Wine of the week: Canvasback, 2019 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley

Syrah deserves your undivided attention.

This word of advice comes from Joseph Czarny, the winemaker who crafted our wine of the week winner — the Canvasback, 2019 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley at $56.

“What people don’t know about syrah is that it is delicious and it needs more recognition,” Czarny said.

Canvasback in Washington state debuted its first cabernet sauvignon in 2012 but now makes a handful of wines, with syrah in its lineup.

“Because syrah can take many forms, from big and hedonistic to refined, interesting and complex, it keeps many wine enthusiasts intrigued. Syrah is very transparent to terroir (reflecting the soils, climate and sun exposure of the vineyards) and oak choices, which makes it a fun variety to play with.”

The winning syrah is weighted to red fruit, with a tart streak of rhubarb and cranberry. Layered with notes of forest floor and spice, it’s impressive.

Czarny said syrah allows him to explore winemaking that’s quite different than crafting Bordeaux varietals.

“It allows me to pretend I’m a pinot winemaker, because I think syrah is the closest I’ll likely get,” he said. Canvasback specializes in cabernet, syrah and merlot, but not pinot noir.

With syrah, Czarny said, his goal is to make it complex, interesting and pleasurable.

“Since syrah can be so malleable, it’s easy to take it places that are intriguing for a glass, but not necessarily for a whole bottle,” he said. “I want to make wines that are intriguing and pleasurable for the whole bottle.”

Czarny said his “Aha!” moment with wine came when he tried a bottle of Chateau St. Michelle Syrah.

“It was the wine that I brought to a family gathering many years ago that started the conversation, where I found out you could make wine for a living,” he said. “Before that, I enjoyed wine, but casually and without much attention. That bottle and the people I shared it with started me down the path I’m on now.”

Czarny, 32, joined Canvasback in 2018 as an intern and quickly rose through the ranks to become winemaker. Before that, he alternated between northern- and southern-hemisphere harvests, gaining extensive hands-on winemaking experience at Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla, Domaine Serene in Oregon, Vidal Estate in New Zealand, Lambert Estate in Australia and Rooster Hill Vineyard in the Finger Lakes region of New York.

The most challenging part of making syrah, Czarny said, is the oak treatment with barrels.

“Dialing in the amount of new oak to use is a challenge,” he said. “Washington syrah is very transparent to oak and, if you use too much or the wrong kind of oak, it walks all over the wine.”

But what’s fundamental is making sure the grapes are well-groomed in the vineyard, Czarny said.

“I’m still a student in the art of viticulture, but where and how the vines are grown is probably the single biggest determining factor in a wine’s quality,” he said. “I believe it’s a large part of my job to partner with the people who grow our grapes and work toward the common goal of growing exceptional fruit.”

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at 707-521-5310 or peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @pegmelnik.