Posts Tagged syrah

A relatively new winery in Sonoma County, this collaboration of three wine makers has already created quite a buzz in the region and started to garner some fans around the country. While their primary focus is around Pinot Noir, I was able to try one of their Syrahs, which tend to have some characteristics of the former.

Anthill Farms Syrah

This Russian River Syrah is in fact a very atypical style from California, where the wines tend to be over-ripe and fruit driven. This is much more reserved in style and subtle in flavors. I can’t say this is exactly European but it does has a drier, earthier style. The wine is lighter in body and possesses more delicate flavors mixed within the layers.

It didn’t have any overly complex nose, but what was there was more in the area of dried herbs and tea scents. It also has some dark plum in the bouquet. The flavor profile was also similar. Again, the wine has a focus on dark fruits, including plum and blackberry. There were also hints of lavender and black tea spice mixed into palate. Initally, the wine was rather tight, and has a decent grip thanks to tannins that didn’t overwhelm the wine, but always let you know they were there. A higher level of acidity also helps to keep this wine a little lighter on the finish.

Drinking this over two nights, the earthiness continued to evolve. I’d say the first night, the wine was a little tight and considerably lighter bodied. However on the second night, the air has allowed the wine to expand and become much richer with the fruit becoming more present. I noticed more tobacco and mushroom as well.

Overall, this was an interesting wine. It was possibly missing a little body and structure to really make it a stellar wine, but it did do a nice job of playing to the middle of the road for California Syrah.

My Rating: Brick Solid

Below are two tasting notes on a couple of syrahs from Napa based wineries.

2001 Shafer Relentless Syrah

A very solid wine with great deal of power, and lots of fruit goodness. The nose had a smoky nature that held blueberry and raspberry notes, in that classic Napa-style. Big fruit in the front, followed by chocolate-covered cherries and mocha notes. The finish was long and deep with a good bit of acidity towards the end. It has to be said that this wine was a little one-dimensional, but overall it possessed a ton of power and richness to peak my interest and keep me wanting to come back for more. It also has a long life ahead of it with many more drinkable years in the bottle.

Rating: 91pts

2005 Neyers Old Lakeville Highway Syrah

This was a beautifully rich Syrah from California. The wine was a cross between old world and new, with an extracted flavor and an earthy, almost musky quality. Flavors of dark plums and mushrooms were most noticeable. It also had nice cherry kiersch and tobacco notes. This wine had good body and length on the mid-palate, with a nice soft, rounded finish. Overall, it was a very enjoyable wine. Priced around $27.

Rating: 91+ pts

Don’t let the name fool you. There’s nothing usually “petit” about these wines. Petit Syrah is just another grape, and the wines tend to be even darker, richer, and fuller than a normal Syrah wine. I always like a good petit, especially in the summer for barbeque. The richness and smooth quality of the wine matches up well to burgers and bbq ribs. Here are a couple of wines to keep an eye out for.

2005 Vina Paul Lodi Petit Syrah/Syrah Blend

Good spice box and blueberry notes on the nose. A little smoked meat too. Big fruity wine – full bodied – with a nice bit of spice, blueberry and raspberries notes, Bell pepper, tobacco. A little cigar box, and then dry finish with earthy mix of mushroom and mint. Long finish, with a good grip and tannins. Great fruit through the finish. Lovely wine and for the price really pushes what can be done.

Price: $15
Rating: 91pts

2005 Grazino Petit Sirah

This wine had a big nose with black/blueberries persistent. Also had some cedar and smokiness along with bell pepper and vegetal qualities. A big mouth-feel with integrated tannins and a good grip. There’s lots of cedar and oak in the wine, seemed a little bit like licking the barrel. There was some fruit underneath present blueberries and raspberries. I definitely pick up the Zin in it as well. This wine was still a little young and hard. Has some potential to even out but probably not going to get too great.

Rating: 88pts
Priced around $20