In , Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France , Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche. The style and flavor profile of wines made from Syrah are influenced by the climate where the grapes are grown.
In moderate climates such as the northern Rhone Valley and parts of the Walla Walla AVA in Washington State , they tend to produce medium to full-bodied wines with medium-plus to high levels of tannins and notes of blackberry, mint and black pepper. In hot climates such as Crete , and the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale regions of Australia , Syrah is more consistently full-bodied with softer tannin, jammier fruit and spice notes of licorice , anise and earthy leather.
In many regions the acidity and tannin levels of Syrah allow the wines produced to have favorable aging potential. Syrah is used as a single varietal or as a blend. Following several years of strong planting, Syrah was estimated in to be the world's 7th most grown grape at , hectares , acres. A study conducted by Carole Meredith 's research group in the Department of Viticulture and Enology at University of California, Davis used DNA typing and extensive grape reference material from the viticultural research station in Montpellier , France to conclude that Syrah was the offspring of the grape varieties Dureza father and Mondeuse blanche mother.
Mondeuse blanche is a white grape variety cultivated in the Savoie region, and is still found in small amounts in that region's vineyards today. Both varieties are somewhat obscure today, and have never achieved anything near Syrah's fame or popularity, and there is no record of them ever having been cultivated at long distances from their present homes.
The DNA typing leaves no room for doubt in this matter, and the numerous other hypotheses of the grape's origin which have been forwarded during the years all completely lack support in the form of documentary evidence or ampelographic investigations, be it by methods of classical botany or DNA. Instead, they seem to have been based primarily or solely on the name or synonyms of the variety.
