Our final red class focuses on Syrah. (Or Shiraz, if you prefersame grape.) Of thethree reds, syrahs are biggest and fruitiest. Now, I use "biggest" tomean the fullest bodynot necessarily the strongest flavor.
I had a misconception about Syrah. I was under theimpression that the French cultivated Syrah, and after transport to Australia, gained its more common name, Shiraz.Nope. The French actually changed the name. The grape's name comes from thecity of Shiraz in Southern Iran, the possible origin of winemaking over 7,000 years ago. Youmay see a varietal called "Petit Sirah." While a distant cousin, it'sa very different grape than Syrahone that yields wines that are even biggerand much more tannic.
Syrah creates wines that tend to be fruity (and I mean darkfruitlike blackberries and plums) and peppery. Syrah is considerably lesstannic than Cabernet Sauvignon, and so doesn't generally age as well. Somevintages age better than others, but, generally, Syrah really comes into itsown after about 3-4 years.
Our syrah lineup was:
Estancia 2005 Central Coast Syrah – $11-13
C. Guigal 2006 Cotes du Rhone – $11-13
Penfold's 2007Koonunga Hill Shiraz– $9-11
We cracked the Estancia first and gave it a swirl. Smelledlike smoke and alcohol, tasted like spiked grape juice. Much likethe cabernet, decanting was necessary. However, once you open a syrah,you're committed. Even if you vacuum-seal a bottle, the big fruit taste fadesrapidly, so plan to finish within 2-3 days, tops.
After 20 minutes, we tried again. First up, the Estancia. After decanting, the smokyscent was still there, but much more gently. Instead, a strong dark berry aromatook center stage. The full body of this wine was loaded with big flavors of blueberry.The finish was fruity and was the least dry of the three. The finish is bestdescribed as "smoked blueberries."
Moving on to the Guigal.Cotes-du-Rhone is typically a blend of Syrah and Grenache. These are the"generic" wines of the Rhone. I findthem to be good "starter" wines if you want to start tasting Frenchwines. The Guigal's nose was light, berries and flowers. Since it's a blend,the Grenache made the wine lighter and less fruity. The finish was somewhatdry, "leathery," and slightly chalky. While the description may notsound appealing, Cotes-du-Rhone really shows its colors when matched with food.
Finally, the Penfold's.This Australian number also had a fruity nose, but with a leather and vanillascent backing it up. The body was second in line here, with a smoky flavor anda taste like figs or prunes -- not sweet fruits as with many Syrahs. The finishwas full of vanilla and pepper.
We tried different recipes on three consecutive nights. Witha warm, spicy lentil dish, the big winner (not surprisingly) was the Guigal. Wedid a slow-cooker roast with vegetables and fruit, seasoned with honey andcinnamon. The Estancia was the best pairing here. Our final meal wasmustard-coated lamb with rosemary-garlic potatoes. The Estancia is notrecommended. The other two ran neck and neck, but the Penfold's won out by anose. The peppery flavor of this wine meshed really well with the mustard andthe richness of the meat. With chocolate for dessertgo with the Estancia orthe Penfold's.
One lesson remains. The final whiteRiesling.
Class dismissed.
