Snake + Herring 2019 ‘Redemption’ Syrah
Shiraz is really Syrah
There are many ideas of how Syrah in Australia came to be known as Shiraz. There is a story of a Persian link that says that the Rhône Valleys Syrahs originally came from a cutting from Shiraz in Persia.
What can be surprising is how this grape is so different here! The wine is typically very fruit forward and bold! The warmer climate and the style of wine makes Australian Shiraz definitely a different animal than French Syrah.
Well, our Australian wine is actually labeled as Syrah, and when you taste the wine, you will understand why.
Snake + Herring
Founded by two wine guys, Redmond “Herring” Sweeny and Tony “Snake” Davis, Snake + Herring create wines from Western Australia. They like to take the road less traveled with unconventional wines.
Snake + Herring 2019 ‘Redemption’ Syrah
The grapes are fermented with wild yeasts with part of this whole-cluster Carbonic Maceration (think Beaujolais Nouveau, this will make for a fresh, bright wine). When blended with the other fruit and then aged for 13 months in puncheons (21% new oak), this cool climate wine is nuanced and elegant.
It is fruit forward, likely from that carbonic macerated portion, but then the nose has notes of eucalyptus, straw, red fruit, and savory spices. The wine has great texture and an umami note that makes me think of bacon. In my mouth, it’s dry with notes of mint, cherry syrup, blackberries, and blueberries. Michael was reminded of Welches grape jelly, which inspired our pairing.
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