No, this wine wasn’t made in a prison. This wine is from Big House Wines, which is located close to a prison. Read more about the winery on my review of their Pinot Grigio.
The people at Big House Wines and Folsom + Associates were nice enough to send me a couple bottles of wine for review. This was one of the bottles, and the other was the Pinot Grigio.
I really liked the Pinot Grigio, and I’m a big fan of Syrah, so I have high hopes for this wine.
I’m getting fruit and oak on the nose. It really smells good.
Now for the taste.
Well, my first taste didn’t really count, because the wine was too warm. Unfortunately, the temperature where it was stored got up to around 80°F. Oops! This really brought out the fruit, and made the wine seem unbalanced. To correct this, I put it in the fridge for a few minutes to cool it down. That definitely improved it. Serving temperature does make a difference!
Now that I have it at a reasonable temperature, I’ll taste it again. It’s very fruity, with some cocoa and vanilla. A very good Syrah. I love it.
This is a fairly fruity wine, but well balanced. I love fruit in wine, and, as I mentioned before, I’m a big fan of Syrah.
I’m giving this wine a “very good” rating. I like this wine better than the Pinot Grigio, but that’s probably because I really like Syrah.
This isn’t available in the 3 L cask, and this is a bit unfortunate, as this would be a great ‘house red,” at least in my house.
This wine is available for under $10 in a 750 ml bottle. I highly recommend this wine if you like Syrah.
I received this wine as a review sample courtesy of The Wine Group and Folsom + Associates.
Wine Details
Producer: Big House Wines
Vintage: 2009
Variety: Syrah
Appellation: Central Coast (California)
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 0.44 g / 100 ml
Total Acidity: 0.63 g / 100 ml
pH: 3.73
Harvest Brix: 24 – 25
Harvest Date: Oct-Nov 2009
My Rating: Very Good