Que Syrah, Shiraz...

To most, and at times, to this author the Shiraz/Syrah grape maintains a glorious luster and veritability that both puzzles and pleases the pallette. A Rhone grape at heart, the Syrah grape has spread around the world, uniforming and conforming to nearly a dozen different styles in a manner that seems almost chameleonic. Yet, to most, it is the Uigi Board of red grapes, a venerable phantom that is questioned from the moment it's own name is pronounced.
To take one of my classes, you'll find that I slighly pronounce it's Australian twin Shi-raz not Shi-roz, an homage to what I find to be a uniquely masculine style of the Hermitage clone unparalleled in it's sleek, muscular sexiness. Rhone dorks relax, I realize that Cote Rotie produces some pretty hard nosed Syrahs, a byproduct of both New French Oak and some pretty incredible wine makers(i.e. Guigal, Chave, Chapoutier, etc.) but I'll get to that. Busby's clones that he brought to Barossa in the late 1880s have now become a staple wine in the average American Homestead. Owing a great deal of debt to Riverina 'bulk' table wines like Alice Springs and Yellow Tail, America has become a lucrative market for the 'fruit bombs' that are inherently associated with Australian Shirazes. The cute Kangaroo symbol draws in more bored, natively saturated pallettes than any other attribute from any foreign wine market alone, and while I realize that I have not actually researched this fact, watch any wine isle at your common grocery store...see?
The fact is, that Australia makes a darn good Shiraz, and its complexity can compete with any wine in any climate in any Wine Growing Appellation. Period. From the sexy, complete Riebke by Teusner(if you can find it, buy it, holy cow) to the gorgeous Old Paddock/Old Hill from McWilliam's Mt. Pleasant label, you will find more varietal varience than even the ubiquitous California Cabernet Sauvignon. Critics and those who can afford it(this rarely includes myself) rave about the national treasure of Australia's wine catalogue; Penfold's Grange, a wine crafted in true rebel fashion by the late, very great Max Schubert. Stylized very much in a bordeaux mindset, Schubert created the Grange to compete on a more global scale, realizing that the Australia of the 1950s was ready to take on the juggernauts of Europe. Aged in New American Oak, this bombastic wine was neither authorized nor supported by the Winery, which of course makes it even more alluring to the 'anti-hero' culture that so draws us to Australia as a whole. Of course it rises and falls in quality year in and year out, but it's a staple of a country's history and a great example of the "stretchability" of a grapes qualities. In fact, it was once called Grange Hermitage because Schubert believed it opitimized the grapes of the Croze-Hermitage, a label that was contested and eventually removed for reasons of Appelation fallibility. Sexy in it's herbaceous entry, this gorgeous wine boasts of tahitian vanilla bean and licorice, traces of fresh tobacco mingle with smoked balsa wood that makes the mouth water. The nose wreaks of 'Old World' elegance, and in time this wine performs on a level that is almost unbeatable, echoing soft notes of brambly fruit intertwined with freshly laid tar and hand rolled cigars. I say 'almost unbeatable' because it's competition puts up a pretty hard fight. Henschke(Hen-sh-ki) Hill of Grace is a wolloper of a wine, utilizing the lover and fighter pent up in the Syrah/Shiraz grape. 100 percent Shiraz aged in both French and American Oak, this pricey number consistently ranks as Australia's top wine, only really alternating between Grange and Claredon Hill's mammoth-like Astralis. What does it taste like? I hesitate to say, at nearly $700 dollars a bottle I'm afraid to even mutter tasting notes, but I will say that it exceeds expectations. Big, jammy and sexy; this wine performs on a level that just out runs the competition. It's the Magic Johnson to Grange's Larry Bird; the latter being more composed and consistent, but still not the flashy face of a teutonic label with a rock-star namesake.
Again, not all Shiraz from Australia is a symbol of hard-nosed formidability. Shiraz from the Northerly Hunter Valley can be very subtle, and in being so utterly 'Old World-y'. Rose Hill, another shocker from Mt. Pleasant is one of my very favorite wines in the world. Rocking a mere $40 dollar price tag, this wine is a MVP(most valuable plonk) from an area that hasn't made enough of a splash to present us with a heavy price tag. Earthy, wild fruit slide across your tongue as it opens up into a mellow, round marriage of warm cassis and black currants. The hints of fine, dry-aged field mushrooms really seal the deal, and I have had way too many bottles of this beauty to argue as to it's worth.
Due praise is noted, and will be addressed to the geniuses who continue to produce what I consider to be fantastic wines out of the Rhone Valley. My personal favorite, Jean-Louis Chave, produces wines that are literally 'Wines of a lifetime', turning the grapes of the Croze-Hermitage and the 'hot hills' of the Cote Rotie into plush, robust juices that make the mouth water and the cheeks blush. Guigal and Chapoutier make both affordable wines and cellar gems, often in different price ranges but altogether tasty. Chapoutier's wines from the Cote Du Rhone echo of velvety, seductive fruit that really coats every inch of your mouth. Guigal, well, Guigal utilizes the more heavy handed nature of the Rhone fruit. Think of Guigal as Stallone's character Lincoln Hawk in 'Over the Top', not necessarily the biggest guy in the fight, but certainly managing to out muscle the competition. Other references include Hulk Hogan in No Holds Barred or Jean Claude Van Damme in Lion Heart.
South Africa is stepping up to the plate, with producers like L'Ormarin and Kanonkop leading the way. The Cape style tends to be a heavier blend of minerality and 'funk' that is just now softening down to fit the sensitive pallettes of both America and abroad.
California produces some nicer Syrahs, but the truth is, it's a road they'll be on for a while. Some of my affordable favorites are Falcor and Mi Sueno. Falcor is a family owned winery that utilizes sourced fruit from Napa Valley that makes for a reliable, supple $40 dollar bottle. I love the blackberry cobbler that hints at Jamaican spices and flakey vanilla bean. I know Mike Bee who owns this winery and he is both a gentleman and a quiet scholar, his son Ryan makes the wine with Ray Corson(huge hero of mine), and they make it right. Mi Sueno is the opitimy of Cinderella story. Rolando Herrera jokes that he went from dishwasher to Wine Maker...but he did. A former Director of WineMaking for Paul Hobbs, Herrera literally picked his way to the top, finally coming to a stop at his Vineyard that litereally means 'My Dream'. Wickedly powerful, his Syrah is a fruit powerhouse, black and red currants drip over melted chocolate, the hints of caramelized fig and tobacco are hard to miss. I love this bottle, and at under $50 dollars you should too. It's a great story, from a great winemaker, who really has a solid grasp of soft spoken sex appeal.
Chile is doing a good job of cultivating Syrah, though it will take time, considering the vegitative pallette of most Chilean varietals. Still, their blend worth Syrahs embolden most of their luxury Cuvees. Veramonte's Primus takes a huge deal of grip from it's robust Syrah, adding some depth to their otherwise soft but decadent Cabernet Sauvignon.
Oregon is arriving on the scene, my favorite that you will be able to find is Rock Block Syrah from Domaine Serene. It's just good; big and beautiful from an area that you least expect it. Look for Oregon to be putting out some fantastic Syrahs if this is the start of a trend.
So next time someone asks what the difference between and Syrah and a Shiraz is, you can either do what I did, and write a tome or you can just tell them it's a matter of changing your hemisphere. While the Aussies don't actually have "swirl backwards" toilets anymore(all pressurized; that's right folks...straight down) they do vary in their Syrah/Shiraz identification. What they also do is push the rest of the world to stop slacking and leaving us Rhone-ry. As a postscript, I will address the geniuses behind the Rhone Rangers and the Rhone revolution in another article, as I cannot possiby say enough about Randall Graham and keep your interest in solely this post. Are you still here?? Go drink a Syrah already!
Cameron