Wine of the week: McManus syrah

As the chill of fall sets in, syrah is a great wine to uncork.

Our budget-savvy winner – the McManis Family Vineyards, 2013 California Syrah – will appeal to people across the board at $10 a bottle.

This is a true bang-for-the-buck syrah. It’s approachable, but has personality with full-on red fruit, tangy flavors. It’s briary, with notes of cherry, cranberry, cinnamon and cracked black pepper.

“Our house style is very fruit forward," said winemaker Mike Robustelli. “This style emphasizes the effort put into the vineyard.”

Robustelli said the most gratifying thing about making syrah “is to be able to take a grape, that Mother Nature and the nurturing of the vineyard staff have produced, and change it into a different product, putting some of your own influence into the final product.”

The challenging thing about syrah is that it doesn’t always show itself fully, Robustelli said.

“Syrah has the ability to be a luscious, rich, rewarding and very fruit-forward wine,” he said. “While the grape possesses those characteristics, it does not readily allow them to be expressed.”

Finding expressive wines piqued Robustelli’s interest from an early age. He always recalls wine on the table when he grew up in Hollister.

“Within my family no taboo existed, and children were allowed to partake, moderation in consumption having been explained (and displayed) by the adults,” he said. “Wine was never a far-off beautiful maiden I pined for, nor was she the woman you meet one time and experience love at first sight with. For me, it had always been the girl next door.”

Robustelli said his keen interest in nature, art and science is what made wine intriguing to study.

The winemaker has a degree in oenology from California State University, Fresno. He joined the McManis team during the 1999 harvest.

Over the past decade Robustelli has seen syrah evolve, first from a meaty, earthy iteration to something more fruit-forward in value wines.

“Producing a syrah that displayed more fruit and had softer mouth-coating tannin was the focus for our style,” Robustelli said. “A recent survey of syrah in the market, especially at our price point, displays characteristics more similar in style to the wine that we choose to produce. It appears that the overall trend has been to create more approachable, fruit-forward wines.”

Wine writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com.

Wine of the Week: Scouting for the tastiest reds.

Wine writer Peg Melnik had a blind tasting this week, and the flight had an impressive range of reds. The gems in the line-up included a budget-wise syrah, a knockout Bordeaux red blend, and an exotic carmenere. Our wine-of-the-week winner is the McManis Family Vineyards, 2013 California Syrah at $10.

TOP PICK

McManis Family Vineyards, 2013 California Syrah, 13.5 percent alcohol, $10. ???

1/2 This is a true bang-for-the-buck syrah. It’s approachable but has personality, with full-on tangy, red fruit flavors. The syrah is layered, with notes of cherry, cranberry, cinnamon and cracked black pepper. Briary.

Other impressive wines

Gundlach Bundschu, 2012 Estate Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, Sonoma County Pinot Noir, 14.4 percent, $37. ????

This is a pinot that pops with flavors of Bing cherry, raspberry and a hint of pomegranate. Notes of espresso, mineral and spice. Seamless texture. Gorgeous.

Yorkville Cellars, 2012 Yorkville Highlands, Mendocino County Carmenere, 13 percent, $36. ????

This is a knockout - rustic, with bold fruit and snappy spice. It has bright cherry and raspberry flavors, with crisp acid. A rare find. Exotic.

Rombauer Vineyards, 2012 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, 14.5 percent, $50. ???

1/2 This is a layered cab with a range of flavors - cassis, blackberry, currant and cedar. Round texture. Nice length.

Dry Creek Vineyards’ The Mariner, 2011 Dry Creek Valley Red Wine Meritage, 13.5 percent, $45. ????

A striking Bordeaux red blend with aromas and flavors of cassis, black cherry, herbs and white pepper. Crisp acidity. What makes it a standout is its complexity. Outstanding.