t was back in 1974 that Christian Brothers Winery sold Joseph Phelps Vineyards in Napa a paltry ten tons of Syrah (which the Brothers had always buried in their blends) plus budwood to plant their own Syrah. When that Syrah was finally released in 1977, it was probably the first time since Prohibition that a California Syrah was commercially available and released under its varietal name. Meanwhile, on the Central Coast, Gary Eberle had planted Syrah at what was then called Estrella River Winery (now Meridian Vineyards).

Later Zaca Mesa Winery would start making Syrah (the first in Santa Barbara County) and Estrella would often sell their Syrah grapes to upstarts like Bob Lindquist of Qupe’ Wine Cellars or Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard. And the thing snowballed from there into more vineyard plantings and then a loose-knit group of like-minded winemakers dubbed The Rhone Rangers.

At this point, Syrah is planted up and down the California coast and there are a multitude of producers. In fact, Syrah’s growth has been nearly exponential: only around 500 tons of grapes were crushed back in 1990, while in the early part of this decade, it had hovered around 100,000 tons per year. Then in 2005, the tonnage jumped to 147,312 tons and more is planted and on its way in the pipeline.

But since Syrah “is now blossoming in American vineyards” and beginning to “muscle its way into the American mainstream,” (from USA Today in 2001), I scratched my head in quizzical disbelief because I have been beating the drum for Rhone varietals for the last two decades. I boldly confess that I’d rather drink Syrah over Cabernet Sauvignon any day.

The Syrah Symposium

So I was quite curious to attend a “Syrah Symposium,” designed for the press and trade, recently in Santa Ynez Valley, to either confirm or deny my hypothesis. The Syrah Symposium was hosted by four Santa Ynez Valley wineries: Bridlewood, Beckmen, Fess Parker, and Zaca Mesa, although there was a ringer from Napa in Palmeri.

“Syrah is becoming a superstar in elite growing regions around the world; different styles are emerging, along with new learnings from the vineyard and the cellar,” explained Bridlewood winemaker, David Hopkins. “We though it would be a good idea to get some folks together and share what we’ve learned and compare our results.” That set the tone for the day and a half event as educational and instructive, with Syrah tastings mixed in as well. In a sense, it was a kind of “train the trainers” event. Those of us in attendance - wholesalers, retailers, restaurateurs and writers - could take the knowledge with us back to our respective venues and share it with our customers. A sort of guerrilla marketing thrust to further get the word out about Syrah.

There were quite a number of informative, and sometimes technical, seminars that focused on what was unique about Syrah. Peter Neptune MS, Vice President of Wine Education for The Henry Wine Group, moderated the seminar discussions, and gave the first presentation on the history of Syrah. It’s interesting to note, Neptune said, that Syrah did not originate in the city of Shiraz in Iran, as many stories have it, but most likely originated from the vineyards of the Northern Rhone. More recent DNA studies by UC Davis have concluded that Syrah is the result of a cross of the “Dureza” and “Mondeuse Blanche” grape varieties, probably emanating from the slopes of Hermitage.

Perhaps the most interesting seminar was the first field trip of the symposium to Beckmen Vineyards’ 365 acre, biodynamically farmed Purisima Mountain Vineyard. The vineyard was planted in 1996, but only went the totally biodynamic route in 2006. After doing quality control and consistency trials on a small portion of the vineyard, vintner Steve Beckmen committed the entire property to that still controversial methodology. According to Beckman, the impressive results included healthier vines, manifested in more balance in flavor and sugar development as well as improved tannin quality. The resulting wines, in comparison to traditional farming practices, are more powerful, yet still elegant and balanced. “I want to express the character of this particular area, this particular vineyard,” Beckman says, “And the best way for me to do that is to pursue biodynamics.” The bottom line may be that Beckmen just pays a lot more attention to the natural rhythms of his vineyard than industrial, chemical, corporate farmers do.

The Napa interloper, Palmeri’s Kerry Damskey, extolled the virtues of mountain grown Syrah, as exemplified in his bottlings from Stagecoach Vineyard in Napa and Van Ness Vineyard in Sonoma’s Alexander Valley. The benefits for Syrah are obvious, he said. Mountain soils are limiting; mountain vineyards are cooler; mountain vineyard get more sunlight and more hang time. He might have said, mountain grown wines are more tightly wound, are seemingly deeper and richer than valley floor grown wines, but do take longer to develop in the bottle.

In another field trip, Clay Brock of Zaca Mesa showed off what is now the oldest Syrah vineyard on the Central Coast: the Black Bear Block, planted in 1979. Gary Eberle had planted Syrah in Paso Robles in 1977, but those vines have since been ripped out. The Black Bear Block, however, is planted from cuttings provided by Eberle, now commonly called the Estrella River clone, from suitcase cuttings Eberle supposedly brought in from Chapoutier (Hermitage). Zaca Mesa, it was revealed, is one of the leaders in Syrah clonal research, having planted 28 more acres in 2004 to the newer French clones, like 877, 174, 470, and 383. So far, it’s too early to tell whether and if these clones will be significant to Syrah production in California, in the same way Pinot Noir clones have become important. The early returns suggest that different clones have different flavor, texture and tannin components, an indication that some clones are better as blending material, while others could stand alone.

The book end to that seminar was a similar discussion of rootstocks, led by Larry Schaffer, assistant winemaker at Fess Parker Winery. Rootstocks are an even more arcane subject than clones. Certainly the governing idea is that rootstocks should be chosen to match the grape varietal as well as the soil type, vigor desired and drought tolerance. Suffice it to say that the match up of the clone and rootstock is probably the most important thing, as the two really go hand in hand.

A hands-on blending class was directed by David Hopkins of Bridlewood, who might be described as something of an anti-terroirist. He related the challenge of working with over forty different Syrah vineyards (and 120 separate lots), up and down coastal California, from Monterey Bay to Santa Barbara County. “With so many choices,” he said, “blending is the key.” But he is aware of all the different terroirs he draws from and analyzes how each one expresses itself. Then he starts blending trials to get what he calls a “Syrah tasting profile.” The different vineyards allow him to draw on a “spice rack” of aromas and flavors, so he can create a balanced, layered and ageable Syrah, that shows a consistent house style from vintage to vintage.

But frankly, what seemed to be the real reason for the Syrah Symposium came to the fore during the parting dinner and winemaker panel discussion: Why isn’t Syrah more widely known and accepted among consumers? And all along, I thought it was; I have a cellar full of it! But according to the winemakers, they are dismayed at the level of consumer knowledge they have found as they pour at various events and dinners around the country.

It’s Not Just ‘The Other Red’ Anymore – The Aussie Dilemma

Clay Brock said he’s tired of seeing Syrah categorized as the “other red” on wine lists and in wine stores. The implication is that Syrah cannot stand shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir as a noble varietal.

The winemakers also said low-priced Aussie Shiraz often confuses consumers and lead them to question if, in fact, Shiraz is the same thing as Syrah. “Shiraz has hurt the reputation of Syrah in California,” said David Hopkins, “If I can spend $4.99 for an Aussie Shiraz, why should I buy a $30 California Syrah?” he asked rhetorically. Steve Beckman said he didn’t have difficulty selling his high-end Syrah, but that the Aussies have effectively preempted and “stole the California low end market for Syrah.” Kerry Damskey claimed “the sheer volume of low end Shiraz (which he called ‘red funk’) has hurt us. Syrah has weight and texture; we have an awesome opportunity to recognize where Syrah should be grown in California.”

But then again, part of the problem may be of California winemakers’ own making. Earlier in the discussion, Hopkins was exuberant as he declared “Syrah can be anything you want it to be. It’s a wine that’s very pleasing either as a stand alone or with food.” Larry Schaffer inadvertently drove home the point when he said “Syrah is wonderful varietal that can be grown anywhere and taste good.” Note he didn’t say “grow anywhere and taste the same.” That may be the crux of all things Syrah in California.

Schaffer later expanded his thoughts when he offered that there was “no one style of Syrah made. It’s confusing. Maybe there is no realization (among consumers) that Syrah is the grape of Northern Rhone.” Does anyone remember that 1970’s confusion about what Zinfandel was supposed to taste like? An era when you didn’t exactly know what you were getting when you bought a bottle. It could be anything from a Beaujolais imitator to a late harvest Port taste-alike. Is that where the perception of Syrah is now?

But the winemakers, as a group, were optimistic that, given time, they could change how Syrah is perceived. “If high end winemakers keep doing what they’re doing,” Brock said, “we can change these misconceptions and carve out a place for this terrific varietal.” Damskey echoed the sentiment, “As we evolve as winemakers, and elevate Syrah, consumers will be the beneficiaries.” Beckman called the varietal “food friendly,” claiming “the wine is only going to become more refined, as time goes on.” Hopkins added that “the diversity of soils, micro climates, clones and winemakers willing to push the envelope in wine style and flavor profiles will continue to drive California to the forefront in growth and production of ultra-premium Syrah.”

And then there was the $64,000 question of the evening:

Will Syrah overtake Pinot Noir in the next decade?

The panel of winemakers was split, with three ayes from Brock, Damskey and Hopkins, while Beckmen and Schaffer questioned that possibility. “Immediate gratification is what Pinot Noir offers,” said Damskey, “easy drinkability and luscious weight and texture. Syrah has that, so maybe the next big step is Syrah.” On the other hand, Beckmen said he takes the long term view and “that because Syrah is a bigger wine (ageability), it just might hold it back.”

Hopkins sees the Pinot popularity as “faddish.” and that there are “more bad Pinots out there now than good ones,” and consequently consumers will tire of paying $50 a bottle for bad Pinot after a while. In the end, Hopkins said, “You just need to make the best possible Syrah you can make and the quality will attract consumers.” Then, with a wink, he explained, “It takes a little great Syrah to make a good Pinot.”

Postscript:

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my Syrahs “homogenized,” if indeed that’s the direction we’re headed with this varietal. I enjoy and appreciate the fact that Damskey’s Palmeri Syrah is different than Beckmen’s Syrah; that, say, Bill Easton’s Sierra Foothills Syrah at Domaine de la Terre Rouge is dramatically different from Bob Lindquist’s Qupe’ Bien Nacido Syrah, which is again different from Mat Garretson’s Paso Robles Syrah, and so on. The facts seem to support that Syrah responds to different terroirs and different appellations in different ways. Certainly, they all taste like Syrah and share certain Syrah characteristics, but they all seem to retain a sense of place. And that’s how it should be. Wouldn’t it be incredibly boring if every Syrah tasted the same?

And why should Syrah have Pinot envy anyway?

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Photos by Dennis Schaefer unless otherwise noted.