In Praise of Syrah: International Syrah Day is February 16

February 16, 2024 – There’s a day for everything, as we have come to know. Except for International Common Sense Day, which is long overdue. 

International Syrah Day happens to be today, Friday, February 16, but why limit it to just one day? With its wide range of personalities and ability to transform itself into the perfect echo of a place, no matter where it’s planted, Syrah should never be pigeonholed. It even tastes good with squab, by the way. 

Our local winemakers have great depth in this fascinating grape that can be sweet and plummy, with baked brownie crust when grown in warm spots, and white peppery and downright feral in cooler locales. 

Gary Lyons and Stacey Schrader of Mesa del Sol in Arroyo Seco are offering a special way to access several verticals from their stash. They offer a choice of 3 or 6 bottles along with a free tasting guide, designed to help you detect the nuances between each vintage. Verticals are available for the years 2014—2019, all made by winemaker Ian Brand. You can get all six bottles or choose 3 bottle versions from 2014-2016 or 2017-2019.  Prices vary. SyrahVerticals

They’ve also just finished planting 400 new vines of additional Syrah, a favorite among Mesa del Sol wine club members. 

“We had lots of diseased vines and holes in the vineyard, so we started replacing them,” Lyons says. “I was really surprised there were that many! This should increase our yield noticeably.”  Lyons plans to keep about 6 tons for their own label, and sell the remainder: they average about 15 tons yearly. Last year’s crop was late and large, almost 19 tons. The extra Zin went unclaimed, so it’s being converted to Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Now in his third year of ownership of the ranch, Lyons is loving his new role as grape farmer, and told us he’s really excited to amp up production from the vineyard, especially for Syrah, which is in demand with winemakers. One of them is Tyler Russell, who also happens to be Mesa del Sol’s new winemaker of record. 

Russell has been purchasing Syrah fruit from Mesa del Sol for a few years now, for his previous label, Nelle. While partnering with Cordant Wines as their winemaker for several years, he introduced Cordant’s owner, David Taylor, to the vineyard. Now, says Lyon, “They love our Syrah, and will be taking it for the foreseeable future.” 

Lyons loves the bigger, bolder approach that Russell takes to making wines, and is very excited about the 2022 vintage he recently tasted down at Tin City in Paso Robles, where Russell makes their wines. They’ve also added a Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc from Paso Robles fruit to their lineup as of 2023. Previously, they sourced whites from the Santa Lucia Highlands.  

Lyons is bullish on Cabernet Sauvignon, saying, “People can identify with Cab, not so much with Zin.” 

You’ll soon see a new look on the Mesa del Sol bottles. They’ve changed the label to a more contemporary rendering of the Arroyo Seco River as it comes out of the Ventana Wilderness. Says Lyons, “It’s more hip and contemporary.”

House Family in Saratoga calls their Syrah the “Dark and Stormy” member of their inventory, for its robust structure, velvety tannins and powerful finish. For February, House Family is offering The Bixby Package, which includes 2012 Mt. Veeder Syrah (Napa Valley: very limited), 2013 Coastview Syrah and 2014 Coastview Syrah (Monterey County). Coastview Vineyard is part of the Gabilan Mountains AVA in Monterey County, above the fog of the Salinas Valley, and blessed with granite soil, pockets of true limestone and calcareous shale.

Other local wineries making notable Syrah from Coastview include Big Basin Vineyards, which has many permutations and vintages (going back to 2012) available from the vineyard that was significantly influenced by winemaker Bradley Brown, in terms of layout and varietal composition. Some 2014 Coastview “Terraces” Syrah remains, along with 2017 Estate Rattlesnake Rock (including some in magnums), 2014 Estate Frenchie’s Syrah (extra barrel aging) and even 2014 Old Corral in the list of library selections. Snag some 2018 Rattlesnake Rock for your cellar, and some 2018 SCM Syrah, both 100% CCOF estate fruit, to enjoy now. 

Ryan Alfaro’s Farm Cottage also makes a Syrah from the Ryan Spencer Vineyard, that his father Richard planted in 2001, which is presently sold out. James Jelks of Florez Wines, made both a “Remus” Syrah from the Hunter Hill vineyard, and a “Romulus” Syrah from the Aylaya Vineyard, about a mile away, in vintage 2021. Both bear the images of a wolf and a small child. Jelks oversees the farming at both vineyards.

Wrath is a Syrah powerhouse, with elegant yet pepper-laden examples from both San Saba Vineyard and KW Ranch, and Kori’s 2019 KW Ranch Syrah is filled with black pepper and cigar box notes. 

Beauregard Vineyards is offering about 2.5 cases of 2005 Syrah from Nelson Family Vineyards that retails for $100, at a special price of $75. After nearly two decades of cellaring, this reveals intense smoky, mushroomy and earthy notes, underpinned and augmented by pure scents of Douglas fir and pine forest. As Ryan says, it tastes and smells like the Santa Cruz Mountains. 2005 Syrah Santa Cruz Mountains

Samuel Louis Smith, winemaker at Morgan, also makes Syrah from the Nelson Vineyard under his eponymous label. Check out the 2022 Samuel Louis Smith Syrah: SamuelLSmithWine would make a fun comparison to try the old and the new side-by-side. 

From House Family comes this helpful link for some interesting Syrah info: thegrapegrind.com/all-you-need-to-know-about-syrah-a-quick-guide/