2007 Bertrand Berge 'Cuvee Ancestrale' 15.99

With an average vine age of 40 yrs, this Fitou wine, made from roughly equal parts Grenache, Syrah and Carignan is a stunning value. Intense and vigorous initially, the minerality and tannins take 45 minutes or so to integrate themselves into the ripe and sappy and yet remarkably straight-laced Burgundian styled framework. A very pure, seamless and elegant wine.

92 Points, Rhett Beiletti
Staff Selection, September 2010

2009 Porcupine Ridge Syrah 9.99

An unbelievable value from South Africa’s Franschhoek Valley made by new-wave winemaker Marc Kent. It shares much in common with the Syrah-based wines of the northern Rhone, especially the rustic and dark-fruited crozes hermitage. It offers a deep ruby color, aromas of ripe berry fleshiness, violets, hints of black pepper, spice and cloves (SDR favs). The velvety texture and rustic tannins make it a great wine to enjoy solo or with most red meat dishes.

90 Points, Shannon Sprentall
Staff Selection, September 2010

2003 Guigal Hermitage Rouge (Rhone) 79.99

California syrah is over, the New York Times declared earlier this month. Wineries made too much, too soon and the public lost interest. Besides American winemakers made the wrong kind of syrah.

To oversimplify, the divide is between northern Rhone and Australia, or the aristocracy and the rabble.

The style of Hermitage and Cote-Rotie is nobly complex, tasting of black olives, bacon fat, herbs and forest, moderate in alcohol and best grown in cool climate.

The other and lesser style, the argument goes, is the jammy fruit bomb of Oz, sweet, over ripe, high in alcohol and grown in too hot an area.

Well, yes and also no. Sure we’ve leapt into syrah too much and too quickly. Syrah is overplanted and some of it is shoddy, red plonck of the moment that could be merlot or a cheap cab. That’s why syrah is in financial trouble, just too much of it. Happens with any trend bumper crop.

Yet after 20 years many growers do well with syrah and yes they follow both styles, sweet and sour. That’s much clearer than, say, the infinitely malleable chardonnay.

 

Vive la difference.

Some folks love black cherries and raspberries spiked with cinnamon, pepper and licorice. I bet they are in the majority. And we make some fine ones.

2005 Linne Calodo Rising Tides (Paso Robles) 59.99

For those with a taste for thorny freshness and earthy complexity, black olives, smoke, bay laurel and the rough mountain underbrush of garrigue and gorse, there are other choices and B-21 stocks them.

The Times saluted ten they considered a valiant few following the northern Rhone route, including Copain Wine Cellars in Healdsburg.

Right on. We have three of Copain’s single-vineyard syrahs from the 2005 vintage, the top being the smoky Thompson Vineyard from Santa Barbara ($39.99) which Parker accorded a 94.

We‘d also commend the good people of DuMol up in the chill of the Russian River Valley whose syrah regularly score in the mid-90s (and cost more). And you’ve got to try the adventurous Rhonesters at Linne Calodo on the west side of Paso Robes: we have five of their syrahs ($33.99 to $69.99) high-scoring and full of spice.

Not to mention Washington State where Charles Smith found enough bramble, herbs, game and roasted meat spice in syrah to be Food & Wine’s winemaker of the year last year.

It’s way too early to give up on American syrah.

Or as the no-worries makers of shiraz say, “She’ll be right, mate.”

- Chris Sherman, The Blogging Nibbler

2005 Borra Fusion ($13.99 or $12.59 by the case!)

“Primarily Syrah with Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouchet and Zinfandel, Borra’s Fusion features powerful aromas of ripe fruits, including berries and plums, with delicate notes of vanilla.  Big and rich on the palate, the wine combines softer tannins with a long and luscious finish.  Ideal with roasted meats, wild game, or a variety of pizzas.”

92 Points, Steve Rayman, Email: Steve@b-21.com, Direct #: (727) 722-9103