NW home of great Syrahs
Christina Kelly The Spokesman-ReviewWhen you visit wineries in Walla Walla, everybody's talking syrah, like it's a grape invented in Washington.
Syrah's popularity in the Northwest is a hot trend in red wine production; in particular syrah produced in the Walla Walla Valley is gaining both attention and fanatics. Some winemakers believe the area will be better known for syrah than merlot in 10 to 15 years.
Just over a decade ago, the wine to order in trendy bars was either a Washington merlot or chardonnay. It was easy to pronounce, easy on the palate and oftentimes easy to forget. But syrah is popping up on all kinds of menus, and Northwest wine drinkers are buying.
Walla Walla is not the only producer of syrah in the Northwest, but given the cluster of new wineries opening there you can visit more wineries producing it in one location than anywhere in the state.
People expecting Northwest syrah to taste like Australian Shiraz, Hermitage from the Northern Rhone Valley in France or from Napa or Sonoma in California will find a totally different wine with some similar characteristics. The grape origin may be the same, but weather, soil, wine barrels, growing practices and winemaking styles produce an entirely different wine. Even the feel of the wine in the mouth is different.
I held a Walla Walla syrah tasting earlier this month with a tasting panel of six people, including winemakers and wine enthusiasts. In all, 36 bottles were opened over two weekends. Some of the wines were tasted twice on separate occasions to check the way the tasting panel scored them.
The list included Saviah Cellars, Buty Winery, Cayuse Vineyards, Harlequin Cellars, K Vintners, Stephenson Cellars, Woodward Canyon, Glen Fiona, Whitman Cellars, Dunham Cellars, Three Rivers Winery, Amavi Cellars, Seven Hills Winery, Latitude 46 North, Forgeron Cellars, Tamarack Cellars, Fort Walla Walla Cellars, Rulo Winery, James Leigh Cellars, Colvin Vineyards, Russell Creek Winery and L'Ecole No. 41.
The bottom line is that no wine was deemed undrinkable, although a few had flaws such as too much "brett" (Brettanomyces, one of the many natural species of yeast in red wines after fermentation that smells like wet, sweaty saddle leather and horse manure) or an "off" taste caused by cork taint.
With syrah, winemaking style can make a huge difference in the taste and smell of the wine. A barnyard-like smell in the wine is not considered bad unless it predominates the glass. The color is generally a beautiful, dark, deep red, although some we tasted were almost ink colored.
Overall, we searched for wines that were elegant and well balanced, with good fruit and acidity. Common characteristics of the wine we tasted included black fruit, a red meat characteristic that sometimes tasted a little gamy or like bacon fat and a smoky, spicy, black or white pepper nuance. On occasion we got something unexpected, like eucalyptus, dill pickles or mint chocolate in the mouth. Most of these wines include a little bit of another grape, such as grenache (red) or viognier (white).
In three separate blind tastings, we selected six wines as our favorites. Most of these wines cost $20 to $30, with a few exceptions. They were:
Latitude 46 North's 2002, "The Power and the Glory": This wine came across as well balanced, lots of ripe fruit, complexity and a long finish. New winery, great wine.
Forgeron: This wine drank beautifully in the first tasting but didn't get as much notice in the second. The wine was dark and inky, with plum and a little sweetness. It is 100 percent syrah with smooth tannins and acids throughout.
Tamarack: This wine is currently only available at the winery but will be distributed next year. It has 10 percent cabernet sauvignon and 10 percent merlot in the mix. This was consistent in two tastings, with bacon fat and soft, fleshy fruit.
L'Ecole: This wine is not available due to limited production and a rush to buy it after it received a high score in Wine Spectator (92 points). But we mention it because it is very distinctive, with rich coffee and roasted coffee beans in the finish. This winery consistently produces some of the best wine in the state. Look for this year's release.
Seven Hills: This wine had big jammy fruit flavors and a light pepper in the mouth after the finish. There was also sweetness from the undertones of oak.
Woodward Canyon: I picked this in a separate tasting because I love the addition of a little dolcetto (5 percent) and barbera (3 percent) in the wine. It has ripe mountain berries, vanilla and cracked black pepper in mouth.
Dunham also made an exceptional wine with a different style that stood out because of changing aromas in the bouquet. I found it yummy, although pricey at $60.
One of the best values in the tasting was Rulo for under $20. It stood tall with the more expensive wines. Everyone gave it good scores. Three Rivers fared well with the tasters. I also liked Cayuse and K Vintners, each for a distinctive old world style.
The Walla Walla region is producing many terrific new syrahs and most of the wineries are releasing new ones right now, or in the next few months. The syrah vines are young and will only get better with time.
Wine aficionados are eagerly awaiting the new releases, and since production is still relatively small, you need to get out there and do some tasting.
Copyright 2004 Cowles Publishing Company
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.