State of Syrah
Posted by Corey Abrams on January 18th, 2008In my humble opinion, Syrah is the most under appreciated varietal, often capturing scores in the 90’s yet rarely creeping into the triple digits, breaking the bank. It was with a bottle of 2003 Alban Seymour’s Vineyard Syrah that I first understood the descriptor “Bacon Fat”; this inky bad boy could have been served with a side of eggs. It was nearly black in color and the mouth, it carried such weight, only the smallest of sips were manageable. The complexity was stunning and had us calling out such things as huckleberry, blackberry, licorice and leather.
A couple of Inertia scouts recently went up to Washington and found a few partners that are creating some stunning Syrah as well. While these don’t carry the weight or alcohol (the Alban Syrah was up in the high 15’s) they’re big wines with incredible complexity. Look out for Waters Winery in Colombia Valley.
