Ive been watching your show for almost a year now, and wish I would have found you sooner. Because of my schedule, I get to see you through itunes. i keep your episodes for reference. I thought that the interview with heidi Barrett was the best you have done. very little interruptions, and you seemed to have a lot more fun.

As for the ??? of the day, I think that Syrah has too much fruit for my palate, especially those crafted in California. Just my opinion. that is why I gravitate more to pinot noir, oregon in particular. I find they have more of that earthy, dusty characters that I like. I do enjoy syrah from the rhone, but they do tend to be a bit pricy unfortunately.

Hope to see you in the Big Easy (New Orleans) soon…

Great show..
I love Syrah.. when they are the ones like from France, and elegant Cali ones.
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Very nice finish to the whole two part show. I really enjoyed hearing Heidi and Gary break down the wines and having Heidi explain what she was doing with various wines. The “Pirate” wine 6-pack sounds a little like a Randall Graham production. 🙂

QOTD: I think Syrah is an awesome varietal. I tend to like Syrahs better than most other varietals. Cote Rotie rocks. I still love Cab-based blends the best, but a good Syrah is tremendous. I generally prefer Syrah to Pinot Noir.

Wonderful show, thank you Gary and Heidi. The Pirate 6-pack sounds so much fun and tasty.

QOTD: I really love Syrah. I don’t really pick favorites when it comes to varietals so it’s kind of hard for me to say I dislike one or another or prefer one to another.

Heidi Barret, as a woman who makes wines fit for the gods you are amazing and genuinely down to earth…lovely, brilliant and gracious. Bo is a very fortunate man. Congratulations to both of you on your long life partnership and personal success. You set a true good example for the aspirations of new winemakers.
G.V. thanks so much for bringing the knockout guests, there is no place else, so valuable and real, as Wine Library TV.

QOTD: I had been so disappointed by syrahs, or more appropriately Aussie shir-asses, in my price range, that I generally shied away until an experience in Santiago, Chile a couple of years ago. The Von Siebenthal Carabantes ’04 really opened my senses to the complexity that is possible. Based on Heidi’s observation about how they behave in the winery, I will be trying to get hold of some grapes myself this harvest.

Love, love, love Heidi Barrett. She makes me smile.

Gary, I usually prefer to see you by yourself, but Heidi was an amazing guest, and you did a fantastic job of conversing with her while letting her give us some cool information. You were both great! Super show times 10!

QOTD: I’ve never really cared much for pinot noir. Usually, pinot noir makes me think boring. I definitely like shiraz, but I don’t often think to get it. When I do have shiraz, I’m usually pleasantly surprised. You’ve made me want to get back to it and seek it out.

Another guest that GV loves to touch. Your very touchy feely with the guests GV!
Loved both parts of the episode by the way.
QOTD: Love syrah. But I like Zinfandel more.

Great episode,

Pirate Wine looks tasty
Of the Syrah that I have tasted I love it much more.

Keep it up Gary

Syrah is great, as long as it’s not a fruit bomb. Then it’s not my thing at all. Thierry Allemand Cornas would be my reference point. For CA Syrah, my favorite is Peay. At the cheaper end Edmunds St. John can make some very interesting ones as well. You both mentioned cold climate syrah. I think in CA, it seems to need the colder climate to give it some pepper and grip on the finish along with the fruit for overall balance. Otherwise you just get these flabby, syrupy wines that I’m just not that into unless I’m eating BBQ ribs. And for that I’d rather have Zin.

Heidi is such a delight!!!! By far one of the best (if not the best) guest ever on the show. Great 2 part series, thoroughly enjoyed it.

QOTD: I do like Syrah better than Pinot Noir! I like wines that are more concentrated and Pinot Noir typically doesn’t do the trick for me.

Australia’s gain is the varietal’s loss. I much prefer a good Syrah (even if you spell it Shiraz) to a Pinot. Pinot can be very good, but on the average is more watery. I prefer dense, powerful wines.

Gary. Awesome episode. Enjoyed it as much as the one with Peter Mondavi. I really respect the artistry of wine and enjoy getting to know the artists… Paint splatters are much more interesting when you understand a little about Jackson Pollock.

Cheers,
Mike

Firstly I’m sick of the Shiraz bashing Australia gets. As Heidi said it is so much more diverse than Pinot. Shiraz tends to get boxed very quickly into this big booming wine when actually it can be both a big boomer or a delicate flavours with great elegance. Overall Syrah/Shiraz/Durif does what it should do. Give you the option of a food or stand alone wine.

Gary,
Another awesome show! As for the question of the day, as a wine retailer I see customers who have a hard time understanding the difference between Syrah, Shiraz and even Petite Sirah. The whole Syrah / Shiraz game where some inexpensive California wineries labeled their Syrah “Shiraz”. You have people wandering if Petite Sirah is another word for Syrah. Personally, some of the most exciting wine out there today is Syrah. We have been selling the 2006 Luca Laborde Double Select Syrah from Mendoza. Killer wine.

Also, learned alot from Heidi. The whole 1-6 palate test is really cool. Keep up the great shows.

Great Show! Loved listening to Heidi talk wine.

Big Syrah fan here. Just checked my cellar and 21 bottles of Cab & 18 Bottles of Syrah out of 110. I can find fantastic $25 Syrah that would cost me $60 or more for a Cabernet.

Thank you Heidi for sharing with us. I also feel Syrah is overlooked by far too many, but think of it as a better option than Cabernet for many meals rather than Pinot. I think the tannins, the acid, the minerality, depth and weight balanced together in many of the syrahs from the Rhone, Languedoc, Spain, Sonoma Coast, Mendocino, Santa Lucia, etc. are stunning, and are what I prefer to drink with red meat meals rather than big California Cabs.
My first love is Burgundy, which is hard to replicate in terms of the delicacy and nuance that are capable there (as well as cooler climates around the world), so wouldn’t normally compare those two in my mind. I, like Gary, fear far too many California winemakers associate the two and make syrah-strength pinots which are big and brash, but am very excited about some of the wines I’ve tried recently from Anderson Valley, Sonoma Coast and Santa Lucia (the same place I like syrah… so I see why you make the connection).

Quite frankly one of the best shows ever. Heidi is a great guest and she was very informative. I had heard of her before but never made the Chateau Montelena connection.

Get Bo Barrett to Jersey for the other half of the story.

Wow Gary, what a strong comeback after the pizza guy debacle. Great 2 parter with heidi barrett. Way to crush it!

Fantastic episode, what a great guest. Signed up for the wine list right after the show. Like the fact that you do not score wines anymore in front of the winemakers, always thought those were inflated anyway!

Thank you. What an awesome show. I was drinking a Shiraz while I watched. Thank you for an excellent show and an amazing guest. Loved it!

These 2 episodes were probably my favorite in a while! Heidi was great. Smart, eloquent, and interesting to listen to. Thanks Gary and please keep it up!

great great show thank you for taping this WOW great education sometimes nice to see a toned down Gary…We need a store event Gary..Plus we need more details about the NYC WLTV event

GV, best guest E-V-E-R!!

Carry on.

FANTASTIC episode with an amazing guest. Best interview in a while.

QOTD: I am personally a HUGE fan of Syrah and especially Rhone-style blends with some Mouvedre and Carignan as well. Grenache brings some first quarter fruit, Mouvedre fills out the mid-palate, and Syrah always keeps kicking on the finish. EXTREMELY versatile varietal, whether blended or not. For me, Pinot Noir can be great as well, but it is tough to find a truly solid expression of this varietal unless you throw down some dough, and rarely can a Pinot be structured enough to stand up to the heavier meat dishes that you can pair Syrah with (again, not unless you pay the big bucks for some muscular Cote de Nuits Pinot or serious Sonoma or Anderson Valley Pinot).

YES Pinot Noir is so popular in the U.S. because of Sideways, but I think that it is also more popular for those that like white wines and can cross more easily over to red with Pinot because of softer tannins and brighter red fruit. Sometimes Syrah is a little too punchy, tannic, or chewy for my customers that don’t often drink red.

Fun episode. I have mixed feelings about Syrah. I prefer the cool climate style and would love the opportunity to taste a ultra classic vintage from the Northern Rhone valley.

qtod: I like Syrah, Especially when they are that medium body. Pinot is nice when you don’t want something weighing down your palate per say, I think Pinot is a lot easier to pair with food. I think I buy more Syrah then Cabs tho