It's not Gonon, but..
2/22/14 -
It’s an exciting time to follow the evolution of California’s wine identity, which is in a constant state of flux due to an expanding number of talented winemakers. Instead of inheriting thousands of years of viticultural heritage, or developing a complex control system like France’s A.O.C or Italy’s D.O.C., the new world follows its own path. In the beginning of viticulture in the states, obscure grape varieties that we no longer associate with California were planted up and down the coast. Our friend Jon Bonné’s fantastic guide The New California Wine, points out that at the end of the 18th century vineyards could consist of Refosco, Freisa, Sylvaner, and of course the ever-present Mission grape. As wine became less of an immigrants’ reminder of their homeland and cuisine and more of a symbol of California’s rich agricultural land, the prestigious varieties of France — Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc — became ubiquitous.
Throughout all of this history, there is barely a mention of the noble Syrah. According to Bonné, in 1982 there were less than 90 acres planted to Syrah, but by 1999 the number had exploded to 10,298, and in 2004 there were approximately 17,000 acres. At that point, there was more of the grape planted in California than in the relatively small Northern Rhône. The American Syrah marketplace became over-saturated, and many of the new plantings were in areas less than optimal for the grape’s cool-weather preferences. In a recent article by The New York Times wine columnist, Eric Asimov, the tasting panel hypothesized that the rapid decline in Syrah’s popularity after the high water mark may have been caused by Pinot Noir’s ascension after the Pinot-promoting film Sideways was released in 2004 and the proliferation of inexpensive, fruit-driven “Shiraz” wines from Australia. Happily, Asimov’s article continues to report that his tasting panel found lots to be excited about in many of the Californian Syrahs that we stock. Below are some of our favorites mentioned in the article:
