The grape variety Syrah is one of the oldest and noblest of all red wine varieties. It has its home in France, where it is the only red grape permissible in the northern Rhône Valley appellations of Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, St Joseph and Cornas. Historical records exist that trace this sturdy grape back to the 5th Century AD, and since that time, it has resisted genetic mutation, drought, and the whims of the wine market. Syrah migrated to Australia in the 1840s, where the world of Academia dubbed it Shiraz. This was to pay homage to the vine’s once theoretical birthplace, the town of Shiraz in Persia, the present-day Iran. From Australia, Syrah spread to other locales in the southern hemisphere, where it is still referred to as Shiraz. Whether Syrah or Shiraz, this noble variety is the result of a naturally occurring botanical hybridization of the very obscure Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche varieties.
Syrah went largely unnoticed in the United States until 1968, when Syrah from France was planted at the Joseph Phelps Vineyards near St Helena, California. Syrah at the time was as esoteric as any variety could be, as consumers gravitated toward wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. All it took was time and awareness, and Washington was soon to be home to this ancient grape variety. In 1985, Syrah was first planted for David Lake, a Master of Wine and winemaker at Columbia Winery in Woodinville. Michael Sauer of Red Willow Vineyard in Wapato can lay claim to the oldest planting of Syrah in Washington, now 24 years old, and a direct descendant of the clone of Syrah found at Joseph Phelps. It was twelve years later that Syrah had its day in the Sun, when a Walla Walla Valley Syrah garnered the Grand Award at the Seattle Enological Society annual tasting in 1987, a year that witnessed five producers each crafting a unique expression of the variety. As a varietal category, Syrah rapidly arrived in Washington, and at this writing, there are over 60 notable producers of Syrah in the state, some releasing multiple bottlings of the dark, nearly black wine.
Syrah has, as its best attribute, the great ability to respond uniquely to the environment in which it is grown, yielding a fruit composition that is specifically expressive of a particular site. It has a peppery spiciness in the wines made from it, and devotees of Syrah like to discern whether it is black or white pepper that is rolling around in their mouths. Blackberry jam, black licorice and ripe plum are layered onto its piquancy that is typically exhibited in a Washington Syrah, but don’t expect every Syrah to have all things in equal measure. This magical proportion is extremely site-specific, making all Syrahs a true product of their surroundings, and ensuring that this sage variety is always an interesting reflection of terroir, the earthly variables that govern the exact complexion of wines.
Find a Syrah from any Washington producer, and one could make a wager that it will be a delightful addition to any meal. It is at once a great accompaniment to al fresco lunches of coppacola salami and Gorgonzola cheese, to peppercorn tri-tip, to fusilli topped with a spicy, Italian-sausage red sauce. Try a top-sirloin medallion atop a buttered slice of baguette, with softened Roquefort placed between them, pair it with a sip of Syrah, and you’ll be a devotee of Syrah, too!
