Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - 71
Syrah
by Patrick J. Comiskey
Wine drinkers are often wary when it comes to syrah. This is a variety,
after all, with a global reach and a range of aromas, flavors and textures
that's as broad as it is varied. It can be delicate and hauntingly aromatic, or it can be weighty, meaty, spicy, dark-fruited and powerful. The
range is so bewildering that many people avoid syrah altogether.
We're here to say you should persevere. Once you
find the style that suits you, syrah can be one of the
most rewarding categories of wine there is.
So, for this tasting-which included W&S publisher Josh Greene, winemaker Kristen Belair of
Honig Winery, winemaker Dan Fishman of Donum
Winery and Rachael Ryan of the San Francisco wine
bar High Treason-we set out to break down this
range by way of 14 wines that represent the gamut
of syrah's global styles.
Syrah originates in France's Rhône Valley, the
result of a cross of the archaic varieties dureza
and mondeuse that occurred in the Isère, probably near Tain l'Hermitage. The grape proved to be
both hardy and versatile, and by the 19th century
it was migrating all over the world-to Australia,
South Africa, Chile and California. In most of these
places, it thrived-it produced a good crop, was disease resistant and made good wine in a variety of
environments.
The best way to interpret syrah's broad array of
styles is to examine climate, which has a dramatic
effect on its flavors. Syrah's cool-climate limit rivals
that of pinot noir, and its warm-climate edge rivals
that of cabernet sauvignon; along the way, the flavors generally tend to move from savory elements to
fruitier elements. Cooler-climate examples tend to
be driven by aromatics, from purple flowers and garrigue herbs to meaty scents of bacon, pork fat and
leather. Riper styles give aromas of plums, blackberries and blue fruits, and feel fuller and richer in body.
We begin our tasting on the next page with a pair
of wines that establishes that range, comparing a
cool-climate syrah-from St-Joseph, in the Rhône
Valley-to a shiraz from the much warmer McLaren
Vale, in South Australia. "For me, the differences
depend on which is the top layer: fruit or non-fruit,"
Ryan noted during our tasting. "With the St-Joseph,
the top layer is all about the non-fruit aromatics, and
the fruit slides in beneath. But with the shiraz it's the
opposite: here, the fruit is on top, driving the wine,
with the non-fruit aromatics coming behind."
Which balance do you prefer? Taste on to find out.
"Dollar for dollar,
syrah is friendlier
than cabernet
sauvignon."
-Jeff LindsayThorsen, RN74,
San Francisco
WINE & SPIRITS
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017
Contents
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - Cover1
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - Cover2
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - 1
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - 2
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - 3
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - 4
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - Contents
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - 6
Wine & Spirits - Fall 2017 - 7
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