help needed - WA syrah

My local non-serious group in meeting in a couple of weeks. Host chose Syrah (90+%) but no France, California, or Australia. My Syrah is 61.4% N Rhone, 38.6% California. So I'll have to shop.
There are some Italian syrahs, but harder to find, and I tend to avoid South American wines., I don't have a lot of experience with WA Syrah, and some have been ..er..bigger than my norm. So looking at what local stores have, wondering if anyone with more experience (Jenise I'm looking at you) could tell me would be best bet for someone whose usual Syrah is ESJ, Gonon, or Ogier.
I see various bottlings from
Force Majeur
Reyvaan
Rotie Cellars
Sleight of Hand
K Vintners
(I'm not listing the really expensive Horsepower or Cayuse wines). I'm tempted to go with Rotie cellars Northern blend, but open to suggestions. If someone has a strong rec (especially if under $50) that's not on this list I'll try Winesearcher Pro.
Or I might just visit store with biggest selection (Posner/Grapes) and look at ABV.
Thanks in advance!

[Jenise]

So:

Force Majeur--great winemaker*, outstanding wines, big but refined

Reyvaan--LOVE these wines but Rocks fruit is very polarizing. You would probably be looking at In The Rocks (viognier co-ferment) and The Contender (Marsanne co-ferment). What makes them amazing typically doesn't show much in the early years. If you tell me which bottlings are available to you, I can be more exact.

Rotie Cellars--I have never loved these wines the way I want to, primarily because I find them over-oaked. Might be perfect for your non-serious group, though.

Sleight of Hand--owner/winemaker Trey Busch's Instagram account is chock full of very T&A photos of his wife who puts on Burlesque shows. This is not someone who has boundaries for OTT. I have actually liked a few of his wines but have only experienced one syrah, which has a name like Psychadelic. I think he makes others but I dunno--I suspect they're mostly the opposite of what you're looking for.

K Vintners--There is hardly a bigger asshole in the WA wine world than Charles K Smith. I don't buy his wines, though I've sometimes liked them when others served them.

*Todd Alexander of FM is also the winemaker at The Walls, another winery I highly recommend. Am also a fan of Pete Devison, whose wines are exactly the Northern Rhone vibe you're looking for. Small production though and not on the Wine Speck's radar, so probably not available in New York.

[Jenise]

Had a thought. Gramercy distributes in New York. Gramercy owner Greg Harrison is a former New Yorker (as well as former Spago somm). Gramercy will get a lot closer to the type of syrah you seek than the five you named.

Contact Greg via the winery and he can tell you which of his wines are out there or put you in contact with his distrib (although I think he self-distributes). I know the Lower East is there. Here are some TN's from me in the past five years on Gramercy Syrahs.

2016 Gramercy Cellars Syrah John Lewis Reserve Walla Walla Valley
One of the stupidest things I did on our recent trip to Walla Walla was NOT buy this wine. Floral nose with black currant, meaty palate, light smoke, deeply layered. Best syrah of the trip, a timeless wine. OFS.

2017 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Lagniappe Columbia Valley
On a different day, I might have preferred the Les Collines but on this day the richer, earthier Lagniappe with it's peppery black fruit won out. Bought some for the cellar!

2017 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Les Collines Vineyard Walla Walla Valley
Whole cluster fermentation in concrete; lean and peppery with a mild green olive background. Very Crozes-ish.

2013 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Lower East Columbia Valley
A deftly made, perfectly evolved syrah that could pass for a Northern Rhone in a blind tasting. Black raspberry, earth, nori, and anise with a hint of fresh asphalt and green olive, this wine is ready for current drinking but also has the acidity and tannins for continued cellaring. Drink or hold thru 2025.

Thank Jenise. There's a NYS wine store in Saratoga that often shows on my searches, they have Gramercy- 2017 and 2018 Lower East, 2017 Walla Walla, 2018 Lagniappe. I might get a sampler. Thanks so much!

So I ended up with 2 2017 Gramercys, the Walla Walla and the Lower East. Any advise on which might be drinking better right now?

[Jenise]

Dale, the Walla Walla got the best barrels where the Lower East did not--that's why it's less expensive. For the best impression between the two, you might open the WW. Per the winery (who I just spoke to) both should show well right now with maybe an hour decant--they're pretty fresh wines and won't require a long prep.

Hope these work out well for you.

Btw, not a plug, but on the off chance your group loves these wines, the winery will ship 12 or more bottles with complimentary FedEx ground.

thanks!!!!!!!