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Andrew
Grape Destemmer
Posts:77
 | | 04/19/2006 5:00 PM |
| | Lately, as some of you may know, I have been spending most of my time tasting different types of Pinot Noir to get a full view of the grape. Having had a very good experience with PN, I think its time to switch my buying and consuming towards the next wine in my lineup, Shiraz/Syrah. Who produces good Shiraz/Syrah? What are the different styles? What are some of your favorites? Thanks for the help. | | | |
| jason
Napa Valley
Wine Addict
Posts:6829
| | 04/19/2006 8:15 PM |
| To make this short and sweet the main syrah producing regions or countries you are going to see in the stores are the northern rhone valley, Austrailia and the west coast of the U.S. (CA, WA). Syrah is produced other places as well but these are the ones you will encounter the most.
I prefer Northern Rhone syrahs. If you want to spend some bucks try an Hermitage or a Cote-Rotie. Also look for Cornas, St. Joseph and Crozes-Hermitage which you will see frequently in wine shops. Generally speaking these wines are going to be full of black pepper, gamey/leathery/animal scents, blackberry, cassis, anise, earth etc.
CA syrahs fall into two camps. The cool/cold climate syrahs and the warmer climate ones. Cool climate syrahs (think Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara area) are going to show some similarities to No. Rhone flavor wise with the pepper and sometimes gamey scents but full of fruit and no way confusable with old world ones. Warmer climate syrahs(Napa, Mendocino etc) are going to show loads of black and sometimes blue fruits with hardly any of the aromas the colder weather lets these grapes show. There are many great syrah producers in CA, so best to see what your local shop has and ask for recommendations.
I don't drink much shiraz from Austrailia, but the main production areas you see in the U.S. are the warmer areas of Barossa, Mc Claren Vale etc. These usually are jam packed with fruits. Loads of blue and black fruits intermixed with a menthol/eucalyptus note. This is being extremely general and all wines do not show these traits. Most of the AUS wines you encounter in the U.S. are quite large wines with high extraction and concentration sometimes to the detriment of balance. TORB, a Aussie member of the site, or other members who drink more of the shiraz's of AUS would be able to direct you to wines of this and other styles
Hope that helps even though it is EXTREMELY general. Good luck Andrew! | | | |
| David Niederauer
Los Gatos, CA
Master Sommelier
Posts:15711
| | 04/19/2006 11:00 PM |
| | I'd look for some Novy Syrah. | | | |
| Andrew
Grape Destemmer
Posts:77
| | 04/23/2006 2:53 PM |
| | Thanks for the info guys! | | | |
| Winoman
Herndon VA
Grape Sorter
Posts:382
| | 04/24/2006 5:59 AM |
| | I believe Syrah may be the greatest of all the Red (black?) grapes..it seems that pretty much anything can be done with it...and it blends quite well to boot. I quite enjoy Cote Roties for their complexity and floral quality but I enjoy the typical Aussie fruit bombs (and otherwise) nearly as well (depends on the food combination & company...etc). I haven't gotten so much into American Syrah (only ever had a few...and those mostly Rhone ranger type blends..) - though I understand there are some Washington State Syrahs that are quite interesting. And I do love the Syrah-Grenache based blends of the Southern Rhone and from the various areas in the South of France. Italy also produces some decent Syrah wines. | | | |
| Andrew
Grape Destemmer
Posts:77
| | 04/24/2006 11:45 PM |
| | Sometime in June the PA state stores are getting the 04 d'Arenberg, Laughing Magpie Shiraz/Vioginer for $18.00. Do you guys think this is a buy or a pass? | | | |
| Budman
Master of Wine
Posts:11834
| | 04/24/2006 11:47 PM |
| | If it's anything like the 02, it's a buy, especially at that price. | | | |
| Pete Marsh
Left Coast
Barrel Filler
Posts:1459
| | 04/25/2006 6:27 PM |
| If you want to try a wine from Austraila, I'd look for those made by Rolf Binder. Rolf is a master at making balanced wines that represent the area that they were grown in. They are not cheap but we find them to be a decent value for quality.
Pete | |
Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. | |
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