397 points worth of Syrah
…I suppose that 397 points is a bit over stated but it's true that Syrah is finally getting some praise, and it's about time. ​Of all the noble grapes, Syrah is the most underrated. Syrah exists among the "power grape" ranks and I'm not spending my time preaching praise for obscurity like Mondeuse or even a more well-known grape like Aglianco. I'm talking about killer wines from one of the top five red grapes with specific success in the Northern Rhone and Central Coast of California.
Take a look at Asimov's NY Times write up on Cornas's producer Franck Balthazar, look at the 95+ point review in Wine Advocate for the Melville estate bottling, consider Chave's 500-year winemaking history or newcomer Vallin from the Santa Ynez Valley, and you'll get a sense for why these wines are NYV favorites.
Even so, Syrah is a grape that tends to be harder to sell for retailers and winemakers alike. Niche sales are not a result of quality but, rather, the industry's inability to look past Cabernet and Pinot Noir as a source of great wine. Syrah is a grape that offers intense dark fruit flavors, surprising amounts of tannic structure, acidic lift and beautiful white pepper spice that creates in an exhaustible source of food pairing options (think about lamb, sausage, any grilled meat or game, BBQ, stews, black olives, Indian or Moroccan food, and of course a ton of different cheeses).
Below is a mixed case of Syrah that will jumpstart your understanding of this amazing grape. We're even sweetening the deal by knocking off 15%.
Mixed Syrah Case
$500 (after a 15% discount)
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