VINTJS Monterey Petite Sirah – Big Value

The VINTJS Monterey Petite Sirah, an unconventional blend from Trader Joe’s.

90.7% Petite Sirah, 4.6% Merlot, 2.8% Syrah and 1.9% Viognier from Monterey County, California. The wine spends 9 months in American and Hungarian oak barrels.

The VINTJS Monterey Petite Sirah is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s and sells for $6.99.

From Trader Joe’s:

When you see the VINTJS label on a bottle of wine at Trader Joe’s, you can be sure of a couple of things right off the bat. One, that wine is a good example of the best of what you’ll find from its appellation, and two, that wine represents a stellar value you’ll find only at Trader Joe’s. VINTJS Monterey Petite Sirah lives up to both of these expectations.

14.5% Alcohol

Petite Sirah is one of our favorite value varietals. This wine from Trader Joe’s; however, adds a twist to the classic big, full-bodied Petite Sirah — the addition of the white grape, Viognier. This is similar to what you see with Syrah in the Northern Rhone or more commonly in our price point, Shiraz in Australia. Of course Syrah and Petite Sirah are completely different varieties. The question is then whether this combination works with Petite Sirah as well as it does with Syrah? Let’s find out.

The 2013 VINTJS Monterey Petite Sirah begins with a very pleasant aroma of ripe plum, blackberry, mocha, spice, a little smoke and some floral notes. In the mouth it’s not the classic Petite Sirah I was expecting but the Merlot, Syrah and Viognier make very nice additions. The wine is smooth and lush with flavors of blackberries, plums, prunes and a little bit of earthiness. It needs a bit of air to really open up but it’s drinking quite well right now. Black pepper notes come out mid-palate and lead into the mouth-drying finish which features cola, licorice and more blackberry notes. This is a great value for such a well made wine with so much going on.

As always you can find an updated list of our recommended wines from Trader Joe’s as well as more info on their pricing model and some tips and tricks for shopping the store here.