On the Road with the Grape Guy: Shiraz/Syrah

Showing posts with label Shiraz/Syrah. Show all posts

Thursday, December 19, 2024

AMAZING - Kacaba 2020 Reserve Syrah (Ontario, Canada)

Ontario, Canada seems an odd place to find Syrah; but there are pockets where the grape grows exceptionally well. Today, I'm looking at one of those places and one of those wines

Kacaba Vineyards 2020 Reserve Syrah

Saturday, October 21, 2023

IMPRESSIVE Kacaba 2019 Syrah, Proprietors Block (Ontario Wine)

Does Syrah belong in Ontario? The short answer is: probably not -

but there are certain pockets of the province (and in Niagara) that does this grape justice.

Here's one : Kacaba 2019 Syrah, Proprietors Block

You would not think 2019 to be a year for Syrah; but if you were one of the first to plant the grape, that makes your material old vines, and here that helps. Here Syrah was combined with 10% Viognier, all estate grown, then aged in a mix of American and French oak for 17 months, giving the wine elements of floral and hints of fruit sweetness in the process. Peppery and smoky notes lead things off, before the fruit really kicks in: raspberry, blackberry and creme de cassis ... This is elegant and stylish version Syrah - that's not just good for the vintage, but really good in general ... Vintage be damned.

Friday, September 22, 2023

Big Head Wines 2020 RAW Syrah (Ontario Wine)

In my books this is a rare bottle of wine, one you NEED to put your hands on,

and represents the epitome of Syrah in Ontario

Big Head Wines 2020 RAW Syrah

THE WRITTEN REVIEW ...

It's hard not to assume that during a 20-plus wine tasting at Big Head with wine maker/owner Andrzej Lipinski, you’ll come away with some favourites; but the big surprise here was just how much this one stood heads and tails above all the rest. That was the case this 2020 Syrah, part of the Raw series, which see concrete with no wood being introduced. The wine is also bottled unfiltered, but even before that Andrzej co-fermented it with 5% Viognier with the Syrah, along with a few other tricks of the trade, including carbonic maceration. Then leaving it in concrete for a year and a half. The results lay plain in the bottle: Floral aromas that lean slightly smoky ... A palate loaded with smoky-black cherry and raspberry and balsamic strawberries. It's pure, it's pretty, it's ... Damn near perfect?

Friday, July 28, 2023

Niagara College 2020 Gastronomy Shiraz (Ontario Wine)

Shiraz? In Ontario? Is this a bottle of misnamed wine? I'll let you know talking about this

Niagara College 2020 Gastronomy Shiraz

How I hate to see the word Shiraz on a label of Ontario Syrah - it's confusing - and I thought we had passed that; then again, maybe not. The wine itself was aged 20 months in French and American oak, bottled unfiltered and from the toasty 2020 vintage, which should also tell you how the wine is. But there's still no excuse for the name, especially from the Teaching College, of all places. The actual wine in the bottle has notes of raspberry and pepper - both red and black - on the nose; palate is full of spicy-black fruit and that peppery goodness comes through as well. If only it was named properly, then I could relax and be a bigger fan than I already am. (****+)