Concannon Stampmaker’s Syrah 2004

Price: $12
Maker: Concannon Vineyard, Livermore & San Luis Obispo, California
Varietal: Merlot
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 9 out of 10

Concannon Stampmaker’s Syrah 2004 makes a great first impression - the bottle has a raised image of the vineyard gates, the label is foil imprinted and is further graced by an embossed grapevine. Fortunately, this wine isn’t all show. The nose is a powerful and exotic blend of licorice, clove, vanilla, and black pepper, with juicy berry notes in the background. On the palate, this Syrah is full-bodied and well balanced. The fruity blackberry and black cherry notes are well matched with toasty oak, and the finish is a long-lasting blend of spice and mild acidity. We liked this wine quite a lot.

So far, we haven’t gone wrong with a choice from Concannon - we also enjoyed their slightly less expensive Concannon Central Coast Merlot 2003 - although not a typical merlot, that was an interesting and flavorful wine. This wine is part of their “Limited Release” series, which features wines bottled in somewhat smaller quantities. We note that the 2003 vintage of Concannon Stampmaker’s Syrah took a “Best in Class” award at the California State Fair.

Jake’s Fault Shiraz 2004

Price: $8
Maker: Jake’s Fault Winery, Geyserville, California
Varietal: Shiraz
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

We found Jake’s Fault Shiraz 2004 at Trader Joe’s, and we’re glad we did. If you enjoy a spicy Shiraz, then you should seek it out, too. The nose is full of berry, clove, and black pepper. On the palate, this Shiraz starts off with plenty of juicy blackberry and blueberry notes, easing into a peppery finish with moderately prominent tannins. It’s reasonably well balanced, and reasonably complex for an under-$10 Shiraz.

Bloggers have been mostly very positive about Jake’s Fault Shiraz. Just Robb thought, “The taste had hints of blackberry, a bit jam-like with a hint of oak and really easy on the tannin. Very smooth… this wine was excellent in its smoothness. ” VinoForLess.com called it a “treasure find.” LizKitchen raved, “This is a perfect Shiraz for me. It has a good body, lots of fruit, a lovely nose, and is heavy enough to be a substantial wine, but not so much that it�s overwhelming.” Liz likes it as a party wine, and has yet to find a guest who didn’t enjoy it. Alexis and Andrew at UrbanVino scored the wine as 87 and 83, respectively. Visit JakesFault.com to learn more about the wine and winery

Purple Moon Shiraz 2005

Price: $4
Maker: Purple Moon Winery, Manteca, California
Varietal: Shiraz
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Purple Moon Shiraz 2005 was the least expensive wine we picked up during our recent Trader Joe’s visit. It’s attractively labeled, and a glance at the bottle would suggest a more expensive wine. The nose, too, was promising - nice juicy berries with spice and a hint of licorice. On the palate, though, this Shiraz is all fruit, all the time. The label calls the wine “fruit forward,” which in this case is an understatement. The flavor is full of sweet cherries, plums, and raspberries - there’s just not much else. Even for a low-end Shiraz, we’d like a peppery finish and a bit more complexity. Having said that, this wine isn’t unpleasant - it’s fruity character, smooth nature, and relative sweetness go down easily enough, and it’s far more drinkable than some wines in that price range that have unpleasant off-notes. We waffled on our own rating - this Shiraz isn’t the best wine we’ve scored an 8, but it’s more to our taste than those we’ve scored lower.

This wine is apparently only sold by Trader Joe’s. We found slightly mixed reactions on the Web, perhaps reflecting differences between vintages. Cheap Wine Reviews liked it a lot, and said, “Would buy again, without doubt.” In the 2006 San Diego International Wine Competition, Purple Moon Shiraz 2004 scored only a bronze. World Wine Weblog considered the 2003 version “great bang for the buck.”

Juno Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2005

Price: $9
Maker: Juno Wine Company, Paarl, South Africa
Varietal: Cabernet, Shiraz, Merlot blend
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, natural cork
Alcohol: 13%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Juno Cabernet Shiraz Merlot 2005 features another of Juno’s gorgeous labels - the call these wines their “Cape Maidens” series. The wine itself is what one might expect from a blend of these grapes. The composition is Cabernet Sauvignon (50%), Shiraz (30%), and Merlot (20%). This blend has a ripe berry nose, a medium body, and a nicely rounded blackberry and plum flavor with a bit of spice in the finish. We like this wine both for its attractive package and its accessible flavor. It would be nice for entertaining or a $10-range hostess gift.

The Cape Maiden illustrations are the work of artist Tertia du Toit. According to the Juno Wine website,

Lindemans Bin 55 Shiraz Cabernet 2006

Price: $6
Maker: Lindemans Wines, Australia
Varietal: Shiraz 60%, Cabernet Sauvignon 40% blend
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 13.5%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Lindemans Bin 55 Shiraz Cabernet 2006 is another bargain blend from this major Australian winemaker. It has blackberry, plum, and cocoa notes with a slightly peppery finish. It isn’t overly complex, but is pleasant and very drinkable.

Tom & Melody said of this blend, “It�s very fruit forward. It�s luscious if one�s taste leans toward fruit dominance. It�s too much if one�s taste leans toward dryness and acidity.”

When it comes to Lindemans blends, we probably slightly prefer their Cab-Merlot. Still, for the price, Lindemans Bin 55 Shiraz Cabernet 2006 is hard to beat

Makulu Shiraz 2005

Price: $6
Maker: South Africa, Imported by Prestige Wine Group
Varietal: Shiraz
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 14%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Makulu Shiraz 2005 is a bold and fruity red wine. There’s a mild berry aroma, but it’s on the palate that this wine gets big. In that respect, this Shiraz is like its sibling, Makulu Iswithi Pinotage 2005. It’s like the Pinotage, too, in its intense fruity character. The wine leads with blackberry and raspberry notes, then transitions into a finish with a bit of oak and a mild tannic bite. At 14% alcohol, this is a heftier Shiraz than most. Overall, we like this wine. We’d prefer more spice for a Shiraz, but this wine is very nice on its own merits. This wine is fruity, but doesn’t have the sweetness of the Pinotage.

According to Prestige, “Makulu means ‘BIG’ in the ancient Zulu language. It is one of eleven native languages of South Africa. Makulu wines are ‘BIG’, displaying distinct fruit characteristics.” Based on this Shiraz, as well as the Pinotage we tried earlier, we have to agree with the characterization of these wines as “big” for their varietals. There’s lots of fruit and flavor, even if they aren’t overly complex or sophisticated.

Lizard Flat Shiraz 2004

Price: $9
Maker: Heath Wines, Bowden, South Australia
Variety: Shiraz
Packaging: 1-liter Tetra Pak
Alcohol: 14%
Our Rating: 8 out of 10

Lizard Flat Shiraz 2004 comes in one of those 1-liter Tetra Pak that seems way too small to hold a third more wine than a 750 ml bottle. It has the typical screw cap closure, making it easy to open and reseal. This Shiraz has some licorice and vanilla in the nose, and is very juicy on the palate. Cherries and blackberries are the main notes, with some oak and rather light pepper. The wine isn’t too complex, but the finish lasts suprisingly well. At 14%, this Shiraz is at the high end of alcohol content for a Shiraz. Overall, Lizard Flat Shiraz is an accessible, fun wine that is well suited to its informal and convenient packaging. It’s a nice choice for picnics, outdoor entertaining, and home consumption.

Oddly, the Heath Wines website suggests, “Drink now or be rewarded by cellaring for up to 5 years.” We’ve got to admit that the idea of cellaring Tetra Paks is a bit foreign, but maybe we’re just old-fashioned. This is the first Heath wine that we’ve knowingly tasted, and we’re glad we tried it. We note they also offer several wines from “100 year old vines” which sound quite interesting, but haven’t appeared in the local market.