Theme: Last class we covered wines of the Rhone Valley in France which is the birth place of Syrah. We studied the region so the wines were of various grapes or blends. So for this class I wanted to cover 100% Syrah's from various regions including France, South Africa and California just to compare and contrast the differences. Let's see how it turned out!
The Wines:
Domaine Jean-Louis Chave 2011 Offenus
- Color: Deep purple
- Nose: An aromatic wine with aromas of pepper, red fruit, bacon
- Mouth: This dry wine is medium bodied with crisp acidity and flavors of tart cherry and mineral notes.
- Price: $29.99
- Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5
Keermont Stellenbosch 2011 Syrah
- Color: Very deep purple
- Nose: Less pepper on the nose than the first wine, this aromatic wine has notes of cocoa, meat, and dust
- Mouth: A medium to full bodied, flavorful wine with medium to high tannins with a wonderfully long finish. Definitely not a fruit bomb Syrah, the notes of cocoa on the nose carry over to the mouth.
- Price: $38
- Rating: 4 out of 5
Ojai Vineyard White Hawk 2010 Syrah
- Color: Very deep purple
- Nose: Another aromatic wine with nice herbaceous notes, dark berry, bing cherry and a hint of floral notes.
- Mouth: Definite spicy notes on this Syrah with blue berry notes, a bit of tartness and a nice finish. Tannins were medium to high.
- Price: $43
- Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5
The Pairings
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| Emmentaler Cheese |
Emmentaler Cheese: We absolutely loved this cheese, however it was a difficult pairing with the wines. We enjoyed it best with the Keermont Syrah. It brought out the lovely pepper notes but did take away from the lovely finish of this wine. Just too strong of a cheese for these wines.
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| Monte Enebro Cheese |
Monte Enebro Cheese: A wonderful cheese-a little nutty and a little sweet! Paired nicely with the the Keermont and definitely enhanced an already wonderful finish. It also paired nicely with the Offenus Syrah from France. Brought out the fruit notes of the wine.
Baby Back Ribs: Was a great pairing with the Ojai Syrah and also delightful with the Keermont from South Africa.
Beef Brisket: The brisket was the overall best pairing with the wines.
Pulled Pork: A nice pairing. We we enjoyed it best with the Keermont from South Africa, but was also yummy with the Ojai.
Ghiradelli Sea Salt Soiree Dark Chocolate: This pairing was a moderate success. We enjoyed with the Keermont and Ojai, but nothing to write home about.
Lindt Dark Chocolate Caramel: An interesting and enjoyable pairing with the Keermont and Ojai.
Salame di Cioccolato: Hands down the best dessert pairing of the evening! Especially nice with the Ojai.
Conclusion
Beth: What a fun class, exploring three distinct wines made with the Syrah grape. The class really emphasized how important terroir is to the wine. My favorite wine of the evening was the lovey Syrah from South Africa! The finish on this wine was amazing. Definitely not a fruit bomb like a Shiraz from Australia can be. This wine was refined with lovely dusty, cocoa notes. A close second was the Ojai Syrah from California. The herbaceous aromas on the nose were quite distinctive. I enjoyed the spicy finish as well. The Rhone wine was also nice and I would love to revisit that it in 2-3 years. I think a bit of age would really benefit this wine. Overall it was a great class. Always fun to explore the world of wine with good friends!
Lisa: As Karen MacNeil in the Wine Bible stated "Syrah reminds me of the kind of guy who wears cowboy boots with a tuxedo. Rustic, manly, and yet elegant--that's Syrah". Now that's a wine right up my alley! I think we were all in agreement on the ranking of the three as favorite to least favorite Keermont (South Africa), Ojai Vineyard (Santa Barbara, CA) and then Offenus (France). Coincidentally, the higher the alcohol (15.5%, 14%, 13.5% respectively) the more we enjoyed it?? Drinking them alone, they were all wonderful and had different aspects I liked in each. As for the cheeses, the Emmentaler seamed to overpower the wines even though I loved the cheese itself. The Monte Enebro which tasted a bit like Swiss did bring out the fruit in the Keermont which I loved the best. As for the meats, of course the brisket was the best! a manly meat with a manly wine :). The chocolates were a wonderful pairing for all. As always, it was fun enjoying different wines. Best excuse for girl time!! Thanks girls!!
Mary Jo: Syrahs are such delicious wines and, as most wines, can differ so completely! I couldn't wait for this class!! I truly enjoyed all three wines. Overall, of the three, my favorite was the Keermont from South Africa. On the nose, it had some notes of pepper, a meaty or gamey aroma, hints of fruit and a dusty component. On the mouth, I found delicious chocolate and a chewiness that was quite pleasant. The lengthy finish created a warmth that I felt all the way down my throat. My second favorite was the Ojai Vineyard, Whitehawk Vineyard. On the nose it was herbaceous with notes of bing cherries. On the mouth it was fruity and spicy with some pleasant tartness, blueberry notes and a nice medium finish with pepper. My third favorite was the Offenus. The nose was very peppery, with some fruit and earthiness. On the mouth there was pleasant tartness with a chalky minerality and notes of cherry. It had a nice medium finish. With the food, first I have to say that the Emmentaler cheese was an absolutely delicious soft cheese. Unfortunately, the cheese was a bit overpowering with the wines. It did bring out some vanilla with the Keermont and fruit with the Ojai Vineyard. The Monte Enebro brought out delicious fruit with the Keermont and melded well with the wine. For me, the Ojai Vineyard was number one with all three meats. With the chocolates, the wines were just okay with the Sea Salt Soiree. I liked the Keermont the most with the dark chocolate caramel and the Ojai Vineyard best with the Salame di Cioccolato. Overall, it was a wonderful class with delicious wines. The food, as always, was amazing and red wines with two great friends....priceless!
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