There's no disputing that Syrah is poised to be the next red wine star from California, and who knows, someday it may rival the current king, Cabernet Sauvignon. Times change and so do tastes.
Right now, though, Syrah is producing all kinds of exciting new wines from scores of nooks and crannies throughout the Golden State. But even as this wine gains momentum and builds a following, it faces its share of obstacles to reaching a broader acceptance.
When newcomers make a breakthrough -- irrespective of variety -- enthusiasm often outpaces quality. One reason for this is that winemakers understandably get energized about their progress, and that fervor spills over into the market. That's less true of Syrah than, say, Merlot or Sangiovese. The potential of both of those wines was oversold, and they're now going through a shakeout phase that will eliminate many mediocre wines while allowing the best to survive.
Though there's plenty to admire with the new class of Syrahs, expect this wine too to run into roadblocks and detours. For one thing, Syrah is a challenging wine to taste. Line up a flight of 15 to 20 wines, and you're in for a workout. Like Zinfandel, Syrah can provide a mouthful of ripe, complex flavors, high acidity, substantial tannins and significant alcohol levels -- often above 15 percent. It can also be austere and tart. That intense combination of elements can give your palate a pounding. Many will find the young wines overwhelming and the older wines weird. Decanting and aeration often help.
Syrah's flavors can range from spicy and exotic to a walk on the wild side. In one tasting earlier this year, I sampled a group of wines and found styles all over the board. There were ultraripe, syrupy, grapey wines. Others showcased more classic wild berry and blackberry flavors, mixed in with black and white pepper scents and beef carpaccio and topped off by a melted chocolate and espresso bean flavor. Another wine was a dead ringer for beef stew, right down to the medley of stewed tomatoes, bay leaf, onion and celery scents. In other words, for many wines you won't know what you're in for until you pour a glass.
While some vintners aim for a certain style, with a Northern Rhône or Australian Shiraz in mind, for example, it's going to take time for winemakers to fine-tune their styles and for consumers to sort out which ones they prefer. Winemakers who own vineyards have the best shot at developing a consistent style. But it will still take most of them a decade or more to really know how to get the most out of their vines and to see how their wines develop. Winemakers who don't own grapes will be at the mercy of the market; some may have to seek new grape sources each year, leading to wines of inconsistent style and quality, and it's those kinds of wines that will throw some off-track.
As California Syrah gains credibility, there will be the inevitable comparisons with Syrah-based wines from France -- mostly the Northern Rhône, home to Hermitage, St.-Joseph, Cornas and Crozes-Hermitage -- and Australia, where it goes by Shiraz and excels in many appellations. Those comparisons are fine to a point, but ultimately Syrah will create its own identity in California, and it will bear little resemblance to its European or Australian counterparts. As we've learned most notably with Pinot Noir, comparing California wines with foreign versions is perhaps fun and instructive, but they're really very different wines grown in very different environments and need to be appreciated as such. Wisely, California vintners have avoided making too many comparisons with the bottlings of France and Australia.
Then there will be the questions about when to drink it and how long it ages, decisions that will likely lead to moments of exhilaration and disappointment. And there will be concerns about pricing and perhaps too much enthusiasm for this grape, which could lead to a glut. There will also be those who simply aren't impressed. Witness this Oct. 1 headline in The New York Times: “California Syrah's Novelty Has Worn Off.”
Perhaps the most exciting element of the Syrah boom is that it is a wide-open field, with no one area, producer, appellation or style in a decisive position of dominance. That should ensure a competitive market, which is what typically works out the best in the end.

James Laube, Wine Spectator's Napa Valley-based senior editor, has been with the magazine since 1983.