Ok, that title was way too easy and quite cheesy, but I couldn’t help myself.  I really love Syrah, recently focusing on the Northern Rhone style, to the point I’ve attempted to make my own using Crushpad’s winery services.  I won’t know for a while if I even came close until it gets bottled after 14 months of barrel aging.  In the meantime, let’s try a flight of some Syrah from 3 very different regions of the world: Australia, France and Argentina.

2006 Terlato & Chapoutier Shiraz-Viognier Victoria, Australia      $25
Don’t be fooled by the “Viognier” part of the label.  As a matter of fact the wine bar didn’t even list it on their menu, it only stated Shiraz.  Turns out there is only 5% of Viognier added and I’m not quite sure what characteristics it has added.  If anyone knows, please comment.  Additionally, this was a partnership between Terlato and Chapoutier, who produced the next wine in the flight below.

Color: Dark ruby
Nose: Vegetal at first, some licorice and violet, coffee. The coffee was faint at first but then became more pronounced 15 min later
Taste: Mineral,  vegetal, some cassis and med tannins

2005 M. Chapoutier “Belleruche” Cotes du Rhone           $17
Color: Lighter ruby/burgundy, lightest of the flight
Nose: Light nose, couldn’t get a lot out of it, maybe some red berries, overall very tight
Taste: Blackberries, more tannin, spice, long finish

I really loved the taste and flavors in this wine and what I expected in a Rhone Syrah, but was disappointed in the overall experience because the nose was so shy.  Overall, the smoothest, fruitiest and spiciest of the three.


2005 Preludio Syrah Mendoza Argentina                $19
Color: Darkest of the flight, very inky
Nose: Pungent. Like blue or Parmesan cheese or stinky feet, oaky — Yes, I said “cheese”, it’s the only thing I could related that smell to, and Jonjie confirmed it
Taste: Black cherry, some mineral
The nose and the taste couldn’t be further from each other, but made for a very interesting experience 
As you can see, these were all made from the same grape but provided 3 very different and distinct aromas, tastes and overall experience.  This is part of the reason why I think flights are so fun and helpful in improving your sensory evaluation of wine and also help you identify new favorites or further confirm old ones.  In the end I think I liked the Belleruche Cotes du Rhone the best even though the nose wasn’t very distinct.  But, I will also say the coffee notes in the Terlato was very interesting and appealing and the cheesiness of the Preludio was not something I was expecting nor was I ready for.  
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