Syrah is making a run at Zinfandel. In the Napa Valley, even though the Rhône variety in 2005 was still 1,000 tons behind Zinfandel’s 2,954 tons of grapes harvested in the valley, the gap is closing fast. Syrah is still far behind Cabernet Sauvignon, which is king in the Napa Valley, and accounts for approximately 45 percent of the valley’s 44,000 planted acres. In fifth place among red varieties behind Cab, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zin, Syrah is coming on strong and is being produced at a rapidly growing pace by many of the valley’s high-end producers.

The Joseph Phelps Vineyards was the first to make a Syrah in the Napa Valley, beginning with the 1974 vintage, which was released in ’77. It was likely the first time in the 20th century that Syrah was made commercially available in California.

Winemaker Craig Williams had joined the winery the year before that first Syrah was put on the market, assisting then-winemaker Walter Schug. Williams took over red wine production in ‘80, and was officially promoted to winemaker in charge of all wine production three years later when Schug left to start his own winery on the Sonoma side of Carneros.

Interestingly, Williams produces only about 1,000 cases a year of the Syrah. Perhaps what is most interesting though is that Williams believes that the cool climate of Los Carneros, (where Phelps now sources its Syrah) may be the best place in the valley to grow the variety.

Nonetheless, Joe Phelps, a great fan of the Syrah based wines of Hermitage and the Côte Rotie, began his search for Syrah budwood as early as 1973, when he planted his Spring Valley vineyard. The Christian Brothers had a small Syrah vineyard less than a mile away.

Willliams has been heavily involved in the crush during the last two weeks of October. On the last day that he harvested Syrah, he e-mailed Appellation America’s Napa Valley correspondent Alan Goldfarb with answers to some queries about Syrah, its importance to Joseph Phelps, and the variety’s future in the Napa Valley.