WTN: 2001 Syrah, Paschal Winery, Rogue Valley
2001 Syrah, Paschal, Rogue Valley - $23
Every couple years Melissa and I drive to the tiny town of Ashland in southern Oregon to take in some plays with our friends Pavel and Kathleen. Theater is the focus, but now that I'm into wine, I make a habit of going to Ashland Wine Cellars and asking the staff to help me choose a case of good wines I can't get in California. This gives me the chance to try wines off my radar, usually ones with a small production that prevents wide distribution.
Last time we visited Ashland, local wine enthusiasts eagerly talked about the surrounding Rogue Valley. The region's many microclimates, they said, supported a wide variety of grapes. When a wine region's proponents say this, they often mean they haven't figured out what to grow there yet. The New Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia agrees with my cynical viewpoint, though it goes on to point out that despite the high elevation, it's "the only area in Oregon where Bordeaux varieties ripen regularly".
But some locals will now tell you the region is ideally suited for Syrah. What a coincidence! A little-known wine region happens to be the perfect place to grow a super-trendy grape. Bully for them!
I expected a typically New World jammy, extracted wine when we opened the 2001 Syrah from Paschal Winery in the Rogue Valley, but you wouldn't describe this wine as fruity. The wine featured strong smells of earth and meat with some smoke and barnyard and just hints of plum or strawberry. Unfortunately, alcohol dominated the nose even more, at odds with the wine's low 12.5% alcohol level. I first tasted noticeable vanilla and cream, along with some modest cherry flavors. The hot alcohol was definitely out of balance, the strong acidity arguably so. The moderate tannins were more or less expected. The flavors in the wine lingered for a medium finish, the acidity and alcohol for a while longer. The wine doesn't offer as much taste as you'd expect from the aromas, which were captivating despite the pervasive alcohol. It's an awkward wine that doesn't seem cohesive.
We drank the wine with roasted rack of lamb and steamed asparagus dressed in cacao nibs. Overall, the wine worked well, and the flavors in the wine bridged to the dish pretty concretely. Bridging—using one flavor in a dish that picks up a flavor in the wine, or vice versa—can get monotonous if you always rely on it as a crutch for pairing food and wine, but it can be effective for one course in a normal six-course dinner.
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