Here's another Tablas Creek from the local grocery store close-out, the Tablas Creek 2005 Paso Robles Syrah. Definitely this drinks like a warmer climate Syrah--lots of blueberry, and not much herb or meat nuance. But I love the firmness of the structure. A lot of Syrahs of this ripeness level seem to turn into pure fruit bombs or get over-extracted in a way that muddies flavors. This one has a pure expression of its region. I think cool climate is still where it's at for complexity, but this is a wine that makes a compelling argument for the pure range of Syrah when handled by a top producer.
- 2005 Tablas Creek Syrah - USA, California, Central Coast, Paso RoblesBlueberry and cassis with a little Syrah funk and spice on the nose. Definitely in the riper styled mold. Big, round blueberry and plum flavors. Iron minerality. Finishes long with spice and drying tannin. While this is fruit-driven edging towards dried fruit, there is very serious structure. Acidity adds some refreshment. I feel like the tannins should resolve further, but the fruit character might move towards the less fresh variety. Tough call to drink or age. This has a lot of character and a unique backbone for a warmer climate Syrah; not so heavily extracted it tastes dirty, nor is it melted and syrupy. It's an old fashioned teeth stainer, not a mouth coater.
4 comments:
I would like to know where this magical close out supermarket exists and why it hasn't been cleaned out by someone else yet?
Oh, it's been cleaned out now! I took a half dozen or so bottles. When I came back, someone else had gone to town on the Eroica Riesling.
The magical place was a Von's between Goleta and Santa Barbara. It's still cool, though: that exit off the freeway has an In & Out Burger.
Strange, strange, strange. Probably a happy accident that they have those wines at the store at all. I imagine that they would sell in most Von's. I never shop there, but I know a lot of people that do. If you take advantage of their case discounts, you can get a lot of mass market wines cheaply there.
If I'd seen Eroica for $7 I would have bought every single bottle too.
Definitely a freak occurrence. Von's has better selection than most grocery stores, especially that location. But anyone thinking they can sell Riesling for $20 or Rhone-style wines for $30+ out of grocery store is on crack. Those sorts of prices only work for Chard and Cab, usually with Napa on the label since the average buyer (sadly) associate that with quality.
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