Syrah, sirrah?

Untangling a great grape

by David Marglin

In January, I predicted this would be the year that syrah takes its place as one of America's prominent red wines, alongside cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, and merlot. Almost halfway through the year, that shows every sign of coming true -- stores are carrying, and selling, more syrahs.

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After years of second-class status, why is syrah finally getting its due? First, it has everything to do with current "American" tastes -- in these times of plenty, everyone seems to be enjoying abundantly flavorful wines. Second, a lot of winemakers are now trying their hand at syrah, and doing a bang-up job with it. There are so many good syrahs available these days that it's hard to go really wrong.

It's not hard, however, to become confused about syrah, shiraz, and petite sirah -- to say nothing of the French regions where syrah has traditionally been grown. So in the interest of keeping a great grape straight, here's the story:

The quintessential syrah wines hail from France's Rhône Valley. They aren't called "syrah" at all, but are labeled by appellation: Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, and Côte-Rôtie. When Robert Parker rediscovered these bad boys in the mid 1980s, a lot of wine connoisseurs began gobbling them up, driving up the prices.

About that time, in California's southern wine regions, a group of winemakers began to focus on Rhône grapes, including syrah. These winemakers dubbed themselves the "Rhône Rangers," and thanks to them, a revolution is now fully underway. These days it seems everyone wants to make Rhône-style wines, especially syrah.

Syrah or shiraz? Australian and South African winemakers have been making syrah for generations -- only they've been calling it "shiraz." What's the difference? The short answer: none. The grapes are the same; shiraz owes its name to the legend that the grape was originally from Persia and was transplanted to southern France during the Roman Empire. To add to the confusion, some "shirazes" are now made in California, but the name implies more a style than anything to do with the grape -- although some Aussie boosters will argue that their shiraz grapes are more "original" than French or American strains, since they have never been decimated by the root louse known as phyloxera and therefore have never been grafted and replanted. At any rate, the key differentiator for shiraz is its big, fruit-forward style, which produces powerful, stunning wines.

At their best, syrahs are as majestic and elegant as Ali in his prime. Much American syrah, like Australian shiraz (see box at right), tends to be more bruising and straightforward -- vintage Foreman. In California, awesome syrahs with a Rhône-like balance of fruit and elegance are now being made in Santa Barbara (by Qupé and Jaffurs), along the central coast (by Albans, Andrew Murray, and Bonny Doon), and in Napa by Truchard (*** 1996 Carneros -- a round, slightly sweet wine with elegant plum and hints of chocolate pudding), Neyers (whose *** 1996 is a monster, oozing warm berry fruit like a shortcake), and Joseph Phelps, whose Mistal is one of the industry's pacesetters.

Many smaller wineries are also concentrating on syrah, including Paloma Vineyards on Spring Mountain (known for exquisite merlot) and Sean Thackrey, whose Orion 1996 Syrah from Old Vines gets ****¹/₂ for being one of the best syrahs around.

Beyond California, amazing syrahs are now being produced in Washington and Oregon. Washington's leaders are Glen Fiona, which makes a Bacchus Vineyard (*** 1997) that is going to be one of this country's best; and Chateau Ste. Michelle (the Reserve 1995 is **). In Oregon, Seven Hills Winery, which is technically part of the predominantly Washington outfit called Walla Walla Valley, makes a smooth, elegant syrah. It's hard to believe that the 1997 is so young and yet so refined. In Oregon's southernmost region, the Rogue Valley, an up-and-coming winery called Valley View Vineyards is making a scrumptious syrah, which -- though not available yet -- will be supposedly be here soon. (The 1996 was **¹/₂, and the 1997 merits a cool *** -- not bad for a wine that retails at $16 a bottle.)

Finally, how does petite sirah (or "petite syrah," as it is sometimes spelled) fit into the picture? First off, the name is a misnomer -- there's nothing petite about these flavorful wines, which tend to be huge and unsubtle. Petite sirah is now believed to be a strain of the French dourif (or durif), which has historically been viewed as a rather ordinary table-wine grape. In California, however, wineries such as Turley, Stags' Leap, and Ridge have been making blockbuster petite sirahs for many years. I recently tried the Turley Hayne Vineyard 1995, made by the famous winemaker Helen Turley for her brother Larry's winery, and it was a knockout. Like many petite sirahs, it may mellow in about 50 years, but right now you have to fasten your belts -- it's one hell of a ride.

Despite its humble origins, current research suggests that petite sirah has been genetically influenced by syrah, making it a bit of a hybrid -- indeed, in many ways, it reminds me of a cross between zinfandel and syrah. Stags' Leap (not to be confused with Stag's Leap, the killer cabernet winery) has been churning out an opulent petite sirah for more than a decade; all its recent vintages have been good, but the 1994 is especially good now. When might you want to uncork a petite sirah? With barbecue, with pungent meat and game, with mighty stinky cheeses, or with big hunks of shish kebab.

Syrah itself, having more elegance, can go equally well with game or any red meat except perhaps a delicate preparation of lamb. Both of these wines reward big gulps over small sips. So hoist your glass, drink up, and let whatever will be, be. And if you're looking for a cheap syrah, try the $11 *** J. Lohr South Ridge 1997 grown in Paso Robles. This is an Old World-style wine, unexpectedly elegant, with a core of dark fruit and blueberries. So good that if you tried it blind, you might mistake it for a Rhône wine.

David Marglin can be reached at wine[a]phx.com.

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