Region: Mendocino County, California
I've recently become suspicious of wines labeled reserve or vintner's selection because I haven't found that I like them any more than ones without a fancy classification in their name. So it was with trepidation that I tried this Trader Joe's wine, even more so because it's a grocery store label--could it really be great quality?
The nose was full of leather, pepper, and very dark fruit. It tasted, unexpectedly, like eating chunky jam or more precisely, those gumdrop-shaped, nonpareil-coated, black raspberry candies. It's a bright and lively syrah with mild pepper in addition to that juicy, jammy goodness.
Trader Joe's Reserve Syrah 2006 was delicious and totally worth the purple teeth and lips. + 1 for both reserve and grocery store label wines!
4 stars
Other Blogger's Thoughts:
Vino Mundo on the 2005 vintage
Hit. Full-bodied and brooding, with dark fruits such as plum. Elegant in the sense of a bull in a china shop. Dark purple color will stain your teeth!
A very nice Syrah with medium tannins and lots of dark fruit and black pepper. A real deal at this price.
Reviewed 2.1.10.
