third Man"




Read about the wine world's most influential critic: Robert Parker, Jr.


PJC112910
(Updated: 01/03/11 JC)


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