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Is ‘Regionality’ a ‘Reality?’ Part 2

21st March 2008

This is the second half of the email regarding the concept of ‘regionality.’ Before going there, I do wish to say that the term ‘regionality’ has validity, but in a very broad context. We had a winemaker’s dinner last night at Brasa, one of Seattle’s fine restaurants. Dick Boushey, Boushey Vineyards, was the featured guest, and we paired wines produced from his vineyards, both the ‘Grande Cote’ syrah, and our new plantings of Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne and Picpoul, all of which comprise a white wine we call ‘Sirocco Blanc.’ Hats off to Tablas Creek, once again! :)

One guest at the dinner claimed that he could clearly differentiate a Washington syrah from a California syrah, and that he had done so in a number of blind tastings. Well, I can’t deny his ‘reality’ can I? But given half the chance, I bet I could do a pretty good job of challenging his palate.

I would certainly offer that syrah produced in France is a different wine than that of the U.S. West Coast, and I’ve rarely had difficulty in identifying one from the other. But those are essentially global, not what I would consider a matter of regionality. To me, the California Central Coast is a true region as opposed to, say, the regions of Carneros or Dry Creek. Are there clearly identifiable characteristics such that one can unequivically say, “Yes, this is Dry Creek syrah, not Santa Maria?” To those who can, I’m definately in awe! Maybe I need a wee bit of Blanton’s whiskey to sharpen my sensory skills.

PART 2

I’m more of an advocate of what I indicated in the second paragraph. Given that the vine is planted in a viable location, I firmly believe that the real magic is far more about viticulture and the specific mesoclimate of the vineyard. That is not to say certain vineyards don’t have greater advantages over others, they do!

I have never attempted to produce a “type” of syrah, but rather to bring out the very essence of the vineyard. There’s no doubt in my mind that the material we begin with totally underpins the eventual quality of the wine. Certainly there are winemaking techniques that can affect the ultimate product and style. However, that only goes so far without having outstanding grapes in the winery.

Each of our vineyards is a world unto itself, essentially void of anything greater than it’s given properties. Believe me, they are rare and hard to find. When our Boushey ‘Grande Cote’ syrah is confused in a blind tasting with a Cote Rotie, aspects of regionality are significantly diminished, but the vineyard’s qualities are undeniable.

Then there’s the influence of winemaking, including style and choice of oak. In a blind tasting of 20 syrahs a few years past, our ‘Amerique’ (all American oak) was totally mistaken by the group of around 15 people for an Australian Shiraz. Most thought it was Penfolds.

In summary, I believe that regionality (as a determinate regarding the characteristics of syrah) is potentially misleading, often over-emphasized, and may diffuse the most critical criteria of understanding the grape. It’s probably more important to emphasize that Washington State is a very fine place to grow syrah. From a geographical perspective, this would include aspects such as our extreme latitude, desert climate, volcanic soils, sparce rainfall, own-rooted vines, etc.

It’s difficult to say whether syrah exemplifies any kind of regional typicity that would unquestionably identify it as “Washington.” What is unquestionable is that in a handfull of instances Washington syrahs are among the finest in the world.

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Is ‘Regionality’ a ‘Reality?’

27th February 2008

In early January, I was asked by a prominent Washington State sommelier (who was doing a presentation on the East Coast) to comment on the influence of ‘regionality’ regarding syrah. I though this topic would be of interest to those of you who have pondered the question in the context of syrah’s expression, predicated on it’s geographical location throughout the world. Rather than to create a dissertation addressing the entire planet, I primarily focused on Washington State. The following is my response in a return email, yet it’s still a bit lengthy, so I will divided this “minor epistle” into two entries.

PART 1
Regionality is a very broad subject, and I would submit that to address syrah in that context may be missing the point. I’m not certain that ultimately it can be done, other than to primarily offer generalities. For example, comparing the Cote Rotie with Hermitage would necessitate pages of detail, yet consider the geographical “nearness” of the two and the very distinct differences in the wines.

Myrid factors such as clones, climate, soil properties, latitude, irrigation, trellising, vine age, the grower’s acumen, etc. all play a very complex and critical role. The truth is that “the devil lies in the details” not necessarily in regionality.

A comparison of Washington vs. California would inevatibly contrast Washington’s highland desert climate and volcanic soils as opposed to most of California with a more moderate, Mediterranean climate and typically, loamier soils. Latitude and climate would be the primary factors which differentiate the two states, yet often the wines are quite similar and can easily be mistaken for one another.

There actually are soils that both have in common depending on vineyard location. John Alban, Alban Vineyards, characterizes the soils of the Edna Valley as ” … influenced by an eroding chain of ancient volcanoes located in the area.” Does this sound familiar? The “ancient” Grande Ronde of Washington State?

I would not say the syrahs of the Yakima Valley are world-class with the exception of a few, as there are far too many examples of mediocre wines from the appellation. However, it’s clear that the vineyards of Dick Boushey, Scott Greer’s ‘Sheridan’, Joe Hattrup’s ‘Elephant Mountain’, Mike Sauer’s ‘Red Willow’, and Jim Holmes’ ‘Ciel du Cheval’ (appellation sub-set, Red Mountain AVA) are highly exceptional and could be considered “world-class.”

A discussion comparing the Yakima Valley, Red Mountain and Walla Walla would primarily emphasize weather variation. Obviously, there are subtle soil differences, but actually, our State has relatively uniform soils with wind-blown loess (silt or sediment) on top and an underpinning of basalt, the former caused by the great Missoula floods and the latter by techtonic volcanic activity.

I had believed that berry size constitutes a major contributor to a wine’s quality, particularly palate density. However, the average berry size of our Boushey ‘Grande Cote’ syrah is quite small compared to Ciel, yet Ciel also produces very concentrated wines. Elephant Mountain is pretty similar to Ciel, but seems to have the greatest pigmentation advantage, producing very dark wines. So berry size may be a factor, but clearly, there are many other contributing physiological elements.

Due to the elevated heat influence on Red Mountain, skins tend to be somewhat thicker than most, potentially contributing a higher tannin component. Extended hang time is adventageous for increased complexity, and we certainly benefit from that at the ‘Grande Cote’, generally harvesting about one month later than an Ciel, while Elephant Mountain harvests between the two. All three vineyard are roughly within 50 miles of one another and all in the same appellation, yet they have distinctly different grapes.

As I’m sure you know, Walla Walla is a cooler region in comparison, but that doesn’t mean they can’t produce very good syrah. Actually, the grape is a real chameleon, adapting to a wide array of climate conditions. For example, it’s grown in Sonoma County virtually on the ocean, while just a few miles from the ocean in the Edna Valley. On the other hand, our Washington vineyards are in an inland desert.

I believe all of this points to the fact that the subject of regionality has been over-emphasized. Great syrahs are being made in many places, and can easily be confused if regionality is a determinate of differentiation.

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January - The Month When Red Wine Saves Souls!

18th January 2008

Here in the south end of Washington’s Puget Sound it gets pretty cold in January with days often 35 to 40 degrees and nights dropping to the upper teens and low 20’s. Considering much of the upper mid-west, I shouldn’t complain, as the NFL National Conference Championship game this coming weekend in Green Bay will be played in sub-zero temperatures. Blessings to those with that fortitude, but that’s why I don’t live there! The South still runs in my blood!

It seems hard to believe that it’s over two weeks past New Year’s Day. We had a really fun New Year’s Eve winemaker’s dinner at a very fine restaurant in Olympia called Dockside Bistro & Winebar. Aside from the beautifully prepared courses paired with our wines, there was also some great jazz to bring in the New Year by the Gary Scott Trio, and during dinner, soothingly lovely harp music by Kippy Scott. So we went from the sublime to swing and champagne. I think I’m still recovering!

Now it’s time to get serious and turn to the essence of this … winemaking. As typical this time of year, we’re beginning to review all of the remaining 2006 Syrah barrels which will soon go to bottle as either Boushey ‘Grande Cote’ Vineyard, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard, or ‘Cuvee Orleans.’ This is the fun part, blind tasting each one, then determining its ultimate destination. The difficulty is that they’re all very good barrels, the ‘pick of the litter’, and the goal is to make each of the three wines of equal quality without compromising one for the other. It’s a tough problem, but someone has to figure it out!

The new vintage is looking very good! We had a somewhat different, cooler autumn, with higher acids and lower pH levels than typical, so I look forward to wines with good structure and even better aging potential. Many of the barrels are still gently progressing through malolactic as we prefer it to go fairly slow and steady. However, I was able to taste several of the Ciel du Cheval syrah barrels yesterday and I was very impressed with the depth, concentration and palate weight. If this is an indicator of the vintage, things are looking quite promising.

Our second vintage of the white varietals from the new Boushey site is wonderfully aromatic with intense fruit. I fermented the four (Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Picpoul) in barrel due to the limited tonnage. The barrel fermentation certainly didn’t compromise the fruit’s essence. The debut of ‘Sirocco Blanc’ (2006) received great response (it’s all gone!) and what’s in barrel this year will definately surpass the prior vintage. It’s a really exciting wine and all of the vines are from cuttings of the Tablas Creek Vineyard, planted from the genetic lineage of the renowned property, Chateau de Beaucastle, in Chateauneuf-du-Pope.

New and very cool with the just-released February issue of ‘Wine & Spirits Magazine’, good scores of our wines! The ‘05 Grenache - 90 points, the ‘06 Mourvedre - 90 points , the ‘04 ‘Cuvee Orleans’ Syrah - 92 points, and the ‘05 ‘Amerique’ Syrah - 92 points. I admire the judging protocol with W & S. They bring together a group of tasters comprised of retailers, sommeliers, and various wine professionals, so each wine is evaluated by the palate of several individuals who are tasting blind, thus unbiased by knowing the producer.

So let’s toast the New Year with a glass (or more) of big Rhone red to warm up our spirits and save us from ‘the elements.’ Nothing like some liquid soul food to get us through the deep chill along with a savory bowl of gumbo and a cracklin’ fire.
Imagine, we’re only eleven days from Mardi Gras! Laissez le bon temps rouler!
Happy New Year! Doug

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Holiday Greetings 2007

22nd December 2007

First, let me welcome you to our newly revised website! I greatly appreciate any comments, pro or con, as it’s through you that we learn what best provides interesting and current information in an easily navigated format.

It’s great to finally have the opportunity to “blog away” yet it seems a bit surreal having the e-world at my doorstep. In addition to being informative, I do hope that, in time, this space in our site will provide an opportunity for lively dialogue. Ultimately, we can comment about the world of wine, of course hopefully and mostly as it pertains to the McCrea wines. :?

With this first writing, I’d like to thank all of our loyal followers who have been with us for years or just for days, purchasing those precious bottles one by one. I’m very grateful for the incredible support we’ve received from all of our friends in the trade, be it restaurants, shops, markets, distributors, wine writers, our website guru, and hopefully none overlooked.

It’s amazing to think that we just completed our 20th crush! Just consider the remarkable quality of the fruit during our evolution! Today, we find ourselves in several of Washington’s finest vineyards with growers such as Dick Boushey, Jim Holmes and Joe Hattrup. Names like ‘Ciel du Cheval’, the ‘Grande Cote’ and “Elephant Mountain Vineyard’ represent the pinnacle in wine grapes. Their remarkable expertise has elevated our winery to world-class status as evidenced in such honors as Wine & Spirits ‘Top 100 Wineries In 2007′ and the San Francisco Chronicle’s ‘Top 100 Wines of 2007.’

I could never have imagined that we would find ourselves today producing wines from 10 Rhone varietals. Unquestionably, we also must thank the owners of Tablas Creek Winery & Vineyards in Paso Robles for their cuttings, now thriving in our State, yet from the genetic breed of Chateau de Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-Pope. Those legendary vines … what a thought.

So with Christmas just around the corner and the holidays in full swing, I simply want to wish each and everyone of you a rich and joyful season filled with good times and good memories. We at McCrea send our very best wishes! Doug McCrea

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