Eric Asimov Thinks California Syrah Sucks, Except He Doesn't

For those of you who don't know, Eric Asimov is the wine critic for the New York Times (I add New York in front of it because in DC we have a paper called the Times too, except no one reads it and it is on the verge failing spectacularly).

Back on June 2nd, Eric wrote an article entitled Is There Still Hope for Syrah?. The article documents falling sales of California Syrah and it has set some producers off. I've gotten a few emails from wine producers since the article came out touting how great their Syrah is, despite what Mr. Asimov might think.

But, the thing is, he doesn't really say that California Syrah is bad, he does say:

It’s fair to say that much of the syrah produced in California is dreadfully generic red wine of little character. But perhaps more important to recognize is that quite a few producers like Failla are making superb California syrah, a fact that should not be lost in any analysis of the moribund market.

In fairness, you can say the same thing about California Chardonnay, Merlot, or just about any other varietal. With over 3000 California wineries, at least count, there is going to be a lot of generic wine, that statement shouldn't be controversial. Not every winemaker makes an outstanding wine, and even the best winemakers don't always make great wine across varietals.

But, I think the heart of the problem is here:

As syrah production was beginning to take off, some American wine critics were starting to award their highest scores to big, broad, powerfully fruity wines that displayed richness and opulence. Prominent among them was Barossa Valley shiraz, as syrah is known in Australia. The desire for critical approval, Mr. Comiskey suggested, caused many American syrah producers to emulate this intensely ripe, jammy style.

California already makes fruit bombs with its Pinot Noir, why would it follow with Syrah? If someone is looking for high-alcohol content and lots of fruit they are going to stick to Pinots from California or Shiraz from Australia. A Syrah that is indistinguishable from a Pinot in character isn't going to be interesting.

I don't drink a lot of California Syrah, or Pinot Noir, precisely for the reasons described in the article. However, after reading the article I am interested in checking out Wind Gap Wine's Sonoma Coast Syrah.