Syrah and Rhône
style blends rouge - domestic
 '00
Unti Estate Syrah (Dry Creek): Mick Unti is raising some pretty
decent Syrah grapes in a pretty decent location and treating it decently.
What you end up with is a solid, well-balanced wine which carries its
14+% alcohol quite well. Unti believes that in his location it's necessary
to let Syrah get to very high sugars before the grapes get ripe enough
to avoid coarse, green tannins from the seed. And the rather massive
fruit flavors and sense of place do come through nicely in a Big Boy
package. A Syrah for Zin lovers, and that's not a
bad thing at all. SY (9/02)
'00
Edmunds-St. John Syrah "Wiley-Fenaughty" (El Dorado): If
you're going to make a Syrah in California that has the structural profile
and alcohol level of something European, this wine
is more evidence that El Dorado is a great place to do it, at least
at its higher altitudes. Fine balance, great depth, real minerality,
and a medium-bodied structure that is not in the least feigned. Very
fine wine, Moe Curly at this point. And who knows, it might even age
well- the parts all seem to be there. SY (9/02)
'96
Swanson Syrah (Napa): Layers of toasty new oak part to reveal
an underlying structure of two-by-fours. With air, we get even more
oak. All of this is accented by vanilla, chocolate, charcoal, sawn wood,
and spice. Grapes, grapes, are there any grapes in here? As
a friend of ours said, "this wine swings more wood than Orlando Cepeda."
JD (3/99)
'97
Sierra Vista "Fleur de Montagne" ($14): "Flower of
the Mountain," this is a Chateauneuf du Pape style blend, inspired by
the wines of Chateau Rayas. The grapes are Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre,
and Cinsault. Although it won't be confused with the great wines of
Rayas, it is nevertheless a nice bottle of wine. At this point, the
Grenache aromas are predominant. The wine is medium bodied with red
fruit, dusty asian spice and a slight green edge. Give it a year or
so to allow the wine to meld and to allow the moderate tannins to mellow.
JD (3/99)
'96
Sierra Vista "Red Rock Ridge" Syrah ($18): Damn. Big blueberries
with a dash of black pepper. The palate follows in a medium-full body
style. The tannin level warrants time in the bottle. This is damned
good juice that we will happily get stupid on any time. How much is
Sean Thackery charging for their top of the line Syrah these days? JD
(3/99)
'97
Sierra Vista "Herbert Vineyard" Syrah ($18): Just bottled recently,
this still has "barrel sample" characteristics on the nose. Blueberries
and raspberries on the palate, this is a little sweeter than the "Red
Rock Ridge." There is plenty of sweet oak still showing at this stage.
Great finish on this one, the tannins are medium-full. Give it a few
years. JD (3/99)
'91
Sierra Vista Syrah El Dorado ($20.50): The benefit of seven
years of age clearly showed in this bottle of wine. Sweet, mature fruit
poured out of the glass with a dash of leathery spice. Thick and rich
in the mouth with enough tannin to suggest that this has many years
of life ahead of it. Unabashedly Californian, THIS is what people should
be asking for in a domestic Syrah. A wine of this quality and age for
just over 20 bucks? What, are you kidding? We sucked this bad boy down
with dinner and made plans to have a bunch set aside for us. Get yours
before we take the rest. JD (3/99)
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