The rest of the world is waking up to what we have known and loved for a long time. Syrah! Not Petite Sirah (aka Durif) but the real thing. At it's best, I think that it overshadows Cabernet Sauvignon. A subjective judgment I know, but my most memorable wine was, and, in my cellar, still is, the Jaboulet '90 Hermitage. Five seconds into my first mouthful I knew it, and I should have thrown caution to the winds and bought 50 case rather than 10. That wine incidentally, was aged 100% in new oak barrels, but the immense fruit and soft tannins simply absorbed the oak flavors.
That wine was the crowning achievement of Gerard Jaboulet. Sadly, Gerard at 55, died suddenly of a heart attack in July. He was the international ambassador for the Rhone, and for Syrah from its home base of Hermitage. He was an outgoing, vibrant, unpretentious person whom we had the honor and pleasure of knowing. We spent a few minutes with him at VinExpo and promised to return that afternoon to taste his '95 Crozes Hermitage. I regret that we did not make it.
Syrah has black-fruit flavors laced with pepper and spice, but that description is too simple and too narrow. I can give you Syrah that is bursting with black-berry flavors, balanced by tannin and acid, pepper and spice. I can give you Syrah that is black, with the bouquet of roasted coffee beans and the flavor of smoked meat!!!!. I can give you Syrah that is light, but playful and zesty. Throw in some Grenache and/ or Mourvedre, blend it with Cabernet - the variations become almost endless.
You will always find Syrah included in the current Rick's Picks