I have to agree with the previous post regarding Syrah; in my experience,
vineyard management practices, harvest decisions, and vinification
techniques have more to do with the fruit forward character of Syrah than
the clone.

The Australian methods that produce such rich wines depend, IMHO, on a few
key vinification techniques; ripe harvesting ('damn the acid, get the sugar
up'); acid adjustment right at the outset of primary; lots of oxygen
throughout primary ferementation; and rack-and-return (delestage) which
again increases oxygenation, but also gets the seeds out earlier, reducing
tannins. The Aussie's also seem to prefer American oak over French, although
some of the most interesting south australian wines I've had recently have
been unoaked (such as the Torbreck 'Juvenile').

I got my own Syrah vines simply by going to a vineyard from which I was
familiar with some of the resulting wine. I offered to help prune - and in
return, was allowed to keep a load of cuttings, from which I self-rooted the
cuttings. If I were to do so now, I would graft such cuttings on to existing
rootstock in the vineyard. Don't know the clone #'s.




> I'm interested in planting Syrah, Barbera and Zinfandel and I'm trying
> to find specific info on clonal characteristics with no avail.
> Suggestions? I'm looking for a Syrah clone with a more fruit forward
> approach (Australian) as opposed to the French peppery approach. Also
> looking for Zin that's more likely to result in a good late harvest
> wine if conditions are appropriate.
>