Trader Joe’s Reserve 2009 Syrah Paso Robles

April 17, 2011

Matt $10 Price Point, 2009, Familia Neuva Vineyards, Paso Robles, Syrah, Trader Joe's Reserve, Worth-Buying 3 Comments

Trader Joes Reserve 2009 Syrah Paso Robles

The Wine: Syrah is a varietal which I’m increasingly enjoying more and more. This is a grape which is off the radar of many people and whose wine takes up barely two shelves at Trader Joe’s; which is more than often mixed in with its (perhaps) distantly related cousin, Petite Sirah. Syrah can be a ‘big’ wine whose flavor profile can often be described with words such as “gamey”, “bloody”, “spicy”, “dark berries” and “earthy”. Syrah is a grape which thrives in both cooler and warmer climates, meaning it can offer the consumer a diverse set of flavor profiles, depending upon where it is grown. Syrah is most famously a backbone grape in wines from Northern Rhone, in France. Last year, I had the 2007 TJ’s Reserve Syrah from Paso Robles and really enjoyed it. This wine stems from Familia Nueva Vineyards, who also produces another TJ’s highly acclaimed wine, Liberté  Cabernet Sauvignon. But how does this Syrah from Paso Robles stack up?

The Experience: 

Color: Very dense violet.

Nose: Sweet dark fruit (currant berries) driven with slight spice/pepper. Similar notes to grape soda in the sweetness.

Palate: Mega fruit forward upon opening. Spine of white peper on the mid-palate. Again, dark currant berries and pretty firm tannin structure. This wine opened up nicely after two days, the fruit and tannins were much more balanced.

Bottom Line: Worth-Buying

I tasted this wine with a friend along with both the 2008 and 2009 Tribunal, this was our favorite of the three wines. The 2009 Tribunal is primarily made of Syrah grapes, but leaps and bounds larger than the TJ’s Reserve Syrah because of all the other grapes used in the blend. If you like Syrah, you will more than likely enjoy this wine and its $10 price tag isn’t too bad. If pressed to find major faults in this wine, I’d say I could get an equally, if not better Syrah currently on the shelf at TJ’s, it’s called Lockwood Vineyards’ 2008 Estate Syrah, $6 bucks.

Wine Info:

  • Price: $10
  • Alcohol: 14.6%
  • Producer: Familia Nueva Vineyards – Creston, CA.

Lockwood Vineyards 2008 Estate Syrah Monterey County

March 15, 2011

Matt $5-$9 Price Point, 2008, Buy-Half-A-Case, Lockwood Vineyards, Monterey County, Syrah 8 Comments

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

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 209 other followers