Syrah Syrah Syrah

Paul_N_i_e_l_s_e_n · February 13, 2015, 2:19pm

Zinfandel and Syrah for me.

I adore a great cab or pinot noir, but the price of admission is generally too high for my budget. As others have hinted, you can find fabulous syrah for a good deal less than you’ll pay for other wines of equal quality. Cool thing is, I rather prefer the aroma/flavor profiles of zin and syrah, so it works out well for me.

TomHill · February 13, 2015, 2:26pm

David,
In the sub-$20 price range, the Qupe CentralCoast and the Marietta Christo blend (mostly Syrah) are no-brainers.
In the mid-$20’s price range, the Ojai SBC Syrah and the Jaffurs SBC Syrah are a real step up & no brainers.
Tom

Brian_Tuite · February 13, 2015, 2:36pm

Thanks Tom! The no brainer part helps me a lot.

Loren_Sonkin · February 13, 2015, 2:38pm

I love Syrah. It shows its terroir so many different ways. And, there is definitely more bang for the buck. Also, this BB is a minority of consumers. Look at any store and there is relatively little Syrah in comparison. It is a difficult sell for most retailers. Of course, the same is true for low alcohol wines that pursue balance. Stores are filled with Cabs, Merlots and Pinots and Italian varietals. But there are a lot of great Syrahs being made in all parts of the world.

Some that I would recommend you check out are Bedrock, Jaffurs, Carlisle.

JoeD · February 13, 2015, 2:45pm

huge syrah fan here. you can find great value:

+1 on bedrock, jaffurs, carlisle & cabot
add in: Halcon, jemrose, novy & tercero

going across the pond: a few ive found great value in recently - Domaine vincent paris granit 30, and domaine durand st joseph Lautaret

Best of luck, its a big world of syrah of all types!

Steve_Pohlman · February 13, 2015, 3:01pm

Bedrock, Scherrer, Carlisle, Edmund St John, Arcadian, Peay, Betz.

Novy is excellent and very inexpensive if you are on their wine club. Just bought a case for my son who loves it.

M_Hudson · February 13, 2015, 3:02pm

Syrah is very quickly taking over the slots in my cellar that use to belong to cab, cab blends, and zinfandels.

Sc0tt_F_tzgerald · February 13, 2015, 3:05pm

What are the theories on why this grape hasn’t taken off more (vs. cab or PN), especially in the U.S.?

Steve_Pohlman · February 13, 2015, 3:06pm

I, too, am moving away from Cabs but Zin is on the upswing. Sooooo many good Zins today.

DickB · February 13, 2015, 3:10pm

Long time lurker. What are some of the cooler climate CA syrahs the board recommends?

Brian_Tuite · February 13, 2015, 3:20pm

Halcon, any Myriad/Quivet/Apsara/Eric Kent from Las Madres Vyd, Copain, Wind Gap, Cabot…

stewart_lancaster · February 13, 2015, 3:24pm

Agree with Jaffurs and Ojai-great syrah and age nicely

Frank_Murray_III · February 13, 2015, 3:28pm

Dick, I am with Brian on the Wind Gap and Copain–been drinking these for many years. Thee other is Rhys. They make a syrah from Horseshoe in the Santa Cruz Mountains that is also cool climate.

To David, I listed a short list CA syrah below in the event you want to seek any of these out, all ranging fron 35-45 each. These are all wines I drink and enjoy.

Copain Hawks Butte
Copain Brosseau
Wind Gap Nellesen
Wind Gap Sonoma Coast
Riverain Cardiac Hill
Novy Susan’s Hill
Carlisle Papa’s Block

Of course, you may find some of these to be shrill, acidic, with barely any fruit.

Michael_Martin · February 13, 2015, 3:38pm

The cheap stuff tastes like grape juice and if that is your first introduction to it, you’ll never go back. I also think that the reason why we like it, is the reason why some others don’t. There is no unified flavor profile for it. So from one Syrah to another, the flavors can vary wildly. For a casual drinker that is confusing.

Corey_N · February 13, 2015, 3:55pm

The Copain Les Voisins is a little cheaper than the SVDs that Frank listed and should be ready to drink earlier. Copain also makes a Tous Ensemble Syrah which is cheaper still, but haven’t had it for a while.

While a touch more expensive, you might want to try a Faury St Joseph, which is around $30. Very nice producer made in a restrained style.

At $20 the “base” Bedrock Syrah is quite good a good value, albeit in a bigger style.

Finally, LastBottleWines has offered some Cardiac Cuvee by Jemrose for around $15. Cool climate style, but excellent value. Should you see it, it’s worthy of a 6-pack purchase without hesitation.

Markus_S · February 13, 2015, 4:13pm

Alas, not the ones I want.

Loren_Sonkin · February 13, 2015, 4:17pm

David, one thing you need to figure out is what type you prefer. A lot of the recs above are cooler climate, lower alcohol wines such as Copain, Rhys and to some extent Bedrock. Others have more fruit and body and alcohol such as Jaffurs. This BB tends to prefer the former but not always. SQN and Saxum are some of the hardest to find and expensive domestic Syrahs and they fit in the later. And there is plenty of middle ground. And the same can be true in just about any country. Australia and France make both styles. I haven’t seen much cooler climate Syrah from Italy but there are some very nice warmer climate Syrahs. While this distinction is true for Pinot and most reds, I think it is more true for Syrah as it grows successfully in a wider range of climates than most varietals IMO (but I am biased).

AlexS · February 13, 2015, 4:23pm

+1 on this and especially for the QPR aspect, just awesome quality for $s.

Steve_Gautier · February 13, 2015, 4:48pm

Last weekend, at a higher-end restaurant with a huge and expensive wine list, I was asked to pick the wine by the person paying the bill. Always an interesting dilemma. I was very excited to find a 2008 Jaffus Syrah on the list at a “reasonable” price. Great wine for the retail dollars.

Michael_Martin · February 13, 2015, 4:54pm

2008 was a good year for most of the Jaffurs, but the '06’s if you can find any are special.