In the Wine Spectator blog “Côtes du Rhône in California”, Tim Fish quotes Lasseter Family winemaker Julia Iantosca saying that Syrah has a way of overwhelming other grape components in blends. I like Randall Graham’s statement comparing Syrah in a blend to the loud mouth at the party. Ironically, the Cigare Volant is one of the few blends I have had where Syrah did not stick out like a sore thumb.
I am not hating on Syrah, I just believe that most domestic combinations of Grenache, Mourvedre, Carignan, etc, might sing more in harmony than with Syrah.
I have had some gorgeous Syrahs from California - Adelaida Viking Estate, Morgan Tierra Mar, heck, even the Nickel & Nickel Hudson Vineyard. I wonder if it is Syrah’s multiple personality syndrome in California that makes for unbalanced blends. Syrah plays more friendly with oak than (most) other grapes sourced from Southern France. I find that Syrah brings an electric guitar to the barbershop quartet.
I have had some very polished, subtle Syrah
wines, I am just having trouble recalling them.
Am I the only one who is interested in seeing Syrah play solo until it learns to play well with others?
Jaffurs does a GSM called High Tide where the Syrah is the minority component and it’s very good. Nicora also makes a great GSM where Syrah plays second fiddle. So there are some out there.
I’ve always really liked with Terre Rouge has done with their Tête-à-Tête (a blend of Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah. And also their L’autry, which typically is a blend of those three grapes. I do like their Syrah bottlings, too, but prefer their two blends.
Bumping this post up…has anyone tasted at Lasseter?
We tasted there today and the wines were outstanding. The winery and tasting room is brand new and gorgeous.
The lineup was:
2015 Enjoue, rosé of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre
2013 Chemin de Fer, GSM
2014 L’ame du Sage, 97 year old Zin field blend
2012 Paysage, Merlot based bordeaux blend
2012 Amoureux. Malbec based bordeaux blend
2012 Reminiscence, Cab based bordeaux blend
The GSM was 60% Grenache (Alban, 136, 224, 287 & 362), 17% Syrah (174 & 470), 23% Mourvedre (369). Great stuff, we bought a bottle. I can Highly recommend making an appointment and going there if you get a chance. The tour and sit down tasting takes about 1.5 hours.
They only make about 130 cases of the Zin and it sells out to the wine club so it’s hard to get. The host did taste us the (not yet released) 2014 Zin. They also occasionally make a “Bricolage” (blend of 5 different Grenache clones and a tiny bit of Mourvedre) and a “Voila” (50-50 blend of Semillon and Sauv Blanc). Those also apparently sell out to the wine club.
They currently make about 3500 cases total, but with the 8 huge stainless open top fermenters they could make more. The host said they’re phasing out their contracts to other wineries (Arrowood and Benziger?) and will be using all their own fruit soon.
I think our host said it was less than 2 acres. The 1919 Zin field blend is shown on the Lasseter web site as: Cabernet Franc, Alicante, Petite Sirah, Grand Noir de Calmete, Peloursin, Lenoir, Merlot and Mourvédre. He said they’d mapped out all the vines. It and all the Lasseter vineyards are farmed by Phil Coturri.
I don’t have any argument with Fish but I think it’s kind of premature to make pronouncements like that. Maybe to date that’s been the case with Syrah, but there are increasingly different iterations of it and unlike Cab or Pinot Noir, it’s one of the grapes that really changes wherever it is grown, so I’d wait before talking about how it’s the dominant force. Ditto for the other grapes being overwhelmed - we have only started seeing what they can do.
100% agree with this. I would also encourage Mr Fish to try the School House Mescolanza Syrah blend from Spring Mountain. Field blend of Syrah, Grenache & Mourvèdre with the Syrah planting at 70%. It certainly doesn’t show anything unbalanced & actually made me rethink the concept of Syrah-heavy blends.
Interesting thread - and I’ve gotta agree that the story has yet to be written.
When putting together blends, there are many ways of looking at it. Most winemakers hope to make the sum greater than the parts, and in doing so, it’s important to figure out who the ‘lead actor or actress’ is.
Syrah can vary in style from warmer climate, bright cherry fruit to cooler climate, peppery and much darker fruit - and both are adept are playing ‘starring roles’ without necessarily completely taking over a blend.
I think the same can be said about ANY blend, be it a bordeaux blend or an Italian variety blend. And certainly white blends, too.
I’ve had beautifully balanced syrah-driven blends from Terre Rouge, Beckmen, Fess Parker, Skylark and others. I’ve also had many that were not as successful
Again, it’s a balancing act - and if you want to get a handle on what’s being done, plan on going to HdR next month or the Rhone Rangers event in SF in early June . . .
You won’t be disappointed. The Chardonnay in particular, but that young vine Syrah blend is fantastic with a little chill & an evening on the back deck.
In all honesty, Wes, this is an interesting comment - and perhaps one that we should discuss more.
Blending is done by a winemaker or a winemaking team, and they probably have something in mind when putting it together. I don’t know of any winemaker who would ‘attempt’ to put together an unbalanced blend - why would they?
The fact, though, is that their palates will be different than ours, and what ‘they’ may feel as being a wonderfully expressive blend may smell or taste unbalanced to you or I.
The other thing to remember is that these blends are put together and left to ‘develop’ in bottle most of the time - the blends are not put together like they used to be over in Bordeaux - immediately after secondary is complete. Therefore, might these develop differently than one believes they would? Certainly . . .
Asseo from L’Aventure does amazing blends. CA fruit with amazing balance as well as power and depth. Clos Solene is also worth checking out. (Both Paso Robles area)
