New Faces in Syrah/Shiraz

There are many new wineries coming to market with high quality Shiraz so it gets very difficult determining what you should try and then what will hold up in your wine cellar.  The prices for Shiraz/Syrah wines of high quality are climbing so fast its hard to keep up with the logic behind their pricing.

One of the biggest shockers last year was the offer I received from Hundred Acre Winery from California.  They have been working in Australia to produce a high quality Shiraz; the shocking opening price was $200 per bottle.  So, how do you handle an offer from their first vintage with an unknown result.  There is another trend for Syrah producers jumping on the band wagon for artistically styled Syrah bottles; made famous by Sine Qua Non winery.

Red Car Winery from California makes Syrah and Pinot Noir wines with wonderful design art bottles. The current 2005 "Twenty -Two" Syrah sells for $60 per bottle, they also make a Box Car Shiraz.  As a comparison, the current offering from Sine Qua Non their "Inaugural" Syrah selling for about $160 a bottle.  Red Car makes great wines and I have been collecting them for a few years.  They seem to be aging well so i would suggest you get on their mailing list and try a sampling of their portfolio.

Pax Cellars in the last few years has demonstrated that they are prolific in making great Syrah from a variety of vineyards parcels in California.  Their wines are at the mid-point of the market with special cuvees pushing a bit higher.  This is a Syrah producer to keep your eyes on.  I have their wines and they have shown great potential so I am aging some in my wine cellar.