Well, what do YOU call it?

Syrah Pseudonyms 

Shiraz, Schiras, Sirac, Syra, Syrac, Sirah, Hignin Noir, Candive, Entournerein, Antourenein, Serene, Serenne, Serine, Marsanne Noir and Balsamina. 

No matter what you call it, it always looks just about the same. Glorious, plump, juicy, inky, dusty and fragrant. It's harvest time, the fruit is coming in and staining hands a glorious fuschia color.

Artful arrangements of naked stems are appearing all over the cellar floor and crush pad.

It's almost too tough to sweep them up into the trash.

Everything associated with SyrahShirazSchirasSiracSyraSyracSirahHignin NoirCandiveEntournereinAntoureneinSereneSerenneSerineMarsanneNoirandBalsamina is beautiful.

Sacrificing Canes for Quality

The Sacrificial Cane experiment is a technique used by Peter Fraser and the Santa Barabara County vineyard team at the Barham Ranch. This technique is employed to develop small, concentrated, dark Syrah berries with riper tannins and more elegant fruit flavor profiles.

How it works: At the beginning of the season the vines are trained to produce additional fruit on two extra canes. The vines are kept healthy and strong from budburst to flowering to encourage high yields.

Water is kept very tight from fruit set to verasion. Since the vines carry more fruit that needs to be ripened, the vine naturally limits the size of the individual berries, which is exactly what we want.

At close to 90% verasion the two sacrificial canes are cut and, in some cases, drop more than 1/3 of the crop. The timing is crucial on when to remove the canes. Cut them too soon and the berries will become fat. Cut them too late and the plant has been robbed of vital verasion energy.

The final and crucial part is irrigation from full verasion to harvest. The extra watering slows the ripening and the sugars began to plateau. If everything goes as planned, the vines will produce top-notch Syrah – bright fruit; the ripe tannins with concentration and lushness.

Vineyard Characteristics

Barham
Is the backbone, theBarry Bonds of the team. Dark, blackberry fruits. It
has big chewy tannins. And consequently dominates the team.

Neely
Is the spice, the finesse, dark cherry. The tannins are grainier and silky. This
is the "queer eye for the straight guy" part of the blend, the style police.

Tepusquet
Is bright, perfumed and red fruits, acidity and length. I can’t think of a
celebrity for this one? Definitely metro sexual too..., maybe the style
police travel in twos.

Put this all together to get a young George Clooney style

TOP 10: Racy Pairings

With a bold, jammy, exotic forest floor type of Syrah, you need matching bold and exotic food pairings. Here are our top ten racy pairings ideal for a glass of Kinton Syrah.

1. Warm Lamb and Mint Spring Rolls with a Peanut Plum Hoison Sauce


2. Pancetta Shiitake Mushroom Burger with fresh Homemade Mayonaisse Schmear



3. Pasta Carbonara (Easy, No Fuss - just like our Syrah)

4. Old Fashioned Macaroni & Cheese and Barbecued Ribs with Greens and Sweet Rolls

5. Black Pepper Crusted Steak with Roasted Rutabegas and Yukon Gold Potatoes

6. Thick Cut Pork Chop with a Candied Pear Glaze



7. A BLT: plenty of Smoked Bacon, Sliced Heirloom Tomato, Crunchy Ice Berg on Fresh Baked Sourdough


8. Seared Filet Mignon with Sheeps Milk Feta over Mache and Fresh Spring Greens

9. Cajun Andouille Sausage over Red Beans and Rice

10. Grilled Eggplant Lasagna with Hearty Meat Sauce served with warm French Bread

Et Voila!

TOP 10: shuffle, repeat

The Kinton Playlist
(available here as an Imix from Itunes)

1. Ella Fitzgerald, Black Coffee
2. Beck, Where its at
3. Seal, Violet
4. Elliott Smith, Memory Lane
5. Stereo MC's, Get Connected
6. James Brown, I got you I feel good
7. The Isley Brothers, Its your thing
8. Maria Creuza, Berimbau
9. George Michael, Careless Whisper
10. Bill Withers, Lovely Day

The 2005 vintage invoked beautiful rootsy notes in the nose (coffee and earth) followed immediately by luscious red and black fruit - enough balance to make you exclaim "This is where its at!".

The color, clarity, volume, textures, aromas and flavors make a smooth sail through your body. Experience it and enjoy.

Available at a market in your neighborhood, nearby!

wrap it up (I'll take it!)

It's been an interesting year between bowling at Hospice Du Rhone, star gazing at Gen Art film Festival & enjoying the views and aromatics at the SB VIntner's Festival.

Here's a cassette tape wrap up, for those of you who couldn't make it with us every step of the way.

Miami Herald --- Heralds Peter Fraser and Kinton Syrah

Check this out ---

Posted on Thu, May. 22, 2008
Surfer sorts out syrah, shiraz
By FRED TASKER
Paul Fraser, 34, is a surfer dude of sorts. He spends half the year near the beaches of his native Australia, half near the Pacific swells of California.
He doesn't get as much hang-ten time as he'd like, however. He's the full-time winemaker at Yangarra Estate Vineyard in Australia, helping to oversee its harvest in March. And the full-time winemaker at Kinton Vineyards in California, working with its harvest in October.

Fraser has another distinction I like. He makes shiraz in Australia, syrah in California. So he's the perfect person to grill about what the heck is the difference, if any, between those two grapes and their wines.

The back story: The syrah grape for centuries has been the mainstay of the best wines from France's Rhne Valley. Then about 100 years ago growers took syrah from there to Australia, renaming it shiraz along the way.

Today the Rhne's syrahs are big, powerful and worthy of aging; Australia's shiraz wines are soft and ripe, ready to drink upon purchase.

To add to the confusion, some California winemakers now are growing syrah grapes but calling the finished wine shiraz. As if wine fans aren't already adequately confused.

So: Are they the same wine?

Fraser shrugs: ``It's just marketing.''

He pooh-poohs the notion that the Rhne's syrah grape has mutated into something different in its 100 years in Australia.

``There's such a mish-mash of clones that the two are virtually synonymous.''

The biggest difference, he says, is that Australia is warmer, so shiraz gets riper, softer, sweeter. He says it can be seen in his 2006 Yangarra Shiraz and his 2005 Kinton syrah -- the same grape, the same growing and vinifying methods, yet the shiraz is riper, softer. Case closed.

Fraser is free to experiment because both wineries are owned by Jess Jackson, the iconic California wine pioneer who founded the Kendall-Jackson winery in 1982 and today is in charge of a wine empire.

''Jess wants gems,'' he says. ``He encourages experimentation, he gives a free hand, and he understands that it takes time and money. He's very inspiring.''

Even if it keeps Fraser from his boogie board.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

• 2006 Yangarra Shiraz, McLaren Vale, Australia: ripe black cherry and bittersweet chocolate flavors, ripe, soft tannins, smooth; $23.

• 2005 Kinton Syrah, Santa Barbara, Calif.: aromas of roses, tar and cassis liqueur, crisp acid, big, ripe tannins, powerful; $16.

• 2006 Yangarra ``Cadenzia'' (grenache, shiraz, mourvedre grapes), McLaren Vale, Australia: hint of oak, very rich black cherry and mocha flavors, smooth, ripe tannins; $26.

• 2006 Old Vine Grenache, McLaren Vale, Australia: concentrated, intense black cherry liqueur flavors, opulent and smooth and rich; $26.

RECOMMENDED

• 2007 Yangarra Grenache/Shiraz Rosé, McLaren Vale, Australia: crisp and tart, with maraschino cherry flavors and a hint of tannin; $15.

• 2007 Yangarra Viognier, McLaren Vale, Australia: crisp and fresh, with flavors of tart peaches and nectarines; $23.

• 2007 Yangarra Rousanne, McLaren Vale, Australia: peaches, minerals and spice, crisp and lean; $23.

• 2007 Yangarra Unoaked Chardonnay: McLaren Vale, Australia: crisp and creamy, with delicate citrus flavors; $14.





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© 2008 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com

Hospice du Rhone

Rhone n' Bowl : The 16th annual Hospice du Rhone, Rhone N’ Bowl, was a 1st annual for Kinton Syrah. Who would of thought that bowling and prestigious wines would pair well. Apparently they do! Winemakers, sommeliers and consumers from all over the world attend this event.

Kinton syrah was so lucky to be drunk next to the best. We won’t talk about our bowling scores, since bowling and drinking wine is not an easy feat, but we will say if you’ve never attended Hospice du Rhone you’d better book your seats for next year. Hospice du Rhone is a world renowned event and if you’re a fan of Rhone wines this is one event not to miss. The 2009 dates are, April 30th – May 2nd. www.HospiceduRhone.com