Shiraz/Viognier Blend - a trend?

Traditionally, Cote Rotie from the Northern Rhone was Syrah with a little viognier to give it a spice and aroma. So it has been around for a year or two. And no, not from the aussies!

Peter Taylor

Thanks all, great info. Wasn't aware of the French roots. I do know that the addition of Viognier is dynamite; complete opens up the nose and adds a wickedly balanced fruity overdrive to the Shiraz/Sirah.

Ah, but Swoop, are any of them likely to pass for a Cote-Rotie?

Mark Lipton unrepentant Cote-Rotie addict

Mark, you know better than I that Aussie and French wines are poles apart. There are however some brilliant SV's in Australia that NO, they would not pass as a Cote-Rotie, simply because of the fruit used, climate of growth, soil etc. (and of course that well trained palate of yours..:>)). However, some are excellent wines, and seem to be endearing themselves to folks who normally would not drink red wine, (and would probably not know of a Cote-Rotie in any case).

I assume you have tried a few Oz versions... if so... did you find any you liked?

regards

Swooper

Yeah, but I *had* to ask, Matt. ;-)

Of the SV blends, the Laughing Magpie (2001 IIRC) has been my only encounter. It's quite nice (I like the D'Arenberg style quite a bit). Of all the Shiraz from Oz that I've tried, my favorite to date is probably the '98 Penfolds St. Henri, a few of which still grace my cellar.

Hooroo! Mark Lipton

I think the sun and the soil make it difficult to duplicate the S/V blend in the US and southern hemisphere.

To me its like Pinot Noir & Burgundy. Even in Oregon & Carneros or Santa Barbara, you can tell there is a relationship between France & the left coast but not a duplication. Comparing Drouhin wines, East & West should prove my point.

I think s/v blends are more marketing. Some wineries in the US started playing with the blend and gained notoriety and sales. It would be interesting if we knew if any viognier was in the cuvees of Grange Hermitage before 1985.

Blend>

in article 98uyf.196$Iw3.145@trndny06, beernuts at snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote on 15/1/06 11:47 PM:

I've found the co-vinified versions of S-V to have more integrated flavours, better colour and a more restrained nose. Some of the blended Aussie S-Vs like Alkoomi's seem to be all Viognier on the nose and Shiraz on the palate and a bit thin, though the viognier is still just a smidge. The Millbrook (a co-vinified S-V) has much better colour, integrated, almost "chocolatey" flavours and a more elegant and complex nose. In the latter you know you're drinking a red wine. I think it has something to do with the polyphenols brought to the ferment by both varieties that react in some way to fix the colour in the resultant wine. I think I read somewhere that a small amouont of Viognier can actually help to improve the colour of the wine, but it could be BS.

Viognier for me lifts the nose (so it almost jumps out at you) and smoothens the palate. But I think you need to have great shiraz to run with the viognier 'cause it can seriously take over the nose.

PS. they've found that Viognier is actually a genetic relative (cousin, they think) of Nebbiolo after a study into traditional Piedmontese cultivars. They also found that a couple of so called clones of Neb are not actually Nebbiolo at all.... ouch!

Marcello Fabretti

Well, I think that's a stretch in that there's a big difference between a "novice" not knowing Zin can be a full bodied red wine and someone not knowing the cultural/historical evolution of s/v blending.

I can't tell you how many

Now that IS a "novice".

We get a lot of Vignonier blends here in Virginia because it's one of the grapes that does well in central VA.