Browse Tag

syrah

ES(O)J

Edmunds St. John 2001 Syrah (California) – Smoked meat, a little bit of brett (a first from this wine, at least in my experience), blackberries, and a dusting of char. Smooth and elegant in the context of California syrah…which isn’t, in a wider context, all that smooth and elegant. Still, I like it, and this is the first bottle that, to me, seems like it might be sniffing around the edges of maturity. (9/08)

Ribo rack

Dard & Ribo 2006 St-Joseph (Rhône) – Wrenched and writhing, squirting its dark fruit every which way, but never achieving any sort of focus or direction. There’s a heavy stench of brett, as well, which is strong enough to detract despite the wine’s muscularity. This needs time, for sure, but unfortunately it will never shed its manure. (5/09)

Wear a côtes

[label]Terre Rouge 2001 Syrah “Les Côtes de l’Ouest” (California) – Sometimes, I wonder if this wine will ever show signs of maturity (it has mellowed a bit, but otherwise…not so much). Other times, I remind myself that this is the entry-level syrah, and I probably shouldn’t be looking for major development. And after all, consistency is a virtue: year after year, one knows what one is going to get from this bottle, which seems to appear and reappear as if the remaining bottles are mating, or cloning, or perhaps budding. The aromas? Black’n’blue fruit, some purple, some dark earth, some light tar, some faint rosemary, the faintest hint of soft pine…pretty much the same as it’s been since release. I suppose I need to really bury one of these under something heavy should I truly wish to find out what, if anything, will happen. (5/09)

Pshaw

[vineyard]Pichat 2005 Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes Syrah (Rhône) – Cardboardy and difficult. Not corked, but not good either. (6/09)

Truth

Veritas 1997 Shiraz Hanisch (Barossa Valley) – Black raspberry and black cherry, both coated with bitter chocolate. Then, there’s crème de cassis, licorice liqueur, bubblegum, and a significant spike of acetone. Texturally, the wine’s sticky to the point of being gummy, an absolute harlot with its fruit, and rather massive. All that said, there’s a certain insane balance to the wine, and those for whom “more” has no upper bound will probably love the geysering sluttishness of it. But it’s definitely not my thing. (3/05)

Files

Rockford 1993 Shiraz (Barossa Valley) – The spiced vanilla of American oak (at least, I assume) with milk chocolate liqueur, blackberry, blueberry, and black pepper. Juicy, chewy, and longish, but a bit hot. Fatuous. Yet, somehow, I don’t mind it. I wouldn’t want to drink it in quantity, though. (3/05)

In the beginning

Castagna 2001 “Genesis” Syrah (Beechworth) – Fetid and sweaty Worcestershire soda, blended with herbs and earth. Long, spicy, and black-peppery, with layers of drying tannin. Weird enough that I can’t decide whether or not I like it…except, of course, for the fact that I appreciate its very weirdness. (3/05)

Queer eye for the Othéguy

Othéguy 2006 St-Joseph (Rhône) – Tarred blackberry jacketed with iron. And dripping with blood, too, which I mean as a positive (not just for vampires). Hard – stiff, even – with fabulous intensity. Still, I’d be much more interested in this wine after some aging; it’s a bit brutal now. (4/09)

Collines all cars

Ogier 1997 Syrah Vin de Pays des Collines Rhodaniennes “La Rosine” (Rhône) – Ash, mud, soy, and baked fruit. It’s not bad, but it’s past its prime, as the tannin and acid now stick out of the wine like rabbit-ear antennae, and the usual Rhône meatfruit is getting more than a little drawn. (4/09)

Birks in stock

Birks “Wendouree” 1999 Shiraz/Malbec (Clare Valley) – Wine as amaro, and I mean that in an appreciative way. Quite tannic, with the signature eucalyptus note present only in a supporting role. Blackberries at the core, plus a dusting of Tellicherry pepper. Intense. Texturally, like drinking the finely-ground dregs of coffee. As a guess, this wine has decades of life yet to explore. What I love so much about these wines are their unrepentant individuality, even more so than their actual quality…which goes beyond iconoclasm to outright indifference to their reception. (4/09)