February 16 is International Syrah Day, so to celebrate we're bringing you six expressions of syrah and shiraz from Victoria's Beechworth wine region.
Syrah, or shiraz as it's more commonly known in Australia, originated in the Rhône Valley of France and today, shiraz/syrah is Australia's most widely planted grape.
Syrah from Europe will generally have more earthy and herbaceous notes, along with more acidity, while examples from Australia, the United States and South America are packed with spice and the fruit is the hero.
When it comes to Beechworth syrah and shiraz, it's a grape of great integrity for the region, and produces consistently great results. Beechworth examples are cool-climate in personality, with notes of herbs and spice, blueberries and rich fruits, and are often restrained and elegant. Beechworth syrah/shiraz can also be known for notes of anise, allspice and peppery tones.
2021 Baarmutha Shiraz
The 2021 Baarmutha Shiraz is a classic example of the cool climate versatility of Australia's champion grape type. Very deep in colour, it has a nose of blackcurrant and white pepper. There's a burst of plum fruit on the palate, which is supported by 20 per cent new French oak, and the balanced acid provides an elegant and full tannin structure. A great food shiraz that will cellar for many years.Vigneron Vinny Webb says: Our goal is to maintain and enhance Beechworth’s reputation for quality – this shiraz is no exception.
H. Why should people drink more Beechworth shiraz?
VW. People need to drink more Beechworth shiraz because it highlights what enjoying fine wine – from this very unique and special region – is all about. Our 2021 Black Label Shiraz is a wonderful union of shiraz grapes, sourced from vineyards to the west of Beechworth off the Granite soils, and our estate-grown fruit off the very different clay loam soils. We take a natural wine making approach, in French barriques for 20 months, before carefully blending.
H. What makes this vintage of shiraz different to our other vintages?
VW. The main difference to our 2021 shiraz was the blend between the two different styles of fruit. This was the first time we made the estate-grown shiraz the dominant grape in the blend. It provides a rounded and generous example with the fine tannin, mineral and spice of the granite in subtle support.
RRP $55 | Shop this wine
2019 Castagna Genesis Syrah
In the mouth it is fine and precise with more than a passing nod to the Northern Rhône. Fresh and lively with beautiful aromatics of violets, salumi, blueberries, crushed clove, mace and Chinese five spice. The tannins, as always, are fine and elegant. A wine that drinks well now but will age beautifully.Vigneron Julian Castagna says: This wine was born in the time of Robert Parker, at a time when power and extraction were very much the norm. We wanted something a little different, something that paid homage to France’s Northern Rhône but was still undeniably Australia.
H. Tell us about this Beechworth shiraz.
JC. We wanted to make a medium-bodied wine that reflected the wonderful Beechworth terroir – perhaps a shiraz with the soul of pinot noir. It caught the imagination of wine drinkers and the wine press.
A true vigneron overseeing everything from the soil through to the bottle, his philosophy is founded along biodynamic principles, which he has embraced for 25 years. – Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
Genesis Syrah deserves its icon status. – James Halliday, Halliday Wine Companion
RRP $89 | Shop this wine
2019 Fighting Gully Road Syrah
One third of the fruit was placed in the fermenter as whole bunches. Two percent of pressed viognier skins were added, then the remaining grapes were destemmed and lightly crushed. The wine was aged in new and seasoned thick-staved 600L demi-muids from the forest of Fontainebleau for 18 months prior to bottling.Vigneron Mark Walpole says: The 2019 Syrah is a medium-bodied, cool-climate syrah, with fine grained tannins, soft acidity, great length and persistence. It delivers a melange of fragrant red fruit aroma, spice and crushed white pepper on the nose.
H. Why should people drink more Beechworth shiraz?
MW. A mild climate and the skeletal soils found in the Beechworth wine region combine to produce medium bodied, spice-driven wines not dissimilar to those found in the Northern Rhône. Their palate weight means immediate drinkability; but their fine tannin structure allows for medium-term cellaring for those prepared to wait.
With a lightness of touch, the shiraz grape (aka syrah) gives up an arresting array of spices led by a light sprinkling of black pepper (and a sprinkling is all that is needed) to elevate some truly enticing, quality black and red fruits. If a wine could dance, this syrah would be performing the salsa – assertive, not aggressive, putting its considerable strengths forward. Medium in weight and elegant by design. – Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
RRP $75 | Shop this wine
2021 Juliard Wines Shiraz
Our shiraz was fermented on skins for three weeks with 30 per cent whole bunch fermentation. It has been matured for 18 months in a combination of large-format old oak and new barriques. On the nose subtle white pepper and spiced plum, an elegant palate that is well balanced and has lovely, refined tannins which will reward you with great length.Vignerons Bernard and Julia Morey say: The 2021 is slightly more refined than our previous vintage. It's our second release of this wine, so we've been able to understand the fruit a bit more and really get it into the fruit spectrum that we are looking for.
H. Why should people drink more Beechworth shiraz?
BM & JM. Because it shows elegance and represents our region so well. A lot of thought went into the plantation of our shiraz – using and considering the factors of the region. We have the beauty of climate, microclimates, granitic soil and elevation. This gives our shiraz grapes distinct flavour, balanced acidity and true uniqueness that comes from the Beechworth region. Our winemaking is relatively hands off, we let the quality of fruit sing, to create the expression of shiraz that we seek. Our shiraz is aged in a combination of barriques and puncheons for 18 months before bottling. And it is drinking deliciously.
The couple started with shiraz in 2018, using a blend of Beechworth and Yarra Valley grapes in their Healesville garage. In 2020 they returned to Beechworth where Bernard was born and raised into the winemaking family at Sorrenberg. Julia works alongside Barry Morey at Sorrenberg, while Bernard is vineyard manager for Campbells, Rutherglen. Over the past few years, the couple have not only continued their journey with shiraz, but enlarged the sourcing to include chardonnay, a rosé and, in 2022, a GSM. – Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
RRP $38 | Shop this wine
2019 Savaterre Shiraz
Savaterre shiraz is more in the syrah mode. Tasting blind, you would assume it was a Northern Rhône. It’s a beautiful wine with sophistication, complexity, tension and power. Very lifted and complex. A complete wine and 100 per cent shiraz. You must decant this wine well ahead of time to see it in its entirety. A highly perfumed wine with distinct red fruit preserve and floral character. Smooth, seamless, and almost pinot-like in its vibrant and weightless character. Discreet fine tannins and acid frame this wine. Best enjoyed in four to 15 years.Vigneron Keppell Smith says: What’s enjoyable about this European-style syrah is that it's a food wine. A perfect foil to food and conversation – the wine's aromas and flavours continually evolve over the course of a meal.
H. Why should people drink more Beechworth shiraz?
KS. This wine is pure enjoyment. Beechworth shiraz is a highly perfumed and sophisticated European style that is far removed from the old, big and super extracted Australian wines.
Wild fermentation, 18 months maturation in oak. Good structure here with stems playing their part to lay groundwork for a lifted, aromatic, neatly spiced – not to mention, complex – young shiraz. The perfume is inviting in ripe black cherry, bracken, woodsy spices, a splash of pepper and leafy undergrowth. Velvet-like density, fleshy texture and runs long. – Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
RRP $75 | Shop this wine
2021 Vignerons Schmölzer & Brown Thorley Syrah
A deep but clear maroon-purple appearance. The nose flips between olive brine and cold clay, and more ascendant violet purple floral characters. With time in glass, a ripple of pleasing greeny stalkishness emerges as does white pepper and macerated blue-purple fruits. The palate is all blackberry compote, unsweetened and vital, and the tannins are quite rolling and layered, silty and emery at the same time. Cool pepperiness builds to length.Vignerons Tessa Brown and Jeremy Schmölzer say: If you love Beechworth shiraz and syrah, and would like to see what the highest and coolest site in the region can deliver in an excellent year, then this is a wine you should definitely try.
H. Why should people drink more Beechworth shiraz?
TB & JS. Shiraz and syrah possess the capacity to show deliciousness in style across an enormous range – from the densest and most inkishly ripe, through to floral, fragrant, medium-bodied and distinctly peppery. The Thorley Syrah sits in the firmament of the slinky, medium-bodied and autumnal.
An elegant, cool-climate syrah – for once, you might agree with the winemaker's preference for the term syrah over shiraz, and what it means in the glass. The latter maintains a lively, enduring spiciness and charm. Here's a vintage that offers a wealth of the region's pepper and spice style with ripe, dark plums, black cherry fruits, toasty oak and an intriguing whisper of savoury, smoked meats. Rolls across the tongue aided by fine-cut tannins. Depth and grace. – Jeni Port, Halliday Wine Companion
RRP $58 | Shop this wine
