I’m in a bad mood tonight. I’ve been tasting American syrahs. I’d looked forward to exploring these wines ever since my last visit to Dry Creek Valley in 2006, when I tasted a few that shone with bright blueberry flavors, velvety texture, and enticing balance.
So now I wanted to see if syrah has indeed found its voice in the United States. And it has. It sings like Aunt Jemima. Or Mrs. Butterworth.
These wines taste like pancake syrup. They are thick, viscous behemoths that typically top 15% alcohol. Flavors are … heavy … maple, mocha, some fruit masked underneath, but it is overwhelmed by something – and I believe that something is the alcohol.
I’ve found a few that I like, but none that I love. I opened six tonight, from California, Oregon, and Washington. There wasn’t a dog in the bunch, but none I wanted to curl up with and just finish the bottle either.
Sigh … guess I’ll have to try some more tomorrow.
It could be worse. You could have had to drink 12 of them at one time. Or pay for them, because my guess is that their prices were just as inflated as their alcohol.
Posted by: Jeff Siegel | February 20, 2009 at 08:57 AM
My Spit Cup Runneth Over.
Posted by: Dave McIntyre | February 20, 2009 at 09:07 AM
Actually, I've had a couple that are moderately priced, and moderately
ambitious, so they have better balance than the monster syrahs. Estancia and
Cline make nice affordable dinner wine syrah.
Posted by: Dave McIntyre | February 20, 2009 at 09:15 AM
As I mentioned at the embassy, my palate is a bit "moody" when it comes to big shiraz/syrah. Yes, sometimes it's like bacon juice from the steroid school of winemaking, but there are times when a weighty beast can be appreciated, as long as the concentration of very ripe fruit can balance against the alcohol. But it's certainly easier to appreciate cool-climate syrah that usually comes off with some finesse, the basis being a lighter, fresh blackberry, maybe with a touch of pepper. Such was my experience last night with the best red of what I tasted there - yes, an Aussie shiraz, the Castagna Genesis from way upland Victoria. Beautiful lilting nose as well. (Notable white was the Ostertag Pinot Gris, with the entire Marc Tempe lineup a close second.)
Posted by: Allen Clark | February 25, 2009 at 08:54 AM
I agree with you about the Tempe and the Ostertag; though I missed the
Aussie, unfortunately. (For those reading along, Allen is referring to the
"Return to Terroir" tasting of organic and biodynamic wines at the French
Embassy on 2/24.)
Posted by: Dave McIntyre | February 25, 2009 at 08:59 AM