Structure
- Body: Medium to Full
- Acid: Medium to High
- Tannin: Medium to High
- Sweetness: Dry
- Alcohol Content: 14%
2018 Spear Estate Syrah
On June 03, 2023, we attended a wine tasting at The Wine Crush in Long Beach, CA and tasted this Syrah. The theme was BBQ Wines, so the selection was geared toward wine that could hold its own against a super savory and rich meal. We purchased a bottle and ordered BBQ that night. The 2018 Spear Estate Syrah, with its black fruit, black pepper, and smoked meat aromas, was bold and strong enough to stand tall and proud with our BBQ meal.
- Primary Aromas: blackberry, black cherry, black pepper, olive
- Secondary Aromas: oak
- Tertiary Aromas: dried black fruit, and smoked meat (like the spicy crust around a slice of pastrami).
A Few Fast FAQs
Shir… What?
Did you know that Syrah and Shiraz are not siblings, but that they are the same grape? Syrah is called Shiraz in Australia where it a well-known resident of Barrossa Valley and Hunter Valley.
What are Tertiary Aromas?
Tertiary aromas develop during the aging process. Whether aged with oxygen in the barrel or without oxygen in the bottle, the wine will develop additional aromas and/or change the primary aromas as the wine ages. Red wine can develop aromas such as smoked meat, mushroom, dried fruit, licorice.
About the Variety
Syrah is a thick-skinned, dark red grape that typically develops into bold medium to full bodied red and is well-known for its spicy black fruit and black pepper aromas.
Where is it From?
Syrah is known throughout the world, but it is most notable in the Northern Rhone region of France. (FYI Cote Rotie is awesome and produces complex, yummy Syrah!).
Who Made it?
Spear Winery in Santa Rita Hills in California grows its Syrah grapes in their cool climate vineyard, but they grown on slopes that allow for more heat and sunlight to ripen the grapes.
Our Thoughts
This wine knocked our socks off, so to speak. It was aged from 2018, so plenty of time has passed for this wine to develop tertiary aromas like smoked meat and dried fruits that pairs well with BBQ meats and heavily flavored food. Anthony likes to lovingly tease me when we taste wine and say, “mmmm…grapes…” while I’m in my own little world assessing the structure and flavors and aromas (or flaromas as I like to call them). On this day. This very day, he said, “I can smell and taste the smoked meat.”
And that was it … of course I purchased a bottle.
About the Author
Angela holds a BA in English from Sacramento State University and is WSET 1 and WSET 2 educated and certified.
She works as a State analyst by day and a foodie and wine lover in her spare time.
She lives in Long Beach California with her longtime partner, journalist and author Anthony Pignataro, and their sassy, spicy, and sweet tuxedo cat, Gromit who can be found @squittycat on instagram.
