From Washington/Oregon, Walla Walla Rocks of Milton Freewater (Oregon but most wineries based in Washington) producers some more funky than savory but it’s a unique type of Syrah worth trying. Some love it, some not. Cayuse/No Girls/Horsepower, some bottles over $75, some under. Reynvaan, similar to Cayuse prices have climbed over $75, Rotie Northen Red, Proper, Delmas, Saviah, Sleight of Hand, Balboa all make Rocks Syrah some under $75 or right at it. I’m missing some but these are all good producers imo.
Other Washington bottles I think of as savory favorites are Mark Ryan Lost Soul from Red Willow Vineyard, Efeste Jolie Bouche, Betz La Serrene, Kevin White from Boushey Vineyards. Plenty of other producers use Red Willow or Boushey and style vary a bit. Gramercy Lapaigne fits savory.
I avoid Red Mountain or Wahluke or Horse Heaven when looking for savory Syrah. Stick with Walla Walla, Yakima sites I named.
Willamette and Southern Oregon make some interesting Syrah too. Only producer i remember that I have tried a couple of times with good results is Cowhorn.
With exception of a few top producers in Walla Walla all under $75 some under $50.
The Crozes-Hermitage was the Equinoxe Equis, I believe from 2018. I tried it bc it got a good nice write up by Eric Asimov in the NY Times, but I myself was not a fan. I don’t remember the specific St. Joseph off the top of my head, unfortunately. Also, as someone who mostly drinks whites and light reds (and the occasionally rancid 50 yr old dolcetto 1967 Dolcetto - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers), I may be applying the “plodding, extracted, flabby” descriptors a bit more liberally than most.
One final question, how does age factor into this? I would assume that the fruitiness fades and savory characters become more prominent over the years, but I’d be curious about the aging curve for Syrah. Thanks again!
Nice try, you just had a bottle of Le Pin! I’ve actually never had Petrus or Le Pin, though as I’m much more of a left bank drinker (with exceptions made for Figeac and Cheval Blanc), I’m not chasing those experiences.
When I think of “lighter bodied” (note: not light bodied, lightER) with an emphasis on savory, I can’t think of a better match than Reynvaan. There are quite a few available under $75 at retailers whos ship to CT.
I’d be interested in who those retailers are. I saw Reynvaan on shelf recently at Wray’s Yakima for $99. In 2010 I bought same bottles at that store for $40. It is good wine, but they have priced themselves above my personal comfort level. I do buy their “second” label formerly Result of a Crush, now The Unnamed wines. Those have also seemed to match the light(ER) style too.
I think Brandon’s point about Syrah being light(ER) is important. There are plenty of elegant Syrahs, lots named in this thread, but the black juice also often has plenty of earthy, black raspberry, coal tar, saline, iron, blood, bacon, brine notes that make it savory, but not wines most would describe as “light” compared to other varieties. To me that’s the trick sometimes with Syrah, if I describe it as elegant FOR A SYRAH, it is in the context of the wide of dark black wines that can be monsters (Velvet Glove or Herman Story come to mind).
I think the last Syrah where I used elegant in a Syrah note was Lagier Meredith, Napa, which I don’t think has been mentioned in this thread. Fantastic stuff at remarkably reasonable pricing.
On aging, I’ve had mixed experience with WA syrahs, some at 10+ years are fantastic, some have fallen apart by then. I cannot figure out exactly why. I drank a 2009 Efeste Jolie Bouche over the past couple of days that tasted like new release Syrah, more fruit that I expected and still hiding some of the savory. That’s partly why it lasted 2 days I hoped by Day 2 it has evolved more. Not really. I’ve had WA syrahs at the 15-20 year mark too that have been singing where the savory secondary notes are taking over, those producers McCrea, Columbia (not the same owners/winemakers as David Lake era) were WA pioneers but sadly are not around anymore.
Chris, HookedOnWine in Kennewick shows a 2014 Contender Syrah from Reynvaan for $59.99. Some Cali retailers show some 2012 In the Hills Syrah for sub-$60.
I think assessing the Saint Cosme wines as generally rustic is a good assessment. The Barruol (of Saint Cosme) Kermit Lynch wines are undoubtedly more elegant however, and I think generally speaking, the Northern Rhone wines Barruol produces are far less modern than Guigal, Chapoutier et al from my experience. But I think the Saint Joseph bottling tends to be a bit denser, black fruited in character (although I’ve had some austere years) while the Crozes Hermitage tends to be more perfumed, aromatic with a mix of red and black fruits. Worth trying I think - but may not precisely fit the profile.
In my mind, there’s a certain profile of Syrah that’s almost ethereal and intensely perfumed. I’m guessing that’s more of what the OP is looking for. There are a lot of cooler climate Syrah that has those elements, but can be very densely structured, with cool black and blue fruits and a cut of herbal in the mid palate - texturally they’re extremely different even though on a tasting note they may come across as similar.
What’s so intriguing and wonderful (frankly) about Chinon/Saumur/etc is that while sometimes leaner, aromatic and full of spring flowers (stems and all!), the texture of Loire Cab Franc can be incredibly full and round with that really lovely ashy texture. Quite different - but altogether lovely in its own seemingly contradictory way. The 2018 Thierry Germain Les Roches Saumur was staggeringly good for the price - and I think there’s a lot of potential for cross-over appeal.
I’ve never had one because they are so pricey but always wondered what they tasted like. Notes on CT seem to say contradictory things, and being from Washington State, I thought they would be heavy.
I think the perfect bottle you could go for now based on your description is:
Matthieu Barret’s Cornas Brise Cailloux.
I just had the 2015, and it is as elegant as it comes when we are talking Syrah. And it is ready to go right away. No need to wait 8+ years. (It is in the natural wine genre, but not a funky wine)
Just bought a few 2016’s myself for around 45-50$ (In Europe).
I’m not going to digress into the very common misperception that Washington Syrahs are “heavy.”
However, I specifically am recommending Reynvaan because they make wines often in a medium-bodied style. I’ve even seen some tasters describe them as “thin.”
Totally agree, especially in the newer generation of Loire CF, like Germain, and in ripe vintages, like that 2018. Germain makes some really nice wines, they are just pricey for the region. At least his SVD cuvees are. The “thin weedy” comment is an old joke here.
I would also add, also without debating Washington/Oregon Syrah=heavy, that vintage matters there too. 2011, 2017 were leaner than average, 2011 being downright cold. 2015 was hot, even in cool vineyard parts of the region. I’d look for 2017 if buying new release, 2011 if looking for a bottle with age from a lean WA vintage. Interestingly (maybe only to me), one of my favorites Mark Ryan Lost Soul did not get released in 2011 and was bottled instead under the Suicide Shift moniker. Still a good wine, but not as beefy as the other vintages of Lost Soul.
+1 on Reynvaan. The 2019’s may be the last bottles I buy (due to price). Depending on vintage, I can get some distinct savory notes from the Bedrock Hudson bottling too. Cheers!
I’ve not had the wine (2018 Equinoxe Equis) but able to google up that this is a parcel that Maxime, son and current manager of Alain Graillot’s wine operations, produces early-drinking fruit bombs from young vines that is different from his father’s better regarded Crozes-Hermitage bottling. I’d suggest that you try and contrast with Graillot’s regular Crozes-Hermitage, or better yet his La Guiraude Crozes label. Those that I’ve had from Alain Graillot’s Crozes are ones that I didn’t find to be extracted nor flabby. Yes, they age well within the appellation parameters and with good, sufficient old-school characteristic. I suspect that these are available at your price range.
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