Lucas Vineyards: Giving Syrah an Honest Shot In the Finger Lakes

Syrah clusters hanging in there as harvest approaches at Lucas Vineyards

By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes Editor
Photos by Morgan Dawson Photography

Lucas winemaker Jeff Houck is unaware of this, but he was born with trace amounts of sodium pentothal in his blood. You know it better as "truth serum." He's incapable of even trying to mislead you about the wines made by Lucas Vineyards on the southwestern part of Cayuga Lake. He's an FBI agent's dream -- were he ever to commit a high-profile felony, that is. Easiest conviction ever.

I didn't know this, of course, until I asked why Lucas Vineyards planted syrah in the early part of this decade. Jeff answered thusly: "No one else was doing it, and we wanted to have something original." 

See, most winemakers would say something like, "A topographical survey indicated that the Finger Lakes might have as much in common with Cote-Rotie as we do with Mosel, so we figured..." Or even, "The cool climate opportunity with this varietal is..." But nope, Jeff had no problem saying that Lucas just wanted something unique.

I loved that answer.

I didn't necessarily agree with the choice. Sure, syrah's ancestral home of Cote-Rotie is saddled with a bit of a misnomer (Cote-Rotie translates to "roasted coast," but the appellation is the coolest in the Rhone Valley). And that misnomer might lead one to wonder if the grape actually profits from cooler climates more than warmer. But I thought the odds were stacked strongly against it. Very few Finger Lakes producers make a straight syrah (I can think of Red Newt and Atwater off-hand, and that's about it), and the free market of winemaking is pretty effective. Its relative lack of presence betrayed something significant. 

The wine, I discovered, betrays nothing inherently flawed. The 2007 version is the second produced by Lucas, and Jeff Houck concedes he might never again see such hot and dry conditions. This syrah comes off suspiciously similar to a warm year, cool-climate Merlot -- with an extra round of black pepper and spice mixed in. "It's the spice that makes syrah unique," Jeff said as we tasted on a glorious harvest day. "But I understand why people would find it similar to other vinifera wines."

C'mon, I was thinking, Where's the hyperbole? The grand pronouncements of Syrah's new cool climate sweet spot? 

But Jeff Houck doesn't peddle in hyperbole. Lucas' website lists 28 different wines for sale and they total 26,000 cases annually. It's a workhorse operation and Jeff explains, "It's not always easy to give each varietal as much time as you want. Our goal is to produce a wide range of wines that will satisfy a wide range of customers." Judging by the packed tasting room, the approach is working.

Outside in the vineyard, Jeff was even harsher in his assessment of Finger Lakes syrah. "I would certainly not recommend that other operations plant it," he said, then added playfully, "We want to be the only ones making it!" But he wasn't kidding about the challenges of growing syrah. "The clusters are just gorgeous, and they'll motor along throughout the growing season, but all of a sudden they'll hit this wall, and they're pretty much done. We're not exactly sure why that is yet. But there seems to be a point that they simply stop ripening."

As a result, syrah requires a careful eye and more resources in the Finger Lakes. "I don't have all the numbers in front of me, but the reason I wouldn't recommend planting it is because it's a serious challenge economically. I doubt we're making much money with Syrah. But don't misunderstand me. I love our syrah and we're proud of it."

The 2007 sells for $24.99 per bottle and given how approachable it is, I'd guess it will sell out. 

Jeff's true vinifera passion clearly lies in riesling and cabernet franc, and before we left he raided the library. I was shocked that the '03 Lucas Cabernet Franc was stilling cranking cigar box and plum. The '05 is a standout from a sure-to-be-classic vintage. On the riesling side, I thought the '03 Lucas Dry Riesling was turning over to a bit too much rubber tire, but the '01 Lucas Semi-Dry was like a marathon runner who had given up at mile 10 -- only to find out at mile 15 that he had another gear. Very impressive.

There is something distinctly cloying about false profundity. There is something equally profound about humility, and Jeff Houck has it in abundance. You might not love every wine, but that won't offend him -- and you'll root for this winemaker who is cheerfully and straightforwardly approaching his 14th harvest.

Comments

[Tom Mansell]

Nice writeup, Evan. True to your "stories behind the people" approach. I have gotten a similar impression of Jeff, and I look forward to visiting Lucas next time I'm up in the area.

By the way, I believe Thirsty Owl (another Cayuga producer) makes a varietal Syrah as well and uses it as a blender.

[Evan Dawson]

Tom - Yeah, I figure I'm missing someone making Syrah. Red Newt's 07 is the darkest I've had: rich and true to form (according to Jeff Houck) in that it brought ample black pepper. I wonder what the scientific reason would be for Syrah "hitting a ripening wall" as Jeff describes. So much to learn!

Btw, would you have needed further explanation of "sodium pentothal?" :)

[Brendan Zugibe]

Glenora makes a Syrah as well.

Hey, how about a write-up on some of us Gruner Veltliner producers? We are making our first batch this year...

[Wendy S. Dunst]

Come on out to the Lake Erie region and taste the Liberty Vineyards Syrah! My husband and I grow the grapes (which we call Shiraz). :)

[Duncan Ross, Arrowhead Spring Vineyards]

We also grow Syrah on the Niagara Escarpment, and did so after seeing the results of several Canadian plantings. It survives cold winters somewhat better than Merlot. We love the variety - the vines are very lush and vigerous. The wine is deep red and loaded with spice - particularly white pepper. Our first release will be the 2008 vintage, which is expected to be done barrel aging in December or January.

[Evan Dawson]

Duncan - Thanks for jumping in, and we look forward to tasting your Syrah. Do you find, as Jeff Houck of Lucas does, that Syrah tends to hit a strange ripening wall?

[Evan Dawson]

Wendy - We'd love to try your Syrah; can you explain why you chose to call it Shiraz?

Brendan - I'll be contacting you soon to set up a visit. We want to learn more about the Zugibe plans. Certainly Gruner is just one interesting topic, as the number of localy Gruner vineyards slowly grows.

[Wendy S. Dunst]

Hi Evan--

We mainly chose to call it Shiraz because we're ornery. We call Pinot Grigio Pinot Gris, too :) My husband visited Australia in 2000, shortly after we bought our house and vineyard. We ripped out the Concords little by little in the ensuing years and talked about what kind of wine grapes we'd plant. Rick, who has been in the industry a long time, was in favor of planting mostly Pinot Gris. I had NO experience in the industry but loved red wine so I lobbied for red varietals. Shiraz was the first we decided on, and we also planted Cab Sauv & Carmenere (we got vines right out of quarantine). Then, we learned that, of our youngest 4 rows of Pinot Gris, 2 of the rows were actually Pinot Noir. It's been very interesting learning about these grapes and working with them in the vineyard. The very talented winemaker who works with our grapes has made fantastic Syrah & Pinot Noir wines in both 2007 & 2008.

"We call it Shiraz across the road" has been my little joke to tasters whenever I work in the tasting room at Liberty.

The Lake Erie region is definitely in the beginning stages of making decent wine, but I think we'll get there!

[Bryan]

I've tried Duncan's Arrowhead Spring 2008 Syrah in cask and there's no doubt that even in a so-so vintage he can get great extraction, fruit and spice from the grape.

[Jennifer Cupp]

Thanks for the shout out, T. Mansell....we certainly do make a Syrah at Thirsty Owl, straight and blended versions...Liked the article...

[Evan Dawson]

Jennifer - Thanks for joining the conversation. I need to come down and spend some time with you guys in person - soon! Also, do you find, as Jeff does, that Syrah stops ripening at some point mid-season? I'm always curious to hear if growers are experiencing the same idiosyncracies.

[Tom Mansell]

Jennifer:
Thirsty Owl is a must-visit on my usual trips up Cayuga. I have a bottle of the Syrah and I will likely be reviewing it for my blog sometime soon. Looking forward to it.

[Alexander Russo]

This is so cool, I think that growing syrah is such a great idea in NY only because I have been slowly trying as many syrahs from the niagara escarpment and they are fantastic. Lailey, in the Niagara On the Lake appellation is doing phenomenal things with syrah, do I dare say southern rhone style?