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Oregon and Washington Wine Experts Since 1988 |
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*Northwest Red - Syrah
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Do you like your Syrah bright, jammy and young, or big, tannic and oaky with a few years in the bottle? Winemakers in the Northwest produce both styles, as Syrah has become one of the hottest grapes to come out of Eastern Washington and Southern Oregon. Some wine experts predict the scrumptious wine will eventually surpass Merlot in popularity in the next few years. Despite growing popularity, Syrah confuses some consumers because it wears many names read more
MORE INFORMATION
Do you like your Syrah bright, jammy and young, or big, tannic and oaky with a few years in the bottle? Winemakers in the Northwest produce both styles, as Syrah has become one of the hottest grapes to come out of Eastern Washington and Southern Oregon. Some wine experts predict the scrumptious wine will eventually surpass Merlot in popularity in the next few years. Despite growing popularity, Syrah confuses some consumers because it wears many names throughout the world. The grape is originally thought to have come from Persia in the 13th Century, where it was later planted in France’s Rhone Valley. Today, Syrah dominates the Northern Rhone
in the wines of Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage,
Cornas and Saint-Joseph. It’s also important
in Southern Rhone where it is often blended with
Grenache and other grapes in Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
The generic Cotes-du-Rhone, a red, everyday table
wine in France, is predominantly made from Syrah.
The flavors are somewhat smoky, spicy and filled
with black fruits.
Washington
State Syrah
Oregon Syrah “McCrea Cellars Producing Southern Rhone blends” “The Sultan of Syrah Adds to His Bevy of Purple Beauties” By Christina Kelly In early 1990, McCrea convinced a small number of grape growers to plant patches of Syrah in their vineyards. The only person growing Syrah at that time was David Lake, winemaker for Columbia Winery in Woodinville, and it was more for personal use than commercial viability. For the past 13 years, McCrea produced Rhone blends with Syrah, developing a loyal following for the intense, purplish-black wine. He’s received accolades around the world, high scores and generally sells out whatever he produces. Endearingly referred to as “the Sultan of Syrah”—Washington State’s version of the California “Rhone Rangers,” McCrea is not content to rest on his winemaking accomplishments. In fact, his ex-wife Susan Neel, who heads marketing and sales operations for the winery, says McCrea isn’t the type of person to sit still while the world goes by. “He has to be doing something or he gets restless,” said Neel, who with her second husband Bob, run the winery with McCrea and his second wife Kim. New Blends In several Eastern Washington vineyards, McCrea planted Grenache, Mouvedre, Counoise, Marsanne and Roussanne—all grapes used to produce a Southern Rhone blend wine. Once again, McCrea is at the forefront of producing new varietals in Washington State. No one is commercially producing Southern Rhone varietals in Washington. However, Abacela Vineyards in Roseberg, OR is producing Grenache and several other Rhone-style blends.
“The locations were carefully chosen because we need the hottest spots in the state to grow these grapes,” said McCrea, who lives near Olympia with his wife and two children, Kevin, 12 and Kalen, 7. “You can produce Syrah in a cooler climate, but you need a lot of heat for Grenache and Mouvedre.” The two sites selected are at Red Mountain and in the Yakima Valley. Last fall, he brought in Grenache, Mouvedre and Counoise and created a preliminary blend that sits in several barrels. He expects to release that blend in a year, depending on how it develops in the barrel and bottle. In addition to a red blend, McCrea plans to create a white blend, using Roussanne and Marsanne grapes. McCrea was also one of the first winemakers to produce Viognier in Washington and continues to produce a small quantity. He also makes about 120 cases of Chardonnay each year. From Music To Wine Growing up in New Orleans with a strong French background, McCrea developed a taste for French wine. His upbringing steered his tastes in two directions: music (an accomplished jazz musician and teacher) and premium wine (with a preference for Rhone blends). He met his first wife Susan while attending Stanford University near San Francisco. Susan was also a music major but ended up working in the early high technology industry in marketing. Doug and Susan both worked for Hewlett Packard in the Northwest. The couple eventually started McCrea Cellars in 1990 when Doug McCrea realized it was what he had to do, after befriending Alex Golitzen from Quilceda Creek and taking some enology courses at UC Davis. Although the marriage failed, the winery thrived and both Doug and Susan realized they had something special with the winery. Susan married Bob Neel in 1994 while Bob was working as a product development engineer. The new couple lived in Colorado, although made frequent trips to Washington to help with the winery. “I knew I wanted to be associated with the winery, no matter what,” said Susan. “It was clear the winery was too much for Doug and Kim to handle alone. I was trying to do two jobs in Colorado and realized that the winery needed me in Seattle.” Her husband Bob also assists with McCrea Cellars, supporting Susan in marketing, and helping with some legal and contractual matters while working as an engineering consultant on the side. |
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