The 2008 Syrah is another good effort. Most top Syrahs are very expensive because this grape only achieves true greatness in special terroirs from top-flight wine producers. One of the finest bargain-priced Syrahs I have tasted from California, this blend of 92% Syrah and 8% Cabernet Sauvignon reveals plenty of red and black fruit, underbrush, licorice and incense characteristics, medium body, and a soft, silky style that is meant to be drunk over the next two years. High quality, appealing, value-priced wines emerge from winemaker Dan Cedarquist under the Matchbook label.Tel. (530) 662-1032 (Crew Wine Co.)

A broody and juicy warm-climate Syrah that’s nicely in balance, clean and tastes like fruit, all at a very attractive $16. Syrah is blended with 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. ——V.B.(12/31/2011)—— 87

A perfectly serviceable Syrah with 9% Cabernet Sauvignon blended in, almost black in color with savory meat and red berries on the nose and palate and soft edges all around. A good price for a good wine from a part of California’s Sacramento Valley that is known for its mild, Mediterranean climate, made by the Giguieres, who once owned the region’s largest winery, R.H. Phillips. ——V.B.(4/1/2011)—— 86

Big, strong and lusty in flavor, this Syrah floods the mouth with berry-cherry fruit, and will stand up to equally strong fare, such as a ketchup-smothered cheeseburger.——S.H.(4/1/2010)—— 85