Taste test tilts in favor of Windmill syrah

The syrah grape earned its reputation from excellent wines made in the northern part of France's Rhone Valley, where the grape has been grown since the times of the early Romans.

Other countries have since grown the grape, and the result has been a wide variety of styles and tastes.

Typical syrahs from recent vintages will offer tastes of spice, pepper, black currants, licorice and tar. As they mature, they can acquire smoky, meaty aromas.

Many syrahs are made from 100 percent of the syrah grape. But in the southern Rhone Valley, it is also blended with grenache and other grapes. In Australia, where the wine is called shiraz, the grape is sometimes blended cabernet sauvignon and/or merlot.

In the United States, syrahs are being increasingly produced at affordable prices.

I asked the wine-tasting group to compare five syrahs costing $10 to $16. Here are the results of our blind tasting:

- 2001 Hess Select Syrah at $15.99. This wine had bright, rich fruit -- black currants and licorice tastes. A pleasant, burned fruit taste lingered on the tongue. The Hess was a big wine with tight tannins. (Tannins are the chemicals in wine that give it structure and can make your mouth pucker when they are young and strong. Tannins will soften with aging or the right food.) Tight tannins mean they have a long way to go before they soften. This wine could use aging. But if you plan to drink it tonight, open the bottle at least an hour ahead and serve with rare beef.

- 2001 Van Ruiten Vineyards Syrah, Reserve at $13.99. We discovered aromas of burnt orange and bittersweet chocolate. In the mouth, we tasted black cherries and lots of dark chocolate. This wine was more peppery than most. This wine finished second in our comparisons.

- 2001 Covey Run Syrah at $9.99. This aroma was full of alcohol, raspberries and roses. It was a big wine with tastes of licorice in the mouth. It was bone dry with a long finish.

- 2001 Cartlidge & Browne Syrah at $10.99. This wine was spicy with lots of pepper, wood and dark berries. In the mouth, we tasted black cherries in a smooth texture.

- 2002 Windmill Estates Syrah at $12.99. This wine taught us what American oak should smell and taste like in a well-made wine. It had a thick, velvety texture, with hints of chocolate. It was the best balanced of the five. The Windmill ranked first.

Surfing the wine shelves:

- 2001 Beringer Founders' Estate Cabernet Sauvignon at $12. This wine had an aroma of fresh berries and spice. In the mouth it was lush, soft and fruity with flavors of blackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, spice and oak.

- 1999 Brunello di Montalcino at $66. This was 100 percent sangiovese made from a good vintage of Italian reds. It was very dark in color and had an intense aroma of red cherries and plums, along with some cigar and leather. We tasted ripe blackberries and some firm tannins in a lush texture.

- 2000 Kendall-Jackson Cabernet Sauvignon at $16. Dark fruit and wood dominated the aroma. In the mouth, we tasted black cherries and spice in a smooth texture.

- 2003 Trapiche Merlot at $7. A simple, easy-to-drink wine with a light to medium body, this merlot tasted of plums and ripe, red fruit.

- 2001 Jaboulet Cotes du Rhone Parallele 45 Rouge at $10. This was an intense wine for $10, offering red fruit, plenty of pepper and spices, and good structure.

- 2001 Morgan Double L Vineyard Pinot Noir at $42. We couldn't decide between and red and black cherries in the aroma. But it was definitely cherries, accompanied by hints of spice. In the mouth, the wine showed ripe fruit and hints of minerals.

Questions may be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville 37203, or e-mailed to editor@tennessean.com..