Bodegas Borsao Syrah Campo de Borja Zarihs/Shiraz - a collaboration of Spain and Australia Borossa
We spent a getaway weekend in the City (Chicago) and stopped in VinChicago, a family-run
wine merchant since 1934. I wrote recently that they offer and alternative to the mega-merchants with carefully selected producer's and labels at competitive prices for high QPR (quality-price-ratio) values. Their extremely knowledgeable staff consists of certified Sommelier and Advanced Sommelier. While they closed their local Naperville store location, (they still operate three Chicagoland locations), we keep in touch via their newletters and on-line presence. They deliver wine purchases or conduct curbside pick-ups at location that is conveniently near our home.
Visiting their retail location, we picked up several odd lot labels no longer listed on their web, and several other labels to 'try before we buy' (for cellaring).
Bodegas Borsao Syrah Campo de Borja Zarihs/Shiraz 2016
We picked up this interesting label,
Zarihs (Shiraz spelled backwards!?! with a hint of the backwards "R" on the label), a collaboration between Spanish producer José Luis Chueca of Campo de Borja and Australian producer/winemaker Chris Ringland, known for Barossa Shiraz/Syrah. This is 100% single varietal Shiraz sourced from the Spanish estate.
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Vivino called this the Best Syrah in Spain and one of the Top 10 Syrah du Monde in 2017.
This the first Syrah to be planted in 2002 in the
foothills of the Moncayo in the Campo de Borja, a Spanish DOP (Denominación de Origen Protegida) appellation which is located in the northwest of the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain).
Aragon sits adjacent France, in the northeast corner of Spain, home to many rivers including the Ebro, Spain's largest river in volume, which runs west–east across the entire region through the province of Zaragoza. It is also home to the highest mountains of the Pyrenees. The Aragon region is the transition zone between the plains of the River Ebro and the mountains. Borja is one of 16 municipalities in the The DOP wine region.
The Moncayo mountain is the dominant feature of the DOP and creates a terroir and microclimate well suited to the Shiraz varietal to develop wines with a special character. The climate is continental, with Atlantic influences during the winter, notably a cold, dry wind from the northwest. In summer, there is a Mediterranean influence with temperatures varying a great deal, both on a daily and on a seasonal
basis, with very low annual rainfall. The vineyards are planted on a series
of high plateaus at heights ranging between 350 m and 750 m above sea
level.
Zarihs is a 100% Syrah/Shiraz single-varietal, aged for 12 months in 40% American oak barrels, and 60% in stainless steel tanks.
This label was ranked #28 on Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2020 with 93 pts., and was awarded 91 pts. by James Suckling and 90 pts. by Vinous.
Wine Advocate called it “Borja wine with an Australian accent”, and Heraldo de Aragón, "A Borsao with French stile (sic)”.
VinChicago tasting notes:
- Appearance: opaque red-black. Crimson-purple rim.
- Aroma: powerful impression of blackberries, with a hint of wood smoke and sweet vanilla.
- The nose begins to open up and develops notes of dark chocolate.
- Palate: the initial impact is very full bodied, with a plush, soft structure.
- Flavours of dark berries dominate; wild blackberries and dried plums, with notes of espresso coffee.
Winemaker notes on this release, "An opaque red-black color with a crimson-purple rim. On the nose, a
powerful impression of blackberries, with a hint of wood smoke and sweet
vanilla. The nose begins to open up and develops notes of dark
chocolate. The initial impact is very full bodied, with a plush, soft
structure. Flavors of dark berries dominate; wild blackberries and dried
plums, with notes of espresso coffee."
