Syrah

Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: La Peira “Las Flors” 2005 Coteaux du Languedoc

January 3, 2011 By Shea Leave a Comment

Robert Parker is famous for turning back-water wineries into international superstars overnight, regardless of pedigree or old-school reputation. All that is needed are three simple digits. This has understandably made wine lovers wary of critical proselytizing and euphoria about the next great producer that you’ve never heard of.

But proper critical appraisal also requires an open mind to the contrary – massive scores for little known wineries should not in themselves negatively dictate a wine lover’s assessment of quality. While a pretence to objectivity has never sat well in my mind’s critical eye, an attempt at neutrality and open mindedness is surely essential.

La Peira seems to be one of the newest superstar winery discoveries for critics ranging from Robert Parker to Gary Veynerchuck to Andrew Jefford and Jancis Robinson. These critics have been raving about the outstanding quality from this new estate in the Coteaux du Languedoc’s “Terrasses du Larzac” climatic sub-region. Is all this hype substantiated? After a careful and open minded tasting of three of La Peira’s wines, I have to concur with the talking heads and recommend these wines as some of the best from the Languedoc.

The Winery

Begun in 2004, La Peira is the joint effort of winemaker Jérémie Depierre (a young vigneron who spent time at Château Margaux and Château Guiraud), Karine Ahton (a lawyer from the Languedoc), and Rob Dougan (a writer/composer of music). This is a quality first operation: low yields, hand picking, meticulous attention to detail in the vineyard and in the cellar. La Peira does not rack, does not fine or filter and thus they rely on meticulous work in the vineyard to ensure fruit of impeccable quality. La Peira does not use chemicals in the vineyard and in fact works the soil by hand rather than by machine.

The limestone and gravel soils date from the Late Jurassic period and are home to 10-40 year old vines planted of the varieties Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Viognier, Roussanne, Cinsault, and Carignan.

The Terrasses du Larzac

The Terrasses du Larzac, a relatively new sub-regional “climat” in the Coteaux du Languedoc, also sits at one of the highest elevations in the entire region. Wines from the Terrasses are known to be both intense and wild.

These are the most northerly vineyards in Languedoc-Roussillon and sit well back from the sea, thus limiting the temperature moderating effects of the Mediterranean. Thus, summers are longer and warmer than average and winters can be quite cold here. The average rainfall is a fair amount higher than the rest of the Languedoc.

Andrew Jefford has called the Terrasses du Larzac the potentially greatest region in the entire Languedoc-Roussillon. Big words.

The Wine

There was a fair amount of oak on the nose, but still it smells fresh with its plummy notes and baking spices. Once again, the wine is fairly oaky on the palate, but is also very well balanced for this style.

Right now, it seems that the oak is a little too pronounced, but this is smooth and long in the mouth and has tremendous potential. As for flavour, baking spices, plums, and toast intermingle quite deliciously. The 14.5% alcohol is well integrated, but does give the wine a fair amount of weight, which is quite impressive considering the freshness.

Thus far, the wine has yet to come into its own and needs more time in the bottle to develop structure and nuance. I do, however, think it has quite a bit of potential. This is not to say that I am not excited about La Peira, I am. But it was another of their wines – to come – that really opened my eyes. The Las Flors is a blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah.

Very Good+
$50 at Marquis

Filed Under: $40-$60, French Wine, Grenache, Languedoc-Roussillon, Mourvedre, Syrah, Very Good

Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: Chateau de la Negly “La Falaise” Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape 2006

December 19, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

As I finally move into the Languedoc I am happy to begin with Chateau Negly, perhaps the most well recognized and important producers in the Languedoc. But Negly’s importance comes less with its family traditions and more with its recognition by American media, which has helped to put both the winery and the region on the map. While Negly’s top cuvees are often criticized as behemoth over-extracted wines, this mid-range wine from the estate seems unrelated to such criticism.

The Terroirs of the Coteaux du Languedoc

While the Coteaux du Languedoc is the most diverse AOC in the region, the La Clape sub-region is a perfect place to start as it was the most important vineyard in the Languedoc in the Roman period. The Romans saved the wines made in La Clape to be shipped back to Rome (always a sign of the higher quality). Interestingly, La Clape used to be an island until the sea receded and connected it with the mainland. This separation still exists, however, with its unique micro-climate, which is one of the driest in the Coteaux du Languedoc. Today La Clape is at a higher elevation than the plains on which most vines are grown and it is the sea-mists that keep the moisture in the air in this region and the craggly outcrops of rock interspersed with garrigue and vines that give it its unique visual character. As is consistent in the region, the higher elevation helps to brings the wines made in La Clape greater complexity.

The Coteaux du Languedoc AOC has been divided to reflect the uniqueness of place, whether this be “terroir” in the soil and site sense or climate. La Clape is one of the 8 “Climats” of the region because of the unique lack of rainfall that I discussed above. There are also 9 “terroirs” in the AOC. It is understandable how all of this can become very confusing, which may prompt some to concentrate on finding good producers rather than buying by sub-region. However, there is also some interest in exploring the diversity that is available in the Coteaux du Languedoc, which as a microcosm reflects the diversity of wines available in the Languedoc-Roussillon.

Negly’s Winemaking

The “Cuvée de la Falaise” is Negly’s mid level cuvee and is produced from a 15 hectare portion of Negly’s 40 hectare vineyard. La Falaise means “Cliff” in French and the vineyard is a literal stones-throw from the Mediterranean. Everything is hand harvested and sees a week long cold soak and a 45 day macerated fermentation. Aged 12 months in half new and half 300 litre oak barrels.

Modern Wine with a Sense of Place

The nose suggests smoked meat and spices and is quite expressive and evocative. There is a briney quality to the wine, which contrasts nicely with its svelte texture. I find La Falaise to be very well balanced and very long. In fact, I think this quality level of wine would cost $70-80 if from the Northern Rhone.

Like many wines from Languedoc-Roussillon this marries elegance with great depth of flavour. I also appreciate that the fruit is very cool toned, which allows all the other amazing characteristics to come through – I would imagine this has a reasonable amount of Syrah and maybe some Mourvedre as well. With air, I noted Grenache characteristics coming through with sweeter cherry fruit. After checking online, I found out this wine is 55% Grenache and 45% Syrah, which is quite fascinating as I think the Grenache elements are subdued at this stage in the wine’s development.

Amazingly this wine is 15% ABV but it is so balanced it tastes more like 14%, which is a remarkable achievement in itself. This wonderful wine again proves the Languedoc marries elegance and power and can make world class wines for entirely reasonable prices.

Excellent
$43 at Marquis (Also, recently this was on an amazing special marked down from $25 to $10 at K&L in San Francisco)

Filed Under: $40-$60, Excellent, French Wine, Grenache, Languedoc-Roussillon, Syrah

Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: Domaine Canet-Valette Saint-Chinian “Maghani” 2004

December 2, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Today’s wine is an altogether different creature than the Minervois I looked at a few days ago. It is also a great showcase for different trends in the modern leaders of Languedoc-Roussillon. On the one hand there are those contemporary wine makers who go for elegance, finesse and a more transparent sense of terroir. On the other hand, there are those who push for power, opulence and concentration. Two things I find common between both groups in the region are cleanliness and expressivity.

Monastic Origins

Saint-Chinian began as the labour of a monk named Anian and his bretheren who first saw the potential for agriculture in the region. Amongst other things, Anian helped to plant the first vines in the 9th century – meaning that St. Chinian is one of the older planted regions in the south of France. Anian was eventually canonized into a saint. Time and linguistic changes transformed Saint Anian (pronounced Sainch Anian in old French) into Saint Chinian.

Saint-Chinian’s Terroir

The terroirs of Saint-Chinian divide into two main categories: (1) schist and (2) chalk subsoils left by a prehistoric receding sea. Stylistically, this has tended to produce both a rounder and more elegance style and a harder, intensely fruity style. Wild orange trees and strawberry trees cover the region. The region is north of Minervois and just south of Faugeres.

Full Throttle Wine with Balance

Marc Valette, winemaker for Domaine Canet-Valette is a full-throttle wine maker. He explicitly goes for the highest alcohol possible in his wines, which fortunately for us, is only around 14-15%. While high, this is nowhere near as high as the most extreme North American examples.

This is a full-throttle wine, make no mistake. However, it retains an eminent drinkability and focus that eludes most North American attempts at this style of wine. When you drink it you will find leather, herbs, garrigue, meat, licorice and plum on the nose, which reminded me somewhat of the southern Rhone (this too is a blend of Grenache and Syrah), but with more elegance. Those same flavours persist on the palate, which is heavily tannic but also both supple and bold, with a good core of acidity – and, therefore, balance. A masterful use of barrel aging – and a very good price for the level this wine is at. This is a wine that will benefit from age but drinks well now with the right food.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$50 at Marquis

Filed Under: $40-$60, French Wine, Grenache, Languedoc-Roussillon, Syrah, Very Good

Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: Vignoble de Loup Blanc “La Mere Grand” 2004 Minervois

November 28, 2010 By Shea 2 Comments

Minervois is one of the best known regions in all of the Languedoc-Roussillon, and still most people have never heard of it. Sitting about 50 miles north of Roussillon, the appellation, despite its relatively small size, has a varied range of soils and climates, from pebbles and sandstone to schist, chalk and white marble. Wind is important here, and its direction can determine the success of a particular vintage (rain vs. cool and dry). Thus, it can be hard to pin down a single style that is common to the entire region.

Increasing Quality and New Ventures

Despite the variation, one commonality is that the best wines manage to provide elegance and lightness that is uncommon in the southern parts of Languedoc-Roussillon. Allowed yields have declined twice since the 80’s and quality has increased accordingly. Vignoble de Loup Blanc is a relatively new winery, started about a decade ago by a Frenchman and a Quebecois sommelier.

Several grape varieties are grown in Minervois, but this cuvee from Le Loup Blanc combines 60% Grenache with 15% Carignan and 25% Syrah. The vines range from 20-100 years, with the Carignan vines being most likely the oldest as is common in the region. It also has a 15-20 day fermentation and 20 months elevage in oak.

Brooding Flavours in an Elegant Package

This is outstanding wine for the price and offers great elegance and acidic lift compared to many wines from Southern France. Fresh, and very clean this wine also has a pert texture and wonderful aromatics of herbs, sweet plumy fruit and tremendous minerality. The palate is dry, however, and the fruit is properly balanced with the secondary characteristics so that nothing seems over ripe or over the top. Balance, poise, and power – a great combination, particularly at this price point.

Very Good+ to Excellent
$30 at Marquis

Filed Under: $20-$30, Carignan, French Wine, Grenache, Languedoc-Roussillon, Syrah, Very Good

Spotlight on Languedoc-Roussillon: Domaine Gauby ‘Muntada’ Cotes du Roussillon Villages 2004

November 9, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Gauby may be the leading producer not only in Roussillon but in the entire Languedoc-Rousillon region. The domaine is fully biodynamic, but more importantly Gauby is fanatical about hard pruning, green harvesting, low-yields and hand sorting. These sorts of practices tend to produce good wine. Gauby, however, makes great wine.

Hot Climate Finesse

These are also wines dripping tremendously with the trappings of terroir – which is not surprising given the limestone, schist, and sandstone soils. They taste nothing like we have come to expect from hot climate wines, particularly the reds. This wine, the Muntada, is made almost entirely from Syrah but you would never know it and would never place it amongst any other warm climate syrah.

Instead, the Muntada has an utterly compelling nose of violets, anise, herbs, red cherry and raspberry that broods as much as it expresses. This is a wine that tastes of stones and minerals but somehow makes them as delicious as a fresh orchard fruit. Light and long, the flavours yet remain intense and the 12.5% alcohol ensures an excellent accompaniment to many foods despite the intensity.

Old Vines, New Vines

The non-syrah Mourvedre and Carignan vines average 110 years of age in this blend and show how old vines and low yields can produce tremendous depth of flavour without requiring extreme ripeness. On the other hand, that Gauby is not only open to using syrah, but fully embraces it in his top wine shows that one can both honour terroir and be open-minded to the new.

Not only is this wine is of the same quality and finesse as a great Premier Cru Burgundy at a much better price, but it is also a personal favourite.

Excellent+
$78 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars

Filed Under: $60+, Carignan, Excellent, French Wine, Languedoc-Roussillon, Mourvedre, Syrah

Spotlight on Washington Syrah: Cayuse “Cailloux Vineyard” Syrah 2006

October 13, 2010 By Shea 2 Comments

Perhaps it is best to trust a Frenchman with 500 years of winemaking experience in his family to make Washington’s best Syrah. Christophe Baron is not just the leading winemaker of Syrah in Washington, if not the entire U.S., he is also the reason Syrah is a big deal in Washington. When he started, Syrah in the state saw but spotted plantings and nothing inspired.

Chateauneuf Terroir in Washington State

His initial forays into Washington led him to a riverbed that most had ignored, but was filled with Chateauneuf du Papes style galet stones, with silty loam, sand and cobblestone on the surface and then 200 feet of stone underneath. Baron was meticulous in his practices, digging up and hand planting the vineyard that is now known as Cailloux, in the heart of Walla Walla. While Baron now has 3 other vineyards, Cailloux remains the heart of Cayuse and the original site of Baron’s fully biodynamic winery.

Baron experiments with both French and Spanish varieties, but it is his Syrah that is the heart of Cayuse and the most important wine he makes. This stuff is truly terroir driven, and plays out Baron’s obsession with earth, soil and site.

Obsession with Purity

Baron does some outstanding things at Cayuse like planting vines on their own rootstock, despite the risk of phylloxera, along with high density plantings, green harvesting and the use of native yeasts in the winemaking process (interestingly, see Jamie Goode’s article on the importance of yeasts for terroir in the latest World of Fine Wine magazine).

One of the World’s Great Syrahs

The wine itself is aromatically suave and presents some vegetal aromas along with roots, hoisin, meat and mineral. The palate is truly exceptional and extremely balanced and long. Again come vegetal elements, minerals, and soft black fruits without any bitterness. There is nothing out of place in this wine and nothing difficult to understand, even though it is complex and profound. In fact, the wine is truly exceptional and deserving of a place amongst the world’s greatest Syrahs.

The 3000 case production sells out annually at Cayuse, but you can find his wines in Vancouver yearly at Everything Wine and at select restaurants.

Excellent+
$122 at Everything Wine

P.S. There will be about a week of haitus on this blog while I attend a friend’s wedding, then on to Languedoc-Roussillon.

Filed Under: $60+, Excellent, Syrah, Washington Syrah, Washington Wine

Spotlight on Washington Syrah: K Syrah “The Deal” Sundance Vineyard Syrah 2006

October 12, 2010 By Shea 2 Comments

This post is meant as a quick note of juxtaposition to the last wine in the spotlight. Though made by the same producer as the Skull Syrah, the K Syrah “The Deal” is a far more palatable wine.

The wine is made in a big upfront style and is very rich. However, there is enough going on here – such as olives, brine, and game – that make this far more varietally correct (and far better balanced) than the Skull syrah.

Some might argue that the fruit is still too ripe, and I would agree that no one with a particular love of Northern Rhone Syrah should look to this wine. That said, this is not one-dimensional nor does the alcohol become as astringent as it does in the Skull, despite a similar alcohol percentage of 15.5%. It is not, however, balanced compared to the great syrahs of the Rhone or Languedoc, nor is it particularly worth the price.

Is this the future of Washington Syrah? I see no problem with this sort of wine occupying a niche so long as it does not dominate the other wonderful and much more regionally expressive Syrahs also being made in the state such as the Waters and the Betz.

So ends this brief note. I have one more significant post coming in this series before I move into the exciting wines of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Very Good
~$60 at Kitsilano Wine Cellars

Filed Under: $60+, Syrah, Very Good, Washington Syrah, Washington Wine

Spotlight on Washington Syrah: Charles Smith Wines Skull Syrah 2005

October 7, 2010 By Shea 4 Comments

I could spend time in this post discussing the terroir of the Columbia Valley AVA where the grapes for Charles Smith’s Skull Syrah were grown – but doing so would not be true to what’s going on with this wine.

Rock Star Terroir

Charles Smith is a self styled rock-star winemaker with several brands: from the cheap Magnificent Wine Company bottlings like House Wine and Boom Boom Syrah to the K Syrah bottlings which include many interesting single vineyard Syrahs to the uber-premium Charles Smith Wines bottlings such as this Skull, and also the Heart syrah.

The rock-star moniker does make some level of sense given his years managing rock bands in Copenhagen. Perhaps fittingly, Smith became friends with Christophe Baron, winemaker and owner of Cayuse, who encouraged him to start making wine, as there are no two styles that are more diametrically opposed.

To preempt my criticism of his style of winemaking, I am obliged to also recognize that Charles Smith has perhaps done more for Syrah in Washington than almost anyone, except perhaps Mr. Baron himself. And you have to admit Mr. Smith’s marketing has been outstanding. But what of the wines?

Sui Generis “Wine”

An important caveat here is that this is decidedly not a review of the K syrah bottlings, many of which I quite enjoy. The top end Charles Smith wines are sui generis, that is, unique unto themselves. They are also guaranteed to be some of the most controversial being made in Washington today.

The nose is mind-bending in a non-superlative sort of way. It is very rich and extracted with some heavy volatile acids and obscuring dry extract that makes you wonder what happened to the fruit this was made from.

The palate is outrageously massive and almost astringently alcoholic – I taste soy, tar and ripe but obfuscating tannin. As over the top as this wine is, it does retain a smidgen of promise that it might turn into something fascinating with age. And fascinating must be understood in its Vulcan-like neutral capacity. As Allen Meadows mentioned in one of our conversations, a freak of nature can catch your attention, but might not be compelling or enticing over time.

This is what I would call a food unfriendly wine to the point that I’m not even sure one can or should call this wine. In fact, even after a day of air this tastes more like sweetly flavoured alcohol and extract than fruit.

So how to rate this? It is hard to understand and truly is its own thing. It is also the epitome of Charles Smith’s style, even though in my opinion vastly inferior to the wines from K Syrah.

What does this mean for Washington Syrah? Well, it certainly can play the marketing and points game as much as anyone, and it is certainly fascinating to see what “rock star” winemakers can produce. But let’s hope this is an experimental approach that will eventually be abandoned for a more terroir and fruit driven approach.

Fair to Good
$120 USD, $80 CDN at Everything Wine

Filed Under: $60+, Fair, Syrah, Washington Wine

Spotlight on Washington Syrah: Waters “Forgotten Hills” Syrah 2006

October 5, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

Walla Walla is now the symbolic centre of the Washington wine industry. Ten years ago, however, it was more famous for housing some of Washington’s top wineries than it was for actually supplying grapes for the state’s best wines. These days, however, plantings in the Walla Walla Valley have significantly expanded. Waters is one of the new breed of wineries that is taking advantage of some of the great sites and soils in the area.

A Slow Ripening Vineyard

Waters planted a vineyard near to the famous Cayuse vineyard in the south of Walla Walla at the eastern edge of the Walla Walla Valley appellation near the foothills of the Blue Mountains. The soils are composed of three different types: basalt cobblestones, deep silt loam and sandy loam. The cobbles provide excellent drainage and radiate heat that prolongs ripening during cool evenings. The silt loam allows vines to send roots deep into the soil and tap into native water supplies which reduces the need for irrigation. The sandy loam also offers excellent drainage and reduces pest pressures. This slow-ripening vineyard, sitting at 1000 feet above sea level, is also one of the last to be picked in the region.

French Style Syrah

Waters is making syrah unlike many producers in Washington, working along the lines of Cayuse much more than the dense and heavily extracted syrahs gaining praise with critics. Waters are purists, looking to the old world for inspiration. I think this translates extremely effectively in their wines, which focus on aromatics and freshness.

This wine had lovely brightly toned fruit with menthol, chocolate, brine and smoke. The palate is higher acid than most WA syrahs with lots of olive, brine, herbs and spice along with classic blackberry and raspberry fruit. The structure and length were extremely effective, but the high tones of the fruit draw the wine a bit out of balance right now. This will mellow and integrate with either bottle age or the right food pairing.

Without doubt, Waters is a syrah producer to watch in Washington.

Very Good+ (Excellent with age)
$40 at Esquin in Seattle

Filed Under: $40-$60, French Wine, Syrah, Very Good, Washington Syrah

Spotlight on Washington Syrah: Doyenne Grand Ciel Syrah 2005

October 3, 2010 By Shea Leave a Comment

It is always an important exercise to compare different approaches to making wine from the same sites. These sorts of examinations can tell us much about the developing terroir of a younger region. The Doyenne Syrah is, like the last wine in this profile, made from grapes grown in the Red Mountain AVA. But it is of a completely different expression of the grape.

A French Lover in Washington

Doyenne is the Rhone style project of the famed Washington producer DeLille Cellars, which focuses on Bordeaux influenced wines. Winemaker and co-founder Chris Upchurch, however, has always had a great love of the Rhone Valley and has spent much time visiting wineries in France. Thus, like Bob Betz, Upchurch has a good comparative base for wine styles and wine quality.

Unlike Betz, however, Doyenne only started making Syrah recently and so Upchurch has a little less experience with the grape. Doyenne also makes this particular, “super-premium” syrah from a newly planted vineyard on Red Mountain.

Great Horses in the Sky

The Grand Ciel vineyard is planted adjacent to the famous Ciel du Cheval vineyard that has made many wineries famous, such as Quilceda Creek and Andrew Will. The owner of Ciel du Cheval planted Grand Ciel at the behest of Mr. Upchurch for special bottlings at both DeLille and Doyenne. The vines were only planted in 2001, and so are still quite young. However, Upchurch built the vineyard based on extensive clonal research which so far seems to have shown quite a bit of promise. That said, I’m not sure that this wine is distinctive enough yet for me to say the Grand Ciel vineyard has its own distinctive terroir. The vines are likely too youthful to make any real conclusions about terroir yet.

Objectively, Grand Ciel should share many characteristics with Ciel du Cheval, which has sandy loam on top of calcareous chunks and more loam on top of an ancient riverbed and an aquifer deep below the surface, forcing the vines to search for water. Flavour wise, I cannot quite get the same distinctiveness, yet. But again that will likely change.

An Over-Made Up Wine

Co-fermented with Viognier, I expected this wine to approximate a Cote Rotie much more than it did. Instead, it is made in a high octane style with a luxurious no-expense-spared approach.

The nose is quite sweet up front with cherry, strawberry and heavy oak aromas. This is extremely rich and big on the palate and is missing the balance of the Betz bottling, with oak and alcohol dominating far more than they should. I think the oak will integrate somewhat with bottle age as this was better balanced on the second day – but, overall, I felt the wine was too made up for its own good. The fruit was overly jammy and the wine lacked the finesse, balance and complexity it should carry for this price. 14.9% ABV.

In conclusion, Betz’ La Cote Rousse Syrah is a far more transparent and balanced version of Red Mountain Syrah. This wine also goes to show that even the best raw materials can lose their soul when overly made-up.

Very Good
$80 USD in California