Henry Wuilloud was deeply impressed when he returned from his trip to Tain in the French Rhône Valley. The director of the Leytron State Winery was particularly fond of the wines made from the Syrah grape variety. In 1921 he brought some seedlings from the Queen of the Côtes du Rhône with him to Valais – an event known as The Syrah cultivation is born applies in Switzerland. The French grape variety is celebrating next year 100th anniversary in this country. According to DNA analyzes from research institutes in Davis and Montpellier in 1998, Syrah is one Cross between Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche. The latter is an old alpine variety from Savoy, i.e. from the immediate vicinity of the Valais.
If you look at today’s Syrah vineyards in Switzerland, it quickly becomes clear that the variety hardly plays a role outside of the canton in which it was introduced in 1921. Around 17,000 hectares of the 20,000 hectares of Syrah in Switzerland are cultivated in Valais. There, where the river is so important for the noble variety that Rhône, springs. From the Rhône Glacier in Upper Valais, the Rotten, as the river is also called here, flows through the valley, passes Lake Geneva and then meanders through the barren, rugged part of the Jura Mountains.
From Lyon, the Rhône flows south into the Mediterranean. The real home of the Syrah, the northern Rhône, with world-famous appellations such as Hermitage or Côte-Rôtie begins just a few kilometers away from Lyon. Excellent Syrahs are not only made in France, but also upstream in the Valais, as this year’s trophy on the subject shows. All the top ten wines in the Trophy come from the southern wine-growing canton and impress with their pleasing quality high point level between 93 and 96 points. So world class.
Cool nights – lots of aroma
One wine stood out in particular during the tasting: the Cayas Reserve from the Jean-René Germanier winery, which is represented among the top ten with three vintages and with the 2015 vintage also presented the best wine in the tasting. Hardly surprising, because Germanians are among the absolute Syrah specialists in this country and has been delighting the wine world with Cayas for years.
Nor is it surprising that Gilles Besse, the winemaker from Germanier, starts our conversation with the following words: “Syrah is our specialty.” Nevertheless, Germanier only produces two wines from the variety. For one, the one mentioned Cayas, the flagship of the house, on the other hand a simpler Syrah wine without aging. Both wines are outstanding in their segments, and both come from the same ten rather cool locations in central Valais between Fully and Sierre.
For the Cayas that for Aged for two years in Burgundy barrels, the best grapes from the plots are selected. “In my opinion, the long maturity in the barrel suits the Syrah much better than the Pinot Noir. Mainly because the variety has more tannins and more structure, ”says winemaker Besse.
The trophy winner
The Cayas Reserve 2015 was there Winner of the Trophy. It comes from a warm year with a low yield. The challenge at the time was to maintain the acidity and to plan the harvest time accordingly. In addition, 2015 was the 21st vintage of the top Germanier wine, which Besse initiated together with his uncle Jean-René Germanier over 25 years ago. They had previously fallen in love with the variety and discovered the vineyards in which Cayas is made today.
«In my opinion, the terroir in Valais is ideal for Syrah. For me it is mainly the cool nights in the Alps that are responsible. The grapes ripen slowly and the aromas are outstanding. We produce, so to speak, cool-climate-Syrah, ”says Besse.
Another important factor is the water supply. It has to be dry, because the grapes win from the stress that the plant is exposed to. According to Besse, the Syrah area in Valais will steadily increase. Nevertheless: Pinot Noir is the leading variety in Valais. In the valley it is becoming increasingly too warm for their cultivation. The Pinot moves to higher altitudes, where it does not produce too fat wines. But at some point even the highest mountains are no longer high enough for that. Maybe Syrah will find his place in the sun.
The Syrah grape variety will celebrate its 100th anniversary in Switzerland next year.
Small amount
Diego Mathier, the brain behind the third-placed wine in our trophy, is also convinced that the location is crucial when it comes to creating a perfect Syrah. In his opinion, it must be real hammer locations, locations that are above all hot and in which Mathier would never plant Pinot.
His Syrah therefore thrives on the one hand in a plot influenced by the foehn, on the other hand in an alpine, difficult to work terrace in an absolute south-south position. “With the Syrah, in my opinion, the harvest volume is also decisive. The grapes are quite large and we are therefore reducing very strongly. One grape per shoot is sufficient. “
Then his Syrah matures for about 16 months in small wooden barrels. But not in any, but in barrels that are specially produced for Mathier. Each barrel is made from the wood of a single piece of forest, in contrast to conventional barrels, whose basic material is a mix of diverse forests. “We are perhaps a little extreme, but we attach great importance to this detail,” he explains. In terms of style, Mathier is looking for density and juiciness with the Syrah, what one can with his 95 points rated drops also notes.
(v.l.n.r.) Platz 1: Cayas Syrah Réserve AOC Valais 2015, Jean-René Germanier Vins, Vétroz – “Elegant, harmonious world-class syrah.”
2nd place: Syrah Champlan 2019, Didier Joris SA, Chamoson – “Alpine, uniquely fresh and spicy Syrah.”
3rd place: Syrah 2018, Adrian & Diego Mathier, Salgesch – “Modern, juicy-fresh and balanced.”
Photo provided
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Alpine excellence
Cool spiciness and crunchy dark fruit are the characteristics of the second place wine our trophy, the Syrah Champlan by Didier Joris from Chamoson. A real alpine Syrah with an independent character that can only thrive in Switzerland.
Joris planted his first Syrah vines back in 1976, because, in his opinion, the terroir in Valais is perfect for varieties such as Marsanne, Roussanne and Syrah, all of which come from the Rhône Valley, just a little further north. Joris has not used synthetic sprays and fertilizers on his plots since 2003, and his business has also been in operation since 2020 organic certified. For him a cornerstone of success and an expression of respect for nature.
“The land is only on loan to us, and we have a duty to leave it to future generations in a healthy state,” says Joris. He, too, focuses on reducing the yield in the vineyard, harvesting only 300 grams per square meter instead of the 1200 grams permitted by the AOC. “The easier the vinification, the more natural the product and the more durable,” he explains.
When asked whether Syrah is perhaps the better variety than Pinot Noir for the Valais, Joris replies that he has been for one since the 1990s Reduktion of Pinot Noir used, but received strong criticism. If you consider the excellent results of the Valais winemakers at the Falstaff Syrah Trophy, Syrah could well play a more important role in the region. Especially since even winemakers from France seem to be impressed by the growing conditions in Valais. “About 15 years ago I was with a couple of friends from the French Rhône Valley and they were almost a little jealous of the conditions here,” says Gilles Besse. A look from the outside is sometimes very informative.
To the “Syrah Trophy 2020” tasting
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