2012 Gramercy Cellars Syrah The Deuce

Formerly named the Walla Walla Syrah, the 2012 Syrah The Deuce (100% Syrah, 80% whole cluster and 18% new French oak) is more upfront and sexy than the Lagniappe, with a Rocks-like character of lavender, smoked plums, roasted herbs and pepper. Full-bodied, beautifully balanced, pure and loaded with fruit and texture, it’s another great Syrah from this team to drink over the coming decade or more.

(80% Les Collines and 20% SJR; vinified with 50% whole clusters): Good deep red. Sweet, inviting aromas of blueberry, violet and bloody steak. Similarly savory and complex in the mouth, offering lovely intensity and lift without any undue weight. The wine’s minerality comes through loud and clear on the rocky finish, which features very sweet, supple tannins and lovely length and lift. Incidentally, Greg Harrington compares these 2012s to his 2007s: “They’re on the edge of being sweet without actually being sweet.” Harrington still considers his 2010s to be “by far my best wines, but it will take 15 years to prove it,” adding that his 2011s have shut down.