Good syrah is savory. Its aromas and flavors can be floral and mildly fruity, while also smelling and tasting like herbs, olives, crushed pepper and smoked, roasted meat. It can have a feral, almost savage quality, and it can also be fresh and bright. Yet too often, we tasted sweet fruit abetted by high alcohol, which contributes to the impression of sweetness, too much oak and little savory character.

This may be because too many vineyards are planted in the wrong places: fertile, loamy, warm sites rather than the rocky, cool sites that can help make syrah distinctive. Or it may be that some winemakers have not made the effort to focus specifically on syrah, instead using techniques more appropriate for cabernet or merlot.

“I think that syrah is a grape that needs attention from the winemaker,” Patrick said. “A lot of these feel like afterthoughts.”

Nonetheless, Arvid, who was not sure what to expect from these wines, said he was pleasantly surprised by those he liked. I agreed with him, and Patrick took it even further.

“The wines I liked were spectacular, as if they were made by someone passionate about these grapes,” he said.

Florence, though, found few wines that impressed her.

“It’s not a category I’d seek out,” she said.

Some of the better Washington producers were not in our tasting. I’ve followed Christophe Baron’s Cayuse Winery for years now, but the popularity of his excellent wines has pushed them into cult status. His syrahs are now too expensive for our tastings, which have a cap of $100 a bottle. Also, some of the better small-production labels, like Maison Bleue, were not found in any of the retail sites where we buy all our wines.