Syrah: Time to get off life support.

Yes kiddies, it is that time again in which the Terroirists launch the most recent variety of the month. This month we celebrate the joy and splendor that is (in this Terroirist’s opinion) the best red grape in all the land. That’s right I’m speaking of none other than the mighty Syrah. Syrah you say? The wine that is harder to get rid of than a full blown case of the clap? ‘Tis true that many American wineries are having trouble moving Syrah off their shelves and into customers’ cellars or better yet straight to the belly. We here at the Terroirists aim to change that.

First off I would like to say that Syrah is THE most versatile red variety in the world. Syrah has the uncanny ability to take on both the characteristics of the terroir and of the winemaker. If you sample Syrah from France, Washington, California, Australia or South Africa you will realize that they are all completely unique. Unfortunately, I believe a lot of the bad rap on Syrah can be accredited to the massive volumes of sometimes crappy Shiraz brought to us from the Aussies (critter wines). I don’t care about your penguin, koala and especially your kangaroo wines. Which is not to say that Australia doesn’t make some amazing Shiraz. I grew up on Australian Shiraz.

The wavering pulse of Syrah must be rejuvenated. There are many people who don’t understand that the base of some of their favorite Rhone wines is, you guessed it Syrah. Therefore, brothers and sisters, this is a call to arms for those of you who love Syrah. This month you have homework; it’s very simple, but it will be on the final so pay attention. Sit your ass down and drink some Syrah, sneak one into a blind tasting and blow peoples’ minds, sample syrah from all over the globe, bathe in it, brush your teeth with it, and together, my friends, Syrah shall prosper.

The Search for the World’s Best White Wine

When one becomes involved in a debate over the world’s greatest wine (as I often do), the perennial contenders tend to have a large amount of anthocyanins. Maybe DRC’s aptly named Romanee-Conti really is heaven on earth, but then again maybe Chateau Ausone is better than heaven, something yet unknown to our imaginations, like a floating mountain range on a far away moon. Too often the world’s great white wines are overshadowed by their more colorful cousins.

In search of the world’s greatest white wine, we set out to play chess. Accompanying our battles was a bottle of 2007 Guigal Condrieu. As far as regions go, Condrieu is certainly on the pricey side of white wine; these Northern Rhone Viogniers are as delicious as they are rare, and Guigal has been known to make some tasty juice from the area (see the La La La’s). This wine was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and it’s the perfect chess pairing wine — the thinking man’s Viognier. All this talk made me wonder though, what is the world’s best white wine?

A quick glance at the Wine Spectator’s top 100 shows an unsurprising trend: in 2009, nine of the top ten wines were reds. Coming in ninth, however, is none other than a Russian River Valley Sauvignon Blanc from Merry Edwards. Actually the top scoring white wine of the year indeed hails from the Northern Rhone, only slightly south and across the river from Condrieu in Hermitage (where the white grapes are Marsanne and Roussanne).

Price equals quality in many industries, but wine is tricky. Perhaps Haut Brion Blanc should be in the mix; with a retail price of about $650 it likely is pretty stellar, or at least it had better be. Chardonnays from Montrachet can also fetch a pretty penny, upwards of $400. Trockenbeerenausleses can easily cost $200 for 375 ml – that’s over $15 per ounce, but honestly, I’d pay $15 for an ounce of TBA. Chateau d’Yquem is rumored to be decent, too.

Unfortunately the blog’s budget is not yet sufficient to blind test the aforementioned wines to determine once and for all what the world’s best white wine is. Prior to Nathaniel penetrating my defenses and taking out my knight with a lowly pawn, the Guigal Condrieu was pretty killer. I now know what Viognier is capable of, and I am dying to find an equally compelling domestic version. This might be the best Viognier in the world, but is this the best white wine in the world? On this particular night, it is.

Viognier: Hard to Pronounce, Harder to Find

Spring release weekend in Walla Walla has just finished off with a bang. The Terroirists have been busy and therefore we have regretfully already missed one day of May 2010, now known as the month of Viognier. Viognier (pronounced “vee-own-yay”, or something like that), is one of the principal white grapes of France’s Rhone Valley. Sadly, the grape almost once went extinct, with only eight acres in existence in 1965. It has since bounced back, and can now be found outside of France in places like Australia, California, Virginia and, of course, Washington.

Refreshing on a Summer Day

Viognier hits its peak in the Northern Rhone appellation of Condrieu, in which is it the only permitted grape. These wines tend to be pricey, but they serve as an excellent beverage to sip on during chess tournaments and renaissance fairs. In Cote-Rotie Viognier is almost always co-fermented with Syrah, sometimes adding some floral aromatics and theoretically adding some extra color. This is due to a larger presence of co-factors which encourage co-pigmentation and therefore improved color stability. More about that on a later post.

As a wine Viogniers can have very pleasing floral and citrus aromas, but the variety is not naturally high in acid; therefore if picked too late the wines can take on one of the worst characteristics of white wines: flabbiness. During my stint at a tasting room which served a Viognier, I often had to insist that the wine was indeed dry. Why Viognier tends to be viewed as a sweet wine to the public I don’t know. All I can say is blame California. Actually, I love California, and might eventually end up there.

While watching the Stanley Cup Playoffs one might want to consider picking up a nice Columbia Valley Viognier, or ever better, pick up a Condrieu and hold a chess tournament under that big oak tree in the back yard.

A Wednesday, A Cheap Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Happiness

One can walk down the streets of San Francisco and ask any a mere mortal what the best vintage of Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the 21st century is thus far, and one could expect to get a lot of strange looks. Of course, one may also come upon a few folks who exclaim, “2007″, and thereupon begin to reference Robert Parker scores and the high level of ripeness achieved throughout the region. So 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape is hot right now, but I have to wonder how crazy hot it would be if the economy didn’t… well… whatever you want to call it.

The thing with Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the prices refuse to drop into the teens. Even in Bordeaux the great 2005 vintage offers numerous under $15 bottles which tend to be less than overwhelming. Bordeaux is a significantly larger region than Chateauneuf-du-Pape, however. So what is Chateauneuf-du-Pape besides a cool name?

CdP at Sunset

There are 13 permitted varieties in the region, but the dominant grape is Grenache. Other more common varieties found in red CdP’s include Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault, and Counoise. The area within France’s Southern Rhone Valley is translated to, “new castle of the pope”; named after the penthouse suite which the man himself once called home. Without getting into religious discussions, the Pope now resides once again in Vatican City (as seen in Eurotrip).

What brings me to this point in this amazing text-creating machine shall follow. In Sonoma, California I found myself with an extra 15 minutes before my appointment at the aforementioned Scribe Winery. I drove by a Whole Foods Market, stumbled in, and stumbled back out with a 2007 Chateauneuf-du-Pape in my grasps. The bottle cost me a measly $20, but I added on a chocolate peanut butter treat and I donated to some foundation by rounding up my total $.12. Please leave your compliments in ‘Ask a Terroirist’.

This is one of those wines that’s too cheap to be true, but it is. Oh, the wine is the 2007 Ogier ‘Les Closiers’ Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The wine smells amazing upon first sniff, but then it starts to unravel. It makes me wonder how it was treated. I’d guess it is a mix of bulk wines from various producers which received rough handling and too much oxygen. The back labels claims the wine was aged in oak for 12 months – I mean I guess that would be impressive to someone who doesn’t know very much about wine. My advice: buy this and drink it within 2 minutes of opening. A power hour of wine consisting of 25 individuals would be a good use. Don’t get me wrong – it’s actually very good right away, but it’s staying power is lacking.

Right now I’m choosing to drink coffee rather than Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Please, remember this moment as a similar phenomenon may never occur again.

Grenapril

March went very quickly, as did our supply of Cabernet Franc. It’s time to usher in a new era; and with this era comes Grenache. Grenache is among the most planted grapes in the world, and if statistics were better and easier to find I might call it the leader of red grapes.

Bacon Deviled Eggs

Planted widely in Southern France and in Spain (where it’s known as Garnacha), Grenache is a workhorse grape that deserves respect. The Terroirists are delivering that respect in April. The Chateauneuf-du-Pape region of the Southern Rhone tends to make wine which doesn’t suck, and Grenache is the majority grape in most CdP wines. Despite being just one of thirteen permitted varieties in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, most wines produced there meet the American requirement to be called a Grenache — that is 75% of the wine is Grenache.

In the United States Grenache makes a small showing in Washington along with more renown in Paso Robles, but Australia has got it going on. Grenache tends to have a lighter color not far from Pinot Noir, but it has a fuller body and aromatics which are borderline strawberry Jolly Rancher at a 3D movie. Were it not for France and Spain, however, Grenache would likely be one of those unfortunate grapes that falls to the wayside thanks to wine globalization and varietal labeling. Sick of Cabernet Sauvignon? Try a Grenache; it won’t disappoint you — especially if you were expecting Thunderbird.