Pinot Noir and Syrah Exploration ~ Session 6

Happy Holidays to everyone! This season was quite busy for The Self-Made Sommelier, but we made sure to "Eat, Drink, and Be Merry" with our friends and loved ones. We hope yours was a wonderful season as well!

This month we delved into two red varietals: Pinot Noir and Syrah. Read along and learn about these wonderful and interesting varietals!

Last month we introduced the term AVA (American Viticultural Area). We will continue to discuss AVA's throughout the rest of our Varietal Exploration Series.

Pinot Noir friendly AVA’s
A lot of the same things apply when talking about AVA's regarding Pinot Noir as they did in our last session when we spoke about Chardonnay. Premium quality Pinot Noir thrives when planted in areas that are along the coast, and heavily influenced by fog and coastal breezes. The heat of the day help the grapes to mature, while the cool evening breezes and temperature drops, help to prolong the growing season. This helps the grapes to gather intense flavor, while maintaining balanced acidity. Terroir characteristics can influence the wine. We can go into more detail as we taste. Some of the premier growing areas in California are: Russian River Valley, Santa Lucia Highlands, Carneros (Napa), Monterey and Anderson Valley. There are also a lot of really good Pinots coming out of Oregon these days, due primarily to the coastal climate patterns. Tonight we will be highlighting 2 Pinot's, 1 from Russian River Valley and 1 from Anderson Valley.

Trivia Fact!
The word pinot, is the first word of many French vine varieties, and is thought to refer to the shape of Pinot grape bunches. Pinot bunches are in the shape of a pine (pin) cone. It is thought that there are no fewer than 100 different types of Pinot (most of them being clones or seedlings). The well known varieties being…Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and of course, Pinot Noir. Chardonnay can also be called Pinot Chardonnay occasionally.

General flavor descriptors of Pinot Noir:

While this grape is “finicky, troublesome, enigmatic and challenging”, it can also it can also produce “one of the greatest wines ever”. (Wine for Dummies).

• Light to medium in body
• Can be high in alcohol
• Fruit aromas of cherries (black & red), raspberries, strawberries and sometimes, currant.
• Aromas of earthiness, smoke, or woodiness
• On the palate: cherries, plum, berries, soft tannins, smooth acidity

Savannah Channelle 2009 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir:
•Aromas: Subtle hints of oak and vanilla gave way to bright red bing cherry notes and dusty earth.
•Palate: Blackberries and black cherries show magnificently on the well structured full and long palate.
•Great color, balanced acidity and silky soft tannins make this wine a prime candidate for aging, but it certainly drinks well now.
Notes from our Group: Aroma: Earth, rasberries, black cherry. Palate: cherry, soft tannins, smooth, bright, complex

Decoy 2010 Anderson Valley Pinot Noir:
• Aromas: ripe strawberry, French Plum, loganberry and anise with hints of blueberry, cola and spice.
• Palate: medium weight, graceful and inviting with red fruits – raspberry, cherry and plum as well as sophisticated elements of forest floor and tobacco leaf.
• Supported by “age-worthy tannins, and a streak of uplifting acidity”.
Notes from our Group: Aroma: spicy, woody Palate: tastes better than it smells, although it has the same amount of alcohol, it is more prevalent in the Decoy. **Note: after it sat in the glass, there was a noticeable increase in a strawberry aroma.

Syrah friendly AVA's:
Originally hailing from the Rhone Valley in the South of France, Syrah has been growing in popularity here in the United States and Australia. Syrah grows best in climates that are warm, but not too hot, and on well drained, rocky soils. While Pinot Noir is a fussy grape, Syrah is a relatively easy grape to grow. It doesn’t cause too much trouble, it buds late and ripens early, and is not prone to disease or rot. The oldest known Syrah vines are in Mendocino County, but the Central Coast tends to be a better region for growing this varietal due to it being the driest of all the coastal regions. The days are warm and the nights are cool, ensuring a balanced growing season. (Rhone Rangers website)

General Flavor Descriptors of Syrah:

• Dark fruits, smoke and meats (particularly bacon), leather and a white pepper finish.
• Cooler climate Syrah: black pepper, green olive and spice aromas
• Warm climate Syrah: pronounced raspberry, cherry, and earthy notes.

Is it Syrah, or Shiraz??
Yes! Syrah and Shiraz are indeed the same grape. While I have read that it could imply two different styles of wine (a light, Rhone style for Syrah, and the full-bodied fruit bomb style of Australian Shiraz), the simple answer is that the European driven name is Syrah, and the Australians call it Shiraz.

Hahn 2009 Central Coast Syrah:
• Aromas: intense dark fruit aromas with hints of vanilla and sweet wood.
• Palate: black cherry cola and tobacco, with notes of leather, pepper and tobacco.
• Silky and round tannins, with a long and memorable finish. Zesty acidity ensures a pleasing food pairing experience.
Notes from our Group: Aroma: blueberries, spice, vanilla, root beer Palate: warm climate, cherry cola, firm tannins, medium complexity, pleasant and long finish

Henry's 2007 Drive Dead Letter Shiraz:
• Aromas: red and blueberry fruit with complex characteristics of red licorice, cinnamon and vanilla spice
• Palate: vibrant berry and red currant fruit with a dense, tarry spicy notes. Mid palate flavors of spearmint and lavender offer up a fresh, long finish.
• Ripe, soft tannins lead to a round mouth feeling, with fresh acidity.
Notes from our Group: Aroma: Meaty, "Christmas" cinnamon, nutmeg, hazelnut, almond paste/marzipan, ripe fruit. Palate: firm tannins, needs to be paired with food, full bodied, short finish, not very complex.

Dessert Wine and Food Pairing...
Jennifer and I were in charge of snacks this month, so we decided to create a wine and dessert pairing. What resulted had us all in wonder at the beauty of a good match! What was this magnificent pairing?

We served this J.Lohr Late Harvest Riesling with the dessert pictured below. This wine is a dessert wine, and is quite sweet. On its own, it tastes like honey and apricot, and is very rich.

Paired with the Riesling was a hunk of blue cheese, covered in honey. Top it with candied pecans, and a touch more honey! Serve on bread. The combination of the two is mind-blowing! Even those who won't go near "sweet wine", would be singing a different tune after this dessert.

But wait...there's more!
In the spirit of the Holiday Season, Jennifer and I wanted to extend our thanks to this special group of Oenophiles. They have stuck with us on our first journey into wine education, and they deserve a giant THANK YOU! In this spirit we toasted with some sparkling wine to this fine group of people (those not present were in our thoughts!). They also recieved a gift of a personalized charm from us to them...


Point to Ponder...
As you sip wine this month, continue to think about what flavors you get from your wine. Whether what you smell or taste falls into the flavor profile or not, don't doubt yourself! We all have different physiology, and will get different things. Trust your palate, and enjoy what you drink! I also continue to encourage you to keep trying something new. Every wine has its place!


Happy New Year...and Cheers!