Wine Focus February 2022 - Syrah & Open that Bottle Night(s)

[Jenise]

Our superbowl wine:

2007 DuMOL Syrah Russian River Valley
Loved this. Blackberry fruit, clove, a hint of sage; elegantly powerful concentration and integrated tannins that poured like silk on our palates. Drinking at peak right now, and possibly the best California syrah I've ever had.

[Robin Garr]

Syrah, Shiraz, same thing, right? I've avoided Australian Shiraz for years and years because so much of it - particularly in the QPR range – came across as sweet, oaky, spoofy high-alcohol blueberry milkshakes. But for this Focus I figured it was worth going back for a modestly priced effort from a Barossa producer that I had visited and liked back in the '00s. Good choice. It's quite nice, and even the 14% alcohol didn't heat up the flavor at all.

Barossa Valley Estate 2019 Barossa Valley Shiraz ($12.99)

Dark purple in color with a thin garnet edge, Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz offers appealing scents of plums and blackberries with light spice revealing a dash, not a blast, of oak. Its fruit flavors fill the palate in a tart, freshly acidic flavor that adds a distinct impression of red clay minerality; its 14% alcohol doesn't intrude. Appetizing red and black fruit linger in a very long finish. A tasty Shiraz that reveals a family connection with the Syrah of the Rhône, but with an appealing Australian accent all its own. Good wine, good value. U.S. importer: Delegat USA Inc., San Francisco. (Feb. 10, 2022)

FOOD MATCH: This mouth-filling red wine with its food-friendly acidic structure will go well with red meats, beef and game. It will also pair well with good cheeses and bean dishes. We enjoyed it with a rich spaghetti and meat sauce made with Beyond Beef beefy crumbles.

WHEN TO DRINK: It's delicious now, but its good fruit and acid balance and sturdy screw cap should preserve it for enjoyment for maybe five years. (The winery says it is "made to enjoy upon release, yet will reward further cellaring.")

VALUE:
My local price is a dollar under Wine-Searcher.com's $14 average U.S. retail, but shop around if you can. Wine-Searcher finds it widely available for under $10.

WEB LINK:
The Barossa Valley website offers both general information and a more detailed technical information sheet on the winery website.

FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for Barossa Valley Estate Shiraz on Wine-Searcher.com.

Follow this Wine-Searcher link to read about the Barossa Valley and look up vendors and prices for many wines from the region.

Read about Shiraz and browse wine-sale listings at this Wine-Searcher link.

[David M. Bueker]

• 2012 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Exposition One Weill Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (2/16/2022)
  Two years since my last bottle. I still have not learned my lesson about decanting, but it no longer matters. This was luscious from the first sip. Rich but nuanced. Deep but clear as a sunny day. Deep plum fruit with baking spices and herbs, it honestly felt more like a Zinfandel until the finish, when the red meat and smoke signaled Syrah. Drink anytime you want to.

[Jenise]

2012 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In the Rocks Walla Walla Valley
Did not decant. Immediately drinkable and there was some improvement over the first hour, but it never stopped tasting like it was hiding something. Green olive and prickly nettles were a bit out in front of the raspberry-plum fruit and usual roadside attractions the whole time. Has decent structure but I'm not sure the fruit will hold up. Keep an eye on this one.

2013 Chateau de Lancyre Pic St. Loup Vieilles Vignes, Languedoc.

I have been a Lancyre collector for over 20 years, their wines are very good quality. The Rose is a must-buy if you can find it.

This 2013 needed 2 hours to open up, did decant but no sediment. Very nice deep red ruby with minimum bricking. Dark fruit and pepper nose, hint of meaty/bacon.
Initial entry thought..still some tannins and a hint of sweetness. 65% Syrah here, some spice and dark fruits. Medium-bodied plus, some earthy tones with good acidity. Went well with braised pork tenderloin.

[Jenise]

• 2019 Bedrock Wine Co. Syrah Weill a Way Vineyard - USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley (2/9/2022)
  Opened the night after the 2019 California Syrah because I wanted to do a reasonably direct comparison. The Weill has more richness, more depth, more everything except more class. Both wines have just as much of that, while the Weill is the long distance runner versus the middle distance California Syrah.

Your notes have me intrigued. I just ordered some Bedrock Syrahs.

[David M. Bueker]

• 2016 Pax Syrah Sonoma Hillsides - USA, California, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley (2/22/2022)
  There have been a lot of up and down comments on this wine, but this is definitely an “up” bottle. It’s very well integrated, a balanced combination of fruit, structure, and bottle aged elements. It has all the classic Syrah notes, including smoke/tar, dark fruit, red meat, and even a bit of that holy grail bacon fat. Medium bodied, and with a dash of mid-palate grip, it feels like it is set up for another decade of positive aging. There is no way to define whether the initial 100 point rating makes any logical sense, but it’s certainly a delicious Syrah with notable upside potential.

This is a blend of 70% Syrah, 20% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre. I'm not a great fan of warm climate Syrah, whose marked elegant character in the north seems to get blurred and coarsened by the greater heat. However, "Altitude" in this wine's name should be reassuring and others in Faugères do well, notably Alquier (now owned by the Bardi family) whose Les Bastides cuvée used to have (and perhaps still does?) a quasi N.Rhône class and elegance coupled with some Languedoc garrigue and warmth.

2019 Château de Ciffre Faugères Terroirs d'Altitude - France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Faugères (22/02/2022)
I have found this a reliable if unexciting bottling in previous vintages. This one conforms to type in its fullish body, dark complexioned fruit and smooth texture but adds an unwelcome ointment like perfume to its aromas and a certain bitterness in the finish which I don't recall in its predecessors. Is this because of greater youth than the age at which I tackled previous vintages or because of more intrusive manipulation in the cellars? Quite good.
Posted from CellarTracker

[David M. Bueker]

Ointment as in a medicinal smell?

Ointment as in a medicinal smell?

More like cosmetic ointment.

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2019 Kleine Zalze Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier (South Africa, Western Cape)

Kleine Zalze is a reliable producer, especially at low price points, and I have enjoyed a lot of their matching Chenin Blanc. This was the second of the brace of SMV we bought and I was looking forward to it.


Maybe I was out of sorts, but I found it lightweight, watery even - tho' I was surprised to see it was 14% abv.

Open That Bottle!!!

My mum and her sister lived in Suffolk and many years ago when I visited I would pop into the local vineyard and buy a case of wine.

My tastes changed and for whatever reason I have two bottles of 1974 wine left from those times. I haven't wanted to throw them away because they are ties with those far off days. But I have been instructed to move my wines (they're mine except at dinner time when they're "ours").

So I had to empty the Eurocave before moving it to the garage. Time to dump these old undrunk and undrinkable wines. But, first I'd open one. The cork was spongy, there was appreciable ullage, I managed to extract the cork by fixing it with a waiters' friend, and using a butlers' friend.

I poured a glass and this is what it looked like

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1974 Cavendish Manor Muller-Thurgau (England, Suffolk)

Golden - as expected, but it didn't smell off. So I tasted. It sweet and concentrated, and attractive. If one didn't know it was a 47 year old English Muller Thurgau one would think it a recent wine, maybe lightly fortified, maybe from the Jura.....

Will the other bottle be as good? Should I use it in a blind tasting?

[David M. Bueker]

That's really cool Peter!

[Jenise]

Peter, that's definitely an OPB wine!

It's questionable whether or not this adds to content since these three were mentioned in another thread I posted, but hey, they're syrahs so they count.

2016 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah The Unnamed Series Walla Walla Valley
PnP'd. You guys hear me mention Reynvaan all the time, I do love their Northern Rhone style wines. The Unnamed Series is essentially a second label in which declassified barrels and young vine fruit get turned into something drinkable, but in Matt Reynvaan's hands the results are way beyond just drinkable. Seamless red and blue fruit, green olive, Rocks funk, and mild tar. Dry but svelte, tighter at present than previous bottles but opens up with food. 2024-25 still a peak target. A killer buy for $26.

2014 Dynasty Cellars Syrah DCS Les Collines Vineyard Walla Walla Valley
At 7 years out from vintage this shows better than ever. A hearty wine, the initially-reductive fruit has mellowed and while still showing plenty of substance, it has acquired some gentility. A good wine to be drinking this week, as the winemaker escaped from Ukraine penniless several decades ago and has made quite a name for himself locally with his winery. The wines are so well-regarded that they are given shelf space with all the other premium wines out of Walla Walla, as compared to the few other local winemakers who get featured on a special shelf for tourists as 'local wines', which is a very clear signal for lowered expectations.

2016 Proper Wines Estate Syrah Walla Walla Valley
Concentrated black and blue fruits, rosemary and fennel. Generously oaked resulting in a cashmere texture, hints of maple syrup on the sweet finish. An elegant Washington syrah which I liked, though it's not at all my preferred style.

[David M. Bueker]

We’ll take it!

[Jenise]

So to get ready for OTB night, last night we celebrated Last Puppy Night early and opened this, which disappointed:

2010 Karl Lawrence Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
Past peak. Still drinkable, but turning muddy instead of gaining those lovely mature flavors we crave in aged cabs. Lots of chunky sediment.

Tonight I'm opening a 1990 Grange to pair with a cowboy steak (steak dredged in equal parts finely ground coffee, raw sugar and kosher salt) if, that is IF, we survive a 4:00 1st birthday party for Harley the Pug.

[David M. Bueker]

I am so confused Jenise. I am still drinking 375s of KL Cabs from 2004-2007 that are in great shape.

2015 Cornas "Les Grandes Terrasses", Paul Jaboulet Aiine

I used to be very fond of Cornas, especially Auguste Clape, but then the Northern Rhone got Parkerized, prices went through the roof, and allocations got so tight that you couldn't find the wines anyway. I found this one in the discount bins at the NH State Liquor Store, very steeply discounted and thus at what I consider a reasonable price. So I got one.

The wine is a very dark, opaque purple. Somewhat closed in on the nose, but exhibiting classic Northern Rhone syrah aromas, minus the smokier elements. Probably too young for those, yet. Surprisingly forward and drinkable--the Clape Cornas from the 1980s was fiercely tannic and acidic when this young. This is a negociant cuvee and the blurb on the label said meant to be enjoyed up to ten years, so it's probably intentionally vinified to be forward. I may get another one to see what it develops into. Double Larry.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

I am so confused Jenise. I am still drinking 375s of KL Cabs from 2004-2007 that are in great shape.

Can't explain, David. BUT, this wasn't winery-direct provenance kept in a glacial-paced cellar like yours since. It was one of three or four bottles discovered at a Bristol Farms market in Redondo Beach circa 2014 kept at 57-60F since.

[David M. Bueker]

• 2010 Bernard Levet Côte-Rôtie Les Journaries / Maestria - France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie (2/27/2022)
  Someone else posted on this wine the other day, and as I had one standing up ready to go I took it as a sign. It’s not mature, but it it beautifully integrated. There’s still a wild edge to it, but it doesn’t stick out from the weave. The tannins are fully bonded to the fruit, and the savory notes add further buffering against the acid and tannin structure. It’s quite remarkable how seamless this is at not much more than 10 years old. Balance, balance, balance. This is the target that so many low alcohol/high acid California Syrahs are shooting for, and so often miss badly in the attempt.

Not able to afford Cote-Rotie any more but appreciate your note David.
Beef ribs were on the menu tonight so I opened a meaty Neil Ellis Syrah from S Africa. Wonderful all-rounder will post TN asap.

Another in the Open That Bottle category.

I have to move all my wines, so when I looked at the maturation chart on the back label that said it was expected to reach its peak in 2004, I decided, rather than move it to a new location, I would open it.

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1990 Kanonkop Estate Pinotage (South Africa, Stellenbosch)

The cork was spongy and a chunk of it dropped off the bottom and fell into the wine which was gorgeous. Yes, it was aged, and the big fruit flavours had gone but it offered delicate fruits and gentle Pinotage sweetness. Usually Mrs M doesn’t go for aged wines and I was prepared to open a more recent wine, but she loved this. And so did I.
Note: It’s W.O. Stellenbosch only because it was made before the Simonsberg-Stellenbosch ward - which the estate vineyards are in - hadn’t been created.

Until recently I greatly enjoyed Syrah/Shiraz, which never was rated when I was learning about wine. Then I went off the very things I liked about the varietals - spice and ground pepper notes. Now I prefer it as a component in a blend, so I opened this on Sunday -

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2017 Luddite Wines Saboteur (South Africa, Bot River)

I used to regularly buy Luddite Shiraz before the price rocketed, this Saboteur second label is more attractively priced. Niels Verburg is the owner/winemaker of Luddite and he added this second label to be a more new-world style Rhone blend, as he says, "if it wasn’t for the Cabernet Sauvignon".

It's a blend of 57% Shiraz, 20% Mourvèdre, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Grenache Noir. (Grenache Noir from the 2018 vintage.)

I think Niels is a terrific chap and a terrific winemaker, and this wine is delightful. To be honest, we enjoyed drinking it too much to analyse exactly why we so enjoyed it. Luckily I have more bottles.

There's both red and white Saboteurs and both are closed with crown cap or cork. This bottle was closed with a cork

[Jenise]

Got a two-fer for you: An OPB Syrah, of the most major sort. Before opening this I checked its current auction value: $588. Big gulp. Should I or shouldn't I? I can easily dispatch it for auction, wherein the price obtained might be more exciting than drinking the wine itself...it would just be Bob and I, no one to impress. I hemmed and hawed all day about it and finally gave in.

1990 Penfolds Grange South Australia Shiraz Blend
Our last one, purchased on release in Anchorage, Alaska for $102. Ullage into the neck. Cork, shorter than expected, slides out easily, almost scary easily, with an Ah-So, but pristeen. Decanted, some sediment. Fantastic garnet color, no bricking. On the nose, that unmistakable malted/vanilla thing that only Aussie shirazes have (and I'm not crazy about) which carries through to plummy palate fruit and smoke. Amazing depth, but surprisingly no tertiary notes and in fact not a lot of secondary layers. It's young but it's not, it's old but it's not--blind, you'd never mistake it for a young wine but you'd never guess it's age. No decline whatsoever over the two hours we drank it.

So should I have sent it to auction? Yes. And it's not that we didn't enjoy it, we did. But I could have spent $600 on three-four bottles of things I'd enjoy more. I have a '91--not worth as much as the '90, but hammertime here we come.