Syrah Anyone?

We continue this week with two more wines from our cellar: Syrah from Madder Lake Vineyard and from Alder Springs Vineyard. As with our Pinot Noirs, this pair display two diverse personalities among the many possible with the Syrah variety.

Madder Lake Vineyard is located high in the Mayacamas mountain range in Lake County, north of Napa and Sonoma. The vineyard's gravelly volcanic soil allow for good drainage which befits Syrah. Our Madder Lake lot was one of the first to arrive at City Winery in September. By contrast, the Alder Springs Syrah was one of the last lots to come in, a function of their respective locations and climates. Consequently, the Madder Lake wine has been in barrel for a full month longer than the Alder Springs and definitely showed more development during our tasting. Of course the Alder Springs has a year to catch up and both lots will continue to evolve over their lives in barrel. Wine makers know that each wine will find its own direction no matter what we predict for it. No doubt both our Syrahs will surprise us with many twists and turns as they mature.

On this particular afternoon the Madder Lake Syrah was intensely fruity, almost jammy, with black cherry, plum and anise on the palate complimented by overtones of cocoa and caramel. Bacon, smoke, and black pepper appeared on the nose with an elusive whiff of fresh rye bread(most likely from the oak). The wine is currently aging in a mix of older neutral barrels and new french ones, predominantly from the cooper Seguin Moreau. Wine from the old barrels was forward, luscious and intensely fruity. That from the new oak leaned more towards spicy aromas and flavors. For members this dichotomy need not present a dilemma since we can adjust the final blend of our members' wines using barrels owned by City Winery. So if you love the Syrah from you new oak barrel but would like some more fruit to balance the spice, no problem: we blend a bit of City Winery Syrah from a used barrel with the member's new one. This is largely what commercial winemakers do but usually it is on a larger scale, blending dozens if not hundreds of barrels to achieve the most complete and satisfying wine.

Next up, Alder Springs. This vineyard is located in the coastal mountain range in Mendocino county. From this site we received not only Syrah but our Merlot. The soil profile is similar to that of Madder Lake but because of the maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean, Alder Springs is a slightly cooler sight. This results in higher natural acidity and also unique aromatic and flavor characteristics. While the Madder Lake Syrah was ripe and luscious, the Alder Springs wine was lithe and elegant. On the nose eucalyptus, fresh sage, and forest aromas were discernible along with the typical game, peppercorn and smoke elements. In this lot we favored the older neutral barrels and selected new ones from Seguin Moreau. These barrels, particularly those with a slightly higher toast*, imparted flattering sweet cocoa and earthy flavors to wine. Stylistically this wine might be described as being more Rhone-like than the Madder lake but as with all such evaluations, it really comes down to personal preference. If it tastes good, it is good.

Next week, we'll dive into our four lots of Cabernet Sauvignon.

*Wineries can not only specify the forest source of the wood used to make their barrels, but also the level of wood toasting to both the staves and the barrel heads. When the barrel is constructed the cooper shapes the wood over fire which facilitates the bending and simultaneously toasts the wood.

David Lecomte / Robert Kowal