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Reviews of Pacific Northwest Red Wines
Syrah
Coeur d'Alene Cellars
2006 Syrah, Stillwater Creek Vineyard
$36.00
This wine was the favorite of our tasting and coincidentally helps to
illustrate several points I made in the introduction. It was
co-fermented with five percent Viognier which adds the floral notes and
complexity on the palate described above - delicious! Round aromas of
ripe blackberry and blueberry are nudged by notes of earthy floral spice
and toasty oak. Mouth-filling black fruit flavors mingle with floral
and spice notes on the palate.
Spangler Vineyard
2008 Petite Sirah, The Terraces
Southern Oregon
$28.00
Pat
Spangler continues his string of successes with Petite Sirah from The
Terraces vineyard in Southern Oregon. Just when I said you needed to
co-ferment with Viognier to get floral character in your Syrah/Petite
Sirah, along comes Spangler Petite (100%) with oodles of floral and
berry aromas dancing brightly in your glass and leading you to a juicy
palate of black cherry, plum and spicy pepper. Not as big as the 2007,
but very food friendly with bright acidity on the finish.
Three Rivers Winery
2007 Syrah, Boushey Vineyard
Yakima Valley
$50.00
Now
here's another twist: instead of adding Viognier to your Syrah, squirt
in some blockbuster Cabernet Sauvignon to add dimension and interest.
This is not a traditional Rhone blend, but the five percent addition of
Cabernet expands the wine's complexity and food-pairing horizons. Look
for aromas of blackberry and black cherry with notes of smoky bacon,
vanilla and spice. Flavors on the palate echo the nose with the
addition of toasty blueberry and a toasty vanilla finish.
Doyenne
2007 Syrah, Grand Ciel Vineyard
Red Mountain
$75.00
This 100% Syrah is sourced from Delille Cellars' vineyard on Red
Mountain. With no added Viognier, there is plenty of Syrah's own floral
character present in the wine, along with herbs, lavender and mineral,
all overlaying a rich background of black cherry and plum in both aroma
and flavor. This shows the terroir influence on varietal expression.
Hightower Cellars
2008 Murray Syrah
Red Mountain
$20.00
Tim
and Kelly Hightower have their estate vineyard and winery on the upper,
western slope of Red Mountain. Together with their faithful winery dog
Murray, they produce excellent wines with the motto "hand picked, hand
sorted, hand made."¯ Murray suggested that they co-ferment five percent
Viognier with the two clones of Syrah, and behold, a juicy and
approachable Syrah featuring black cherry, plum and earthy herb aromas
and flavors - and just a hint of floral character.
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