Wine of the week: Brennan Vineyards Buffalo Roam 2010

One of the greatest wines in the history of Texas was the 2006 Brennan syrah (and the 2007 wasn ?t bad, either). I have waxed poetic about both, and the 2006 helped form the tweet that launched the local wine movement in 2009: ?Texas wines aren ?t s—. ?

Unfortunately, Brennan no longer makes syrah. But it does make a red Rhone-style blend, the Buffalo Roam ($18, sample, 12.9%).

Yes, the wine isn ?t $10 or $12 and availability is limited, two things I rarely do for the wine of the week. But this week, with the fifth annual Drink Local Wine conference just a couple of days away, I wanted to use this wine to show how far local wine has come ? not just in Texas, but in much of the U.S.

Because there are hundreds of wines like this in the 47 states that aren ?t California, Washington, and Oregon:

? It ?s professionally made, without the flaws and off-flavors that were all too common in regional wine a decade ago.

? It reflects Texas terroir and a Texas style of winemaking ? lower alcohol, earthy, spicy, less fruity and, above all, balanced. In this, it tastes like a Rhone-style wine that was made in Texas, not a California-style wine made with Rhone grapes that could come from anywhere, including the Rhone.

? It uses grapes suited to Texas, mourvedre and syrah, and not grapes grown in Texas because consumers have heard of them.

How impressive is this wine? So much so that I don ?t even mind the name.