2012 Gramercy Cellars, The Third Man, Rhone Blend, Columbia Valley, Washington State.
Greg Harrington’s The Third Man 2012, a Washington style Chateauneuf inspired Rhone red is really hitting it’s stride with beautiful ripe fruits, texture and length, this Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre is very sexy stuff, to be honest this is the kind of wine that will make you think twice, like the Charles Smith Syrahs, about paying a hundred or two hundred for a mediocre Napa Cabernet! Pardon the run-on sentence and terrible grammar, but it is a important thought these days with many Napa wines starting at almost $150, and I’m not saying many are not good or great even, but certainly the Gramercy wines look like awesome values in comparison, especially a wine like this one that has verve, alluring depth and rich mouth feel. The 2012 Gramercy Cellars The Third Man starts with a nose of vibrant red fruits, floral tones and a mix of sweet and savory spices with blackberry, boysenberry, mission fig, framboise and cherry compote un folding on the full palate along with hints of clove, pepper, black olive, anise, lavender and cedar. The tannins are sweet and the wine has a hedonistic density, but there is still a charming vitality and balance for such a pleasure filled, 14.7% alcohol (the same as most Chateauneuf du Pape and less than a lot of Napa Cabs) no question this is a bigger style wine, it will shine with lamb, steak or duck breast even. So if you are looking for serious new world Rhone wines, it’s a great time to check out Gramercy and Washington State, drink this beauty over the next 3 to 5 years.
($42 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive
