25
years
ago
The moment we set foot on Chatford farm, as it was then called, and named it Kleinood, we knew this would be our life and our work. Since that very first moment we knew how much it had to offer. We understood the fragility of the land and our responsibility to love, nurture and respect it in whatever we could for as long as we would be fortunate enough to be the curators of this place we now call home.
Although there were many theories and myths surrounding the origin of Syrah, suggesting its transport from the Middle East to Marseilles around 560 BC, from Sicily by Roman legions or by from Cyprus to France in the 13th century, DNA evidence has confirmed its origins in the Rhône Valley in France by the testing experts Jean-Michel Boursiquot and Carole Meredith in 1999. Finally there was scientific proof that Syrah was the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France – Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche.
Syrah is undeniably rooted in the Rhône Valley and specifically the Northern Rhône, where it thrives in regions like Côte-Rôtie. Over time the planting of Syrah migrated south along the Rhône River into Provence and Languedoc-Roussillon and during the 18th and 19th centuries wine makers in Bordeaux surreptitiously blended Syrah into their wines to add structure and complexity.
CÔTES DE RHÔNE
WINE GROWING REGIONS
However pretentious it may sound, it has been said that, if wine was a symphony, terroir would be its musical instruments, and the winemaker… its conductor.
Terroir meaning the sense of place of wine also refers, more specifically, to a combination of natural factors that unequivocally identify the essence of a particular wine and differentiates it from wines produced elsewhere. The combination of these elements ultimately dictates the unique characteristics and style of a terroir-driven wine, regardless of the particular vintage or other external circumstances.
Syrah thrives in the Rhône Valley due to its unique combination of a specific climate, particularly in the Northern Rhône, where the diverse terroir provides everything the Syrah variety craves. The growing seasons are long with ample sunlight and water, the soil types and variations in topography allow for good drainage and varied mineral uptake and the the cool mistral winds and mists rolling in from the sea moderate the heat in the vineyards.
Thus, the unique interplay of climate and soil makes the terroir of the Rhône Valley an exceptional place for Syrah to produce its small, thick-skinned grapes, high in color and tannin to develop the unique regional characteristics, signature expression of complex flavours, rich color, and firm tannins.
This, ultimately, would explain why the Rhône would be the origin and home to Syrah and why their wines have been so exceptional since time immemorial.
However, terroir is not everything. There is still the conductor. The French have had hundreds of years to experiment and find their way around this complex varietal. The trellising, the ideal time for picking, the best way of working with the berries and the juice in the winery, maturation, barrel sizes and wood contact.
The Northern Rhône, ancestral home of the Syrah grape, lies in the narrow strip running from Vienne to Valence, is famed for its steep, terraced vineyards overlooking the Rhône river. This region produces distinguished red wines that are powerful, tannic, and richly flavoured.
In contrast, the Southern Rhône, stretching from Montélimar to Avignon, is characterized by a Mediterranean climate and diverse soil types. Southern Rhône wines are typically full-bodied, with expressive fruit flavors and a warm, earthy character.
Over the centuries, Rhône has built an enviable reputation for its wines. In the 1930’s, the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée in order to underwrite and protect the quality and uniqueness of its wines. With 32 cru appellations, the fine balance between tradition, innovation, culture and viticulture of the Rhône valley is protected and upheld.
Syrah grown in the northern Rhône, Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie, is refined, concentrated, and supremely elegant. Traditionally perfumed with the addition of Viognier or Marsanne / Roussanne / Mourvèdre, the wines merge potency with finesse, resulting in a delectable and inimitable wine style. Today, Syrah reigns unchallenged in the Northern Rhône.
Since the 19th century, winegrowers have recognized Beaume as one of the finest sites to produce wines with a lighter structure and great perfume. On the other hand the granite-heavy soils of Bessards tend to boost tannins with great aging potential. Le Meal, too, is renowned for yielding Syrah grapes packed full of flavour and tannins.
But there is no one size fits all – not even in the Rhône, with growers taking very different approaches to blending, filtration, maturation and aging. And so it goes – to each his own. But the fact remains – the Rhône, is and has been the home and origin.
Wine is, however not only about cultivar, origin and terroir or notes about tannins, texture and balance. It is also about the culture and tradition. It is about the when and how, the memories and coversations, the ritual and romance.
Who better then to read, over a glass of Rhône Syrah, than the great french writer Charles Baudelaire.
One night, from bottles, sang the soul of wine:
‘0 misfit man, I send you for your good
Out of the glass and wax where I’m confined,
A melody of light and brotherhood!
I know you must, out on the blazing hill,
Suffer and sweat beneath the piercing rays
To grow my life in me, my soul and will;
I’m grateful to you, and I will not play
You false, since I feel joy when I can fall
Into the throat of some old working man,
And his warm belly suits me overall
As resting place more than cold cellars can.
And do you hear the songs that hope believes,
The Sunday music, throbbing from my breast?
Elbows on table, rolling up your sleeves
You praise me, and I’ll put your cares to rest;
I’ll fire the eyes of your enraptured wife;
I’ll grant a force and colour to your son,
And will for this frail athlete of life
Be oil that makes the straining muscles run.
My nectar falls in your fertility,
A precious seed whose Sower is divine,
So from our love is born rare poetry,
Thrusting towards God the blossom on its vine!
“The Soul Of Wine” By Charles Baudelaire
