Wine

Thursday, Jun. 05, 2008

Three Paso syrahs belly up to the barbecue

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You don’t need to look far to find syrahs that would be at home on the table at your backyard barbecue. There are plenty of them being produced from the vineyards of Paso Robles. This week’s picks include three such wines at a variety of prices.

Niner Wine Estates 2005 Bootjack Ranch Syrah, $20

This reasonably priced syrah from Niner’s vineyard on the east side of Paso Robles is plump and ripe, with blackberry, coffee and white pepper notes. It’s also on the tannic side, so either decant it or drink it with a hearty meat dish.

Io 2005 Ryan Road Syrah, $48

The Io brand was established in 1991 at Byron Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley with the aim of producing cool-climate Rhône-style reds. Since then, the vineyard sources have been expanded, and the grapes for this wine come from the east side of Paso Robles. The wine is dense and ripe, with blackberry flavors accented by a touch of mocha. Like the Niner syrah, this wine is fairly tannic and demands hearty food.

Edward Sellers Vineyards 2005 Syrah Selectionnée, $32

This wine is a blend of the best barrels from the winery’s syrah lots, all made from west-side fruit. It displays plenty of ripe berry fruit, notes of spice and vanilla and firm structure. The wine is still fairly closed, and it would benefit from decanting an hour or so before you want to drink it.