Chapter 2
of 4
Regional styles
It depends which face you meet. Across both styles, expect a deep, often purple-edged color and a core of black fruit — blackberry, plum, black cherry — with Syrah's signature lift of black pepper and spice. The warm-climate versions push toward ripe, jammy fruit, creamy texture and an easygoing finish. The high-altitude versions trade some of that plushness for tension: brighter acidity, firmer structure, and savory notes of violet, licorice, wet earth and smoky, meaty “bacon fat” that are the grape's calling card in cooler sites.
