The New Wine Review Weekly: April 14, 2024

CALIFORNIA SYRAH: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE

Where’s the love, wonders Virginie Boone, for California Syrah?

Loving California Syrah is like loving an indie band that never breaks out. Sure, it’s easy to get tickets to their shows. But WTF—doesn’t anyone else realize what they’re missing?

California’s reds have long been dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel, but Syrah’s lower standing—in the minds of some wine consumers, at least—has never made sense. California Syrah is delicious, made in a wide array of styles from rich and powerful to spicy and lean, goes well with food, and grows well in lots of places. Hell, it’s even easy to pronounce.

Those attributes are both its blessing and its curse. In California, Syrah has many homes but no definitive one, unlike in France, where Syrah is synonymous with the Northern Rhône, and particularly celebrated in Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie.

Above all, she continues, California Syrah

offers variety. Syrahs from Napa Valley and Paso Robles are often ripe, rich, and velvety in texture, with flavors that tend more to meat than lavender. Syrahs from the Sonoma Coast, Santa Maria, or the upper reaches of Mendocino Ridge generally exude more of the rotundone compound that gives the grape its peppery spice and earthy undertones.

But really: why not try them all?

She has a point! Her definitive guide to California Syrah—its history and evolution; the producers and bottles you need to know about—is here. Don’t miss it.

BREAKING: CHEAP WHITE BURGUNDY EXISTS, IS DELICIOUS

In our latest installment of Tuesday Night Wine Club—in which we celebrate wines of delight for any weekday night—NWR Senior Correspondent Jason Wilson comes at us with an unexpected notion:

There’s one category of wine that I always hold near and dear to my heart. I classify these bottles as, simply, Wines For People Who Actually Like To Drink Wine.

These are not the most prestigious wines, or the most expensive, or the most age-worthy, or the most brag-worthy . . .

Wines For People Who Actually Like To Drink Wine are fairly priced bottles, without too much fuss about them, that don’t demand too much of your attention, and pair well with a wide range of foods. Above all, they embody that elusive wine term: drinkability.

My latest addition to my list of Wines For People Who Actually Like To Drink Wine may come as something of a surprise.

Spoiler (all right, all right, you already know this): it’s white Burgundy! Which, Jason proclaims, may well be producing “some of the best-value whites in the world right now.”

Specifically, he’s talking about:

a specific slice of the region, the white wines from Mâconnais, the southernmost part of Burgundy, right where it butts up against Beaujolais. 2021 was considered to be an excellent vintage in Mâconnais. 2022 may even be better.

Read his piece to learn why these wines could be the antidote to industry fears about younger drinkers turning away from wine, and to see his tasting notes for his favorite bottles.

A NEW KIND OF WINE INVESTING IS HERE. SHOULD YOU DIVE IN?

Prices for the world’s most sought-after wines have skyrocketed in recent years, and the world of finance has noticed. Noted business journalist James Ledbetter writes:

For centuries, if you wanted to invest in a quantity of wine smaller than a bottle, you had one way to do it: buy a glass or two. In the past few years, though, many interesting new options emerged.

Welcome to the world of fractional wine and spirits investing. It’s part of one of the most profound personal finance trends within the last decade: the fractionalization and securitization of investment in assets where, formerly, few had the chance to place their money. For example: a modernist masterpiece, or a beloved local bakery.

Or, now, wine:

From the individual investor’s perspective, the process is remarkably simple: for as little as a few thousand dollars, you can buy into a fund, registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), that invests specifically in, say, 2019 Mouton Rothschild. The company managing this investment holds the wine for an undetermined period and, if everything goes well, eventually sells it for a profit, of which you get your proportional share.

Fine. But should you become one of these investors? Read his piece to explore the dynamics of this marketplace, and whether or not the funds are betting on the right bottles. (And remember: past performance does not guarantee future results.)

WINE DEAL OF THE WEEK*

We’ve made it clear how huge we are about new wave Rioja and the winemakers transforming one of the world’s great regions. Among that cohort of producers, NWR’s resident Spain expert Jason Wilson is especially huge on Artuke. Its stunningly delicious 2021 Finca de los Locos Rioja is here at lowest-in-the-nation pricing of $34.

*NWR is not compensated for the links in this section.  

AROUND THE WINE (AND WHISKEY) WORLD

🍇 Burgundy “has not seen a situation like this for over 20 years.” (It’s actually good news this time!)

🏺 Amphorae—or, to be more precise, qvevris—for the win.

🧪 Read the story—not the headline. He won’t be the last.

❤️  Cheers to a true pioneer. (paywalled)

As always, thanks for reading! See you next week for much more.

Santé!

The NWR Editors

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