Have you tried any Irouleguy? It’s not always easy to get hold of, but can have that austere southwest France style that is more about structure and accompanying food than being a fruity quaffer.
I have noted brett in every Tissot red I’ve tried, more than a few. Bacterial issues sometimes too. Not subtle.
could be a supply chain issue
How about Zinfandel ? Has the clean and savory, sometimes with (jammy) fruit.
That could exacerbate these issues, but it couldn’t cause them.
This. VA too.
That’s also one of the reasons why I love Tissot wines.
Syrah, Carignan, and Petite Sirah from Mendocino County (Halcon, Copain, Theopolis,…)
Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley and RRV)
Sonoma Coast Syrah
You’re right, I wasn’t focusing on the “clean” part of his request when I listed Calabretta.
The Occhipinti wines I’ve had have seemed completely clean, but I’ve only had two bottlings of hers, and only a couple of times each.
I prefer dirty winemaking styles. Poor hygiene. Lotsa mold in the tanks. Antifreeze added to the barrel. Cussing like a sailor.
i believe a similar discussion has taken place around allemand’s wines. there is a non zero amount of brett. under normal conditions this amount of brett does not impart negative characteristics which overwhelm the wine. for me, these wines do not exhibit problematic amounts of brett. the farming is clean, the winemaking is honest, and the fruit is bright and pure. as with pretty much any jura red, it may be a bit wild on the nose without aeration but usually a decant clears this up. even the amphora aged wines he makes have an elegant floral quality. i think you would have better luck finding overtly bretty wines from octavin or cavarodes.
For some reason Josef Walter Spatburgunder Hundsruck came to mind. Super savory pinot noir without brett or funk. Not sure exactly what the winemaking style is though.
Drinking through some random stuff, opened a 2017 Montes Alpha Syrah tonight that should check a lot of your boxes. Nose is a bit muted but the palate is meaty, peppery, dark fruit, some mushroom, and bacon fat. Some nice N. Rhône character and a South American QPR winner at ~ $20!
I haven’t had that particular vintage, but I’ve had several older vintages and I’ve never had anything remotely N.Rhône with that wine. All the vintages have been super-fruit-driven, high in alcohol and quite oaky with occasionally jammy sweetness and the fruit has been more of almost candied blackcurrant character than of that brambly blackberry character typical of N.Rhône Syrah.
The best Montes Alpha Syrah I’ve had was 2014, which I had in a blind tasting of new world vs. Northern Rhône Syrah wines. When tasting it alongside with classic Syrah wines, the difference is quite pronounced and many attendees even wondered if this was a Syrah to begin with. Here’s my TN:
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2014 Montes Syrah Alpha - Chile, Rapel Valley, Colchagua Valley (26.8.2017)
A blend of Syrah (90%), Cabernet Sauvignon (7%) and Viognier (3%). Syrah and Viognier were co-fermented. 55% of the wine was aged for 12 months in new and 1 yo oak barrels. 14,5% alcohol, 3,4 g/l residual sugar, 5,6 g/l acidity, pH 3,53.
Dark, almost completely opaque black cherry color. Sweet and aromatic nose with pronounced cassis aromas very much reminiscent of Cabernet Sauvignon with concentrated notes of blackberry juice concentrate, some meatiness, a little bit of sweet oak and a hint of blackberry jam. The wine is very full-bodied and really ripe on the palate with concentrated, chewy flavors of sweet blackcurrant, borderline jammy dark plum, a little bit of sweet oak spice and a hint of alcohol warmth. Despite its concentrated texture and almost monolithic body, the wine feels surprisingly structured and not particularly heavy - thanks to its relatively high acidity and quite ample and grippy tannins. The finish is long and rich, even somewhat sticky, with borderline sweet flavors of blackcurrant jam, blackberry juice, almost overripe plums, some sweet oak spice and a little bit of tannic grip.
For a Chilean wine, this is quite good effort - this has structure, acidity, tannins and it is not drenched in new oak. However, for a Syrah, this is quite a let-down - this tastes more like an overdone Cabernet Sauvignon than anything remotely Syrah-like. I don’t know whether they have used some commercial yeast that produces those cassis flavors, or if it is just that 7% of Cabernet that dominates the aromas and flavors of the wine, but if served blind, I’d guess this was a Cabernet Sauvignon, not a Syrah. So if you are looking for a big and muscular new world wine, this might be just the right one; however, if you are looking for a good Syrah, keep looking. At 18,49€, the wine feels a bit overpriced for its quality. (86 pts.)
Posted from CellarTracker
Thanks Otto. I didn’t get any candied fruit on this one, but admittedly as a novice, took a gamble on calling out another region for comparison. Any particular recommendations so I can further my old world Syrah education?
The 2018 Kermit Lynch CdR. I like the flavors of the southern Rhone, but the wines are often too high-octane in fruit and booze for my tastes these days. This is 13.5%, clean, fresh, and full of savory garrigue notes. Delicious for about $14 (used to be even cheaper… but tariffs).
Basically any of the good producers from Cornas / Côte-Rôtie / Hermitage / Cornas / Crozes-Hermitage. It’s hard to dish out any particular names since I have no idea what are available to you, as availability can be quite different here, across the pond.
However, since this forum is teeming with Northern Rhône Syrah enthusiasts, I have no doubts that in no time you’ll find good recommendations that are available to you - if you just remember to keep your eyes peeled.
Just had the 2015 Jaume Vinsobres Reference, there was dark fruit in the mix, but loads of herb/liquorice/fennel flavours. A cru wine from the southern Cotes de Rhône