We're so excited to introduce you to our newest series, The Somm Set.

Each month we'll be sitting down with a guest sommelier and uncovering their guilty pleasures, cellar staples, and everything in between! Follow as they hand-select their favorites from our warehouse, giving you the inside scoop on cellar must-haves. We're kicking off this series with Master Sommelier Alexander LaPratt!

Read Our Full Interview With Alexander LaPratt On Our Blog
Alexander LaPratt on Champagne- The Region That Offers It All
Alexander LaPratt Raves Over BOND

 

This week from Alexander LaPratt:

Que Syrah, Syrah! Whatever will be… Will be delicious!

Syrah could be the most consistent and best valued red varietal in the world. Grown from Australia to Azerbaijan this grape delivers flavors like wild lavender, rosemary, black peppercorn, roasted meat, campfire smoke, black licorice, black cherry, raspberry, fresh violets, and blackberry, and while there are many places you can look for Syrah, there is no region more seductive, elegant and revered than the storied slopes of Cote-Rotie.

It was first planted by the Romans under the rule of Caligula (possibly Rome’s craziest and cruelest emperor – at least he got this right) around 40AD and was originally know as Vienne.  It’s a remote location (away from any major shipping port), and lighter, more elegantly styled wines kept the region from blossoming, and it wasn’t until after World War II that the “roasted slopes” started to come into its own as a world-class wine region. In the ’50s, a new generation of vigneron led the way by planting the difficult to work steeply sloped vineyards and created a new style of Cote-Rotie and helped rescue the region from fading into obscurity because at that time there was only around 60ha planted. Among them were names such as Etienne Guigal, Marius Gentaz, Jean Dervieux, Jasmin, Jamet, and Fleury.

These vignerons are now household names, and Cote-Rotie with it’s exotically perfumed wines are a must-have in any respectable cellar, but a few stand out for me are listed below. Check them out!   Read Alexander's full recommendations here.

Cheers!

Alexander LaPratt

Master Sommelier