Wine of the Week: A Swiss Syrah
2021 Jean-Réné Germanier, Syrah Cayas Reserve
2021 Jean-Réné Germanier, Syrah Cayas Reserve - $110
Pair with: grilled filet mignon with herb butter
We’re starting a season of grilled steaks on a high note with this hard-to-find Swiss Syrah. Lovers of Northern Rhône wines might think of St-Joseph as the uppermost boundary for Syrah, but the Rhône river actually originates from a Swiss glacier and flows down to Lake Geneva before continuing on to France. Syrah is thriving in the Upper Rhône Valley in the canton of Valais, thanks to a unique climate that is both arid and cooler (but gradually warming).
The “Cayas” cuvée has Syrah’s characteristic plumpness on the nose but less so on the palate, benefiting instead from beautiful freshness and lift. It has notes of freshly-picked blackberries, currants, thyme, and spearmint, with a mineral tingle and a long finish. Complex without being heavy, it makes a case for the Upper Rhône to be understood as a peer to the Northern Rhône.
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