Joshua Greene and Patrick J. Comiskey recently led blind panels assessing US wines made from Syrah and other Rhône varieties. As always, the panels were told the vintage, the region and the variety, with no information given about producer or price.
This Regional Tasting Report is being published in tandem with our Rhône tasting report, giving you the chance to explore syrah and its cohorts in both its ancestral home and further abroad (check out our South Australia report for shiraz, as well). Alongside the vintage reports and tasting notes, we’ve reached into the archives for Patrick J. Comiskey’s stories on syrah from the marginal climate of the Sta. Rita Hills and the disappearing old vines of Contra Costa County. There’s plenty of time for some leisurely reading baked into Chef Chip Smith’s Lamb Saddle recipe, and a reward when it’s ready. —Corey Warren
OUR US SYRAH & RHONE VARIETIES PANELISTS INCLUDED
FROM THE ARCHIVES
From Cool to Cooler: Syrah Finds a Home in the Sta. Rita Hills
Once considered too marginal a climate to ripen syrah, the Pacific-facing Sta. Rita Hills has become a mecca for the variety’s most ardent producers. Patrick J. Comiskey reports.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Gone Tomorrow: Will Contra Costa’s Centenarian Vines Survive?
Patrick J. Comiskey visits the endangered ancient vines of Contra Costa County, including those at Evangelho Vineyard in Antioch (left), some of California’s great viticulture assets at risk of extinction.
RECIPE
Roast Lamb Saddle with Crispy Bloody Butcher Grits & Spring Greens
Chip Smith, the chef of The Simone in NYC, gives us a decadent pairing for any of these meaty Rhône varieties.
