The Southwest Voice

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“I’ve enjoyed reading about Pinot Noir in your last columns, but what about Syrah? What can you tell us about it? We need to know something since it’s the wine of choice all over the Paso Robles area where most of us go for winery visits.”

Ahhh! A perfect question for all of us right now since this wine has indeed become the new big hit in California vino circles.

Syrah is the most prominent red grape in the area known as the Rhone in southern France. It is regarded as one of the “noble” wines or vines of the world, in the class with Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. It can often be identified by a hint of black or white pepper in a mouthful. It is one of the darkest red wines and should impart a big, hearty taste as you savor it.

The grape was taken to Australia in the 1830s and became the backbone of their wine industry as Shiraz. You’ve probably heard of that wine. It is Syrah. But a wine we call “Petite Sirah” (notice the difference in the spelling) is not. It is an entirely different varietal.

Name droppers alert! The great French Syrahs bear names such as Hermitage, Cote Rotie, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, and the greatest Shiraz is Penfold’s Grange.

 Now let’s return to California. I first encountered Syrah in Napa in the ’70s. I think Joe Phelps was growing a bit of the Rhones, if I remember right. Randall Grahm, and his wines from Bonny Doon, was the most active early pioneer and in the ’80s, I tasted Bob Lindquist’s Qupe (which exists today) from the Santa Ynez area in Santa Barbara County. I was impressed. Then later, I visited a new grower, John Alban, in the Edna Valley East of San Luis Obispo, and I was very interested in his early plantings of Syrah and other Rhone varietals, especially Viognier. Today, Alban’s Reva is one of California’s great wines. Grab it if you see it anywhere!

Syrah is a warm-weather seeker. Just right for our Paso area. The Perrin Family from Rhone (Chateau de Beaucastel) established a base and cultivated Rhone varietals in the chalky hills west of the city. Their winery is Tablas Creek. I love their wine called Panoplie. Definitely put that winery down as a must-see on your Central Coast visits, along with L’Adventure, Linne Calodo, and Four Vines. Buy anything you encounter from a winery named Saxum! And tell me where you found it!

There was an explosion of Syrah plantings in the late ’90s that continues heavily today. And the other Rhone varietals came right along with it — red grapes such as Mourvedre, Grenache, Cournoise, and Cinsaut, and white grapes led by Viognier, Marsanne, and Rousanne.

 Don’t shy away from the many offerings of Syrahs you will find. Try them all. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts! Twenty or so of my wine buddies sat down to dinner recently with 15 world class Syrahs — several hours of pleasure and great wines. Most of the wines I’ve mentioned above were there, along with a sumptuous 2002 Syrah named Ascent from a winery in the Sierra Foothills of Amador County (Domaine de la Terre Rouge).

— Comments? Questions? E-mail Ann at: acierley@etcrier.net