Wines I'm Drinking: 2008 Lockwood Vineyards Monterey County Syrah

At Trader Joe's recently I was approached by the wine buyer who asked if I needed any help. I didn't really, but I always answer that question the same way--by asking if  anything new has the buyer excited. He singled out this wine. I told him I generally wasn't a fan of California Syrah (often it's too fruity, too alcoholic, and too expensive--there are exceptions, of course; I recently had a very good 2005 Syrah from Balleto Ranch, for instance). In response, he suggested this one was atypical. I was sold when he said it was redolent (my word, not his) of violets. I'm a sucker for violets.

Well, I tried the wine. No violets that I could detect--none of that Southern Rhône velvet quality I was hoping for, and I don't think I'd buy this wine again, but I'll admit it was different and interesting--if not entirely satisfying. It was a deep purple-red, but not the inky purple-black that Syrah sometimes is. It looked appropriately young for a wine going on three years old. It had a fresh, grapey nose, but beyond that nothing I could really single out, at least at first. There was a hint of the typical Syrah pepper scent, but just a hint.

Most interesting, perhaps, was the texture of the wine. While it was fairly fruity and had a noticeable fruity sweetness on the finish, it seemed "chewy," with lingering, grainy tannins, and a low acid profile that gave the whole package something of the feel of cocoa in the mouth. I even suspected sediment, but I decanted the wine and didn't really find any. In the course of drinking a glass or two, the wine acquired a little more presence on the nose. My notes include "sandalwood," "chocolate cherries," "leather," "incense," "ladanum," and "boysenberry," but each of these words is followed by a question mark. A very difficult wine to describe. As I say, I can't exactly call the 2008 Lockwood Vineyards Syrah satisfying--it was too low in acidity to seem really vibrant to me and it somehow lacked focus--but, I think it worth tasting at least once, and, at only $5.99 a bottle at Trader Joe's, it's reasonably priced.

I have no financial or other connections with any producer or retailer of wine. For more wine reviews, use the "Wines I'm Drinking" label at top right