WTN: An evening of Syrah

[Brad Ballinger]

There are a handful of different wine folks who get together – some more regularly than others – to taste through wine. Some groups have a theme; others don’t. Last night, the theme was syrah from France or California (no Oz shiraz). The players mainly hang out on eBob. We met at the very BYO-friendly jP American Bistro.

A couple of whites to get things started:

2001 Rochioli Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley. Heavy dose of white grapefruit peel and litter box minerality on the nose. Some herbs and cut grass add complexity to the aroma. Crisp, cleansing, and acidic in the mouth. Zesty citrus fruit with a hint of mineral. Moderate length to the finish. Very easy to drink.

1995 Villa Bel-Air Graves Blanc. A bit oxidative/resiny on the nose. There is also licorice and root beer. Big hollow spot on the mid-palate, and I think most of the fruit has passed to the great beyond. Turns bitter and acidic then finishes quite short. “There’s no there there” would not be an unfair comment.

Onto the theme:

2001 Mas des Aveylans Syrah, Vin de Pays du Gard. This is a Bobby Kacher wine, and word at the table was that Arpy gave it 92 points. Nose of candied fruit, violets, and evergreen nettles after the alcohol fumes dissipate. There’s a tip-of-the-tongue, top-of-the-palate concentration of bright, sweet red fruits. When I poured a very small amount to rinse my glass, I swallowed the half-sip and it burned my throat. With larger swallows, there’s still a bit of an alcoholic burn.

2001 Ojai Vineyard Syrah, Santa Barbara County. This wine is shut down and locked up tight. There are faint wisps of blueberry, coffee, leather, and dried meat on the nose. After a juicy attack, the tannins clamp down quickly. 90 minutes later, much was unchanged. There is balance and subtlety here, but the wine needs to be left alone for a few more years.

2000 Wattle Creek Shiraz, Alexander Valley. Yeah, one of those California wines made from syrah but labeled as shiraz. And the Wattle Creek sounds more Australian than Californian. One whiff and sip and TIMBER. This is some oaky juice, low in acidity, a bit syrupy, and devoid of any finish whatsoever.

2000 Montevina Terra d’Oro Syrah, Amador County. And I thought the Wattle Creek was oaky. For those who like their oak on the dilly side, this is a wine for you. It was very hard for me to get past the nose, but pushing on… the wine has a bright, jammy fruit profile and some tannic structure. But, like the Wattle Creek, has hardly any finish. But it had the tallest and prettiest bottle of all the wines.

2000 Cave de Tain l’Hermitage “Nobles Rives” Hermitage Rouge. Cave de Tain l’Hermitage is a large co-operative of over 500 growers. This is another wine that is a bit closed at present. Nose of roasting meats, black earth, freshly-polished shoes. Blackberry fruit, complemented with secondary flavors of herbs and earth. Some vanilla creeps in, and the wine turns a little wooden on the finish.

2002 Culler Syrah, Napa Valley. Damn near black and opaque. I thought it was going to stain my wine glass. Waaaay syrupy and sweet. Had we been at the restaurant for breakfast, I would be tempted to pour this on my pancakes. High extraction, low acid (well, almost no acid), sssssofffft tannin. I haven’t had a syrah this goopy since I had a glass of Pax two years ago. Wine is supposed to cleanse the palate. After a couple ounces of this, my palate needed cleansing.

1999 Garretson “The Finne” Syrah, Alban Vineyard, Edna Valley. Attractive nose of berries and bacon once the milkshake factor dies down. The wine is ready now, and I don’t see it improving. Some molasses and licorice that give depth to a blueberry and blackberry fruit tart flavor profile. 30-45 minutes later, the nose turned incredibly vegetal along the lines of roasted squash and creamed corn. Pull the cork and drink up.

1996 Marcel Juge “Cuvee C” Cornas. Brickish not only at the rim, but throughout. Served a bit warm, so it’s a bit hard to evaluate. White pepper dominates the nose initially, and there’s some earthiness and crispy bacon in the background. Tannins are losing their grip, but the acidity is still bright. The wine has a rusticity that is appealing, and the fruit seems somehow appropriately in the background to the minerals and spice.

1994 Chapoutier Cote-Rotie. Not the La Mordoree. More “spice” than “pepper” on the nose. Structurally, this wine is holding together well. The knitting is loose, but not unraveling. The blackberry, and black cherry flavors fade in and out in a do-si-do with some rustic earth and leather. Doesn’t have the length of finish I’d like, but a pleasing wine nonetheless.

2002 Carlisle Syrah, Sonoma County. Another oak and dill wine, but this oak has some charcoal to it. There’s some shoe polish, too. Like many big California syrah wines, this has a blueberry milkshake thing going on. The tannins are also big and ripe. 15.9% alcohol, and it makes its presence felt on the finish.

2003 Red Car “All Night Radio” Syrah, California. What is that smell? Swirl swirl swirl. That’s so distinct, what is it? I know I know it. Swirl swirl swirl. I got it – powdered chicken bouillon (I kid you not). And so begins the “I have no idea what to make of this wine” apologia. After the chicken bouillon passes, there are aromas of blackberries, pine nettles, burnt cream, sap, and soap. Low acidity. Lots of ripe tannin that keep the wine from being overly goopy. I still don’t know what I drank, although I think it was wine.

Dessert:

2002 Pierre Bise Quarts de Chaume. Nose of beeswax, orange zest, and wet gravel. Based on the nose alone, one could recommend not drinking this wine for 10-15 years. Then you take a sip, and it is so effing delicious you are tempted to ask, “why wait?” Intense acidity that “burned” the sugar right onto my teeth. It took 3-4 swipes of the tongue to get it all off. Honey and blood oranges dominate the flavor profile. Finish goes on for minutes. The wine will develop layers and complexity with cellaring, but offers plenty of reasons to enjoy it young.

[eje]

There are a few wineries in CA which are run by or have now hired Austrailian winemakers.

Wattle Creek is the most obvious example. Geyser Peak is another.

I think one of my least favorite tendencies in modern winemaking is the tendency towards very high concentration of flavor combined with high viscosity. I usually have wine with dinner, and find these wines match fairly poorly with most food.

Do winemakers use unusual methods to attain this high extraction of flavor? Or is it the type of grape or conditions it is grown in? It seems especially prevalent in what I would call mid-level boutique wines, especially Syrah and upmarket blends in the $30-50 range.

[Brad Ballinger]

Nowadays, I'm not sure what methods would be deemed unusual and which not, but there are many practices that can be instituted in the vineyard and in the winery toward the end of a highly concentrated, highly extracted, highly viscous wine. And not just in California.

[eje]

Oh, I forgot to say, thanks for the insightful tasting notes!

I'm going to have to keep a lookout for the Garretson.

Cheers!

[jrufusj]

2003 Red Car “All Night Radio” Syrah, California.  What is that smell?  Swirl swirl swirl.  That’s so distinct, what is it?  I know I know it.  Swirl swirl swirl.  I got it – powdered chicken bouillon (I kid you not).  And so begins the “I have no idea what to make of this wine” apologia.  After the chicken bouillon passes, there are aromas of blackberries, pine nettles, burnt cream, sap, and soap.  Low acidity.  Lots of ripe tannin that keep the wine from being overly goopy.  I still don’t know what I drank, although I think it was wine.

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Brad:

Thanks for the notes.

In the "I find this extremely strange" category, I posted a note yesterday on the '93 Zenato Amarone, in which there was a distinct note of chicken bouillon in the nose. I had not read your note above when I tasted the wine and composed my note, so it's not just the power of suggestion. I have heard beef bouillon as a descriptor for some merlot, but never chicken bouillon for anything.

For whatever it's worth, I found it odd but not troubling in the Amarone. Also, it was not there at opening, but came out with time and then faded into more classical territory.

Jim