The Wine:
Lance and Windmill 2006 Petite Syrah
Stop what you’re doing. Go to Trader Joe’s and get this wine. A legit $60 dollar wine for $15. (ok, they relabeled it, but the crew cap is the same and the cellar name is “Q Cellars”) This a diamond in the rough. From what I’m reading over at fellow wine blogger Jason’s Wine Blog, and my Dad who looked for this wine at his local TJs, this wine is already out of supply, so get moving!
Ignore the screw cap. This is top quality Petite Sirah. (Oddly, they spell it Petite Syrah, could there be some Syrah in this wine?!) Having worked at a winery which produces amazing Petite Sirah (and Syrah!), I’ve come to love this tannic monster – especially with some years of bottle age to mellow out but pack a punch.
The Experience:
Color: Very inky – deep garnet, plum.
Nose: Dark blueberries, mushrooms, earth, oak – power
Palate: This is what makes great wine great, you experience so many different components – blueberries, boysenberries, earth, mushrooms, oak/vanilla. You can’t quite put your finger on what you’re experiencing, so you sip more. And more… This wine packs extremely fine tannins which coat your mouth and beg for this food to be paired with some big foods or will live for quite a while in a cellar. Simply awesome.
Bottom Line: Buy-A-Case (before I do!)
It might be a long while before Trader Joe’s gets another deal like this in. If you like big, bold wines – this is it! If you have friend or family member who buy expensive wines they will be shocked to learn what you paid for this, $15! It’s a bummer to see a quality producer having to move some inventory like this, but it’s hard to complain about reaping the benefits! What did you think of this wine?
Mar 14, 2012 @ 22:39:47
Thanks for the shout-out and nice work catching the Syrah vs. Sirah designation. Somehow I missed it! Have you heard anything to indicate this is not 100% PS? I haven’t and my opinion is that is unlikely but always curious… In the meantime I linked up your post with mine. Hope all is treating you well at your new(ish) gig!
Mar 15, 2012 @ 11:58:34
Thanks for the comment and ping-back Jason! Not only does the name suggest Syrah could be in the wine, the aromatics and palate of the wine have enough bacon, pork and mushrooms to be part Syrah. I work at well known Syrah (and Pinot) producer in the Santa Cruz Mountains – I have some sort of Syrah almost everyday
Everything goes well, and glad to see some great deals rolling through TJ’s – it’s sure to keep us busy!
-Matt
Mar 22, 2012 @ 15:56:34
I just bought 2 cases at TJ’s in Gilbert AZ at $ 15.99.
Everyone is referring to the 2006 Petite Syrah and mine is 2007. Any comments. Haven’t tried it as yet.
Mar 27, 2012 @ 22:41:23
@Flyod, awesome to hear! Would you please share with us some tasting notes on the 2007? All we (had) in California was the 2006. Thanks! -Matt
Mar 16, 2012 @ 07:47:09
Thanks for the tip. I caught the last three bottles at El Cerrito yesterday but called the closest five other TJ locations to find out that they’re all out. The color of this amazing wine hit me first. It’s like purple ink, virtually opaque. We loved the blackberry and graphite. The wine easily held up against the spicey shrimp and scallop tacos we had for dinner.
Everyone may already know this, but we’re figuring that this wine comes from Quixote over on the trail. They’re the folks in Stags Leap that seem to specialize in this grape.
In my disappointment at missing a case buying shot at the PS I picked up a couple bottles of the Henry’s Drive Parson’s Flat cab/shiraz blend. We found it to be a generous, fruity wine with delicious vanilla notes that just got better as it sat open in the glass.
Last night was a great wine night!
Mar 20, 2012 @ 10:37:09
@Glen, I glad you were able to snag this deal, and thanks for posting your notes! The Henry’s Drive was able to sneak past me. I really like Shiraz/Cab blends.
Mar 16, 2012 @ 19:50:02
Ok you guys, I found several cases out at the Danville TJ’s. I bought two. I know there’s two more plus a few loose bottles. Go get ‘em!
Mar 17, 2012 @ 10:01:15
I found my local TJ’s in Nebraska has cases of this. For that reason, and my SIWMB, I only picked up two bottles during my recent visit. i’m sure there will still be some in the forthcoming weeks/months if I want to grab more. The wine manager highly recommended their Petite Sirah as more ready to drink now and a great deal. I didn’t grab any this trip. Gotta drink up/share what I have. Thanks for the notification.
Mar 17, 2012 @ 10:02:00
I should have indicated it is the 2007 vintage, not 2006.
Mar 20, 2012 @ 10:39:20
@Will, this wine made it’s way to Nebraska?! Nice! I think this wine is certainly ready to drink now, but still could benefit from a few more years in the cellar. High quality PS takes yeaaaars to settle down, it’s a monster of a wine! And please do post some notes on the 2007, we all seem to have the 2006 on the West Coast.
Feb 06, 2013 @ 15:02:10
Wow, Andrea ..I’m so proud to be related to you!!! A bunch of your (and my) conuiss here in Montana are training for the Chicago Marathon in October and so I have been keeping them informed about you and the Boston ..bragging a bit ..way to go Girl!!! Love to you all, your Montana Aunt Patty
Mar 17, 2012 @ 14:32:53
Volunteer-run http://www.WineBestBuys.com tasted both the Lance & Windmill Petite Syrah and the Buena Vista Pinot Noir and rated them 88 and 87, respectively, both “Best Buys”. The San Rafael store still have both of them on the shelf.
Mar 20, 2012 @ 10:42:26
@Robert, cool site and concept you guys have. Please let me know if/when you find TJ’s wines your group really enjoyed, I’ll link to them from my site.
The Frugal Tasters» Blog Archive » 2006 Lance & Windmill Petite Syrah
Mar 20, 2012 @ 09:56:55
Mar 21, 2012 @ 20:39:43
Not impressed. Maybe IF it gets better with age…but that’s a gamble. I only purchased this wine because of it’s “value” in my opinion the $14.99 is too much. I have had better wines with a lower price. Never would I pay the $50-60 that it’s said to be worth with a different label. I’m really bummed because I was really looking forward to this “amazing” wine.
Mar 21, 2012 @ 21:03:13
@Carol, Thanks for your feedback. Where did this wine fall short of your expectations? I believe I described the characteristics of this wine pretty well. And I feel very confident this wine is a quality expression of the Petite Sirah grape. Was it the wine which let you down or the grape? I’d be curious to learn which wine serves as your ‘benchmark’ Petite Sirah and please do share with us all a better Petite Sirah at a lower price!
Mar 21, 2012 @ 21:33:53
@Matt, This is only my opinion…others may like. Loved the deep color. Enjoyable at first. (let air 30 minutes…couldn’t wait for 60…too excited to taste) Last taste was 90 minutes. Very dry. My comment on price was not directed to the variety, though I recently purchased a Petite Sirah at Bevmo’s buy one get one for 5cents that was pretty decent..
https://www.bevmo.com/Shop/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductID=29264
Again, this is my opinion. Everyone has different tastes. I much prefer a Zin
BTW, I purchased several bottles of the Lance and Windmill. I shall keep them for future tasting. Cheers:)
Mar 27, 2012 @ 22:40:11
@Carol, an individual’s perception of a wine is a hallmark of wine tasting! I found this wine (and many others) to be a damn good bargin for quality/price ratio. This is a monster of a Petite Sirah made for aging in mind. That’s why it’s so dry. Hopefully you give it a few years of patience and check back in when you do! Hope you enjoy! Cheers for the follow up. -Matt
Mar 21, 2012 @ 23:19:15
Hi there, we just purchased and it was very good. However, it need aeration and decanter attention. And according to my husband, he recommends not using a Stelvin enclosure. Thanks!
Mar 27, 2012 @ 17:40:46
I have two cases of the 2007 Lance and Windmills. After decanting the wine for 3 hours it is amazing and mouth coating with big blue fruit and vanilla…very rich. I left 4 ounce in frig overnight and on day two this is even better. IMHO this wine is a baby. Yes $16 dollars is a lot to spend at TJs but my guess this has great upside over the next 1-3 years.
Mar 27, 2012 @ 22:46:35
@Brooks, awesome you were able to get 2 cases of the 2007! Would you mind sharing some tasting notes with us? This is definitely a wine for the cellar. A bit pricier than your normal TJs buy, but damn cheap compared to what you would pay for this quality at a winery. Check back in with us as you open these bottles down the line. I got my bottles in the cellar! -Matt
Aug 12, 2012 @ 16:59:36
After 2 hour decant.smokey nose…dark dark purple..a nice mouth coating of cider, blue fruit, and vanilla. Tannis are much better than last time. Wow 16 bucks at TJs…shut the front door. Paired with a big juicy rib eyed steak, spinach with garlic, baked potato with olive oil and corse salt on top. Like christmas morning. I have like two cases left…this could be a monthly event =)
Mar 28, 2012 @ 07:32:50
Matt, excellent find.
The TJ’s in Cambridge, MA got it just last night and I happened to call about it just yesterday. Walked out with 14 bottles (which came to about 12% of their inventory) and toasted with my roommates last night.
Agree with everyone above who stressed the aeration time (though I did not have the patience to go past 30 minutes).
I am now hoping we get more colder weather so I can cook up some richer dishes and have an excuse to open another bottle or two. While I am squirrelling 8 bottles away in my off-site wine-cellar (read: the basement of my parent’s family home for perfect conditions and to eliminate temptation).
I have been drinking a lot of right-bank Bordeaux’s, fruit forward sangiovese clones and Montelpuciano d’Abruzzo’s recently and was overwhelmed by the layers of rich flavor which came with this wine. Especially the recent sangiovese had me used to dry fruit, tart clay and rockdust, so drinking a damp-loamy wine like this was an excellent change of pace. Looked like pomegranate/blueberry juice and the flavors washed over the palate while these silty tannins moderated each note into the next. Delicious. Big wine (that I was not altogether prepared for)- impossible to drink faster than a sip a minute.
Thank you.
Apr 05, 2012 @ 19:50:09
This is a fabulous wine! I was at Trader Joe’s in Tucson, and I heard the “sommelier” mention something interesting about this wine, like the bargain price… Well, I decided to try a bottle. Being French, I appreciate wine and at first I was not convinced about the high alcohol percentage. But I changed my mind. This is a very promising wine to keep. And I am sorry I did not buy MORE! If you find a bottle or two, BUY THEM!
Aug 01, 2012 @ 12:31:02
is the Lance and Windmill petite syrah still available at Trader joe’s?
Feb 06, 2013 @ 07:42:23
Mary,I just wanted to thank you so very much for the Diva Picnic on Saturday August 19th. My gierfrilnds and I enjoyed the whole experience. From the excellent wine tasting, the tour of the winery and bottling, to the beautiful grounds where we enjoyed our picnic. We were treated like true Diva’s.I am so glad that I found your website and your Diva picnic. My gierfrilnds and I will be looking forward to the possibility of your winery offering this next year, as we are planning on this being an annual event.Sincerely,Luree Contreras
Feb 06, 2013 @ 23:24:28
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