Lockwood Vineyards 2008 Estate Syrah Monterey County
The Wine: I’m going to have to confess something to you all, I really haven’t had that many single varietal Syrahs before. I’ve had several hand fulls of blends with Syrah in it, but I’ve mainly had experiences with Petite Sirah. I reached out to my buddy Jeff over at VivaLaWino pointing him towards this wine as one to try because he has a lot tasting experience of French wines and Syrah is heavily used varietal in places like the Rhone Valley or Chateauneuf du Pape. So I’m curious to hear Jeff’s thoughts on this wine. So tonight I thought I’d write a review on a varietal I don’t know that much about solely based on how I enjoyed this wine. Sound OK?
The Experience:
Color: An incredibly vibrant violet. This wine looks young, yet it’s a 2008.
Nose: Right out of the bottle and into the glass this wine presents a candy like nose of ripe berries and some vanilla. This reminds me a Gamay or Beaujolais Nouveau; the fruit is just popping on the nose here. Kinda cool.
Palate: The first thing I wrote about this wine was not the fruit which moves from the nose to the palate, but rather how dry this wine left my palate, wow. It wasn’t as intense as Petite Sirah can be, but definitely left a chalky feeling in my mouth; which is not a bad thing when paired with food! The finish lingers with notes of ripe red fruit and vanilla. The finish is kinda flabby and not ‘crisp’ tight with acid and tannins making a ‘tight’ wine; some could say this wine lacks ‘focus’, but that’s alright. I really like this wine has a lower alcohol content of 13.8%, meaning my tongue isn’t burning nor is the alcohol used as a substitute for tannins. I’m very much enjoying this wine with my stew.
Bottom Line: Buy-Half-Case
This is a Trader Joe’s Hustle Buy; meaning it’s not going to be around forever. I think this is definitely a wine worth picking up several bottles, especially at the $6 price point. It’s a great daily drinker or one to pull out this summer when barbecuing. I liked this wine A LOT more on the second day after opening and pairing with a hearty stew. The ‘breathing’ time really allowed this wine to come together in a much more approachable way than out of the bottle. If you have a decanter, use on this. Or even consider laying a few bottles away for a few years. Did I mention this is an Estate Wine? For $6? Get this wine and please do share your thoughts!
Wine Info:
- Price: $6
- Alcohol: 13.8%
- Appellation: San Lucas, Monterey County
- Estate Wine
Mar 26, 2011 @ 09:46:03
We finished about 1/2 bottle of this last night with Beef Stroganoff (with mushrooms and pearl onions) with papardelle pasta. Very nice combo. So your stew recommendation I’d say is right on. I thought I sensed plum and licorice when I first got a whiff of the nose but, I’m no expert. Definitely lots of dark berry once you’re drinking it. I’m not enough of an expert to know what a flabby finish is, and what it’s buff opposite would be either. All I know is we didn’t make enough beef stroganoff last night, so we took out some Toscano cheese with peppered rind and Bite Size Everything Crackers from TJ’s and continued drinking the wine with the cheese and crackers. My wife didn’t want wine originally with dinner so she took a few sips from my glass. Then when I brought out the wine and cheese, I just decided to fill her own glass without asking her. I had to pour her another one more time after that. Needless to say we enjoyed the wine. And on the breathing part, yes, most definitely, let this wine breathe for a while. We bought an in-line decanter – the soiree (just google soiree wine decanter and shop around), and we also have a centellino in-line decanter. We like them both. The nice thing about an in-line decanter (as opposed to the glass carafe type) is that a carafe pretty much means you’re going to empty the whole bottle. But an inline decanter (also called in-bottle or bottle-top decanter) aerates one pour or serving at a time. And often, what’s left in the bottle will be better the next day anyway, so I’m looking forward to finishing off the bottle tonight.
Mar 27, 2011 @ 15:11:06
Love your blog Matt…keep up the great reviews! I am heading to TJ’s to try this wine out today. I am also picking up the Hogue Genesis Meritage…I heard it was a great buy. Have you tried it yet?
Mar 27, 2011 @ 21:23:34
@Alejandro Thanks for the great comment and input. I’m glad you liked the stew pairing; I certainly enjoyed it, too! Don’t worry about ‘not being an expert’, weighing in your thoughts is all that matters. Researching for this website has taught me more about wine than anything, so you’re on the right path. There are many times (like tonight), where I don’t put a whole bottle in my carafe styled decanter, just maybe a quarter or a third.
@Bella, Thanks for your very kind comment! I’m happy you enjoy my website! I haven’t seen or heard of the Houge Genesis Meritage. I remember they had some 2006? Cabernet Sauvignon out in stores in the last year and I believe most recently a Merlot. I remember not liking the Cab. Sauv. at all; it was over the hill… Have you tried it yet? I’m sure there are many of us who’d like to read your thoughts on it!
Mar 27, 2011 @ 21:22:50
@Alejandro Thanks for the great comment and input. I’m glad you liked the stew pairing; I certainly enjoyed it, too! Don’t worry about ‘not being an expert’, weighing in your thoughts is all that matters. Researching for this website has taught me more about wine than anything, so you’re on the right path. There are many times (like tonight), where I don’t put a whole bottle in my carafe styled decanter, just maybe a quarter or a third.
@Bella, Thanks for your very kind comment! I’m happy you enjoy my website! I haven’t seen or heard of the Houge Genesis Meritage. I remember they had some 2006? Cabernet Sauvignon out in stores in the last year and I believe most recently a Merlot. I remember not liking the Cab. Sauv. at all; it was over the hill… Have you tried it yet? I’m sure there are many of us who’d like to read your thoughts on it!
Mar 29, 2011 @ 14:25:15
Purchased 1/2 case at TJ’s today. Wonderful blog, Matt!
Apr 03, 2011 @ 20:01:32
Glad you picked up this and the Leonhardt, thanks for the kind words Pat!
Trader Joe’s Reserve 2009 Syrah Paso Robles « Trader Joe's Wine Notes
Apr 17, 2011 @ 20:58:36
Jul 10, 2011 @ 15:20:51
Nice one, Matt. It drinks similar to the Stump Jumper Shiraz, which has good reviews from costcowineblog.com and I really enjoyed. Great value!
Cheers,
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TT