From the Morris Cellar: Cali Syrah
Morris Cellar Release:
Keenan & Edmund St. John Syrah
Blue Fruit & Leather
I love California Syrah and The Philadelphia Eagles, Both Underdogs? Maybe….
Syrah is one of my favorite red grapes and can show remarkable quality the world over, but, many wine drinkers limit themselves to the expressions from the Rhône Valley, ignoring other countless other bottlings, especially those from California. I have made it a point to speak up for, and explore, California Syrah keepingthem on my dinner table, and I invite you to do the same. Â
Syrah is special to me for its ability to show such varied style and sense of place: from light and fresh to rich and extracted…no matter the weight, nor alcohol, nor oak, I find my favorite bottles hold a certain level of finesse…a balance between power and flavor and elegance.
These two treasures I offer here reflect uniquely Californian composition: appetizing and gulpable, yet,paying a certain homage to Syrah’s origin in the Northern Rhone. These two producers, with a small but avid fanbase, make dynamic wines built to last.
Blueberries, blackberries and pepper, these mamajamas are absolutely essential with pizza and lamb, but are an equally adequate substitute for your go–to cabernet when it’s time for a steak dinner! In the mood for something lighter? Wild mushroom risotto or roasted eggplant dowsed in olive oil and flaky sea salt. Too delicious to miss.  I propose a deep dive with the following two-pack from the Cellar.
– Keenan Winery sits atop Spring Mountain in Napa Valley. The wine is brooding and big shouldered and high altitude brings balance and draws out uniquely Syrah characteristics: brimming over with blueberry, blackberry, plum and leather, the Keenan family has built a wine that ages beautifully and drinks fresh despite the ten years since harvest. This 2014 is a must.
– Edmund St. John is a VERY small winery in El Dorado County. It is here that Steve Edmunds has produced some of the greatest Syrah to ever grace my taste buds, at a criminally low price. For his North Canyon Road bottling, he combined grapes from two single vineyards, which yield a mineral, fresh and fruity Syrah with quite a bit of bottle age, now nine years after vintage. Steve is known for his wines’ ability to age, and this is true treat as an introduction to these bottlings. At the peak of his production, this wine reached 200 cases annually. Truth be told, we recently learned of Steves retirement, making 2015 the last vintage of North Canyon Road Syrah. Do not miss this perfectly cellared bottling.
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