WTN: Five Big Syrahs

A couple of years ago, my brother was out here for a fishing trip. He spotted a very good discount on a bottle of 2000 Rosemount Balmoral Shiraz, and bought one. We stored it at my house and planned to drink it no earlier than 2007. Well, he was just out here again on a business trip and spent the weekend with us … and he wanted to try that bottle of Balmoral. After thinking about this a bit, we decided to quickly organize a small (10-person) blind tasting event. It featured two bottles of Shiraz from Australia, a Syrah from California, and two from Washington. All were from the 2000 vintage, except one from 1998. We did not do formal scoring, but the wines are listed below in the order of group preference, as best as I can remember.

2000 Rosemount Estate Balmoral Shiraz ($50, 14.0% ABV): Lovely ruby color with nice aroma. Bright red fruit flavors with integrated spice and pepper. Good finish. Tannins are under control and well integrated.

2000 McCrea Cellars Amerique Yakima Valley Syrah ($40, 14.8% ABV): Dark with a noticeable toasty aroma. The fruit was nicely presented with some toast on the finish. Nice and smooth.

1998 Paxton McLaren Vale Shiraz ($34, 14.5% ABV): Deep, dark color; big body with a good mix of dark fruit flavors; big wine finish with moderate tannin. Had a lot of sediment.

2000 Ridge Lytton Estate Syrah ($30, 14.4% ABV): Very dark, with big fruity aroma. Bold, dark cherry fruit flavors with medium tannin. Finish was long and smooth. Pretty easily identified as the Ridge wine in this blind tasting.

2000 Dunham Cellars Columbia Valley Syrah ($45, 13.8% ABV): Bright fruity aroma, but rather disappointing after that. Felt out of balance, with acid dominating the palate and a somewhat hot finish. This wine is (unfortunately) already past its prime.

-- Clark

I'm seeing a number of favorable review of McCrea wines. I really need to try some.

2000 Ridge Lytton Estate Syrah ($30, 14.4% ABV): Pretty easily identified as the Ridge wine in this blind tasting.

Why?

Because you know the wine or does it show the same Oaky Draper Perfume as the zinfandels (although I didn't notice a mention of such notes in your TN).

2000 Ridge Lytton Estate Syrah ($30, 14.4% ABV): Pretty easily identified as the Ridge wine in this blind tasting.

Why?

Because you know the wine or does it show the same Oaky Draper Perfume as the zinfandels (although I didn't notice a mention of such notes in your TN).

I don't recall the last time I tasted a Ridge Syrah; has to be years ago. However, I was a member of the Ridge ATP Club for several years, and I had the opportunity to sample many of their red wines (except Montebello). Everything is big, dark and juicy, regardless of the varietal. Furthermore, I think I had a Ridge Zinfandel within the past two months, so perhaps my receptors were still attuned to it.

This Lytton Estate Syrah simply had the juiciest aroma and fruit flavors of the five bottles we sampled. Therefore, it was the only one I felt comfortable about making a guess as to the producer, and I was right on the mark.

-- Clark

I don't recall the last time I tasted a Ridge Syrah; has to be years ago. However, I was a member of the Ridge ATP Club for several years, and I had the opportunity to sample many of their red wines (except Montebello). Everything is big, dark and juicy, regardless of the varietal. Furthermore, I think I had a Ridge Zinfandel within the past two months, so perhaps my receptors were still attuned to it.

This Lytton Estate Syrah simply had the juiciest aroma and fruit flavors of the five bottles we sampled. Therefore, it was the only one I felt comfortable about making a guess as to the producer, and I was right on the mark.

-- Clark

Thanks. So there was a Ridge mark, but not necessarily one of perfumey oak.

Also, do you recall if it was 100% syrah and if not what other grapes were included?

Thanks. So there was a Ridge mark, but not necessarily one of perfumey oak.

Also, do you recall if it was 100% syrah and if not what other grapes were included?

It was 99% Syrah with 1% Viognier. It was the only bottle listing that information, and I was a bit too lazy to do the research for the other wines. That's why I did not list this in the notes.

-- Clark

[Jenise]

Clark, you didn't find big sweet vanilla oak on the McCrea? I don't think I've ever had one that was spared that--it does make them smoother, to borrow your word, but at a price.

Clark, you didn't find big sweet vanilla oak on the McCrea? I don't think I've ever had one that was spared that--it does make them smoother, to borrow your word, but at a price.

Jenise, Sorry. If it was there, I overlooked it, or simply misidentified it. I didn't miss that toast, however. Some people really like it, but it tends to turn me off. -- Clark

It was 99% Syrah with 1% Viognier. It was the only bottle listing that information, and I was a bit too lazy to do the research for the other wines. That's why I did not list this in the notes.

-- Clark

Thanks. Interesting. No worries, I don't think we have to list the grape percentages of every wine, but was just curious as some of the Ridge zinfandel bottlings manage to throw in quite a few other grapes, so was wondering what they did here.

Thanks. So there was a Ridge mark, but not necessarily one of perfumey oak.

Also, do you recall if it was 100% syrah and if not what other grapes were included?

Rahsaan,
Except for their whites, the Ridge reds almost always seem to speak of the Draper perfume, as it is called. It's pretty unmistakable across all (red) varieties...Zin, PS, Carignan, Syrah, Grenache. Some would say that the Ridge winemaking/Draper perfume obliterates varietal character. I'm not sure that's really the case. When you taste a Carignane, Syrah, Grenache side-by-side; the varietal characteristics are there. But, given a Ridge Syrah blind; I'd be hard put to identify it has a Syrah. That is to say, in their reds, the Ridge winemaking dominates both varietal character and terroir in my opinion. I attribute it to their barrel treatment more than anything. It's not a blatent/overt oakiness, as they tend to use a lot of older oak. But it's there.
Tom

Thanks. So there was a Ridge mark, but not necessarily one of perfumey oak.

Also, do you recall if it was 100% syrah and if not what other grapes were included?

Rahsaan,
Except for their whites, the Ridge reds almost always seem to speak of the Draper perfume, as it is called. It's pretty unmistakable across all (red) varieties...Zin, PS, Carignan, Syrah, Grenache. Some would say that the Ridge winemaking/Draper perfume obliterates varietal character. I'm not sure that's really the case. When you taste a Carignane, Syrah, Grenache side-by-side; the varietal characteristics are there. But, given a Ridge Syrah blind; I'd be hard put to identify it has a Syrah. That is to say, in their reds, the Ridge winemaking dominates both varietal character and terroir in my opinion. I attribute it to their barrel treatment more than anything. It's not a blatent/overt oakiness, as they tend to use a lot of older oak. But it's there.
Tom

Tom,
This is an interesting comment. It has been years since I have tasted a Ridge wine but remember them as good but nothing special and no real fingerprint. If they do not over oak their stuff and use older barrels how can they standardize the flavors? I always wonder how a wine maker can make a wine that does not show place unless it is oak, too ripe or maybe some type of special yeast. With old barrels it sounds like a wine I should like but with no terroir it is confusing. Many times I have problems picking out the grape variety in West Coast wines but always attributed it to a strugling palate, not the winemaker.
Walt

[Jenise]

Clark, you didn't find big sweet vanilla oak on the McCrea? I don't think I've ever had one that was spared that--it does make them smoother, to borrow your word, but at a price.

Jenise, Sorry. If it was there, I overlooked it, or simply misidentified it. I didn't miss that toast, however. Some people really like it, but it tends to turn me off. -- Clark

Maybe the toast so commanded your attention the rest escaped? That happens to me, and in fact if a wine is noticeably sweet I'll be so turhned off I might not get around to complaining about something like heavy toast. I've used McCrea twice in blind tastings, their 03 Grenache and the year before either an 01 or 02 Boushey Syrah, and they were similarly on the hot/heavy/sweet side compared to others. I've had to conclude they're not my style.

Tom,
This is an interesting comment. It has been years since I have tasted a Ridge wine but remember them as good but nothing special and no real fingerprint. If they do not over oak their stuff and use older barrels how can they standardize the flavors? I always wonder how a wine maker can make a wine that does not show place unless it is oak, too ripe or maybe some type of special yeast. With old barrels it sounds like a wine I should like but with no terroir it is confusing. Many times I have problems picking out the grape variety in West Coast wines but always attributed it to a strugling palate, not the winemaker.
Walt

Walt,
This is an interesting question....for which I have no answer. To me, the Ridge wines have, usually, identifiable oak. But it usually seems in good/correct balance w/ the fruit and not overtly new oak. The best Ridge red I've had in some time was their Lytton East Zin ATP '04 (or '05). The least oak and most overtly terroir-driven Ridge Zin in yrs. A killer Zin.
I'm going to see Draper in a week & hlf out there on TheRidge and will directly ask him about this.
Tom