One of the truly classic wines of the planet, syrah produced in California is starting to achieve some level of popularity. Indeed, fine syrah is held in the same high regard as cabernet sauvignon, though its acceptance has been hampered by similarly named wines, most of them ordinary products made in massive quantities, selling at modest prices and meant for early consumption. The highest-quality syrah is grown in hillside vineyards of low fertility, the most famous of which are in the French northern Rhône appellations of Hermitage and Côte Rôtie.
True syrah, if held to modest production and grown in the right places, can achieve astonishing intensity and marvelous complexity. Deeply colored and rich in tannins (though rarely harsh), the variety yields a wealth of flavors that include violets, white or black pepper, milk chocolate, blueberry, clove and brambly blackberry. Overlaying this rich array is often an intriguing note of smoked meat or stony minerality.
Fine syrah should always be aged in oak barrels with a portion of new wood that does not overshadow the nuances of complexity inherent in the wine and the grapes it is derived from. Once bottled and in your possession, it is a wine that needs time at cool cellar temperature to develop all of its possible manifestations. While most people would rather drink it up right away, holding a number of bottles for a few years after purchase will reward those who practice both discipline and patience.
The true origins of the syrah grape are still a mystery, but theories of how it arrived in France, and its transition to modernity, center on three ideas: 1. It came to Europe from the ancient Fertile Crescent area near the modern Iranian city of Shiraz; 2. It arrived in Gaul in the third century through the efforts of Roman Emperor Probus; 3. It is native to the Rhône Valley. At any rate, it is well known that the latter years of the Roman Empire saw its establishment in the Rhone.
Syrah should not be confused with petite sirah, probably an invented name for Durif, a grape historically used in California as a well-colored and tannic blending partner. While making sturdy, well-balanced wine, petite sirah has a small number of devoted fans these days, but its agreeable taste is not regarded as particularly distinctive.
The versatility of syrah has in some ways led to its misunderstanding. It is an easy cultivar to grow — vigorous and reliable for yielding a good-sized crop. As the workhorse grape of Australia, where it is called shiraz, it has become well known as a source of millions of bottles of pleasant, soft (even sweet!) wine. While there is nothing wrong with that mass-produced stuff grown in balmy climates of all the world’s wine-producing countries, syrah is very good when grown in cooler climates, but can achieve greatness when that can be coupled with a hillside or mountain site where the soil is derived from decomposed rock. Its natural tendency to overproduce is tempered by those Spartan conditions where balanced vines yield a modest crop of intense fruit.
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