Syrah and Shiraz
The grape is native to the Rhône Valley of France where it has been grown at least for 2,000 years. For the longest time it was content to play second fiddle to Cabernet and Pinot. Part of this was the fact that, aside from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the Rhône wasn’t as well known to the world market as was Bordeaux or Burgundy.
That’s all changed. In 1968 the entire country of France had only 6,700 acres of it (compared to 30,000 each of Cabernet and Pinot noir)and most of it growing in its original area of the Rhône. Today there are over 170,000 acres of the grape growing all across France although mainly in the south. Looking at global totals, as recently as 1990 there were only 87,000 acres of it: today there are over 400,000 acres. Australia , in second place worldwide, has almost 110,000 acres.
Now you can find $3 Shiraz and $300 Syrah- based wines just as you can with any of the noble grapes. But good to great Syrahs share some things. Number 1 is deep color, more than that of most grapes. Number 2 is an intriguing nose which some describe as black currant, others as barnyardy or as the French say “animale” and others ascribe leather or smoked meat to its wines. It tastes of texture incarnate and re-inforces the aromatic impressions.
The classic northern Rhône expressions appear on the shelves under the labels of Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage, but you can find better values from there labeled Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph and Cornas. For entry level expressions check out wines labeled “Vin de Pays d’Oc Syrah”.
Both Australia and California (as well as South Africa) have long made the gamut of styles from cheap to classic Syrah. And you can find the range in either section at your wine shop. But the last classic, Syrah I have tasted came from Chile. It was the 2004 “Bayo Oscuro” from the Kingston Family Vineyards of the Casablanca Valley ($35). Really a head turner.