The CheapWineFinder Podcast: Recent Episodes
CheapWineFinder
Talking about remarkable wines that pair nicely with your wallet! Because we like to keep it cheap, but excellent.
Honey Moon Viognier 2019This is a $5.99 Trader Joe's wine.This wine tastes delicious.Should $5.99 wines be enjoyable?In Europe, folks drink wine with every meal, a $5.99 wine is a bit expensive.But wait a minute, only $40 wines can start to be good,...
The Conte Priuli Prosecco Rosé 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's Sparkling wine, but it is available at other retailers in different parts of the world. It sells at the Marks and Spencer store in London for the equivalent of 16 dollars US and at a similar price in wine shops in Ireland.A wine that is a store brand that sells for a meager price does not mean that it is a cheap wine. Sometimes, well, most of the time, store brands are bargains. The Conte Priuli Prosecco Rosé 2020 is a vintage-dated Bubbly and a Rosé, a recent development for Prosecco.Prosecco was easy to define; it is a Sparkling wine made with Glera grapes grown in the Prosecco region using the Charmat Method. Rosé needs grapes with pink to red skin to get its color, and that usually means red grapes, but some White grapes such as Pinot Grigio can have enough color for Rosé.The worldwide popularity of Rosé caused some changes in with the wine authorities in Prosecco. A Rosé Prosecco is rated DOC and can include 10% to 15% Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir). It can not be non-vintage; it needs to be vintage-dated. It is basically regular DOC Prosecco with Red wine blended in before bottling.The Conte Priuli Prosecco Rosé 2020 is an Extra Dry Bubbly. Remember, with Sparkling wine, some of the sweetness ratings are backward. Extra Dry means slightly sweet, which is how most Italians prefer their Prosecco. Sparkling wine has enough acidity to balance the most sugary sweetness in the wine. The effect is more fruit-forward than sweet.A regular non-vintage Prosecco is a blend of several recent vintages to ensure a continuation of flavor from year to year. A Prosecco Rosé is Pinot Nero added to Prosecco grown in the same year, so these wines should see more fluctuation from vintage to vintage.The Conte Priuli Prosecco Rosé 2020 is a $6.99 Sparkling wine in America, but a $16 Bubbly elsewhere. It is produced by a large Italian wine company that sells its wines under different labels in different countries worldwide. The alcohol content is a mild 11%.Conte Priuli Prosecco Rosé 2020 Tasting NotesThe color is Barbie Doll pink, with a slew of energetic bubbles. The nose is not unlike the typical Prosecco, a blast of sharp grapefruit and assorted citrus, but the Conte Priuli Prosecco Rosé 2020 also adds black cherry hard candy and faint stone fruit.This is a crisp, clean Sparkling wine, and the addition of Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir) adds rounded flavor and some extra structure. It tastes like a tasty and unexpected mix of lemon and cherry, sort of a cherry lemonade sensation but not sweet. Then there is grapefruit, lime, a salty and nutty flavor, soft spice, and dried strawberry bits.The acidity and the extra sugar balance each other. The acidity adds a brightness and shine to all the flavor.The Summary The Conte Priuli Prosecco Rosé 2020 is a tasty Bubbly. I like my Champagne with Pinot Noir added in, and it turns out that I like my Prosecco with a bit of Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir).* Do not let the $6.99 price tag put you off. If you think it is too cheap, you can always fly to London and pay $16.
The William Wright Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 is a $9.99 Aldi exclusive. It is exclusive to Aldi in the United States but a quick check of the internet saw this wine selling for $34 (Canadian) and for the equivalent of $25 in Denmark. I am not sure as to what to make of the price differences.Aldi typically holds the trademark on the wine labels they sell, but the William Wright Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 is one of Scheid Family Vineyards' family of wines. They offer photos of the bottle and label, along with technical notes. I have found their wines for sale under Trader Joe's and Aldi labels and have come to trust store brand wines from Monterey County AVA. Along with a few other Monterey producers, Scheid has found the key to making excellent wine at an attractive price.Monterey County AVA is an interesting location to farm grapevines. The Pacific Ocean near the Monterey shoreline is particularly deep and cold and the winds coming ashore have a start impact on the climate. The coastal mountains both shield the interior from the winds and funnel the cold air to other locals. Giving Monterey a wide variety of micro-climates that are suitable to the various grape varietals.The William Wright Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 uses open-top fermentation, which takes place in small vats. Winemakers strive to control contact with the air and bacteria with their wines, so open-top fermentation has its risks. It is a highly skilled way of producing Pinot Noir, and great care needs to be maintained to achieve the desired results.This fermentation type is labor-intensive and not the usual method used in producing ten-buck Pinot Noir; maybe Canada and Denmark know something we don't know. After the Pinot Noir exits the fermentation process, it is aged "on" French oak for 12 months. I never know what exactly aged "on" French oak means. Does it mean the wine was transferred to wine barrels, or does it mean something else?With the William Wright Monterey Pinot Noir 2018, we have a $9.99 Pinot Noir from an excellent growing region that a skilled high-end winery produced. So far, so good, so onto the tasting portion. The alcohol content is 13.%.William Wright Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a pale, see-thru garnet red. In the age where popular brands on Pinot Noir are mixed with Petite Sirah and Syrah, it is excellent to see a Pinot Noir with "real-deal" Pinot Noir coloring. The nose is ripe cherry, along with those earthy, funky Pinot Noir scents that are only found with Pinot Noir wines. There are herbs, exotic spices, pepper, vanilla, grilled meat, a whiff of smoke, tea, and black cherry.The William Wright Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 is light to medium-bodied, sleek, with a firm texture. It tastes of slightly sour, ripe cherry, followed by stringent tea, faint dark chocolate, spice, and plum. The mid-palate adds a jolt of orange zest, rounded black cherry, dusty chocolate powder, faint sharp black pepper, and cranberry.Good Pinot Noir is not easy; it challenges you to find its charms. Too fruit-forward is not good; too obtuse is just as bad. The William Wright Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 makes y...
The Apothic Red 2018 is one of E & J Gallo's multitude of wine and spirits brands. Gallo was founded in 1933 and is the largest winery in the United States, and is still family-owned. They offer around 80 different wine brands, from Andre's Sparkling wines to single-vineyards high-end wines. Gallo also owns some of the best vineyards in California and routinely wins awards for vineyard management advances.I couldn't find tech notes for the Apothic Red 2018, but notes for the 2016 vintage are available, and the winemaking should be similar. They said Zinfandel leads the blend, then Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot. I suspect the "led by" indicates that other red grapes can be added as needed depending on vintage conditions.I know some wine aficionados give Gallo wines a bad rap since Thunderbird, Bartles and James, and inexpensive jug wines are part of their history. But in my opinion, they are masters in creating quality, value-priced wine. The Apothic Red 2018 is available in just about every place that wine is sold. Gallo excels at producing quality wine in large quantities.The Apothic line of wine is a 101 level class in how oak influences the flavor of the wine. The oak flavors for the Apothic Red 2018 are vanilla and mocha. Adding exact oak flavor to wine is not easy; the species of oak matter, such as French or American oak. How the wood is cut makes a difference, I am unsure if the Apothic wines are aged in oak barrels or get the oak by other means.The technotes indicate that the Red blend is aged "on" oak. I have found that when the winery says the wine is aged "in" oak, that means oak barrels are used. "On" oak seems to mean that the winemaker added oak stave or oak chips to the stainless steel vats. An oak barrel gives about 300 bottles of wine, so that high-volume wines need a huge number of barrels.Value-priced wines that use oak as a flavor and not a part of long-term aging do not always have the budget for oak barrels. Maybe the Apothic wines use oak barrels, and maybe they don't; what is important in budget wines is how does it taste, does the oak influence seem real, does it fit the wine.The Apothic Red 2018 has a meticulous winemaking regime to ensure the extraction of flavor from the grapes. This is a rich, fruit-forward wine, but it is not a high alcohol wine. 13.5% alcohol is on the low end of California red wine, so they are getting the rich personality of the wine from extraction and not very ripe grapes.The Apothic wines are everywhere, to the point that I quit noticing them. We have featured wine from the Apothic line over the years, but Apothic Red 2011 is the last time the Red blend made our pages. I think we are past due in checking out what this trendy Red blend has to offer.Apothic Red 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a deep dark red with black highlights; the front label is an accurate representation of what is in the bottle. The nose is rich and dark; there are red berries, blackberries, ripe, but not too ripe, dusty chocolate, black pepper, oak spice, and toasty vanilla.The Apothic Red 2018 has a very smooth mouthfeel with mixed fruit flavors and interesting textures. It starts with a mix of extracted blackberry and sweet blueberry, followed by Starbucks mocha, a spice hit, and raspberry.
The Blackbird Vineyards Dissonance Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is 87% Sauvignon Blanc and 13% Semillon. The Sauv Blanc sourced from the Hudson Vineyard, located on the Napa side of the Carneros AVA. The Semillion was taken from the Bavarian Lion Vineyard in the Knights Valley AVA of northeast Sonoma County.The Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend is inspired by the Bordeaux Blanc wines of France. Most modern Sauvignon Blanc wines, especially in the under $20 category, are modeled on the Sauv Blanc wines of the Loire Valley or New Zealand, crisp, bright wines.The Semillon softens and rounds off some of Sauvignon Blancs sharper flavors and changes the mouth-feel. This wine is titled "Dissonance" because Blackbird Vineyards specializes in Right Bank Bordeaux Red wines, and this White wine is the wine in their line-up that is different from the others. With a fun fact, Merlot's French slang word translates to "Blackbird," and that is where the name of the vineyard comes from.The grapes for the Blackbird Vineyards Dissonance Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 come from two different climates. The Sauvignon Blanc from Carneros has a cool climate that the San Pablo Bay heavily influences. The Semillon from Knights Valley is located in one of the warmer growing areas in Sonoma, though it does have the cool to cold nighttime temps that grapevines crave.Most value-priced Sauvignon Blanc is produced as a young wine, meaning that basic winemaking techniques were used, and the wine is not meant for aging. The Blackbird Vineyards Dissonance Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019, while still young wine the winery suggests drinking by 2024, has unique and interesting production tools.The addition of Semillon sets it apart from most of the wee-priced Sauv Blancs, but the Blackbird Vineyards Dissonance Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 was aged "on lees" for 4 months. The lees are the dead, spent yeast and grape residue that falls to the bottom of the tank after fermentation. When stirred and the winemaker stirred the lees with this wine, they can add a creamy texture and a salty, slightly nutty flavor depending on how often it is stirred.The Blackbird Vineyards Dissonance Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 was aged 30% new French oak; here is the cool part. Oak aging is rare in value Sauv Blanc, and the remaining 70% were aged in clay amphorae jugs. Just like the Romans and the Greeks used to store their wines thousands of years ago. Not only are we getting French oak-influenced Sauvignon Blanc, but we are also experiencing wine in a very similar way that Plato and Julius Caesar would have known.The Blackbird Vineyards Dissonance Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 lists for $20 (I found it for $17), and only 36 barrels (about 300 bottles to a barrel) were produced for the 2019 vintage. Each grape was farmed in a single high-end vineyard, and the winemaking includes details rarely seen at this price point. This is looking to be a fascinating wine. The alcohol content is 14.1%.Blackbird Vineyards Dissonance Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a pale wheat yellow with maybe a slight green tint. This wine may be less filtered than the typical SAuv Blanc under $20. The nose is crisp and clean; there is melon, lemon, green apple, grapefruit, slightly grassy, with scents of pear and lime.
The Elevation 1250 Paso Robles Red 2018 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's wine made for them by Riboli Family Wines, who have been producing wine since 1917 and have been in Paso Robles since the early 2000s. The typical Trader Joe's wine conceals the producer, but the winery name and the winemakers' name are on the label. Riboli Family Wines has a pretty good webpage, but the Elevation 1250 Paso Robles Red 2018 is not among the wines listed. This is the 2018 vintage, and this wine has been available at TJ's since the 2013 vintage. There are no current technical details, but past Red blends have been a mix of Syrah and Petite Sirah.Petite Sirah was created in the mid-1800s by a man named Durif. At the time, France was undergoing all sorts of serious problems in its vineyards. Durif crossed the Syrah grapevine with a grape called Peloursin to create a hardy version of Syrah. The problem was that by the time the new grape was perfected, the issue plaguing Syrah grapes subsided and Petite Sirah was no longer needed. It somehow made its way to Australia, called Durif, and to California, where it thrives with the warmer temps and is the secret ingredient in countless Red blends.The back label of the Elevation 1250 Paso Robles Red 2018 suggests that the grapes came from Riboli Estate vineyards, and the name says the vineyards are located in the foothills of the Coastal Mountains. At 1250 feet, the Pacific Ocean's breezes should be less intense, providing for a warmer growing season that suits the grapes.One of the things I try to stress about Trader Joe's wines is that even though a major winery may have produced the wine, that does not mean that it is a wine that the winery would put their own name on. Often, store brands will contract a winery to make wine in popular wine and for a certain price point. The winery is creating a wine to its customers' wishes. But the Elevation 1250 Paso Robles Red 2018 looks to be a Riboli Family Wine using Riboli grapes. A Red blend from a well-regarded AVA, with estate vineyards from a Family owned winery that sells for $7.99, is a bargain. So let's head to the tasting portion and see just how big of a bargain. The alcohol content is 14.9%.Elevation 1250 Paso Robles Red 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is clean, barely see-thru raspberry jelly red. The nose is jammy red berries, oak spice, mocha, black pepper, light herbs, and a good dose of spice. The Elevation 1250 Paso Robles Red 2018 smooth, rich wine upfront, with loads of spice on the mid-palate.It tastes of black cherry, ripe raspberry, a light chocolate, black pepper, and juicy plum. The mid-palate adds a sharp slap of spice, there is enough fruit to balance the spice, but it does stand out. Then there is some chewy tannins, along with blueberry and vanilla.With all the ripe fruit and spice, this wine will pair well with BBQ and grilled meats. It has strong, bold flavors that can compete and enhance these comfort foods.The Summary The Elevation 1250 Paso Robles Red 2018 is an excellent $7.99 Red blend. It can compete with wines at twice the price. This is a spicy red wine; the spice is one of the main flavor components. It reminds me of the Australian Shiraz from ten years ago. I like Australian Shiraz.* A $7.99 wine that has a personality and makes a flav...
Riddle Edna Valley Chardonnay 2018 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from vineyards in the Edna Valley AVA inside San Luis Obispo County, inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Edna Valley is to the east of the Santa Lucia Mountains, and the Pacific Ocean provides a cool climate ideal for Chardonnay vines.As a Trader Joe's wine, there is no technical information available for the Riddle Edna Valley Chardonnay 2018. I can guess which winery facilities were used to produce this Chardonnay, since one of the largest American wineries owns property in the area. I don't know they made it, but it would seem to be a good guess. The front label says "Estate bottled", which means there was an estate involved.The back label offers no info other than the stuff that California mandates have to show up on a label. No general tasting notes that may indicate oak treatment, no hints at all. The good thing is that Trader Joe's has a history with Edna Valley Chardonnay at value prices.The Edna Valley AVA has a high-quality reputation as a source for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, and several well-respected wineries are residing here. I thought that the Riddle name, along with the puzzle maze on the label, offered clues as to the source of this wine. But the Riddle Edna Valley Chardonnay 2018 does not offer any clues or hints that I can decipher.All the clues we will get will have to come in the tasting portion of the Riddle Edna Valley Chardonnay 2018 review. The alcohol content is ripe but typical for today's California Chardonnay, 14.1%.Riddle Edna Valley Chardonnay 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is butter yellow with a hint of gold. Sometimes the color of Chardonnay can indicate if the wine saw oak aging, and the color says, maybe. The nose is melon, apple, honey, vanilla, lemon, grapefruit, stone fruit, and spring flowers. The honey, vanilla, and rounded fruit aroma would point to some malolactic fermentation and oak use.The Riddle Edna Valley Chardonnay 2018 is a bright fruit-forward Chardonnay with bright acidity and oak flavoring. It tastes like a mix of lemon curd and vanilla, followed by brown butter and tart grapefruit. The mid-palate brings dried apricot, exotic spice, a touch of cream, and a nutty, salty taste.I sometimes think you can pop the top a pour a $6.99 Chardonnay, but the Riddle Edna Valley Chardonnay 2018 needed a little time to open up. The oak influence needed to settle down before this wine started to show its best.The Summary The Riddle Edna Valley Chardonnay 2018 is a solid Chardonnay. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was delicious, but it was an interesting wine that was well worth drinking and hit above its price tag. It may not be the most seamless and balanced wine, but it does have its charms and has more depth than the typical value-priced Chardonnay.
The Dueling Pistols Paso Robles Red 2016 is a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah sourced from a single vineyard near the Templeton Gap and on the westside of Paso Robles city. The vineyard has the classic vineyard climate, warm days, cool nights, morning fog, and low rainfall.This is not the usual CheapWineFinder value-priced wine; it sells for somewhere between $40 and $50; it is a splurge wine. We are going outside our usual comfort zone because sometimes spending a little more fits the occasion.Easter is a few days away, and this may be the first time in a year that family and friends can join together. Older folks have their Covid shot or both. Younger Americans are not far from their turn at the vaccine. Maybe this holiday calls for something out of the ordinary.The Dueling Pistols Paso Robles Red 2016 is one of Terlato Wines' family of brands. You may not be familiar with the wine company, but are the ones that brought Santa Margarita Pinot Grigio to the U.S., nobody knew what Pinot Grigio was. Today it is one of the staple White wines.The blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah is unusual, and this blend should come from Paso Robles. Their reputation is that Paso is a place that does not conform to the old rules; the winemakers do things the way they see fit.The Dueling Pistols Paso Robles Red 2016 is a boutique wine and a brand wine from a large wine company. A single-vineyard wine that is aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. 30% of the barrels are new oak, with the rest used 2 or 3 times. Getting the right amount of oak aging and influence in wine is basically a math problem.X amount of new oak barrels for Y amount a time, when used along with Z amount of used barrels, equals a specified amount of oak influence. These wines are intended to be drinkable upon release; no extra aging is needed, so getting the oak right is immensely important.Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon has an excellent and growing reputation. Petite Sirah is the secret ingredient used in countless California Red blends. The Dueling Pistols Paso Robles Red 2016 marriage of these two grapes should be an interesting match.The Dueling Pistols Paso Robles Red 2016 is made to be a bold but balanced wine. The alcohol content of 14% is almost restrained for modern California red blends.Dueling Pistols Paso Robles Red 2016 Tasting NotesThe color is a mix of black cherry, and purple. The nose is large I was getting scents from a foot away; there are ripe black and blueberry, sour cherry, spice, toasted vanilla, BBQ in the grill, and light herbs. Every time I go in for another whiff, another aroma reveals itself.The Dueling Pistols Paso Robles Red 2016 is a juicy, well-structured wine with layers of flavors. It tastes blackberry and brown sugar (not sweet), blueberry and licorice, spice, a jolt of black pepper, and tart cherry.The mid-palate adds chewy tannins, raspberry, a rough splash of orange zest, a faint mix of chocolate. The Dueling Pistols Paso Robles Red 2016 has a silky smooth mouth-feel but with loads of flavor occurring along the way. The acidity is balanced; it provides enough structure for the flavors to unfold while setting your palate up for the next sip.
The Los Vascos Cromas Carménère Gran Reserva 2019 is sourced from Domaines Baron de Rothschild (Lafite) vineyards located in the foothills of the Coastal Mountains in the Colchagua Valley of Chile, twenty-five miles from the Pacific Ocean. The Rothschild (Lafite) vineyards and winery were founded in Chile in 1988.Carménère was once one of the main grapes in the classic Bordeaux blend Red wines. In the middle 1800s, vine diseases and pests plagued French vineyards. Entire vintages were lost. Carménère was on the grapes with the most difficulties, to the point that vineyards pulled up the vines and planted other grapes.When the problems eventually passed, they found that Carménère was virtually extinct in Bordeaux, the main growing region. So, the Bordeaux blend continued with Carménère. At some point in the 1800s, someone from Chile bought grapevines from Bordeaux.I have heard they pirated the vines or were sold the vines by less than scrupulous sellers. But those vines grew in Chile for the next one hundred years plus. The problem was that the grapevines were misidentified as Merlot. Carménère and Merlot have different growing seasons. The vineyards of Chile were harvesting the grapes on the Merlot schedule, and the resulting wine was not so great Merlot.Chile wanted to expand its wine sales to the international market, so they brought in experts to figure out what was wrong with its Merlot. What was wrong with the Merlot is that it was actually Carménère. Not only was it Carménère, but it was also the extinct Bordeaux varietal.It is fitting that a premier Bordeaux producer now offers the Los Vascos Cromas Carménère Gran Reserva 2019; the wine has come full circle. The name Cromas refers to how nature "colors" the wine. The soil, the climate, and location all put their stamp on this Carménère.What was once bad Merlot makes excellent Carménère. The grapes were hand-picked at just the right time and then fermented in stainless steel vats. After fermentation, 50% of the Los Vascos Cromas Carménère Gran Reserva 2019 was left to age in stainless steel vats for a year. The other 50% was transferred to French oak barrels, 20% new barrels for 12 months. If I remember my presentation with the winery's head, the barrels came from the Rothschild (Lafite) cooperage in Bordeaux. Those barrels are typically reserved for Bordeaux wines.The once lost classic grape of Bordeaux lives and thrives in Chile. The alcohol content is a ripe 14.5%.Los Vascos Cromas Carménère Gran Reserva 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a dark and intense black cherry with black highlights. The nose is ripe red and blackberries, green pepper, spice, black pepper, light herbs, and cold coffee. The Los Vascos Cromas Carménère Gran Reserva 2019 is a firm, full-bodied red wine with an interesting flavor profile.It tastes of extracted blackberry, licorice, bell pepper, exotic spice, and plum. The mid-palate adds a nice pull from the tannins, dark chocolate, Altoid's spice (not candy sweet, but sharp), blueberry, and a soft herbal hit.The Los Vascos Cromas Carménère Gran Reserva 2019 has excellent structure along with rich, interesting flavors. The bell/green peppers add a nice touch.
The Lomasi Bee Well Rosé 2020 is a $6.99 ALDI wine sourced from vineyards in the Monterey County AVA inside California's Central Coast AVA. ALDI does not offer any information on the making of this Rosé, so which grapes are used, and the production methods are a mystery.Lomasi WInes is a trademark owned by a large Monterey winery that often produces wine for ALDI and Trader Joe's. If you Google Lomasi, you will find them. I'm not particularly eager to name the producing winery since if their name is not on the label, it may not be a wine they would sell to retail shops.These store brand wines are often created to the customer's (ALDI) specifications and price-point and may not represent the winery's own line of wines. ALDI typically owns the trademark for their wine brands; that way, they can change producers if the need arises and still keep a popular label going.The producing winery owns the Lomasi Bee Well Rosé 2020, not ALDI, so that this wine may be slightly different from the usual ALDI fare. The wine packaging is first-rate, and this bottle would look good on your table at Easter. A young Rosé should pair well with ham, so do not let the $6.99 price tag hold you back.The alcohol content is 12.5% on the low side for modern California wines, so this should not be an overly ripe and fruity Rosé. The front label proclaims the Lomasi Bee Well Rosé 2020 is sustainably farmed, and the producing winery is a leader in sustainably farmed and made wines.Their 12 estate vineyards are all certified sustainable, so maybe there is a possibility that this sub-seven buck wine may be partly estate grown. There are some positives about the Lomasi Bee Well Rosé 2020, attractive label, an excellent producing winery, and certified sustainable production.Lomasi Bee Well Rosé 2020 Tasting NotesThe color is more coral than pink. The nose is good; it reminds me of French Rosé, cherry, strawberry mixed with tangerine, a slightly creamy scent, soft spice, and a light floral bouquet. This is a dry Rosé with firm flavors and balanced acidity.It starts with dried strawberry and slightly sour cherry, followed by candy spice. The mid-palate adds orange juice, light herbs, orange zest, and apricot. The flavors are nice and chewy; this is not a light and fluffy Rosé. The acidity gets you licking your lips and reaching for the next sip.The Summary The Lomasi Bee Well Rosé 2020 can hold its own with most under $20 Rosé. This is not a dumbed-down, cookie-cutter Rosé; the Lomasi Bee Well Rosé 2020 is a wine well worth drinking.* This is an excellent wine to pair with the Easter meal.
The Los Vascos Rose 2020 is a blend of 60% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Mourvedre sourced from Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite)'s Los Vascos estate vineyards in the Colchagua Valley in Chile, located about 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean. Rothschild (Lafite) found this 5,000-acre wine estate in 1988.The Colchagua Valley is in the Coastal Mountain range's foothills; the Andes are to the east. This region is in a high enough elevation to be free from pollution and pests and has cool Pacific Ocean breezes providing the ideal temperature to grow grapes.One of the advantages of having estate-grown grapes is that the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Syrah were grown to produce Rose's wine. It is common for wineries to take some of the juice of the crushed grapes for the production of Rose' when the bulk of the juice going to red wine production. The grapes are purpose-grown.The Los Vascos Rose 2020 grapes were subjected to an early frost and warm to hot temperatures for the spring and summer. The Rose' grapes were ready for harvest twenty days earlier than the rest of the estate grapes.At harvest, the grapes were picked in the early morning hours. Vineyards always strive to pick the grapes at the coolest temperature of the day. As the day becomes warmer, the juice inside the grapes can evaporate, and the winery wants all the juice possible. Night harvest or early morning harvest is essential in warm climate vineyards.The Los Vascos Rose 2020 was made with the Direct Press Method; here is a link to more information on how Rose' wine is made. The wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel vats. As a 2020 vintage wine released in early spring of 2021, this is a young wine meant to drink now and not be aged. With this category of wine, the sooner you drink it, the better. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Los Vascos Rose 2020 Tasting NotesThe color is a pale mix of apricot and Barbie Doll pink. The nose is fresh and inviting; there is nothing light and fluffy about the aromas. The scent of melon, lemon, ripe juicy apple, spice, strawberry, and faint spring flowers. The Los Vascos Rose 2020 has an edge; there is a good firm body to this Rose'.It tastes strawberry (slightly sour, not sweet), melon, lemonade, a soft herbal slap, and black cherry. The mid-palate mirrors the body of the wine but does add a little cranberry and a salty sensation. The acidity is well-balanced, the flavors have plenty of room to unfold, but the acidity never bites.The Summary The Los Vascos Rose 2020 is a delightful drinking experience. With seemingly every winery and brand offering a Rose' wine, I started seeing Rose' wines as interchangeable.* The Los Vascos Rose 2020 is not interchangeable; it makes its own statement.
The Grower's Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 is sourced from select vineyards throughout Oregon. Grower's Guild is the affordable line of wines from Owen Roe Winery, which David O'Reilly owned. And that is why the Grower's Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 is chosen as CheapWineFinders St Patrick's Day wine.Owen Roe was an Irish Rebel commander from the 1500s and 1600s, and David O'Reilly has an Irish name. I am sure there are other affordable Irish-related wines available, but I couldn't find one at local shops. Ireland has more of a beer and whiskey history.Vintage Wine Estates purchased Owen Roe Winery in 1999, which has a whole portfolio of wines, and David O'Reilly now serves as the head of winemaking for the Northwest coast. Owen Roe's value-priced wines had been the Sharecropper line of wine, and that brand seems to be replaced by the Grower's Guild wines.Owen Roe wines featured vineyards in Yakima Valley in Washington and the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The Grower's Guild wines do not seem to be exclusively sourced from Willamette Valley but from "dedicated growers up and down the state’s best regions." Willamette Valley gets all the wine writers' attention, but there are grape-growing regions all along Oregon's coast.I always like Owen Roe Winery because even though they are a producer of excellent, splurge-worthy, they always also produced top-quality affordable (under $20, the Grower's Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 was found for $16). Not every high-end winery has paid attention to value-priced wine drinkers.An interesting feature of Oregon Pinot Noir is that wines selling for about $40 and under have screw-cap enclosures, and the $40 plus wine have corks. I think more wine regions should follow this example; a typical $40 and under wine is not going to be cellared, and a screw-top is far easier to deal with. Most value-priced wines have inexpensive corks or cork substitutes. They are nothing to get excited about; give me a decent screw cap.The technical notes for the Grower's Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 do not give much information. They mention that the spring and fall had cool weather and the summer was warm, and that is exactly what you look for when growing Pinot Noir grapes. The wine was aged in oak, but other details are given. The alcohol content is 13%.Grower's Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a very see-thru garnet red. The nose is bright, ripe cherry, sharp spice, vanilla, herbs, crushed dried fall leaves, strong black coffee, and tea. It is full of interesting aromas; if I kept my nose in the glass, it would offer up additional scents, but on to the taste portion.Often with value-priced Pinot Noir, you would describe them as soft, silky, and smooth, but the Grower's Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 has that and another dark side and brooding. It tastes black cherry, exotic spice, bitter dark chocolate, licorice, and ripe plum.The mid-palate adds non-sweet Dr. Pepper, a sharp slap of rougher-edged spice, raspberry, and a salty, cashew sensation. The tannins are sweet, and the acidity gives this Pinot Noir a bright, lively appeal.The Summary* The Grower's Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 is a solid example of an Oregon Pi...
The Fior di Vino Chianti Classico Reserva 2016 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's import wine sourced from the DOCG Chianti Classico district in Tuscany. The name Fior di Vino translates to Fine Wine. While this wine sells for $6.99 at TJ's, I found it selling at a wine shop in New York State for $13.99.Fior di Vino Chianti Classico Reserva 2016The Chianti wine region is a little complicated. There is the regular DOCG Chianti area where the wines must have a minimum of 70% Sangiovese; then, several named sub-regions have unique characteristics. The DOCG Chianti Classico region is the original top-of-the-line Chianti growing district.In Italy, the DOCG designated regions are seen by the wine governing body as the elite growing areas, and these places are subject to the highest vineyard and winemaking standards. The G in DOCG is guaranteed, not a guarantee that you will like the wine, but a guarantee of the highest quality.The Chianti Classico wines must have 80% Sangiovese, and the bottles have a black rooster on the label to tell them apart from the regular DOCG Chianti. The Fior di Vino Chianti Classico Reserva 2016 conforms to all the Chianti Classico Reserva regulations, including a minimum of 24 months in oak barrels and an additional 3 months aging in bottle. As 2016 vintage, this Chianti had between four and five years of total aging.Trader Joe's is an ALDI in Europe and is well regarded as the place to find value in wine. They have excellent contacts among European winemakers. ALDI/Trader Joe's has a nearly worldwide sales reach that very few wine outlets can match. Their ability to sell wine on several continents allows them to sell in volume and keep costs down.That a wine shop in New York is offering the Fior di Vino Chianti Classico Reserva 2016 at two times the price as Trader Joe's gives you insight into the price advantage they can have. I have heard people say the prices are too low the wine can not be any good, but that is not the dynamic here.People in countries that drink wine with each meal drink value-priced wine (of course, there are exceptions), but the European wine industry is set up to supply inexpensive wine that will pair well with the local menus. A California Red wine with five years of aging sourced from an elite growing region and selling for $6.99 will be hard to find. But, value-priced wine from the DOCG Chianti Classico region is a real thing.While the Fior di Vino Chianti Classico Reserva 2016 has several years of oak and bottle aging, the oak barrels used tend to be large oak barrels and not smaller ones. Smaller Bordeaux-style barrique barrels are favored for Bordeaux and most California wines. The larger oak barrels offer less direct contact with the Sangiovese so that the wine will be slightly less oaky.The Fior di Vino Chianti Classico Reserva 2016 checks off all the same boxes as the more expensive Chianti Classico. Nobody puts inferior grapes in oak barrels for 24 plus months and ages the wine for four years plus. This is something that only winemakers that are confident of the results will do. So, the Fior di Vino Chianti Classico Reserva 2016 should be an enjoyable wine, so on to the tasting portion. The alcohol content is 13%.Fior di Vino Chianti Classico Reserva 2016 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear,
The McBride Sisters Hawke's Bay Brut Rose is a non-vintage blend of 64% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, and 6% Merlot vineyards located in Hawke's Bay growing region on the North Island in New Zealand. The Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay are iconic grapes used in Champagne wines, so the uncommon addition of Merlot is an interesting choice.The South Island of New Zealand, especially Marlborough, is a high-volume wine region. The North Island and Hawke's Bay is a more boutique area with family-owned wineries with smaller vineyard holdings. Hawke's Bay is on the eastern south-central side of the Island. The grapes there will have different characteristics from the more well-known South Island wines.One of McBride Sisters wine's best things isn't the wine (though they are excellent). It the sisters' story and how they came to form the largest Black-owned wine company in the United States, but how the sisters came to meet.Here is a link to their website, along with a CBS morning news segment that tells the story. They are half-sisters, same father different mothers. They were not aware that the other existed. One sister moved with her mother to New Zealand; the other lived with her mother in Monterey, California. Dad was not around much.The New Zealand sister lost her mother to cancer at an early age and went into foster care. The California sister had a better time of it. The father, who was also battling cancer, told the other lost sister's family, but he had no information on the location.The family went about calling every Robin McBride they could find until somehow they found her in New Zealand. The next day she was on the plane to the US, and Andrea and Robin were united. The two sisters separately had been a part of the wine industry, one in New Zealand, the other in Monterey. In 2005 they started the McBride Sister Collection.They also produce SHE CAN canned wines and the Black Girl Magic line of wine. They started the SHE CAN Professional Development Fund to help women also achieve their dreams. There are many interesting backstories in wine; it seems interesting people like to make wine. But the McBride Sisters story is a story of hope and determination.The McBride Sisters Hawke's Bay Brut Rose is available in wine shops, but I found it at Trader Joe's for $14.99. This Sparkling wine is produced with the Charmat Method, which is the same technique used to make Prosecco. The second fermentation, which is where the bubbles are formed, occurs in large pressurized vats.It is the same principle as the autoclaves used to sterilize surgical equipment and tattoo needles, only on a much larger scale. The pressure helps the CO2 to incorporate into the wine in weeks or months. With Champagne, the 2nd fermentation lasts for 18 months and often longer.The Charmat Method is Industrial Age technology, and the Champagne Method is Renaissance Age technology, though both have been updated over the years. The McBride Sisters Hawke's Bay Brut Rose should be interesting Bubbly; the grapes are carefully sourced from upscale vineyards, and the Charmat Method should give the wine a light, breezy nature. The alcohol content is 12.6%.McBride Sisters Hawke's Bay Brut Rose Tasting NotesThe color is pale salmon pink, with a good supply of bubbles.
The Weed Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is sourced from vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. The Weed Cellars website only mentions Paso Robles as the contributing region, but the label says Central Coast (Paso Robles AVA is inside the Central Coast AVA. I would imagine most of the grapes came from Paso, but not enough of a percentage to show it on the label.Weed Cellars is a new wine, beer, and spirits company, and no, there is no cannabis or hemp in any of their products. They have a full and interesting line of wines. A $99 Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, a Chenin Blanc/ Viognier blend, and a Prosecco. They also offer Vodka, Texas Whiskey, and beer brewed in San Antonio.The wine, except for the Stag's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, all list for $14.99. I found the Weed Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 on-sale for $12.99. I have seen brands that offered a wide array of wine choices before, but I can not recall a wine brand that offered beer and spirits.The Weed Cellars website takes a unique approach to explain the wine selections. Instead of detailed technical notes, which I love, and most folks probably ignore, they offer a Youtube video of their in-house Sommelier giving her tasting notes, short and sweet but informative.The Weed Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 has a good amount of age for a $13 to $15 California Cabernet Sauvignon. You can tell a good deal about a bottle of wine by its vintage date upon release. A 2020 or 2019 wine in March of 2021 will most likely be a young wine meant to be enjoyed right away and not cellared. A 2018 or 2017 vintage wine had extensive production techniques and needed additional time to find its balance.A 2017 Red wine in this price category is relatively rare. With value-priced wine, time is money, and the sooner the wine is ready for release, the better. The Weed Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 goes against that principle, which is a good sign. A quality California Cabernet Sauvignon needs oak barrel aging and the extra time for the flavors to come together.The tasting video mentioned both French and American oak and offered a quick but useful description of the flavors each type of oak provides, so check it out. There are a couple of links to the Weed Cellars website sprinkled thru-out this write-up.I am looking forward to the tasting portion of this review. Weed Cellars is taking a new and modern approach to marketing its offerings, which I enjoy. Most wine marketing is stuck 20 years in the past; it will be interesting to see if this model is the way forward. The alcohol content is 14%.Weed Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is clear, but dark black cherry red; there is as much black as there is red. The nose is ripe and juicy but also slightly dark and brooding. There is blackberry, molasses, mocha coffee, Altoid's candy spice, black pepper, blackberry, and mint.The Weed Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a full-bodied, full-flavored Cab Sauv. It has excellent weight on the palate. It tastes like blackberry, oak spice, toasty vanilla, licorice, black pepper, and plum.
The Angeline Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is sourced from vineyards in Sonoma County, primarily the Russian River Valley AVA and the Dry Creek AVA. The Angeline brand is one of the Martin Ray Vineyards and Winery family of wines.Martin Ray Vineyards was one of the pioneers of the single varietal Burgundian style of wine in California. Martin Ray was founded in the early 1940s and last until the 1970s. In 1990 Courtney Benham restarted the winery, and it is going strong to this day.The Angeline brand was started to cater to wine by the glass sales in restaurants and expanded to be their affordable line of single varietal wines. The wine we are discussing today is their Sauvignon Blanc, but being a Burgundian-influenced winery, the flagship Angeline offering is their Pinot Noir.The Angeline Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is sourced from grapes grown in both cool and warm growing areas. One way that affordable wines with grapes taken from different locations can have personality and complexity is to combine grapes with different characteristics.Expensive Sauvignon Blanc is often produced from grapes grown in a vineyard with interesting and unique qualities. Since that vineyard can produce only so much wine, the price rises with exclusivity.Value-priced Sauvignon Blanc (this applies to all other wines) requires the winemaker to expertly source the grapes to create a wine that mimics the more expensive wine.The Angeline Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a young, simply produced wine, which is exactly what I want in a well-priced (Found it for $11.99) Sauvignon Blanc. These wines do not need fancy production techniques to be bright, vibrant, and delicious.The technical notes do not specify, but I think this wine was fermented and aged in Stainless steel tanks with no oak barrel aging. The individual vineyard lots were fermented and aged separately and then blended to taste.Sauvignon Blanc is best known from several locations in France and New Zealand, but the grape has a long history in California. Wine aficionados may not value California Sauvignon highly, but value-priced wine drinkers can find excellent well-priced Sauv Blanc. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Angeline Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is clean, clear, pale wheat yellow. The nose is pretty, it does not that jump out of your glass characteristics of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but there is lemon, apple peach, lightly floral, with peach, pear, and honey.The Angeline Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2019 a well-balanced wine with bold flavor and solid acidity. It tastes of grapefruit drizzled with a little orange blossom honey, crisp green apple, light spice, lemon, lime, Anjou pear, and faint mint. This is a tasty wine that is well controlled and not a show-off like some Sauv Blanc.I did not mention a mid-palate since the flavors upfront ran right thru the body of the wine. A wine that does not have a transition can sometimes be lesser, but not here. This is a delicious wine that keeps going strong.The Summary* The Angeline Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a solid well-priced Sauv Blanc and a nice change of pace from the bold New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc....
The Ashokawna Russian River Chardonnay 2018 is an $8.99 Aldi exclusive. The Russian River Valley AVA is in western Coastal Sonoma County. The Sonoma Coast AVA is west of the Russian River Valley AVA.The Russian River Valley runs north/south parallel to the coast. The river originally flowed east/ west until a cataclysmic event thousands of years ago changed its source forever.The name Ashokawna meant water to the east and was the indigenous people's name for the Russian River. Sonoma's Russian River Valley sub-AVA is a premier location for farming Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes.Aldi seldom gives technical information concerning the production of their wines. That is to be expected; they do make an effort to keep costs in check to offer good affordable wines. Aldi has an outstanding reputation in Europe for selling bang-for-the-buck wine.The back label of the Ashokawna Russian River Chardonnay 2018 mentions aromas of "pineapple, citrus, and vanilla." Also, flavors of "butterscotch, brioche, and baked apple."This would suggest that the Ashokawna Russian River Chardonnay 2018 underwent partial malolactic fermentation and had considerable oak barrel aging. The citrus may indicate that some of the Chardonnay is unoaked and did not undergo malolactic fermentation.Aldi has price advantages over typical retail wine. I am not privy to their contracts with the winemakers but typical with store brand wines, payment in full is made upon delivery. Wineries often have to wait for their wines to sell before receiving a return on their investment.Aldi does no advertising or marketing; you would be surprised how much of the cost of a bottle of wine is marketing. Store brands do not need full distributorship services, so there are savings there too.An $8.99 store-brand may be the equivalent of a $12 or $13 retail wine. Twelve or thirteen dollars will buy you an excellent California Chardonnay. Aldi store brand wines can offer excellent value if they deliver in the taste department.I have high hopes for the Ashokawna Russian River Chardonnay 2018. The winery that I suspect made the wine is known to produce high-quality wine. If a winery's name is not on the label, then it is not their wine; this is Aldi's wine.A store-brand wine may not be the exact wine that a winery would produce as their own. These wines are made to the customer's specifications, so while store brands might not be exactly the wine that would fit the producer's portfolio, I know of no winery that would ever skimp on quality. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Ashokawna Russian River Chardonnay 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear, clean wheat yellow. The nose is ripe, apple, the aforementioned pineapple and vanilla, lemon/lime (kind of a non-sweet Sprite), spice, and spring flowers.The Ashokawna Russian River Chardonnay 2018 comprises clean, crisp flavors and more rounded oak-influenced flavors.It tastes like a stew of tart apple, lemon curd, butterscotch, and spice. The mid-palate brings buttered bakery bread, lime, stone fruit, creamy vanilla, and guava. The acidity is well-balanced; it provides enough backbone so ...
The Legende Bordeaux Rouge 2017 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot sourced from AOC designated vineyards in the Bordeaux region of France. The Legende brand is Domaines Barons de Rothschild's (Lafite) line of export wines.Legende line includes wines from the major Bordeaux region and the top-of-the-line wine from Rothschild's own vineyards. The Legende Bordeaux Rouge 2017 is sourced from contracted vineyards in multiple areas.High of the wine produced in Bordeaux sell for under twenty dollars. The top wines can get very pricey, but much of Bordeaux is affordable. The Legende Bordeaux Rouge 2017 should be found for around $15.As an export wine, the Legende has its own vineyards, its own source for oak barrels, and its own winemaker (Diane Flamand). So while it is part of the Rothschild (Lafite) brand, it will be different from the top wine line.There was a time when the export version of a country's wines would be markedly different from wine sold in the country. European wines were "Old School," meaning balance was valued above all other attributes."New School" wines were modern wines from the West Coast of America, South America, and Australia. With "New School" wines flavor came first and then balance.For some time, people thought there was a battle between the competing styles. But there was no competition, it was changing tastes in wine, and now most European wines lean toward the "New World" style.Bordeaux grows some of the finest, if not the finest, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes in the world. The famous Bordeaux Red blend is designed to show-off the interplay between those two grapes. Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot, and sometimes Malbec are added to the blend as needed, but Cab and Merlot are the show's stars.The Red Blends farther down the price spectrum can not be expected to feature the costly blends' elite grapes. But when sourced correctly can still offer an excellent bang-for-the-buck.The Legende Bordeaux Rouge 2017 was fermented in stainless steel tanks, and 60% of the wine was aged in stainless steel. 40% was oak barrel-aged and then blended with the unbaked wine. This is not a Vegan-friendly wine since egg whites were used in the fining process (removing solids from the finished wine). The alcohol content is 12%, which is rarely seen in comparable California Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.Legende Bordeaux Rouge 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear, see-thru cherry red. The nose is blackberry, toasted vanilla, dark spice, black coffee, and ripe plum. The Legende Bordeaux Rouge 2017 is a lean, sleek wine with dark flavors.It starts with blackberry, licorice, black pepper, and spice. The mid-palate adds soft blueberry, orange zest, molasses, a salty sensation, and tart cranberry. The tannins are more pronounced than with the typical California value-priced blend.Having tannins in a Red wine is a good thing; so many inexpensive (and even some expensive) wines have the tannins reduced to the point that you barely know they are there. It is nice to be reminded just what the tannin's role is in Red wine.The acidity is well-balanced.
The Tenebres GSM 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in France's Languedoc region. The name Tenebres translates to "Darkness." A GSM Red blend is a wine that originated in the Southern Rhone Valley in France and is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvedre.The Languedoc is the largest wine region in France and is where much of the everyday wine is produced. High-end villages and sub-districts can get pricey, but most of the wine produced is affordable.The majority of the folks in Europe who have a bottle of wine with the meal drink value-priced wine. It is hard to budget two $30 bottles of wine a day on most budgets. $5.99 (Tenebres GSM 2019) is the norm.When I first discovered Trader Joe's, I thought that wines such as the Tenebres GSM 2019 could not be any good. Wine marketing had me believing that the bottle's price was directly tied to the quality of the wine.It took me some time to figure out that people from wine-producing European countries drank cheap wine and like it. Nobody goes through the effort of making a meal only to ruin everything with a bad bottle of wine. Yes, there are wines for all price-points and all occasions, but quality wine can be inexpensive. A GSM Blend is one of the two classic French wine blends. The most famous is the Bordeaux blend, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc, along with Petite Verdot and Malbec's lesser amounts. There is the GSM Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre.A solid Bordeaux blend may be a little difficult to find for value wine drinkers since the key to that blend is the interplay between the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Bordeaux produces some of the best Merlot globally, but it can be difficult to find excellent Merlot at a lower price point.With a GSM Blend, the attraction is not the excellence of the two main grapes; each of the three grapes adds something to the blend that the others do not possess. A $5.99 Trader Joe's wine, Tenebres GSM 2019, can work. The blend does not need the best vineyards to be excellent; the three grapes need to offer what is expected.I have yet to taste this wine, but the fact that the blend is one-third Grenache, one-third Syrah, and one-third Mourvedre gives me hope that this wine may drink well. The winemakers are not hiding anything; every grape is added in equal parts. They are not using mostly the grape that is showing well with smaller amounts of the others. That indicates they had confidence in the entire blend. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Tenebres GSM 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a barely see-thru cherry red with black highlights. The nose is rich and jammy, with blackberry, cherry, oak spice, baking spices, black pepper, licorice, and bitter chocolate. Some scents come from oak barrel aging, which is surprising to find in a $5.99 wine.This is a wine with a silky mouthfeel and a solid array of flavors. It starts with blackberry, cola, soft spice, and black cherry. The mid-palate adds blueberry with a bit of cream, a rougher splash of spice, a salty sensation, and a late cinnamon slap.I mentioned before that this type of wine is often included in the daily meal. Value-priced food wines often do not sip well; they are made to balance when accompanying food.
The VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. The Sonoma Coast AVA runs along the California coast from the San Pablo Bay to Mendocino County to the north. The Sonoma Coast AVA is located in mountainous terrain, with most of the vineyards located high up in the foothills, well above the fog line. The area is prised for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.The Pacific Ocean cooling winds keep temperatures down, especially at night, though daytime temperatures can get warm. It also gets twice as much rainfall as the rest of Sonoma County.Excess rainfall is a problem for vineyards, too much rain can cause mold and disease. Rain during grape harvest can ruin the entire vintage. Winemakers want the grapes intense and concentrated, and rain can dilute the juice in the grapes.The VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019 sells for $6.99, about one-third the price for an entry-level retail brand Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. CWF reviewed the 2018 vintage and had mixed feelings.There are only a handful of mostly boutique wineries in the AVA; most of the big-name producers of Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir are located elsewhere and have contracts with the various vineyards.Often these Trader Joe's wines from high-end growing regions are one-off. Somebody received a good deal on grapes and/or finished wine and made a deal to pass along the savings through the Trader Joe's brand.The VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019 is a reoccurring label that must have a steady source of grapes and/or finished wine at below market price. Sometimes wine had some technical problems, such as rain during harvest, so the resulting wine did not meet winery standards.In the past, I have suspected problem wines from famous makers ended up with a Trader Joe's label and a bargain price tag. Since we have the 2018 and 2019 vintage of the VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019, that may not be the case.Let us head to the tasting section and see if I like the 2019 vintage better than the 2018 vintage. And see if I can figure out what this Pinot Noir is all about. The alcohol content is 13.8%.VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a see-thru garnet red, just like the expensive Pinot Noir. The nose is cherries, herbs, crushed dried fall leaves, pepper, ripe raspberry, spice, and a light floral edge. So far, so good.The VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019 is half silky smooth and rough-edged; that alone is worth $6.99. I would not call this Pinot Noir delicious, but I am intrigued. I keep reaching for another sip.It tastes cherry, sharp, slightly bitter spice, cranberry, and a blast of black pepper. The mid-palate adds orange zest, cola, and ripe strawberry. The acidity is good, nice, and balanced. This is a $6.99 Pinot Noir that engages your palate.The Summary I had mixed feeling about the 2018 vintage, but I like the VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2019 It is a legitimate California Pinot Noir. A good Pinot Noir should make you think and maybe take a few sips before deciding if it is a yes or a no.
The Exquisite Collection Chardonnay 2019 is a $7.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in California and that is the extent of what I know about this wine.The Exquisite Collection line of wine is basically the ALDI equivalent to Trader Joe's Reserve wines. Special wine deals happened upon that year, and they pass the savings on to us. They do not seem to be $20 wine selling for 8 bucks, just good, solid wine at a good price.The description on the back label of the Exquisite Collection Chardonnay 2019 mentions flavors of brioche and toasted almonds. That would suggest some oak conditioning (the brioche) and partial malolactic fermentation and mainly "on lees" fermentation (the nutty flavors). I am completely out of pertinent for the Exquisite Collection Chardonnay 2019. I could wax poetic about Chardonnay for another three of four paragraphs, but I would rather find out what this Chardonnay tastes like, so on to the tasting portion. The alcohol content is 13.7%.Exquisite Collection Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear, pale golden yellow. The nose is more melon and lemon, than crisp apple, peach and pear. The nose suggests some decent oak aging, meaning oak barrel or staves rather than oak powder.This is not a cookie-cutter Chardonnay; there is an interesting flavor profile, layer, and complex, but not the usual affordable Cali Chard. It tastes of lemon, melon, light spice, and a little butterscotch, not sweet.The mid-palate offers tart lemon curd, that salty, nutty, on lees thing, Anjou pear, and a slap of pink lemonade. The acidity is well-balanced; it lets the flavor do its thing but otherwise stays out of the way.The Summary The Exquisite Collection Chardonnay 2019 is a Chardonnay that is well worth drinking. It is an interesting Chardonnay that is well-made and has some personality.* I have had good luck with these Exquisite Collection wines; I will be sure to give the next edition a try.
The Troublemaker by Austin Hope 13 is not your ordinary Red blend. For one, the 13 stands for the thirteenth edition; this is a non-vintage wine. It is a blend of grapes from three different vintages.Hope Family Wines has been in Paso Robles inside the Central Coast AVA of California, making wine for more than 30 years. They have five labels, including Liberty School and Treana. And for what is the norm for Paso Robles winemakers, they like to do things their own way.The winemaking details for the Troublemaker by Austin Hope 13 will be highly unusual for this price point. It lists on their website for $20, and I found it at the local big-box wine shop for $12.99, this is not an expensive wine.The blend is 48% Syrah, 26% Grenache, 17% Mourvedre, 5% Zinfandel, and 4% Petite Sirah, so it is the ingredients for a GSM blend with some Zinfandel and Petite Sirah added in to spice things up.Most of the fruit was farmed in Paso Robles, with some Arroyo Grande Valley, Monterey, Suisun Valley, and a little (1%) Lodi. So far, this is fairly straightforward for a California Red blend, so here is where things get interesting.The Troublemaker by Austin Hope 13 is a blend of the 2016, 2017, and 2018 vintages. The various vintages are the different varietals of grapes aged in American and French oak barrels from 15 to 27 months.I think that after 30 years in Paso Robles, the Hope Family has some terrific contacts with other vineyards and wineries, so the Troublemaker by Austin Hope 13 portends to be a fascinating wine.I am a wine nerd; I am always trying to figure out who actually made the Trader Joe's wines, checking out trademark websites and such. With the 13, I want to know which grape was aged for 27 months and where it came from, and what wine was its original purpose?A Red blend in this price category is made to fit their price tag. The Troublemaker by Austin Hope 13 seems to be, at least in part, made from wine leftover from more expensive bottles. Austin Hope does not actually say that is the case, but a great deal of time and effort was expended to find these grapes from the various vineyards.The Troublemaker by Austin Hope 13 is a very deliberately constructed Red blend. Not that there is not thought and preparation behind all red blends. But, Austin Hope seems to have taken it to the next level. The alcohol content is 14.5%.Troublemaker by Austin Hope 13 Tasting NotesThe color is seriously purple; it is dark and deep. The nose smells expensive. You can tell the grapes spent time in oak. There is blackberry, licorice, black coffee, black pepper, toffee, vanilla, blueberry, spice, cherry, and plum.The Troublemaker by Austin Hope 13 is in no way flavor challenged. It has a rounded, silky mouthfeel and enough going on in the glass to keep you busy for a while.It tastes blackberry, rich chocolate (more milk chocolate than dark chocolate), ripe blueberry, baking spice, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds ripe raspberry, a salty sensation, cranberry, and a little cola.This is a very balanced Red blend, considering how bold the flavors are. The flavors flow into each other, giving this blend excellent length. The tannins are sweet,
The Painted Wolf The Den Chenin Blanc 2019 is part of The Den line of wines from the family-owned Painted Wolf Winery of Swartland, South Africa. The Den is their line of every day easy to drink wines.The name Painted Wolf is a reference to the endangered indigenous wild dogs that once roamed freely. A major part of the winery's mission is to raise money to help these animals survive. These wines are also vegan-friendly and certified sustainably farmed and produced.Chenin Blanc was originally found in the Loire Valley and the Languedoc regions of France. Today, South Africa is the largest producer of Chenin Blanc and accounts for 30% of the world's Chenin wines.Chenin Blanc is similar to Chardonnay in that it can be produced successfully with many styles of winemaking. With can be made from young, bright, crisp wines to heavily oaked age-worthy wines to outstanding Sparkling wines. That may be the major reason for Chenin Blanc not being on White wine rotation.Modern wine drinkers have figured out the code to Chardonnay; if it has a reference to butter, it is a well oaked Chard. They know Kendall-Jackson's and Wente's house styles, there are clues in the marketing that let you know what to expect.Painted Wolf The Den Chenin Blanc 2019 may well be a mystery to the average wine drinker. Like many other wine enthusiasts, I look forward to mystery wine, but I do not think it helps sales.South Africa is attempting to educate wine folks on the differences between the various SA wine regions. So, if you find a South African Chenin Blanc that you enjoy, keep a mental note of the area because that will go a long way to finding equally enjoyable wine.The grapes for the Painted Wolf The Den Chenin Blanc 2019 came from contracted vineyards of a local wine estate. This Chenin was fermented in stainless steel tanks. A small portion of the wine was aged in an oak barrel, the rest aged in stainless steel. The oak-aged Chenin Blanc was added back in during the blending stage.Like a wine from the 2019 vintage, the Painted Wolf The Den Chenin Blanc 2019 is a young wine intended to be consumed in the first year to two of release. The alcohol content is 13%.Painted Wolf The Den Chenin Blanc 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear pale golden yellow. The nose is a stew of lemon, apple, melon, peach, and pear, all with a floral background. The Painted Wolf The Den Chenin Blanc 2019 is a bright wine of medium weight and full of flavor.It starts with juicy apple, lime, pink lemonade, dried apricot, and a sharp slap of spice. The mid-palate offers just a whiff of butter, a nutty, salty sensation, melon, and muted tangerine.The acidity is excellent; it gives the wine length and entices you to take another sip. The addition of the small portion of oak-aged Chenin Blanc kicks this wine up to the next level. It adds weight and complexity to an already tasty wine.The Summary The Painted Wolf The Den Chenin Blanc 2019 tastes great, period. I do not drink enough Chenin Blanc, mainly because I do not always head to the South African or Loire Valley section of the local wine shops.* I do not know if I can pick a favorite from, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc,
The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is an extra dry, DOCG designated, vintage-dated Prosecco from a family-owns winery with roots dating back to the mid-1800s.The central Prosecco region in Veneto is rated a DOC, but a section in the middle of Prosecco called Valdobbiadene is where the DOCG wines are located.The Italian wine authority ranks the various wine regions and issues designations. There are rules and regulations concerning the grapes' farming and the wine-making for each tag.Many value-priced wines are issued an IGP ranking, which has less strict regulations. Then DOC and at the top is DOCG. The G stands for guaranteed, not that you are assured that you will like the wine, but that the highest standards were met.The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is from vineyards in Valdobbiadene, making it a DOCG wine, but it is traditionally the best Extra Dry Prosecco from each vintage.In the US, most folks like their Sparkling wine to have a Brut sweetness rating. Brut means not sweet. In Italy, Extra Dry is favored, which means the Bubbly is slightly sweet. Prosecco has enough acidity to counterbalance the natural sugar in the wine. The effect is then more fruit-forward than sugary.The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 label of wine was the winery owner's private stock. Bandarossa translates to red stripe, and these bottles were the best Prosecco of that year and were given to friends and family.Most Prosecco you see on store shelves are non-vintage. They take Prosecco made in different years and blend them to the House Style. A green deal of effort goes into developing a House Style. They want a Bubbly that you can return to year after year and be assured of the same quality and dinking experience.A vintage Bubbly does not get blended with other vintages. It is meant to showcase the finest attributes of that particular vintage. As the flagship wine of the vintage, this Bubbly gets all the finest winemaking techniques.The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is intended to be the finest Prosecco of the vintage. Bortolomiol also has another high-end specialty vintage-dated Prosecco, but the Bandaroosa highlights the current vintage.Prosecco is Bubbly made with Industrial Age technology, while Champagne is produced with Renaissance area tech. Prosecco uses the Charmat Method, which has 2nd fermentation happening in giant pressurized vats.The pressurized vat forces the CO2 released in fermentation back into the wine, and the result is bubbles. The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 is in the tank for 3 months (a long time for Prosecco), then aged in a bottle for two more months. The alcohol content is 11.55.Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is very pale platinum, with a flurry of bubbles. The nose is dominated by citrus, grapefruit, lime, and lemon, along with apple, faint pear, and peach, all with a floral edge.The Bortolomiol Bandarossa Prosecco 2019 has an interesting flavor profile, tight and sleek upfront, and a little lump and juicy on the mid-palate. It tastes like a mix of green tart apple, lemon, grapefruit, and spice.
The Trader Joe's Reserve Oak Knoll Zinfandel 2019 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes farmed in the Oak Knoll AVA inside Napa Valley. This is a one-off wine; when it sells out, it is gone for good, so if you like it, buy all you need.Oak Knoll is located in the southern part of Napa Valley, just north of Carneros. Carneros, located in both Sonoma and Napa, is situated on the northern shore of San Pablo Bay.The San Pablo Bay is inland; both San Fransisco and Oakland are on the Bay's west side. The cold ocean bay water allows Carneros, Napa, Clarksburg, Lodi, and other inland regions to be major wine grape growing areas.Oak Knoll is cooler by up to 10 degrees than most of Napa Valley and is primarily known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Zinfandel is down the list of grapes grown, but the Zinfandel producers here make very high-end wine.So, what exactly is the Trader Joe's Reserve Oak Knoll Zinfandel 2019? The average price range for Oak Knoll AVA Zinfandel starts at $25 and goes to $70 and higher. Is this an expensive Zin sold off at a bargain price?Probably, not. First, this is a 2019 vintage, which would make this a young, drink-it-now wine, not meant for aging. The vineyard land in Oak Knoll is expensive; wineries will not make ends meet with ten-dollar wine.The famous regions of Napa are well-known because the vineyards produce grapes with specific, desirable qualities. The winemakers are aware of this and do their best to extract all the grapes' goodness. Intensive winemaking production practices lead to longer aging for the wine to balance before releasing for sale.A 2019 vintage selling in the ten dollar range like the Trader Joe's Reserve Oak Knoll Zinfandel 2019 uses different production techniques. This style of wine is made to have bright acidity and juicy fruit-forward flavors. It is also intentionally produced to require less time in barrel and over-all aging.Winemakers know that the Zinfandel from the Oak Knoll AVA is well suited for the more elaborate winemaking style. This type sells for far more money than the simpler Zinfandel styles, $9.99 Oak Knoll Zinfandel is rare.So that is where Trader Joe's comes in; they sell affordable wines, not $70 boutique wine. Like Trader Joe's Reserve Oak Knoll Zinfandel 2019, offering an affordable wine from a high-end growing region is a treat for value wine drinkers.The Trader Joe's Reserve Oak Knoll Zinfandel 2019 is not a $45 wine selling for $9.99, it is a ten buck Zinfandel featuring grapes that are almost never found in inexpensive wine. Bright and juicy wines are the most popular category of wine, so having and bright and juicy wine made from high-end grapes is an interesting drinking experience.Occasionally these TJ's Reserve wines are expensive wines being liquidated for cheap; it does happen. But they are typically drink-it-now, young wines that feature grapes usually found well out of this price range. I am fine with that. The alcohol content is 14.8%.Trader Joe's Reserve Oak Knoll Zinfandel 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a see-thru cherry red with black highlights. The nose is rich and ripe; there are scents of blackberry, toasty oak spice, vanilla, black pepper, and light herbs.
Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive, a Sparkling wine made from the Pinot Noir grape sourced from vineyards in Napa Valley.There are a couple of odd details concerning the Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse. First, if you look at the title, the "o" in Rose has the punctuation, not the "e." I checked Google to see if that is actually a thing and came up empty.This is a Sparkling wine that is supposed to have been made by a big name Napa Sparkling wine producer, so is the misplaced accent some clue?The second odd detail is that this wine is labeled as a "carbonated Róse wine." That can mean any wine from Champaign to wine spritzers. Or the dictionary definition of a carbonated wine is one that obtained the bubbles artificially.Artificially as in not some fermentation process, more like the Soda Stream you can but at Target. The bottle is then topped by a cork and cage, used with Sparkling wines that have a great deal of pressure inside the bottle.The bottle is a heavy-duty Sparkling wine bottle; it has thick glass and a good-sized punt; the indentation on the bottom of the bottle adds strength.Is Trader Joe's simply being coy about the real producer of the Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019? Carbonated soft drinks, which are artificially carbonated, do not need a cork and cop enclosure. So who knows what the real story is?Trader Joe's Frequent Flyer says this wine is from Napa Valley's premier producer of Sparkling wine. Several wineries fit this description. Still, the Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 label name is owned by a family-owned winery from Lodi, California, that also produces Bubbly. They show a Brut Rose' made from Pinot Noir on their website that lists for $16.That does not mean that the original winery did not pass this wine through another winery to get to Trader Joe's finally. The lack of any useful information concerning this Bubbly leads me to believe that TJ's is hiding the winery's identity.Here is what we know, the grape is Pinot Noir, from vineyards in Napa Valley, that may be from a fancy Napa Bubbly producer, or it could be from a fine Lodi family-owned winery and it is a vintage-dated wine. And it still sells for $9.99.The alcohol content is 11.5%, which puts in the Traditional Method (Champagne) and Charmat Method (Prosecco) territory.Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is serious pink with a hint of peach, and it has plenty of energetic bubbles. The nose is strawberry hard candy, faint tomato, cherry, light herbs, and roses. This is an interesting, unexpected aroma for a Pinot Noir based Sparkling wine.This is a bright Sparkling wine with good acidity. It tastes like a mix of cherry and lemonade, tart cranberry, a chewy, lightly yeasty sensation, and tangerine and raspberry.I have not had a Sparkling wine that tasted like this for as long as I can remember, but I like it. The Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 has bright acidity and is equal parts flavor and texture. It is a unique drinking experience.The Summary The Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 is an interesting drinking experience. I am not sure if it is tasty or delicious; it is new or a sensation. But I do know I want another sip. $9.99 Pink Bubbles is just the ticket for Valentine's Day.
The Tribunal North Coast Red 2018 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. A blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, Merlot, Petite Sirah, Barbera, and Grenache. The North Coast AVA includes Napa, Sonoma, Lake County, Mendocino, and Marin Counties, and Solano County.The Tribunal North Coast Red 2018 has been a Trader Joe's wine for at least a decade; CWF wrote a review of the 2008 vintage, and here is a link to the 2010 vintage.Unlike many Trader Joe's exclusive wines, we know who made this Red blend. Vintage Wine Estates has an excellent portfolio with other wines also seen at Trader Joe's and retail wine shops and grocery stores.The Tribunal is a "kitchen sink" blend, but there is a bit of history to give this wine some context. In the late 2000s, The Prisoner Red Blend was the hottest selling wine around.It was not inexpensive, it sold for around $35, and it still sold out each vintage. They would hold release parties when the new vintage became available. The winemaker became rich and famous; he sold his brand off for hundreds of million dollars. The Prisoner spawned knock-offs and competitors.That Red blend was a trendsetter; it did not follow the old rules or conform to the Red blends of Bordeaux or the Rhone Valley in France. It did not conform to the rules of anywhere, except maybe the Shiraz wines coming out of Australia at the time.South Australia is a hot growing region that produces ripe, rich grapes. The winemakers seemed to delight in pushing the boundaries to what a balanced wine was. Less is more did not work over there.These Australian wines set the edges of what modern, new school wine should be. The Australian wine boom fell apart during the economic collapse of 2008, and that is where the Prisoner wine comes in.The Prisoner was California cool rather than Aussie bombastic. It was still big, ripe, rich, spicy, and bold, but more reserved than Australian Shiraz. The Tribunal North Coast Red 2018 was one of those wines that were following the example set by the Prisoner.After all, a tribunal is the setting where you would judge a prisoner. Finding grapes in California that can produce a wine that can be cellared for twenty years is not easy and expensive. Finding rich, ripe Red grapes in California is easy.Making a ten-dollar copy/tribute wine/competitor to the Prisoner was not impossible. The grapes were available, and winemakers had the skill, and if the result was not exactly the Prisoner, at least it was in that popular style.It has been a decade but as I recall the Tribunal North Coast Red 2018 did a solid job of getting the Prisoner vibe. There were years where the Tribunal sold out.The ensuing years have not slowed the Tribunal North Coast Red 2018 down. It is still 15.1% alcohol, it is still rich, ripe, and bold, and it is still $9.99.So, let's head to the tasting portion. I have not tried it since the 2010 vintage and see how things go.Tribunal North Coast Red 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a see-thru cherry red with black highlights. The nose is dark berries, a whiff of smoke, dark chocolate, pepper, faint herbs, and spice.This is a medium to full-bodied, rich, slightly complex Red blend.
The Vintjs Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes farmed in Napa County in Northern California. The Vintjs brand and the Vintjs Napa Sauvignon Blanc have been around for over a decade, which is good staying power for a store brand.This Sauvignon Blanc is not actually blue, the bottle was photographed against a blue backgroundIt seems the same Napa winery has been making this wine for Trader Joe's the entire time. Here is a link to our review of the 2016 vintage. Even though this Sauvignon Blanc seems to have been produced by an entity of a well-respected Napa winery, that does not mean that this is a wine they would have produced independently.First of all, Napa County/ Rutherford AVA wineries do not produce wine that sells for $6.99. Well, at least under their own label. The winery makes the wine does so with the style of wine and price point specified by the contract store brands.If a winery does not put its name on the label, it is not their wine. Yes, one of their subsidiaries produced the wine but to someone else's specifications. The one very positive issue is that the producing winery will not skimp on quality. They will make the wine as well as the price point will allow.So the Vintjs Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 may have been produced by a fancy Napa winery; it is a Trader Joe's wine. That is not a negative since Trader Joe's is highly skilled at offering very drinkable, highly affordable wines. And highly-affordable is not a phrase you would associate with Napa wine.I know I sometimes get caught up in being a wine detective and try to figure out who made which Trader Joe's wine. But how much does it really matter? The Vintjs Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 was made by a company that typically produces wine $20 and up. Are they better at making $6.99 wines than a no-name producer that specializes in value-priced wine?The answer is a definite maybe. It is not a black and white issue. So, let us talk about the Vintjs Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019. Does having a well-known Napa winery make the wine help or hurt? (The winery in question is named in several posts on the web, they have not come out and take credit for producing this wine, so I am not naming them) They seem to have a steady supply of quality Napa Sauvignon Blanc grapes, and the winery has a history of producing quality Napa Sauvignon Blanc wine.For a $6.99 wine, that is about as good as you can hope for. As a 2019 vintage, the Vintjs Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a young wine. Most likely fermented and aged in stainless steel vats. It should be bright, crisp, fruit-forward, with a good amount of acidity. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Vintjs Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is clear, clean sunshine yellow. The nose is pretty, grassy, with lemon, green apple, grapefruit, pear, melon, ripe peach, and a floral edge.This is a Sauv Blanc with a syrupy mouth-feel and strong flavors. It tastes of lemon and Anjou pear, melon and stone fruit, along with grapefruit and apple.The mid-palate brings a salty/nutty sensation, light spice, faint dried banana slices, and peach. In looking back at the 2016 vintage, I had an issue with its acidity. The 2019 acidity is well-balanced and behaved.
The Evanta Malbec 2019 is a $4.49 Aldi exclusive sourced from vineyards in Argentina's Mendoza region. Considering that Aldi had to pay an importer and ship the wine from Argentina, this Malbec falls well within Charles Shaw/Two Buck Chuck range.The Evanta Malbec 2019 is a store brand (Aldi), and store brands have price advantages over standard retail wines. No marketing and advertising, along with paying for the wine upfront, all contribute to lower costs. I sometimes think that there is not any way that a wine this cheap can be good. More often than not, I am pleasantly surprised at the quality of super cheap wine.Then I am reminded that people from countries with a wine tradition where they have a bottle of wine with every lunch and dinner rarely pay more than a few euros for the wine.That is something that I, as a somewhat typical wine drinker, forgets. A wine that enhances the daily meal, that has those characteristics to improve the meal, do not always work well as a sipping wine.Not all wine is produced for the same purpose; a food wine and a wine made for sipping or an alternative to beer or a cocktail can be the same but do not have to be. I have yet to taste the Evanta Malbec 2019, but very inexpensive wine does far better as a food wine than expected.Mendoza in Argentina is generally excellent for Malbec, and decent grapes to produce a young, inexpensive wine should be plentiful. Finding room in the budget for a $4.49 wine is nearly impossible—some oak flavoring is generally expected in a bottle of Red wine.The Malbec grape has plenty of tannins, and tannins can add the texture and structure that replaces some of what oak aging provides. A Cabernet Sauvignon or a Merlot without oak flavoring can seem somehow off. A Malbec without oak is ok; added oak is good but not mandatory.I do not have any details concerning the production of the Evanta Malbec 2019. At the $4.49 price point, I imagine the main production detail was "keep it simple." The alcohol content is 13.9%.Evanta Malbec 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a dark, opaque black cherry red. The nose is blackberry, slightly smokey, a hint of mint, lightly herbal, and black coffee. The nose is interesting, and it makes you look forward to taking a sip.The Evanta Malbec 2019 has a rich flavor; it is not complex, but it is tasty. It tastes blackberry, toasty vanilla, and an oak barrel flavor that is not expected in a $4.49 wine. How the oak flavoring got into the wine does not necessarily indicate that oak barrels are used. But at this price, the added flavor is appreciated.There isn't a mid-palate; what is upfront runs along the whole body of the wine. The continuation of flavor shows black pepper, light spice, and tart cranberry.The tannins are soft and sweet, while the acidity is balanced.The Summary In a blind tasting, you would never guess the Evanta Malbec 2019 sells for $4.49. It would pair well with pizza, burgers, or good carry-out food.
The Love Noir Pinot Noir 2018 is one of the new, bolder styles of Pinot Noir sourced from grapes farmed in several regions of California. This Pinot Noir is one of The Wine Group's families of wines.Love Noir Pinot Noir 2018, as a brand wine, is not tied to a single winery. Brand wines are typically aimed at a certain niche of wine drinkers in terms of style and price. If you are the focus group, they are looking to reach, and you may well have an enjoyable wine at a very nice price.I would say that the Love Noir Pinot Noir 2018 is aimed at folks who helped make Meiomi Pinot Noir a huge success. The new style is bigger, bolder, juicier Pinot Noir.Bigger, bolder, juicier Pinot Noir is fighting words for old-school Pinot Noir aficionados. Traditional Pinot Noir is all about the small details, which grape clones are used, which vineyards in what AVA. Aromas such as crushed fall leaves and mushrooms are priced. Flavors like tea or tar looked for.The new bold Pinot Noir ain't about any of that. They are rich, juicy, and full of flavor, not full of nuance. Me? I really love old-school Pinot Noir, but I also have some love for rich, bold, juicy wines. It is hard to complain that a glass of wine has great flavors.I picked up a bottle of Love Noir Pinot Noir 2018 for one reason. Valentine's Day is coming up, and the Love Noir's two main flavors are black cherry and chocolate. I have absolutely no problem with chocolate-covered cherries, so I wanted to see how well Love Noir pulled off its flavor profile.The Love Noir Pinot Noir 2018 is not the kind of wine with detailed production technical notes, so I do not have much to rely on how the Pinot Noir was made. The tech notes, mostly marketing notes, made me very interested; cherry, chocolate, espresso, toasty vanilla, and spice sound good. Let's hope they pull it off.The last tech notes available on the Love Noir website were for the 2016 vintage, not for the 2018 vintage, we are discussing here. But if the 2016 details remained the same, this is a dry wine, and often juicy wines slide into the off-dry sort of sweet category. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Love Noir Pinot Noir 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear, see-thru garnet red with some black highlights. The nose is black cherry, vanilla, soft spice, light chocolate, and light herbs.This is a medium-plus bodied wine with bold flavors and a generally smooth character. It tastes ripe cherry, coffee, and chocolate (so here is truth in advertising), and vanilla. The mid-palate mirrors the wine's body but adds a sharp stab of orange zest, tart cranberry, and baking spice.The tannins are soft and sweet and the acidity does its job and otherwise stays out of the way.The Summary The Love Noir Pinot Noir 2018 Is not the wine I would choose if I wanted to enjoy a California Pinot Noir. But it is a wine I would consider if I wanted a smooth, tasty, rich Red wine. This is not a flavor challenged wine. This wine would do well as a Valentine's Day red wine. It has the word Love in the name, and the flavors would really pair well with a box of chocolates.
The Burgans Albariño 2019 is sourced from vineyards in the Rias-Baixas DO in northwest Spain's upper corner. This White wine is made by Bodegas Martín Códax, a wine collective formed in 1986.Collectives or communes are common in Spain. Bodegas Martín Códax has 600 members, all small farmers with relatively small vineyards. One of the odd things about vineyards in the poorest soils and rocky, hilly land is often the prized location for grapevines.The farmers typically have other crops and use grapes to add income. They individually do not have the ability or know-how to create their own wines. Banding together allows them to pool their resources and compete globally in the wine industry.Burgans Albariño 2019 is imported by Eric Soloman Selections/ European Cellars. With imported wine, the import company is important. Most of the major, nationwide importers have a House Style. That does not mean the wines they feature are the same, but they often possess similar characteristics.Following the importer is a useful method of discovering new imported wines. I have a handful of importers whose wines I almost always enjoy. They have an excellent track record that matches well with my tastes. It is one of those things that you will have to find for yourselves. I can tell you which importers have wines that I like, but I can not tell you which wines you will like. Seek, and ye shall find.Albarino, I think, is an under-loved grape. Every time I drink a glass, I wonder why I do not drink it more often. I think of it along the lines of Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling. Not so much in flavor, but when and where it can be enjoyed.The Burgans Albariño 2019 is sourced from 20 year old plus vines from vineyards located around a local hill named Burgans. It is fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged an additional three months on lees, stirred.As a refresher, on lees is a French wine term that indicates that the spent yeast and grape residue is left in the tank during the aging period. It can give the wine a nutty, salty characteristic. When the less are stirred, the wine can take on a creamy texture depending on how often it is stirred. The alcohol content is a mild 12.5%.Burgans Albariño 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is wheat beer yellow. The nose is a pretty blend of melon, apple, lemon, and honey, along with tangerine, peach, and a whiff of spring flowers.The Burgans Albariño 2019 sleek, silky wine, with interesting, balanced flavors. It starts with Green apple, lime, apricot, orange, and peach. The mid-palate adds pear, grapefruit, nectarine, and light spice. The acidity is plentiful but balance and stays in its lane.The Summary The Burgans Albariño 2019 is a delicious White wine, and it is both familiar and exotic. It has an excellent mouth-feel, which greatly adds to the drinking experience.* This is a wonderful wine; I found the Burgans Albariño 2019 for $14.99, it truly drinks great. Why don't I drink Albariño more often?
The Peachy Canyon Lodi Zinfandel 2017 can be found at Trader Joe's for $7.99. This is a mystery wine since it does not show up on Peachy Canyon's website or have much of a web presence.Peachy Canyon Winery, founded in 1988, is located in the Paso Robles AVA inside California's Central Coast AVA. It is owned and operated by the Beckett family and features wines made from Paso Robles grapes, and often using single vineyards.All this makes the Peachy Canyon Lodi Zinfandel 2017 something of an anomaly. I found this Lodi Zin selling at a couple of internet stores for $20 and $30, which is strange since Trader Joe's has it for under eight bucks.There have been some changes at the Peachy Canyon Winery. Lately, the father, who founded the winery, turned the operation over to his two sons. The Beckett started their own con label about 10 years ago, Chronic Cellars. You may know those wines from the Sofa King Bueno red, among others.They sold that label to a major wine company and recently returned to Peachy Canyon Winery. I am speculating, but it is common for a winery that changes the management and winemaking team to make adjustments to their product line.Since the Peachy Canyon Lodi Zinfandel 2017 looks to be available at stores other than TJ's, it does not seem to be a Trader Joe's exclusive. But Trader Joe's may well have the best price.Peachy Canyon's current value Zinfandel is the Westside Zinfandel, which lists for $20. Prices on winery websites are often higher than you may find in your local wines shop so that they do not directly compete.Lodi is my personal favorite growing region for Zinfandel wines. A winemaking style that is often used produces the wines to be sleek and sophisticated and rustic, juicy and spicy.Since Peachy Canyon Winery does not offer information on the production of the Peachy Canyon Lodi Zinfandel 2017, I do not have any production details to talk about.I expect this Zinfandel to be aged in a mix of French and American oak barrels, I expect Peach Canyon to carefully choose the vineyards, and I expect this wine was never intended to sell for $7.99. There is usually a story to be told when a 2017 Red wine sells for under ten dollars.Three years plus is too much time and effort for this low of a return. You sometimes see low, out of the ordinary pieces for brand wines. But, Peachy Canyon is an actually family-owned winery, and family-owned wineries do not stay in business by selling their wines cheap. The alcohol content is 14.3%.Peachy Canyon Lodi Zinfandel 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is a barely see-thru garnet red. The nose is rich and balanced; there is ripe blackberry, spice, burnt toast, pepper, licorice, and dark chocolate.I did not expect Paso Robles winemakers to produce a Lodi-style wine, simply use Lodi grapes, but the Peachy Canyon Lodi Zinfandel 2017 comes close to that classy/rustic style I like.It tastes of blackberry jam, soothing blueberry, a brush of exotic spice, and black pepper. The mid-palate brings raspberry, a salty sensation, a little bitter dark chocolate, and more spice.The tannins and the acidity are well controlled. The tannins give this Zin a sturdy backbone,
The Beurré Chardonnay 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's import wine a Pays D'Oc designated wine from the Languedoc in southeastern France. The Languedoc is the largest wine-producing area in France, and this is where French every day, drink-it-now wines are produced.Beurré is French for butter, and most of the writing on the front label is singing the praises of buttered bread. That is something that would be goofy if written in English but looks just fine in French.So, it would seem that the Beurré Chardonnay 2019 is buttery. Let us talk about how a Chardonnay gets its butter flavor. We will keep things simple, but three techniques contribute to developing the taste.The first is malolactic fermentation; this is a process that occurs almost routinely in Red wine. Chardonnay sees malolactic (Chenin Blanc sometimes, too), especially when oak-aged. What happens here is the tart acid that occurs naturally inside of grapes is converted to more rounded tasting acid.The second technique is "on lees." This is where the spent yeast used for initial fermentation (not malolactic) falls to the tank's bottom with the wine during aging. On its own, it can add a salty, nutty flavor. When stirred (called batonage in France), the wine developed a creamy texture. The more you stir, the more pronounced the effect.Then there is oak conditioning, either barrel aging or some other method. With $6.99 wine, you do not always expect expensive oak barrels to be used. When toasted by flame to the winemakers' specifications, the oak will add flavors such as vanilla or spice.The Beurré Chardonnay 2019, at this point of the review, I have not tasted it, probably was subject to some or all of these production techniques. The winemaker can have a percentage of the Chardonnay undergo Malolactic fermentation and age only certain lots "on lees" while using oak on, let us say, twenty-five percent of the wine.Chardonnay is like snowflakes; no two are exactly alike. There are many techniques, variations, and grape selection available to the winemaker that even though there are only so many popular Chardonnay styles, there is plenty of room for variation.The Languedoc growing region is where regular French folks get their wine. It may not be the most famous or the most expensive, but it is the most popular. So do not think that a $6.99 Chardonnay can not possibly be any good. This Trader Joe's/Aldi Nord (in Europe) is a good example of what European wine drinkers enjoy every day. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Beurré Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is butter yellow with a hint of green. You can sometimes tell if a Chardonnay is oak barrel aged by how deep the yellow is. The nose is, well, I am drinking French but smelling California. There is a mix of lemon, melon, and green apple, then buttered toast and a hint of butterscotch. I guess they weren't kidding about the Beurré part. Oh, by the way, Beurré is produced ber or burr.Beurré Chardonnay 2019 is a boldly flavored Chardonnay, smooth but with a strong flavor. It tastes green apple and cream, yes, not your usual combination, melon, sharp spice, raisins, butterscotch, and lime.The acidity is well-balanced; it lets the flavors do their thing yet stays out of the way.
The Aviary Birds of Prey Red Blend 2018 is a blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Malbec sourced from vineyards in Napa and Sonoma Counties.The Aviary line of wines is one of the Folktale Wine Group brands of wine; here is a link to their website for more information. I am familiar with their Alias brand, and as I recall, those wines were a good "bang-for-the-Buck."The blend of grapes used for the Aviary Birds of Prey Red Blend 2018 is the classic Bordeaux Blend using four of the five grapes approved for Bordeaux, France. Carménère is the only grape not used, which is fine since it is rarely used in Bordeaux.The Aviary Vineyards wine brand started as a label that featured grapes from multiple Napa vineyards, and now the vineyard selection has also expanded to feature Sonoma County. What I found interesting is that the label only shows "California Wine" as its place of origin.Understating the wines particulars is unusual since it would be legal to show North Coast AVA or Napa County AVA and Sonoma County AVA. I found the Aviary Birds of Prey Red Blend 2018 on-sale for $12.99 (the Binny's chain in Illinois), and it lists for $18, and it is typically found on the web for over $15.A detail that stood out in the technical notes is the winemakers say this blend can be cellared for up to ten years and possibly longer. The Aviary Birds of Prey Red Blend 2018 is a drink-it-now wine, meaning that it is ready to drink as soon as you make your purchase.But wines with aging potential are made with different production techniques, and the winemakers are looking for different qualities in the grapes than typical value-priced red wine. Wines that can age have a different tannin structure and acidity level than wine that is meant to be consumed with the first couple of years after release.So, on-sale, the Aviary will be a different Red blend style than the wines that populate this price point. The 2018 vintage in Napa and Sonoma was one of the years that was not plagued by fires and was considered an excellent vintage.The name Birds of Prey is a shout-out to the owls and hawks that live around the vineyards and keep the pests a bay. While they do not say that the vineyards used are organic, they say the vineyards are managed organically with no pesticide use.The Aviary Birds of Prey Red Blend 2018 was aged for 12 months in a mix of French and American oak barrels. French oak and American are two different oak species with very different grain and when toasted, flavor profiles. Wines can use a mix of both kinds of wood to get the exact flavor they are looking for. The alcohol content is typical for California red wine 14.5%.Aviary Birds of Prey Red Blend 2018 Tasting NotesThe color a deep, dark, opaque, cheery red with black highlights. The nose is dark berries, molasses, black licorice, plum, spice, a little smoke, and black pepper.This is a wine with a smooth, firm mouthfeel and an excellent array of flavors. It starts with extracted blackberry, bitter dark chocolate, jammy raspberry, and spice with a slightly rough edge.The mid-palate shows a slight tug from the tannins (an excellent thing in quality Red wine), tart cranberry, orange zest,
The Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is sourced from estate vineyards planted in the flat land of the Wairau River Valley in the Marlborough district in the Northeast of the South Island in New Zealand.Allan Scott founded his winery in 1990 but has been part of the New Zealand wine industry since the early 1970s. The company name is actually Allen Scott Family Winemakers, so the family knows their way around New Zealand vineyards and how to produce Sauvignon Blanc.The vineyards are thirty-five years old and are planted in rocky clay soil. The vineyard names are Millstone, Omaka, and Moorland, I added that last bit of information because you rarely get the vineyard names for $11.99 wine (I found it on-sale).The Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a drink-it now wine meant to be consumed in the year it was released. This type of wine will last several years, but I find they are at their best sooner rather than laterThe 2020 vintage may seem to be a little too soon for a wine release, but New Zealand is in the Southern Hemisphere and their seasons are reversed to ours. This Sauvignon Blanc has all the aging this style of wine needs.The grapes from the various vineyard lots were fermented separately and the best lats were then blended together to produce the Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 2020. Fermentation was performed in stainless steel tanks and the wine was then aged for one month, again in stainless steel.The alcohol content is a rather reserved 12% and according to the tasting notes, this Sauv Blanc is made in a more "pulled back" style than the sometimes "shouty" affordable New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 2020 Tasting NotesThe color is a shiny, very clear, wheat beer yellow. The nose is more delicate Han the usual Marlborough Sauv Blanc where the aromas jump out of your glass. Here there is delicate melon, peach, pear, ripe apple, lime, guava, and a pretty floral edge.The Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is an extremely well-balanced Sauvignon Blanc with a solid variety of flavors and textures. I have seen this wine be rated as high as 93 points in Wine Magazines, and I can see the attraction.It tastes of grapefruit, Anjou pear, and ripe peach. There is a very pleasing line of acidity that runs straight through the body of this wine. The mid-palate brings nectarine, tart lime, dried apricot, and a slap of spice.The Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a strong but not too bold Sauvignon Blanc with loads of flavor.The Summary The Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is an excellent drink-it now New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. There are so many different wine regions globally that grow quality value-priced Sauvignon Blanc that I fell away from drinking NZ Sauv Blanc.* The Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc 2020 has me excited about the New Zealand wine again.
The Castor and Pollux Pinot Noir 2019 is a $6.99 Aldi import wine from the Languedoc growing region of Southeastern France. The Languedoc is the largest wine region in France and this is the area that supplies a great deal of the every-day wines that the French drink every-day.I know that many Americans think that a $6.99 wine is too inexpensive to be any good. But in countries with a wine tradition where they have wine with lunch and dinner on a daily basis, this is exactly the type and the price of wine that they typically enjoy.If you are looking for long-term cellar wine or drink a bottle of wine from a famous vineyard or winery, then wine becomes expensive. A good quality enjoyable wine should and can be very affordable.There are relatively few vineyards that reliably produce wines for long-term aging, while the vineyards that produce quality wines for drink-it-now wines are plentiful.Another thing. to remember with exclusive store brands is that they have a price advantage over comparable retail wine shop wines. Store brands do not have advertising and marketing and often pay upfront for the wine which will get them a solid discount.It is hard to say exactly what savings advantage the Castor and Pollux Pinot Noir 2019 has over the competition, it could be a dollar or two and possibly more.The Castor and Pollux Pinot Noir 2019 is a Pays D'Oc wine, which is one classification below AOC designated wines. The term Pay D'Oc means wine of the Languedoc (that is where they get the D'Oc) and it means that this is a wine made from grapes that are typical of the Languedoc region but did not conform to all the AOC rules and regulations.Pay D'Oc (also known as IGP in the European Union) is a typical classification for the region where the price of wine is an important issue. Aldi does not give out any information concerning this Pinot, but Aldi is a European company and they do get their pick of affordable European wines.The alcohol content is rather stiff for French Pinot Noir 14.5%, that is California alcohol levels.Castor and Pollux Pinot Noir 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is see-thru cranberry red with black highlights. The nose is ripe cherry and spice, with a brush of herbs, a mushroom note, and a little pepper.This is a medium-bodied Pinot Noir with a nice display of smooth and rough flavors and textures. it tastes of black cherry, plum, soft chocolate powder (though I do not think this Pinot has seen much oak), and a shot of spice.The mid-palate offers ripe raspberry, a rough edge from the tannins (just a little), and a late hit of blueberry. The acidity is well-balanced.The Summary The Castor and Pollux Pinot Noir 2019 is an interesting Pinot Noir. The spice is a little out of balance for my tastes, but not to the point where the next person might think it is perfectly fine.* But, $6.99 does get you a Pinot Noir well worth drinking.
The Aiolas Red Blend 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's import wine, a DOC designated wine from the Dão region of Portugal. TJ's does not offer any information concerning this Red blend.This is somewhat unfortunate since the wines of Portugal tend to be unique. they often use indigenous grapes such as Touriga Franca or Tinta Barroca. While new grapes are exciting for someone on a wine journey, it can be intimidating for newer wine drinkers.The Aiolas Red Blend 2019, while probably made for ALDI Nord and Trader Joe's for export, is an example of the type of wine that the average wine drinker in Portugal drinks every day. The world drinks sub-$10 wine, even if the wine magazines imply that they drink fancy boutique wine.Dão is located in north-central Portugal and is surrounded by four different mountain ranges. There are 30,000 mostly small family-owned vineyards.For most of the last 100 years, Portugal produced wine to be consumed by people inside Portugal. They used local grapes and made wine to appeal to the local populace. In 2008 in the world economic downturn, the Portuguese government turned to the local wine industry to ramp up production for world export.Since the wines of Portugal were insular and unique to Portugal their wines are very distinct. While most of the wine world uses some variation on the grape greatest hits, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Portugal does local grapes to make their style of wine.This is a DOC designated wine, which means it was farmed and produced to their highest quality standards, something that is always good to see in a $5.99 wine. The alcohol content is 13%.Aiolas Red Blend 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a dark, barely see-thru black cherry red. The nose is a mix of ripe red and blackberries, soft spice, coffee beans, light herbs, and chocolate powder.This Red blend has a soft, smooth mouthfeel, with mostly ripe fruit and a bit of a rougher edge on the mid-palate. It tastes of black cherry, raspberry, a slight pull from the tannins, and plum.The mid-palate brings cherry, chocolate powder, and a slap of spice. The acidity is well-balanced, it stays out of the way of the flavor profile.The Summary The Aiolas Red Blend 2019 is a solid, tasty red blend. I was actually expecting a more "Portuguese" Red, something tasty but out of left field.* The Aiolas Red Blend 2019 is a very relatable, well-made red wine.
The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot sourced from Rothschild (Lafite) vineyards in the Pauillac AOC inside the Haut-Medoc AOC on the Left Bank or westside of the river in the Bordeaux region of France.The Légende line of Rothschild (Lafite) is their drink-it-now export brand. It features wines from the premier Bordeaux growing areas but sourced from contract vineyards, not Estate vineyards. It gives you real, quality Bordeaux wine, but at a more affordable price.The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is the exception. The grapes are from Rothschild estate vineyards grown near the town of Pauillac and the oak barrels are from their own in-house cooperage.A cooperage is a barrel maker and with high-end wine, which forest is used to procure the oak trees, how the boards a cut and the barrels assembled, and how the barrel is flamed or toasted is immensely important.Pauillac is one of, if not the best growing regions in the world. Three of the first five First Growth Grand Cru vineyards from 1855 are located in this small area.The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is not cheap, a quick check of the web showed it selling for, between $40 and $50. While that may not be the typical CheapWineFinder price range and it is not a wine that is meant to be cellared (it will last 5 to 7 years, but it is ready to go now). It is well-priced for what it is.The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is a taste of the best of Bordeaux but in a ready to go more affordable configuration. A top-notch AOC, high-end Estate vineyards, and a legendary cooperage, it is expensive, yet reasonably priced.The 2016 vintage is Pauillac was excellent, while vintage ratings are more important for cellar-worthy wines than drink-it-now wines. You do not want to wait twenty years to drink a bottle of wine only to find out it was not worth the wait.60% of this Red blend was aged in French oak barrels for 12 months. The other 40% was aged, probably in stainless steel tanks (they did not specify). Since this, a drink-it-now wine the oak aging mainly for flavor, and blending the oak barrel-aged wine with the unbaked wine will give the wine a bright fruit flavor along with the oak conditioning.The alcohol content is 13% which is in contrast with the typical California Cabernet Sauvignon-based wine where the alcohol is often 14.5% or more. Bordeaux red wine will be leaner and sleeker than its California competition.Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 Tasting NotesThe color is a barely see-thru plum red. The nose is blackberry, blueberry, molasses, licorice, black pepper, strawberry, lilac, and soft spice. This is a medium-bodied Red blend with distinct flavors and excellent balance.It tastes of ripe blackberry, mocha coffee, a hit of sharp spice, a few herbs, and raisin spice. The mid-palate adds raspberry, orange zest, a little dark chocolate, and soft blueberry.The tannins are there, you can feel them but they do not "pull", the acidity is nicely balanced giving the Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 excellent length, the flavors go on and on.The Summary* The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2016 is a very tasty Red b...
The Bartolomiol Ius Naturae DOCG Prosecco 2018, Ius Naturae translaties to Natural Law, is farmed in certified organic Estate vineyards in the DOCG Valdobbiadene district of the Prosecco region of Veneto in northern Italy.This is a vintage Prosecco, from the 2018 vintage, which is a bit different from the usual seemingly available everywhere non-vintage Prosecco. While a non-vintage Sparkling wine is blended from several vintages, that allows the winemaker to maintain a "House Style" that can be replicated year after year.A vintage Sparkling wine will express the growing season of a single particular year. Sparkling wine producers often produce a vintage-dated Bubbly in years where the conditions were just right in the vineyard.Bartolomiol was founded in the 1980s and has converted all their estate vineyards to organic farming. The Valdobbiadene DOCG section of Prosecco is a hilly region in the center. Grapevines love hillsides since the vines are staggered and each vine gets the same amount of sunlight. When it rains the water rolls downhill, the vines gat a drink, but water does not pool around the roots of the vines which can cause issues mold and disease.The Bartolomiol Ius Naturae DOCG Prosecco 2018 is a DOCG designated wine which indicates the vines were planted in prime growing locations and the farming the wine production adhered to strict standards. The G in DOCG translates to guaranteed. They are not guaranteeing that you will like the wine, but are attesting to the quality of the wine.I am actually pretty happy with the good old regular DOC Prosecco, it is priced right and tastes great. But I am very interested to try a Prosecco with all the bells and whistles. Organic estate vineyards, vintage-dated, and a three-month-long 2nd fermentation (typical Prosecco is in the autoclave for a few weeks or so). The alcohol content is a mild 11.5%.Bartolomiol Ius Naturae DOCG Prosecco 2018 tasting NotesThe color is gold with a hint of silver the bubbles keep coming and coming. The nose is ripe crisp apple, lemon chiffon, pear, grapefruit, and a little melon.This is a Prosecco that engages your palate, it definitely has body. This is a sleek, balanced fruit-forward Bubbly. It tastes of a blend of apple, lemon, and melon, with a streak of sharp spice.The mid-palate adds a little sweet peach, apricot, and soft tangerine.The acidity of the Bartolomiol Ius Naturae DOCG Prosecco 2018 sizzles through-out the length of the Bubbly, but does not bite, it is very well-balanced.The Summary My first thought after tasting the Bartolomiol Ius Naturae DOCG Prosecco 2018 is that if I had tasted the Bartolomiol as my first Prosecco it would have helped in choosing my favorite go-to value-priced Prosecco. Tasting an exquisite Prosecco first would have told me what I need to look for in a quality Prosecco.* Then again it may have ruined me for value Prosecco and doomed me to pay twice the price for the vintage stuff.
The La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's import Bubbly using two of the three traditional Cava grapes, Xarel-lo and Parellada farmed in the Cava DO of northwest Spain, near Barcelona.La Granja 360 translates to the Farm 360 and is a brand owned by Axial Vino, a Ditch company producing Spanish wine. La Granja 360 wines use grapes from a group of small local farmers or commune. The individual farms are too small to produce their own wines by themselves, but when they band together can produce wine in large quantities.All La Granja 360 wines are very affordable, but they have very distinctive labels. The La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV 2020 features a purple duck, the red blend has a zebra whose stripes are being painted red, and the Tempranillo has a flying pink pig.All the La Granja 360 wines are vegan-friendly meaning no animal by-products are used in the production of the wine. They have their own animal adoption program and sanctuary for rescued farm animals and have a read-out on the environmental impact of their wine packaging and transportation system.They are not your typical value-wine company, the Cava at $6.99 is their most expensive wine. While these Spanish wines are produced for export they are typical of the kind of wine the wine drinkers in Spain and most of Europe drink every day.Countries that traditionally have wine for lunch and dinner drink affordable wines with their meal. I know in the United States some folks see a price tag well below ten bucks and think that the wine can not be any good. But they are wrong, this is the type of everyday wine that most of the world enjoys.The La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV 2020 is produced with the Traditional Method, the same technique used for Champagne. In Champagne, the second fermentation lasts at least 18 months while in the Cava DO lasts to go a minimum of 9 months.The grapes used in Cava and Champagne are usually different and the Cava rules and regulations are not as strict, but Cava typically sells for a fraction of Champagne.$6.99 is very inexpensive for a Traditional Method Sparkling wine, so is it any good? Let us head to the Tasting section to find out. The alcohol content is 11.5%.La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV 2020 Tasting NotesThe color is pale gold with a flurry of energetic bubbles. The nose is lemon, green apple, and toasty bread, along with melon, coconut milk, and pear.The La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV 2020 is a crisp, east-to-drink Bubbly, not too complicated, but tasty.It tastes of grapefruit, lemon, lime, tart apple, pear, and just a touch of spice. The mid-palate is not particularly different from the main body of the wine but does add a little sweet peach and stone fruit.The acidity gives this Bubbly a bright, alive nature, but does not go over-board. Some inexpensive Cava's can be acid bombs, but the La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV 2020 stays in control.The Summary* The La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV 2020 is a first-class party Bubbly, 3 bottles for twenty-one dollars will get the party...
The Raventos I Blanc Textures de Pedra 2014 is a vintage, bio-dynamic, Estate grown Sparkling wine from the Penedes district of the Catalonia region of Spain (think Barcelona). While this is a Sparkling wine produced with the traditional method (like Champagne) it is not Cava.Raventos I Blanc is part of a wine family that has been producing wine at this estate since 1497. Another member of the Raventos family produced the first Cava in 1872. The current Raventos I Blanc Estate was started in 1984, so they do have a history in this region.Originally the Estate was located in the Cava DO, DO in Spain is the equivalent to an AVA in the USA, a boundary of a grape-growing area. In 2012, Raventos left the Cava DO and started the Conca del Riu Anoia region. They left in part because they did not think the rules and regulations governing the Cava DO were strict enough.Raventos I Blanc and the Raventos I Blanc Textures de Pedra 2014 differ from the typical Cava Sparkling wine in that they are vintage-dated rather than non-vintage and specialize in the indigenous grapes of Catalonia.The blend of grapes used in this Bubbly are unique, there is 30% Xarel.lo, one of the three grape varietals traditionally used in Cava. Then 25% Xarel.lo Vermell, a rare Red grape mutation of Xarel.lo.Also 25% Sumoll, a local Red Grape, and 15% Bastard Negre, Negre is Spanish for the French Noir meaning dark or black grapes. Then 5% Parellada which is also one of three traditional Cava grapes, Macabeo is the only grape missing.The estate vineyard is biodynamically farmed which expands on organic farming to the point where farming decisions are made based on the phases of the moon.The 2014 vintage of Raventos I Blanc Textures de Pedra 2014 may have 20% of the grapes sourced from a second vineyard, there are conflicting tech notes. As a vintage Sparkling wine, the details can change from vintage to vintage.I think the 2016 vintage is the current release, but 2014 should be still available and Raventos I Blanc has other vintage-dated bottlings with different grape combinations.The Raventos I Blanc Textures de Pedra 2014 is made in the Traditional Method, the same techniques used in Champagne. In Champagne, the second fermentation must last at least 18 months, with the more expensive, exclusive brands going far beyond. With Cava, the minimum time for 2nd fermentation is 9 months with the more exclusive Bubbly going an extended time.The Raventos I Blanc Textures de Pedra 2014 is in a bottle for 42 months, the date that removed the dead yeast is 11-10-2018, each bottle is individually date stamped.Extended triage (aging) is where the magic in Sparkling wine lies. The younger "House Style" Bubbly is wonderful. But time does things to wine that no winemaking tricks can replicate. With time the flavors meld together, the bubbles are further incorporated into the wine, and the Bubbly becomes creamy and delicious.This is not an inexpensive Bubbly, a quick check of the web showed prices in the $40 to $50 range. Yes, it is in the Champagne price range,
The Domaine Ste Michelle NV Brut 2020 is a non-vintage Champagne-style Sparkling wine from Chateau Ste Michelle in the Columbia Valley of Washington. This is a value-priced Bubbly, it lists for $13 and I found it for $8.99 on-sale.Even though it is a reasonably priced Sparkling wine it is produced in the same production style as Champagne (Cava too) which is a rather involved winemaking technique.Sparkling wine in the ten dollar price range is often made in the Prosecco-style (Charmat Method) which is a modern and more economical way of getting bubbles into wine.With Bubbly at an affordable price, I am not overly concerned about how the bubbles got there. As long the Bubbly is an enjoyable drinking experience I am happy, but I always give a producer extra points for using the more expensive Traditional Method (Champagne). Going the extra mile and still offering an affordable Sparkling wine is commendable.The Domaine Ste Michelle NV Brut 2020 uses a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, along with possibly other varietals, the tech notes are kind of vague.The various lots of grapes of different vintages are fermented separately and then blended together before the second fermentation. One thing mentioned in the Domaine Ste Michelle NV Brut 2020 technical notes is that the first fermentation lasts for two to three weeks.Traditional Method Bubbly almost always talks about the length of its second fermentation, in Champagne the minimum time in the bottle is 18 months, with many wines going months and even years beyond that.The Domaine Ste Michelle NV Brut 2020 does not say a word about the length of 2nd fermentation. At first, I thought that was odd, but once I thought about it made a bit of sense.With Bubbly, the winemaker uses their tricks to create a "House Style" to make the Bubbly their own identifiable Bubbly during the first fermentation. With the 2nd fermentation yeast, sugar and time do their thing, you simply have to wait. It is the first fermentation where the Bubbly gets its style.This is a Brut Sparkling wine which means it is not a sweet wine. The technical notes are not fussy, for pairing they suggest popcorn, crackers, or chips. Most marketing notes for Bubbly have you drinking it at black-tie events or on a yacht. I think Domaine Ste Michelle is the more accurate pairing for most folks.The alcohol content is a relatively mild 11.5%, the Domaine Ste Michelle may be a good wine to break out when you have guests who need to drive home.Domaine Ste Michelle NV Brut 2020 Tasting NotesThe color is a wheat yellow with a hint of gold. The bubbles are plentiful and energetic. The nose is ripe apple, lemons and limes, hard citrus candy, cherry, a little spice, and just a little bit of yeasty bread.This is a tasty Bubbly, it is smooth, but has a nice edge. It starts with a mix of lemon and green apple, then a little unsweetened tart cherry. The mid-palate adds a salty sensation, grapefruit, a little guava, and stone fruit.The acidity is the way I like it, plenty enough to give the Bubbly a backbone and let the flavors have space to unfold. But also enough to stimulate your palate a getting you ready for ...
The Bread and Butter Pinot Noir 2019 is sourced from vineyards in California. Their motto is" Good. Honest. Simple. Do not overthink it." In keeping it simple they do not go into a great deal of detail about the production of this Pinot Noir.Bread and Butter are one of the WX Brand's families of wines. They are one of the top 20 largest wine companies in the U.S. They have a full line of wines and the Bread and Butter Pinot Noir 2019 was the largest selling (in its price class) Pinot Noir wines for most of 2020.This is a wine that I found for around $13 and there is some good completion in this category. You start to find single AVA and sub-AVA wines in this price range.The Bread and Butter Pinot's place of origin is simply California and that is not necessarily a bad thing. I would imagine that WX Brands has a network of vineyards available to them and to be able to allocate grapes from multiple vineyards can give you a good wine at a value price.This is a Pinot that they say is produced in the classic California Pinot Noir style and judging from how the wine looks in my glass it does have that look, but I will get into that more in the tasting notes.The Bread and Butter Pinot Noir 2019 technical notes do not say much but they do mention that French and American oak was used and the alcohol content is 13.5%.They do not mention is the French or American oak was barrels or other methods of imparting oak flavoring, but at this price, I suspect barrels were used. French and American oak are two different species of oak and they add different flavors to the wine.Bread and Butter do not mention this but a wine oak treatment can be a complicated math problem. This percentage of French oak and that percentage of American oak, with so much first use new barrels. And other barrels being second use and still, others being third use, all for caring lengths of aging time.But Bread and Butter says to keep it simple and don't overthink it, so I will forget about the details and check out the most important part, how it tastes.Bread and Butter Pinot Noir 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is clear, clean, see-thru garnet red, it looks like a classic Cali Pinot. The nose is cherry, with herbs, mushroom, dried autumn leaves, chocolate, black pepper, and soft spice, everything both complicated and balanced.This is a silky smooth Pinot Noir, with rich flavor. It starts with black cherry and chocolate (not sweet), soft exotic spice, ripe plum, and licorice. The mid-palate adds strawberry, orange zest, a sharp, short slap of Altoid's spice, and late cooling blueberry finish.The tannins are sweet and smooth and the acidity allows the flavors to do their thing but stays out of the way.The Sumary The Bread and Butter Pinot Noir 2019 is my style of value California Pinot Noir. There has been a trend lately for value Pinot Noir to be produced in a heavier, more fruit-forward style. I like those wines, but as a glass of Red wine, not as a Pinot Noir. I want more mystery, more complications my Pinot. The Bread and Butter Pinot Noir 2019 is a good classic Pinot Noir at a good price.
The Veuve Monsigny Champagne Rosé is a $19.99 Aldi exclusive, 65% Pinot Noir, 25% Pinot Meunier, and 10% Chardonnay sourced from vineyards across the Champagne region in France. I imagine when a lot of folks see a store brand twenty buck Champagne they figure that there is no way it can be very good. Most Champagne starts at $35 and goes up and up. And while I have not tasted the Veuve Monsigny Champagne Rosé yet, we will get to that in a few paragraphs, the Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut was one of my most memorable wines from 2019.Aldi in Europe, where Aldi South is our Aldi and Aldi North is out Trader Joe's, is the place to go for value wine. Their own branded wines routinely wine awards. And Aldi has a distribution network that is huge, they cover Europe, the United States, and Australia. In a quick look of the web, the Veuve Monsigny Champagne Rosé is sold on all three continents.A store brand has price advantages over retail wine brands. They do not spend money on marketing and advertising which accounts for a large chunk of the price of retail wine. They typically pay the wine producer upfront, cash on delivery, while retail wine producers do not recoup their investment until the wine sells in the store.Aldi has the ability to sell wine in large numbers and a smaller profit, but large per bottle sales do add up. Wine producers want to sell wine to Trader Joe's, Aldi, Costco, etc. It is great for cash flow and the store brands often do not compete directly with the wine producers' own line of wine. Selling to Aldi does not infringe on their own sales.Champagne is synonymous with quality and Aldi tries hard to be synonymous with value. So combining quality and value, with Aldi offering excellent Champagne at bargain prices, is a great marketing image for Aldi.This is a Rose' Champagne which always confuses me. A simple explanation, maybe too simple is Rose' is red grapes made into wine using White wine techniques. But Champagne is commonly a mix of Red and White wines. There is Champagne using only Chardonnay (Blanc de Blanc) or made with red grapes (Blanc de Noirs). Meaning in turn White Champagne from White grapes and White Champagne from red grapes).If you simply see the sweetness level on the label in this case Brut or dry not sweet, then both red and white grapes are used in varying percentages. So if red grapes are typically used and the color is still White, then where does Rose; come into play? As far as I can tell the main difference is the color.There are a couple of ways a Bubbly can become a Rose' the first is with skin contact with the Red grapes when the grapes are crushed. They pull the skins out when the desired color is achieved. Or after second fermentation after they remove the spent yeast from the bottle they can top the bottle off with a measured amount of Red wine. This is where they also adjust the sugar level.Veuve Monsigny Champagne Rosé Tasting NotesThe color is on the amber side of pink and there is a flurry of tiny bubbles. The nose is cherry, citrus, light spice, just a touch of yeasty bread, and ripe plum.The Veuve Monsigny Champagne Rosé is very balanced and nice and firm on your palate, It tastes of concentrated cherry,
In this episode, we switch things up & talk spirits! Local spirits! Specifically we chat with Eric McMillan, Brand Ambassador for Wolf Point Distilling in Chicago.We talk about what Wolf Point is & taste through their Jackscrew Vodka, Florence Field Gin, Captain Santa Vapor Infused Moonshine & an extra tasty treat or two as well.So what is "Wolf Point"? What is a "Craft" moonshine? Listen in to find out now ...
The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Sonoma Brut NV (2020) is a Trader Joe's $14.99 non-vintage blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier sourced from vineyards in Sonoma County AVA in Northern California.The back label says this Bubbly was "produced and bottled by" Rack and Riddle, Healdsburg, California. They are an independent wine company that specializes in Traditional Method (same as Champagne) Sparkling wine.There are some California Sparkling wine producers that do have their own production facilities for the second fermentation of Sparkling wines. But there are many brands of California Sparkling wines that originate ate Rack and Riddle.The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Sonoma Brut NV (2020) is part of the Platinum Reserve series of Trader Joe's wines the break out of the typical TJ's $9.99 or less price point. The Fearless Flyer has mentioned in the past that the Platinum Reserve wines are equal in quality to wine selling at twice the price.That is a bit of a problem when talking about Traditional Method Sparkling wine since Champagne dominates the market and commands a price greater than the competition. The price of Champagne is not based on the cost of production as much as it is based on what you are willing to pay for it.Most other Traditional Method Sparkling wines that do not come from the Champagne region are forced to sell their wines at more affordable prices to compete. So is a non-vintage Sonoma County Bubbly made by a custom wine service, even if it is a very good custom wine service really equal to a thirty dollar California Sparkling wine?The answer is maybe, it could well be, but since we know nothing about the production details that would confirm its higher price, it hard to tell. At $14.99, the Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Sonoma Brut NV (2020) competes directly with California Bubbly from Chandon, Piper, Gloria Ferrer, Roederer, and the New Mexico Bubbly from Gruet.With those other wines, there is a pedigree and the vineyards and the production techniques are documented, while Trader Joe's Bubbly is a one-off wine with no documentation.I have not tasted the Bubbly yet so all this musing may be mute if it turns out to be sensational and the Platinum Reserve wines that I have tried were well worth the money.It is just that with most Trader Joe's wine it is easy to tell if you are getting a bargain or not, these Platinum wines start to bring some doubt if the elevated price is warranted on every occasion.So on to the tasting portion, the alcohol content is a precise 12.72% and this is a Brut Bubbly or not sweet.Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Sonoma Brut NV (2020) Tasting NotesThe color is at first looks almost silver, then turns to gold, the bubbles are tiny and energetic. The nose is slightly yeasty, with green apple, lemon, lime, grapefruit, melon, cherry, and a whiff of minerality.This is a nicely balanced Bubbly, it does taste expensive (but then again, so does its competition), it is both smooth and tart. It tastes of chewy crusty bakery bread, tart lemon, tart apple, cherry hard candy, and a salty sensation.The mid-palate adds kiwi, pear, soft spice, and a mix of peach and melon.
The Mantenere Russian River Chardonnay 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from vineyards inside the Russian River Valley AVA which is in turn inside the Sonoma County AVA of Northern California.The trademark for Mantenere is own by Francis Coppola Wines and Mantenere Cellars is located in Geyserville, California. Which also happens to be the home of Coppola Winery. I do not know if the Mantenere Russian River Chardonnay 2019 is simply a private store brand or if at some time this wine will be available at retail wine shops.That does matter to the point that if it is a wine that will be sold everywhere then it is a Coppola wine. A store-brand may be produced to the wishes of the wine buyer for the store. A doubt a winery would ever compromise quality to produce a store brand, but it could possibly be made in a style not consistent with their own brand of wines.Trader Joe's seems to be specializing in value-priced wines from high-end growing regions. The Russian River Valley AVA is a premier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay area in western Sonoma County. Chardonnay from vineyards here never sells for $6.99 except for store brands such as Aldi, Costco, and Trader Joe's.A retail Chardonnay that has California on the label as a place of origin is not really a lesser wine, especially at this price-point. Large wine companies have vineyard holdings and partnerships in various areas of California's wine country. Making effective use of their grapes helps them keep the selling price in line.A Chardonnay incorporating grapes from a warm growing region added to grapes grown in mountain foothills then blended with Vally fruit will make a complex wine that belies its price.Not that Russian River Chardonnay grapes can not also offer diversity. It is just that when a producer gets an offer for grapes from a high-end growing region at an excellent price I doubt if they are overly concerned if the grapes came from complementary regions.Trader Joe's does not offer information concerning the production techniques used for the Mantenere Russian River Chardonnay 2019, so if have to rely on the back label to find some useful information.The back label mentions ripe apple, lemon curd, and a creamy texture. Apple is one of California Chardonnay's prime flavors so no hints there, but lemon curd may indicate some sort of oak conditioning and at least partial Malolactic fermentation. A creamy texture can come from aging the Chardonnay "on lees", along with oak.At $6.99 you do not expect fancy new French oak barrels, but that is not the only way to get those flavors into value-priced wine. The important issue is not so much how those flavors were incorporated into the wine, but how it tastes. Oak barrels are mandatory for more expensive wine, but cheap wine gets points for ingenuity. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Mantenere Russian River Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is wheat yellow with a tint of gold, sometimes the shade of yellow in a Chardonnay will give a clue if the wine was oak-aged or not. The nose is apple, canned peaches in a light syrup, pear, lemon, pink lemonade, and a light floral edge.This is a medium-bodied Chardonnay with a firm mouthfeel, with a mix of smooth and tart flavors.
The Farmhouse California Red 2019 is a blend of Zinfandel, Mourvèdre, Carignane, Syrah, Petite Sirah, and Grenache sourced from vineyards in California. Farmhouse California is one of Cline Family Cellars' line of wine.Cline is a family-owned winery founded in 1981 that specializes in sustainably farmed vineyards and wine. One of the things I admire about Cline Family Cellars is that they produce single-vineyard wines that sell for fifty, sixty, or seventy dollars but they also make excellent value-priced wines.The Farmhouse in the brand name refers to an old schoolhouse at Green String Farm where natural, sustainable farming practices are researched and taught. It is a world-class destination for sustainable practices.I choose the Farmhouse California Red 2019 because a was looking for an inexpensive (I found it on sale for $8.99), honest Red wine. I was not looking for fancy production techniques and stats, just a glass of good tasting wine.The Farmhouse California Red 2019 gave me a little something extra for my money. The grape blend is an interesting array of varietals that originate in southern France, along with good old USA Zinfandel (it is actually from the Mediterranean). This Red blend will not taste like the same old same old.The blend was aged with French oak (40% new oak) for 8 months, which is a pretty lengthy aging process for a 2019 vintage. The technical notes never say the word "barrel", just French oak. You see that a lot with value-priced wine and I am never sure exactly what that means. Were no barrels used, there are different ways to get oak conditioning?With an inexpensive wine if oak barrels were used or not isn't particularly important. If whatever they do work and tastes natural and right is all that I am concerned with. So, the Farmhouse California Red 2019 is an interesting blend of sustainably farmed grapes and is vegan friendly, too. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Farmhouse California Red 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a see-thru, but just barely purple. The nose is ripe fruit, with some dark chocolate notes, black pepper, spice, plum, raspberry, and blueberry.This is a medium-bodied bright, fruit-forward wine. It tastes of blueberry, Snickers chocolate, plum, a brush of dusty spice, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds tart cherry, orange zest, and cranberry.The tannins are soft and smooth and the acidity gives a shine to all the flavors. This is a tasty wine.The Summary The Farmhouse California Red 2019 is a solid, honest, tasty, value-priced red blend. Expensive wine is not good and inexpensive wine is somehow bad. Value-priced wine is made in a different style than the expensive stuff. Value wines can be bright, alive, and juicy, with fresh flavors, it is a very appealing style. The Farmhouse California Red 2019 is an excellent example of value wine.
The Gerard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux Thomas Jefferson Rosé 2017 is a blend of 65% Chardonnay, 20% Chenin Blanc, and 15% Pinot Noir sourced from the Cremant de Limoux AOC section of the Languedoc in southeast France.Limoux is the birthplace of Bubbly/Sparkling wine the monks from the local Abby started making wine with bubbles in the early 1500s. They were making Bubbly a hundred years before Champagne. I read a story that may or may not be true, Dom Perignon, a monk from farther north in Champagne was coming back from a trip that took him to what is now known as eastern Spain and on the way back to Champagne stopped in Limoux. And the rest is history.The Thomas Jefferson reference on the label is from records found at his home, Monticello, showing that the only Bubbly in his wine cellar was Cremant de Limoux. Which exact Bubbly he had on hand is not known, but it was a couple of hundred years ago.The Gerard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux Thomas Jefferson Rosé 2017 is made with the Traditional Method, the same process used in Champagne. There are some differences, in Champagne the second fermentation needs to last a minimum of 18 months, while Limoux only mandates 9 months.The Gerard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux Thomas Jefferson Rosé 2017 is a vintage-dated Bubbly. Most French Bubbles on the more value end are non-vintage wines. There is nothing wrong with non-vintage Bubbly, they are used to establish a "House Style". A wine you can count on vintage after vintage.Vintage dated Bubbly while being produced with the same methods of the "House Style" Sparkling wine will be different from year to year since conditions in the vineyard vary from year to year. Sparkling wine producers often only produce vintage date Bubbly in yeas where the conditioned in the vineyard will yield special wine.While this Bubbly does not have a history that dates back to the 1500s or Tom Jefferson, it is produced from vineyards in the same locations and with production methods pioneered in Limoux. In Champagne, they call the Traditional Method the Champagne Method. That is a little misleading, they did not invent the style, but they did perfect it.This is a Brut Rose' meaning a not sweet Bubbly and the pink color comes from the 15% Pinot Noir grapes. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes are used extensively in Champagne and Chenin Blanc Bubbly is a personal favorite of mine. The alcohol content is 12.5%.Gerard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux Thomas Jefferson Rosé 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is slightly orange in the bottle, but in the glass is pink with an apricot tint, there are tiny, very fine bubbles. The nose is citrus, melon, green apple, light spice, crusty bread, and dried strawberry pieces.The Gerard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux Thomas Jefferson Rosé 2017 has a firm mouthfeel with nice chewy acidity. It starts with tart lemon, grapefruit, cherry, that salty/nutty "on lees" sensation, and a touch of mineralogy. The mid-palate adds a hint of cream, soft raspberry, and yeasty bread.The acidity will have you reaching for another sip before you know it, this is a glass of Bubbles that you will finish sooner than expected, so but accordingly.
The Dueling Pistols Dry Creek Red 2016 is not your usual CheapWineFinder wine. It is not cheap, this is a splurge, special occasion wine for most folks who follow CWF. It is a Red Blend, 50% Zinfandel, and 50% Syrah and the list price is $49.99.A quick check of the web showed online prices between $30 and $60 which is a wide range, so look for sales. The Dueling Pistols Dry Creek Red 2016 is a drink-it-now wine like almost all of the wines we feature, but it is made in a very different style.Wines somewhere around the ten dollar range are made to come together fairly quickly, the sooner the wine is ready for sale, the quicker they can get a return on their investment and the less expensive the wine is. The Dueling Pistols Dry Creek Red 2016 a completely different style of wine.The grapes are selected from specific vineyards where the grapes have a certain quality the winemaker is looking for. The wine is produced with all the bells and whistles, how soon the wine finds its balance is not a major concern.The Zinfandel was sourced from older vines in the northern part of the Dry Creek Valley AVA. Dry Creek is the premier Zinfandel region in Sonoma. he Syrah was taken from vineyards in southern Dry Creek Valley. The Southern Dry Creek Valley runs into the Russian River AVA which is a cooler Pinot Noir region.Each block of the Zinfandel and Syrah grapes are fermented separately and then aged for 18 months in French oak barrels (30% new the rest used barrels). The alcohol is a stiff 15%.The Dueling Pistols Dry Creek Red 2016 is a brand from Terlato Wine Group, they are the folks who popularized Pinot Grigio in America with Santa Margherita. Before Terlato a few wine shops that specialized in Italian wines would carry Pinot Grigio and after Terlato Pinot Grigio is available everywhere.On a side note, nobody in the US was drinking Sauvignon Blanc until Robert Mondavi decided to call their Sauvignon Blanc, Fume Blanc. Fume Blanc was a made-up name, but for some reason, people who would not buy Sauv Blanc thought it was great. People caught on that Sauv Blanc and Fume Blanc was the same thing and now it is an extremely popular White wine.So what is a fifty dollar boutique wine doing on CheapWineFinder.com? Well, in December we always try to go a little upscale. We always say the difference between expensive wine and value-priced wine is not a matter of good or bad. It is a matter of style, inexpensive wine is made in a way that allows the price to be reasonable.It is a very popular style of wine, actually the most popular. There are many grapes that I prefer the inexpensive style to a more expensive style. White wine especially does very well as a young, bright, fruit, and citrus-forward wine. Cheap Red wines have made massive leaps in quality in the last five to ten years.With that said there are wines that excel in the spare no expense style of winemaking. The Holiday Season is the perfect time to break the budget and giv...
The Burlwood Cellars Brut Rose is a $4.99 ALDI exclusive, a Sparkling wine made with the Charmat Method. The Charmat Method is the same process used in the making of Prosecco and is often referred to as the Italian Method though it is used all over the wine world.The back label says this Bubbly was produced and bottled by Burlwood Cellars, Modesto, California. The Burlwood portion is just a brand name that Aldi uses. The Modesto, California part indicates that there is a good chance E and J Gallo had something to do with the making of this Sparkling Rose'.Gallo produces Bear Bros. and Mademoiselle wines for Aldi and is skilled at producing bang-for-the-buck inexpensive wines. They have a huge portfolio but Barefoot Bubbly and Andre's will be similar to Burlwood Cellars. And for five bucks Bubbly those wines are not too bad.Is $4.99 for the Burlwood Cellars Brut Rose too cheap for a drinkable Sparkling wine? The answer is probably not. The Charmat Method introduces the bubbles into the wine by transferring the wine after its first fermentation (just like all other wine) into very large pressurized tanks.Sugar and yeast are added to the tanks and the CO2 that is released by the 2nd fermentation are forced by the pressure back into the wine. This process lasts anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. The more expensive the wine the longer the process.With a 5 dollar Bubbly the second fermentation probably was a few weeks, not a few months. That is a shorter aging period than a comparable still wine. It is quite possible that value-priced Bubbly takes less time to get ready for sale than still wine.Aldi and Burlwood do not mention which grapes were used for the Burlwood Cellars Brut Rose. Rose' is typically red grapes, the color comes from limited contact with the skins, but there are White grapes that are very red.A Brut Sparkling wine is a dry or not sweet wine. It is often hard to tell just how sweet a Sparkling wine is because the acidity in the wine balances the sweetness.The Burlwood Cellars Brut Roses a party wine, four bottles of Bubbly for twenty bucks. That will get the party started. But it does have to taste good. It does not have to be complicated or have layers of flavor, but what is in your glass has to be enjoyable. So on to the Tasting portion of the review.Burlwood Cellars Brut Rose Tasting NotesThe first thing to note is that this Sparkling wine did not have a cage and cork, but a twist-off resealable top. The color is a very pretty Barbie doll pink with a good supply of bubbles. The nose is, well it smells just like Rose' Bubbly, there is strawberry, faint yeasty bread, a bit of minerality, a little citrus, and a hint of spice.How does it taste? Better than any $4.99 Bubbly has a right to taste.It starts with black cherry, there is a slight cherry cough drop feel but not pronounced, dried strawberry, a salty, nutty thing (on lees?), a brush of minerality, enough to give this Sparkling wine a needed tight edge.The mid-palate adds blood orange and soft plum. The acidity is very well-balanced. The acidity in cheap Bubbles often is out of whack and can bite, but not with the Burlwood Cellars Brut Rose.
The Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019 is actually named Esprit des Lieux Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019, but the label shows the grape origin in bold letters on top of the label and the name in small print on the bottom.The Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019 is a $10.99 Trader Joe's import wine. I found this wine online selling at a couple of online wine shops from New York State for between $14 and $17.Esprit des Lieux translates to Spirit of Place. Macon is a district in Burgundy that specializes in Chardonnay wine. There is a pecking order for wines from this region, the base designation is Macon AOC and these are wines sourced from the entire region.Then there are Macon-Villages AOC which are sourced from vineyards surrounding all or some of the approved towns. Then come Macon and a single designated village AOC. Here the town is Verze, there are only so many approved single villages, so these are fairly exclusive wines. There are only 130 acres of Chardonnay vines.So this Trader Joe's eleven bucks French special has a decent pedigree. This Chardonnay is a product of a commune or a coop. In France, these coops are not held in the same high regard as wine from an Estate or Chateau. But for a value-priced drink-it-now wine a coop is more than good enough.Trader Joe's is ALDI North in Europe and both ALDI North and ALDI South (the US ALDI) have major reputations as the place to go for wine bargains. Both ALDI's have terrific sourcing for good value European wine.I do not have any details on the production techniques for the Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019, most of the Chardonnay I drink comes from California or Washington. Burgundy is ground zero for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and while most other wine regions try to copy their style this should be a unique and French Chardonnay.I would not expect much oak aging, maybe used barrels or neutral oak. I expect this to be more crisp and clean than buttery. The alcohol content is 13%.Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear and shiny golden yellow. The nose is pretty, there is peach, pear, apple, lemon, a touch of vanilla cream (maybe there is some oak conditioning), banana, and coconut milk.This is a very balanced Chardonnay, long and lean, with solid acidity and good flavor. It starts with peach, tart green apple, Meyer lemon, lime, and pear. The mid-palate offers a little tropical fruit, a creamy sensation, and slightly sour pink grapefruit.The flavor profile reminds me of Sauvignon Blanc a little, it is definitely a Chardonnay but there are interesting tropical scents and flavors. The acidity is spot on giving this Chardonnay excellent length.The Summary The Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019 is a well-made tasty Chardonnay. It going on my Recommended list. If you are heading to Trader Joe's for some last-minute Thanksgiving supplies and need a really good wine for your table,
The Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016 is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc sourced from contract vineyards in the Saint-Emilion region of the Right Bank of Bordeaux in western France.The Legende brand is Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) line of Bordeaux regional wines. The wines (except for one) are not sourcing grapes from Rothschild estate vineyards, but from growing in some elite growing areas. This makes Legende wines more affordable.Saint-Emilion is on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River, along with Pomerol are the premier Merlot regions. The Right Bank features Merlot-based blends with Cabernet Franc and sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon.The Left Bank will have Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends along with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Bordeaux wines come at all price points from thousands of dollars for Grand Cru wines to ten bucks for standard blends.The top growing regions, such as Saint-Emilion tend to fetch higher prices with Cru wines at the top end. The Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016 showed, with a quick check of the web, to be selling around twenty-five dollars. There was a wide range of prices on either side of $25.It is not uncommon for the average American wine drinker to have limited knowledge of French wines. Bordeaux wines are very location and producer oriented, the who and the where are extremely important. When your knowledge of French wine is limited to reading an article in Wine Spectator while in your Dentist waiting room, who and where can be a mystery.That is where the Legende brand and Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) come in. They have been producing wine in Bordeaux at a high level for a couple of hundred years. You could do worse than choosing them as a starting point.The Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016, even though it is a wine from a premier region, is a drink-it-now wine, not meant to be cellared. The current vintage is 2016 and that shows this blend went through a fairly complex production process.The simpler the process the sooner the wine is available for sale. So a wine that needed four years to achieve its balance got the full winemaking treatment.The Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016 is 95% Merlot (their website shows the bland to be 85% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc, but the back label gives the (95%/5% blend) which by California wine rules would be labeled Merlot and not a blend.Merlot has a softer more rounded feel while Cabernet Franc is tighter and more intense while also adding a different flavor. So the Cab Franc gives the Merlot a little boost.Merlot, for me, especially in the usual value price range is a blending grape. It does not make for bad wine, but it is not memorable. I have had excellent Merlot that was not from France but not often. Merlot from Bordeaux changes all that. Merlot from Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion is outstanding.The Legende was aged for 12 months with only 40% of the wine in French oak barrels. They did not specify how the other 60% was aged, but since the wine was fermented in stainless steel vats these were probably used. The alcohol content is a balanced 13.5%.Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016 Tasting Notes
The Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in San Luis Obispo County inside the Paso Robles AVA which is inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Liberte has been a Trader Joe's brand for some time, I think we first reviewed these wines with the 2009 vintage.The vineyards in San Luis Obispo are located close to the Pacific Ocean allowing the region to have one of the coolest climates in California. The vineyards for the Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 are located 14 miles from the coast.Paso Robles AVA is known for winemakers not following the Old World wine traditions. Other California wine regions use Bordeaux or Burgundy as an ideal, but in Paso, if someone has a new idea or technique they are not afraid to give it a try.San Luis Obispo (SLO) is home to an enclave of young winemakers making wines aimed at younger serious wine drinkers. There are many interesting wineries and wine brands from SLO that are worth seeking out. How Liberte, like a Trader Joe's wine, fits into all that I am not sure, but I do know this is a good area for wine.The back of the label says this wine was vinted and bottled by Familia Nueva Vineyards. As I remember Familia Nueva was an independent winery in the past. I could no longer find their website, but Liberte has a site, there is a link in paragraph number 2.One of the things that I enjoy about Trader Joe's wine is that is easy to find single sub-AVA wines at a price that is far less expensive than retail wine shops. A $9.99 Pinot Noir typically has California as its place of origin, not a fancy sub-AVA like SLO.There is not much in the way of technical information on the Liberte wine website (they also produce a Cabernet Sauvignon which is one of the specialties of Paso Robles). They do mention vanilla which may indicate that they used some American oak to age the Pinot Noir.The biggest clue concerning the production of the Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 is the vintage. The 2017 vintage is the current year available, if this was made to be a young, drink-it-now wine the vintage could be 2019. That would be a Pinot that was made to come together quickly and be ready for sale.A 2017 vintage indicates that they produced this wine in a way that more complex, which is not typically the case for wine selling for ten bucks. Pinot Noir from a fancy sub-AVA does not sell for ten bucks. But the Liberte wines do sell for that and have for ten years.The packaging for the Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 is eye-catching, the label is very art nouveau, I think and the label is embossed. The cork is a real cork, not a composite or other material, you do not know how rare that is in value-priced wine. The packaging goes beyond the norms for ten buck wine. The alcohol content is a healthy 14.3%.Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is a see-thru garnet red with black highlights. The nose is ripe cherry, herbs, spice, black pepper, tea, raspberry, it is a pretty decent Pinot Noir nose.This is a soft, smooth Pinot Noir that is rough around the edges and on the first...
The Giusti Asolo Extra Brut Prosecco is made from the Glera grape from Giusti estate vineyards in the Asolo DOCG region of Veneto about one hour north of Venice.Ermenegildo Giusti was born into a family from the region who had a history of making wine. As a young man, he left Italy and moved to Canada, and established a hugely successful construction business. In 20014 he moved back to Veneto and purchased a 5-acre vineyard. Today they have a beautiful facility with multiple vineyards.Most of the Prosecco region is designated as DOC wines. Italy has strict rules and regulations and a strong governing body to endorse them. While most of Prosecco is ranked DOC the Valdobbiadene region which is located in a hilly section near the center of Prosecco is designated as DOCG.Then there is the Asolo DOCG area that is located in the foothills of the Dolomites. While there has been wine produced there for a long time it came by its DOCG designation fairly recently.The DOC rating indicates strong rules and regulations pertaining to vineyard practices and winemaking. The G in DOCG stands for Guaranteed. It adds more stringent rules and oversite. It does not mean you are guaranteed to like the wine, only that the strictest quality standards were followed.Giusti Asolo Extra Brut Prosecco like all Prosecco is made with the Charmat Method. That is the process where the bubbles and incorporated into the wine. Champagne uses the Traditional Method which is a technique perfected in the 16th century. Charmat was invented in the Kate 19th century.A quick explanation of the Charmat Method is the grapes are fermented the first, more or less like all wine is fermented. Champagne Houses and Prosecco have their secrets that make their wines unique. With the Charmat Method the wine that has been fermented once is transferred to huge pressurized vats.A measured amount of yeast and sugar is added to the wine. The wine is then allowed to ferment a second time, but this time in a sealed vat that has been pressurized. In Champagne where the 2nd fermentation is performed in a completely different manner, the second fermentation lasts a year and a half and often longer.In Prosecco, the 2nd fermentation lasts from several weeks to several months. each producer uses their own methods for determining the proper amount of pressure coupled with the right length of time. Technology has knocked about 75% of the time it takes to put bubbles into wine.The Giusti Asolo Extra Brut Prosecco is a dry Sparkling wine. The three major classifications for dry Bubbly are Brut, then Extra Brut, and finally Nature which has no added sugar and is bone dry.If you think you know Prosecco and Prosecco DOSG there is a good chance you may not have tried Asolo DOCG Prosecco. Prosecco is the largest selling Sparkling wine in the world in terms of gallons, but Champagne is the largest in terms of dollars. Prosecco is far more affordable than Champagne. The alcohol content is a reasonable 11.5%.Giusti Asolo Extra Brut Prosecco Tasting NotesThe color is almost clear with just a hint of gold, with a flurry of energetic bubbles. The nose is crisp and clean, there is citrus, green apple, melon, a little minerality, and peach.
The Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 is a $12.99 ALDI exclusive. The Sonoma Coast AVA is located between Coastal Mountain ranges on the Pacific Coast of Sonoma County.ALDI typically owns the trademark for the brands of wine they sell, so it is difficult to find out who exactly is responsible for the production of the wine. But, Geyserville, California is the location where the Pinot Noir was vinted and bottled. A quick Google search will offer a few possible candidates.We featured the Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Chardonnay awhile back and thought highly of that wine, so I have high hopes for this Pinot Noir. The Sonoma Coast is an excellent location for growing the Pinot Noir grape. The Pacific Ocean allows for a long cool growing season and the mountain foothills and the secured valleys offer a wide range of growing conditions.I put a link in the first paragraph to the Sonoma County Wine Association to include more in-depth information. The list of wineries in this appellation is impressive.The Sonoma Coast Ava is a fairly small area, there are only around 2,000 acres of vineyards. There are individual wineries that have mo more acreage than that. So, these are boutique vineyards and wineries.These grapes do not often end up in $12.99 grocery store wine (unless you are talking Aldi, Trader Joe's, or Costco). The Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 on the surface seems to be a bargain. A typical wine shop Sonoma Coast Pinot often starts at $20 to $25.As an Aldi wine, there is no information on the production techniques used in the making of the wine. The packaging is good, it has a composite cork but that is typical in this price range. The label is attractive with several shades of grey along with gold and red foil depicting vineyards, ocean, and mountains.Private store brands have improved their packaging in recent years to the point that you usually can not tell them apart from retail brands. So, let's head to the tasting section to see if the Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 is a worthy addition to your Thanksgiving table. The alcohol content is 13.9%.Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear see-thru garnet red with black highlights. The nose is ripe cherry, herbs, dried fall leaves, spice, a little smoke, and tea. This is a rounded silky Pinot upfront with some spikes notes on the mid-palate.It tastes of ripe black cherry, a touch of cream, Altoid's spice, and raspberry jam, but not sweet. The mid-palate adds herbs, black pepper, orange zest, and cranberry.This is a Pinot Noir with a little body to it, it is not one of those new full-bodied pinots that are currently popular. And it is not one of those light, ethereal Pinot Noirs, either. It is somewhere in the middle. The acidity is well-balanced, it does its job and stays out of the way.The Summary* The Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 20...
The El Castilla Syrah 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from grapes from Spain. The front label has almost no pertinent information on the origin of this Syrah.The label says Vino de Espana or Wine of Spain for the origin and the back label only mentions the bottler and not the producer. The bottler is a number and not a name so that does not help much.European wines are subject to all sorts of regulations concerning how the grapes are grown and how the wine is made, but the El Castilla Syrah 2019 seems to have somehow slipt through the cracks.This wine seems to be popular in Denmark and Singapore and a Danish wine shop mentioned online that a commune produced this Syrah. Do not be scared a commune has nothing to do with communism, it is a group of small farmers with vineyards that form a union to reproduce wine.These small individual farms do not have the acreage or money to start a winery, but together they have the grapes and capital to compete in the world of wine. Wine from communes tend to be affordably priced and Trader Joe's does sell wine from other co-ops.For a wine with no known winery or place of origin, the El Castilla Syrah 2019 has very nice packaging. The label is the colors white, black, and gold foil in an artsy design that is attractive. The bottle weighs a ton. It has a punt (the indentation on the bottom of the wine bottle) that is as substantial as a $50 bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.This wine has to be shipped to the United States from Spain, so why the extra weight which also means more expensive shipping? This is not a wine that anyone would put in a wine cellar for ten years. This is a buy it, take it home and drink it wine.This is a very curious wine, with zero expected information and packaging that goes beyond its $6.99 price tag. I do not know if this means anything, but in Singapore, the El Castilla Syrah 2019 sells for $26. The Singapore dollar is .74 of a US dollar. But then again I think everything thing more expensive in Singapore.Normally I would not buy a wine that has this little information available, I would figure that if they told me what was up I would not buy it. So I would believe them and not buy them. But I have come to trust Trader Joe's, they are a German company with strong European wine connections. Even if one of their selections is not my cup of tea or bottle of wine I am typically glad I gave it a try.So on to the tasting portion where we will find the true story of this wine. The alcohol content is 14.5%.El Castilla Syrah 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is see-thru raspberry jam with black highlights. The nose is brooding and interesting, there is ripe cherry, smoke from the BBQ, black pepper, spice, bitter dark chocolate, and baking spice. Very good aromas for a $6.99 wine.This is a medium-bodied Syrah, fruit-forward with interesting sub-flavors. It tastes of blackberry, sleek licorice, and chocolate all swirled together, but not sweet. those flavors are followed by plum, vanilla, and orange zest.The tannins are soft and sweet, but they are not completely missing as in most $6.99 Red wines. They are lurking in the background giving this wine a much-appr...
The Pontificis VRM White 2018 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Languedoc region of southeastern France. The VRM stands for the grape blend, 45% Viognier, 40% Roussanne, and 15% Marsanne.The name of this wine and the blend are basically a shout-out to the White wines of the Southern Rhone Valley. The Rhone Valley is famous for its blends, the GSM which is Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, along with this White blend.In the 1300s the Pope left Rome and set up shop in southern France. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the most famous wine of the Rhone Valley and it translates to the house (or fort) of the new Pope. The Pope and his people had a heavy thirst for wine and they kick-started the wine industry in the region that continues to this day.The Pontificis VRM White 2018 is produced by Badet Clement a large wine company centered in Burgundy that makes its own wines as well as brand wines. They seem to make several other Trader Joe's wines and possibly some ALDI wines. They produce 16,000,000 bottles a year, so they are a fairly large player.The Pontificis is not from the Rhone Valley, it is a Vin De Pays D'Oc wine indicating that it is sourced from grapes grown in the Languedoc region. The Vin de Pays designation is one step below the AOC category of wines. It means the wine is representative of the grapes of the region but was not subjected to all the AOC rules and regulations.The typical French White wine will be leaner, and sleeker than the typical California White wine. French wines made specifically for export will often incorporate a slightly more rounded style to appeal to American palates. They do give any information about the conditions during the vintage year of details of the production methods. But as a 2018 vintage, it would seem that the wine took a little extra time to come together. The usual $7.99 White wine is made to have 2019 as the current vintage. A 2018 vintage shows there may have been a more complex production. The alcohol content is 13%.Pontificis VRM White 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a fairly dark wheat yellow, it reminds me of a Chardonnay that has a good deal of oak barrel aging. The nose is crisp and clean, it reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc, though not as bold. There is peach, pear, lemon, tropical fruit, a little honey, and spring flowers.Drink this wine with a chill on it, not too cold you do not what to mask the flavors. The Pontificis VRM White 2018 is both sleek and firm and rounded and juicy, the flavors compete on your palate.It starts with green apple and pear, Meyer lemon, melon, and peach. The mid-palate has a slightly harder edge with dried citrus (nothing too juicy here), a touch of cream (did they stir the lees?), and tangerine.The acidity is nice, not quite lip-smacking good, but this is French, that is not their style. But the acidity allows the flavors to roll out and will get you reaching for another sip.The Summary There is a reason why this classic wine blend endure. You do not need a high-end expensive example to enjoy the pleasures of a Viognier, Pontificis VRM White 2018Roussanne, And Marsanne blend. The most eight dollar Trader Joe's get the job done. The Pontificis would work well as a Thanksgiving wine,
The Etienne Doue Brut Champagne is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir from a Grower/Producer (look for an RM somewhere on the label) sourced from estate vineyards near the town of Montgueux in the Aube section of Champagne in France.Étienne Doué is the father-daughter team of Étienne and Virginie. A Grower/Producer in Champagne is someone outside of the large established Champagne Houses, such as Dom Perignon or Moet Chandon to name a couple of the more famous Houses.A Grower/Producer may sell some of his grapes to the big guys but hold enough back to produce their own Bubbly. Etienne Doue goes a step further and is also Vigernon Independents which indicates they only grow, produce and sell their own wines. This is a small production, boutique Champagne..So you ask, why is Cheapwinefinder writing and talking (check out the companion podcast) about boutique Champagne? Well, because Grower/Producer and Vigernon Independent Champagne is often less expensive when compared to Bubbly from the big-name producers.I found these Bubbles for $31 and this is before Champagne goes on sale around the December Holidays. It may not exactly be cheap, but it is definitely a bargain. The big Champagne Houses do a masterful job of marketing. Their Bubbly is synonymous with luxury and prestige.These small Champagne producers can not compete with name recognition, but they can offer excellent, small-batch Bubbly at prices that beat the mass-produced Bubbly. It is not uncommon for the "entry-level" Champagne offerings from the famous brands to have yearly production runs of 1,000,000 bottles and use 100 or more vineyards.I am not complaining about those mass-produced bubblies, I would gladly drink any one of them. But the Etienne Doue Brut Champagne a level is exclusivity at a fair price that the big brands can not touch. If you are a cheap wine finder who loves Bubbly then look for the RM on the label for Grower/Producer.The Etienne Doue Brut Champagne (the actual name is Cuvée Selection, they also have a Reserve Selection) uses fairly straight-forward production methods. The first fermentation occurs in stainless steel vats as does the first aging period. Both the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir underwent Malolactic Fermentation.After first fermentation and aging the wine was lightly filtered, but not fined. That is a process where leftover yeast and grape residue are removed from the wine. Anytime you remove anything from the wine you also remove some flavor, producers try to remove just enough.The second fermentation, this is where the bubbles are formed occurs in each and every bottle. Wine from the 1st fermentation is bottled, then a measured amount of yeast and sugar is added. The wine is left for at least 18 months. The dead yeast is then removed, the bottle is topped off and the wine is brought up to the desired sweetness level. In this case, it is a Brut wine, meaning not sweet. The alcohol content is a balanced 12%.Etienne Doue Brut Champagne Tasting Notes
Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Not 2019 Lot #96The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 is a $14.99 Trader Joe's exclusive from vineyard(s) in the Santa Rita Hills AVA. Which is found inside the Santa Barbara County AVA in the southern section of California's Central Coast AVA.Santa Barbara County is situated one hundred miles north of Los Angeles in Southern California. It would be too hot for premium grape production, except the section where the vineyards are located jute out into the Pacific Ocean. There is an ocean to the north, south, and west, and those cool to cold ocean breezes allow Sanat Barbara to be a cooler growing region than much of Northern California.Santa Rita Hills is about 12 miles inland from the water near the coastal mountains and has very chalky soil that is unique to the region. This is a top-notch Pinot Noir AVA. I do not know if you keep up with the current hot, trends expensive wines, but Sea Smoke is from the Santa Rita Hills.So, the grapes seem to have impeccable credentials, so what is this Platinum Reserve wine all about. It is made by Bozzano and Company who make custom wine, lots of store brands, here is a link. It is a good business model if you are looking to start a wine business.There is a trend for wine shops, supermarkets, and restaurant chains to have their own unique wine produced especially for their business. These companies contract for a certain type of wine, in a set quantity, and at a particular price range. They pay upfront, the selling of the wine is solely up to the purchasing company. The deal is neat and clean and as long as the wine company delivers a good product the relationship can last for years.The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 is another entry in Trader Joe's current push to promote their wines in the $14.99 price range. The Fearless Flyer says the Platinum wines are equal to wine selling for twice and much and beyond.A quick check of Santa Rita Hills prices shows wines from twenty five dollars to over one hundred bucks. But is $14.99 a good price for a sort of young (2019 vintage) no-name Pinot Noir? There are $50 2019 Santa Rita Hills Pinots on the market, but most current vintages have a year or two more bottle age.A $14.99 wine is a fairly typical price in your local wine shop or even supermarket, but to is pushing the price envelope for Trader Joe's wine. That is why I think this Pinot Noir may well be a legitimate bargain. If TJ's is trying to get it's customers acclimated to going above the $9.99 price level they need to make it worth our while.They have gotten so good at offering fun, highly drinkable wines for bargain prices it will take some incentive to jump up in class. The Fearless Flyer mentions that this Pinot Noir has Cabernet Sauvignon-like qualities. The alcohol content is 14.4% which is stiff for a Pinot, so this Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 may be on the ripe side.The bolder style of California Pinot Noir is popular and while I prefer the more classic style,
The Amancaya Reserve Red Blend 2017 is a mix of 72% Malbec and 28% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from estate and contracted vineyards in the foothills of the Andes in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The grapevines are all 30 plus years old are situated between 2,600 and 4,600 feet in altitude.Amancaya is a joint project between Domaines Baron de Rothschild (Lafite) of Bordeaux fame and Nicolas Catena (Argentina) known as Bodega Caro. Both wine establishments have roots that go back to the 1800s are synonymous with quality wine.As a side story that is also related to this wine, Malbec was one of the main grape used in Bordeaux blends in the 1800s. In France, there was a wave of pest and disease attacks in the vineyards, whole vintages of certain grapes were wiped out. It got so bad that French winemakers went to Rioja in Spain to secure wine to replace the lost French wine.At some point the Bordeaux estates stopped planting Malbec, there were just too many disastrous years. The Malbec grape from the 1800s died out in France, they thought it was lost forever. That is until DNA tests showed that the Argentinean Malbec vines had originally come from Bordeaux.So the grapes for the Amancaya Reserve Red Blend 2017, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon, were always intended to be blended together. Malbec has grown in Bordeaux again but is typically a small part of the blend.The grapes are grown in Mendoza, Argentina, and are situated high enough in the mountains that they are above the line where pests and plant diseases exist. The vineyards get intense sunlight at moderate temperatures to go along with cool nights. The climate is very well suited to grow grapes.The Malbec had a shorter growing season than the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a rather traditionally produced Red blend, which is probably to be expected with two wine houses with a long history as Lafite and Catena.This Red Blend was aged in %0% French oak barrels and 50% concrete vats. If you think concrete is an odd choice for aging wine there are some significant advantages. The concrete walls of the vats are thick enough to insulate the container. Aging wine loves steady temperature and humidity and the thick-walled concrete vats achieve that at a far better level than a stainless steel tank or even an oak barrel. The alcohol content is 14%.Amancaya Reserve Red Blend 2017 Tasting NotesThe color a nearly opaque black cherdryred. The nose is dark and smokey, there is cherry and raspberry, spice, dark chocolate, vanilla, pepper, and a light herbal edge.This Blend has a soft yet firm mouthfeel with smooth balanced flavors. It starts with blackberry, licorice, and chocolate, followed by soft spice, black pepper and plum.The mid-palate adds blueberry with cream, some harder edged spice, a salty sensation, and orange zest. This is a wine with a very pleasing character, loaded with flavor and very balanced.The tannins stay out of the way and the acidity will have you smacking your lips and reaching for your glass, this is one of those wines that you do not need to be a top-notch wine expert to figure out that it is a very well-made Red blend.The Amancaya Reserve Red Blend 2017 Summary
Death Metal Red Vol. 6 2015 seems to be a $9.99 Whole Foods exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Castilla-La Mancha region of Spain. This Red is designated a Vino de la Tierra wine which is Spain's version of Vin de Pays from France or IGT from Italy.Cheapwinefinder reviewed the 2016 Death Metal Red Vol 1 back in February of 2018, it sold for $8.99 then. Which is somewhat confusing for sub ten dollar wine. The 2018 vintage is a 2016 and the 2020 version is a 2015 vintage? I could not any information on the blend of grapes featured with the Death Metal Red. It is produced by Lauren Rosillo, who is a well-regarded winemaker and expert in Spain, for WX Brands. WX Brands also owns Chronic Cellars which I also found at Whole Foods. Their brands are found at all sorts of wine outlets, not just Whole Foods.There is Death Metal Red Vol. 6 2015, along with Vol 1, 2,3, 4, and 5, but I am not sure if they are six different blends or one blend and 6 labels. There is at least a 2015 and a 2016 vintage, but beyond that, it is all a mystery.If this were a California Red wine I would be a little hesitant to drink a five-year-old $10 Red Blend. Value-priced wines from the West Coast are produced with methods to allow the wine to come together and reach its balance in a relatively short period of time.That method produces bright, fruit-forward wines that are extremely popular, but it does not lend itself to wine aging. In Spain, things are a little different. There are wines in Spain that are Mae along the lines of the value California wines.Not all Spanish wine regions produce grapes with soft tannins and gentle acidity, some indigenous Spanish grapes are going to need time to blend and balance. I would that the local version of Tempranillo is a component in this blend and that is a grape that ages well.Most American value-priced wine drinkers may not be used to drinking Red wine with some decent bottle age that may have more than the typical amount of tannins and acidity. On the plus side, the wine flavors and textures should be nicely melded together. Just do not expect usual California $9.99 red Blend. The alcohol content is 13%.Death Metal Red Vol. 6 2015 Tasting NotesThe color is clear, dark garnet red with some serious black highlights. The nose is dark and intense, there is blackberry, licorice, spice, light herbs, and some cold mocha coffee. This is a smooth sleek Red blend, easy to drink.It starts with extracted blackberry, bitter dark chocolate, mild spice, and black pepper. The mid-palate brings slightly sweet raspberry, orange zest, and a touch of cream. The tannins are smooth and the acidity is balanced, I guess the five years of age did their job.Death Metal Red Vol. 6 2015 Summary As I recall, I like Vol. 6 better than I did Vol. 1, it has been almost 2 years between sampling the two wines. But I recall that Vol. 1 was on the rough side. That is not a problem with Vol.6. If you shop Whole Foods you may well buy this Red for the label, but it is a wine well worth drinking.
The Chronic Cellars Pink Pedals 2018 is the last of our Halloween wines 2020 series. we feature a red blend, a Chardonnay, and now a Rosé. The Pink Pedals is sourced from contracted vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA and is a blend of 88% Grenache and 12% Syrah.The Chronic Cellars Pink Pedals 2018 label features a female skeleton bike rider on a pink bike with a skeleton dog in the front basket. Not spooky, scary it is actually pretty happy for a label featuring human bones. But, overall the label will fit in very well with the whole Halloween aesthetic.Chronic Cellars was started in 2008 by Jake and Josh Beckett who were part of the family behind Peachy Canyon wines. The brand became so popular they could not keep up with demand. As often happens with wine brands that go viral the founders have a hard time expanding the company.The problem seems to be that when a brand is hot and selling fast there are companies that want to buy for large sums of money. The original winery has to choose between borrowing money and going into debt to grow the brand or sell for some serious cash.There is a whole slew of popular wine brands that are owned by someone other than the originators. The Beckett brothers had roles at Chronic Cellars for several years and have recently returned to Peachy Canyon wines to run the family business.The Pink Pedals Rosé is a wine featuring Rhone Valley (southern France) grapes, for 2018 Grenache and Syrah, the 2019 vintage is 100% Grenache. It is fermented and aged in stainless steel vats.To oversimplify things, Rose' is Red wine made in White wine style. Red wine has a great deal of grape skin contact with the pressed wine juice. That is the reason for the dark red color along with other consequences.White wines much less grape skin contact and Rose' wine only has enough skin contact to get that pink color. Grape skin contains tannins and since the skins do not play a major role in White and Rose' wine, the tannins are greatly reduced. The alcohol content is 13.3%.Chronic Cellars Pink Pedals 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is an apricot pink with a hint of orange. The nose is subtle, clean, and crisp, there is strawberries in cream, black cherry, faint candy spice, and melon.The Chronic Cellars has a firm mouthfeel and sleek flavors, this is a dry wine, it is not light and fluffy like some value-priced Rose'. It tastes of Bosc pear, dried pineapple bits, green apple (core and all). The mid-palate brings a little cream, peach, and lemon.The acidity is the way I like it, enough to let the flavors unfold and get him reaching for another sip, but not enough to bite.The Summary The Chronic Cellars Pink Pedals 2018 proves my theory that you can reliably by wine by the label. When looking for a wine to feature for Halloween I figured out that I write-up so many skull and skeleton label wines that I did not leave too many for Halloween. If you are looking for a bold and juicy, but adult wine look for skeleton labels, it works. The Pink Pedals charms grow on you with every sip.* This tasty Paso Robles Rose' will look good at your Halloween party.
The Crestwood Barrel Riesling 2019 is a $5.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington State. And that is about as much as I know about the production details for this wine.For these store brands, I usually can go to the national trademark registry website to find out which wine company owns the brand name. But found that ALDI often owns the brand trademark themselves, that way they can change suppliers if they need to and keep the same brand.The back label does not say much. It mentions artisan winemaking and the best vineyards, which is nice but does not narrow things down much. Though Columbia Valley AVA is a great place for value-priced Riesling.The Mosel region of Germany is basically found zero for the Riesling grape and maybe the finest Riesling in the world originates from there. The vineyards are steep river valley hillsides that are strewn with pieces of slate. The minerals derived from the slate are an integral part of the flavor profile.There is not a great deal of slate in the Columbia Valley, but they do grow very flavorful Riesling grapes. Their Riesling wines often have a real farm fruit stand at harvest vibe about them.Riesling wines are often on the sweet side and even "dry" Riesling can be neutral sweet as opposed to sugar sweet. The Crestwood Barrel Riesling 2019 does not specify a level of sweetness. I would guess from reading the back label that it is off-dry.If a wine, and especially a White wine, has enough acidity it can balance out the sugar level in the wine. Sometimes figuring out if a Riesling is dry or is sweet is not so cut and dried.This is a 2019 vintage indicating that this is a young wine, without much aging ability. No need to buy it before you are ready to drink it. The alcohol content is 13.0%.Crestwood Barrel Riesling 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is very pale butter yellow. The nose is honey, green apple, tangerine, lemon hard candy, melon, and candy spice. I put a good chill on this Riesling and that added to the mouth-feel. This is a wine that is on the sweet side, but the acidity does level that out.It tastes of apple, orange blossom honey, lime, and Meyer lemon. The mid-palate offers tart grapefruit mixed with orange. The acidity is nicely balanced.The Summary The Crestwood Barrel Riesling 2019 is a solid value-priced Riesling. It is slightly on the sweet side but not too much. It has plenty of pleasing flavors and a nice balance. It sells for only $5.99, but it is a well-made, very drinkable Riesling.
denny-muller-BdsYLQKk71w-unsplash.jpgThe More Halloween Wines 2020 Part 2 for today is the Freakshow Lodi Chardonnay 2018. Freakshow is one of the brands from Michael and David Winery (Lodi, California), there is this Chardonnay, a Red blend, a Cab, and a Zin.Michael and David Phillips are 5th generation grape growers and their family has farmed in Lodi for one hundred and fifty years. Having vineyards and wineries that go back generations is fairly common in Lodi.In California, where fifty percent of the wine brands are not affiliated with their own winery or vineyards, Lodi wine is a throw-back to the early days.Lodi is seventy to one hundred miles inland from the Pacific Ocean which would typically be too warm to grow wine grapes. But luckily for Lodi, the San Pablo Bay which is the northern portion of the San Francisco Bay is far enough inland to funnel cool breezes thru an assortment of river valleys to reach the Lodi vineyards.Lodi is east and south of Napa and is part of the Central Valley AVA. It is not a cool growing region, it can get warm. But it does have a large temperature difference between average daytime temps and nighttime temps that help wine grapes thrive.The Freakshow Lodi Chardonnay 2018 is a More Halloween Wines 2020 Part 2 wine mainly from its name. The label artwork is more of a reference to old-time carnival sideshows. The colorful label here features the Mermaid Lady. Maybe not too scary but it does fit the theme.The grapes for the Freakshow came from Michael and David vineyards and are certified sustainably farmed. They did not go overboard in describing the wines production methods, but what they did say is interesting.For the fermentation process, half of the wine was fermented in new oak barrels and the other half in stainless steel vats for seven months. The barrels were eighty percent new French oak and twenty percent new American oak.One hundred percent new oak barrels is rare in this price range, I found it for around $14. You typically see a range of new and used barrels. A good barrel can cost $1,000 and for popular brands, you need a whole bunch of barrels.Reusing an oak barrel keeps costs down and since every time a barrel is used it imparts less oak influence into wine, it helps to get just the exact amount of oak flavoring into wine. All new barrels (and Mainly the more expensive French oak) is a luxury in this price range as is oak barrel fermentation as opposed to just oak barrel aging.Fifty percent of this Chardonnay also underwent Malolactic Fermentation, the converting of the natural tart acids to softer more rounded acids. This process is used in Chardonnay to help the wine balance with the oak flavoring. The alcohol content is mild by today's standards 13.5%.More Halloween Wines 2020 Part 2 Tasting NotesThe color is reminiscent of a wheat beer. The nose is light and delicate, there are apple and lemon, vanilla, orange blossom honey, buttered toast (just a hint), and coconut.This is a Chardonnay with a firm mouth-feel, solid acidity, and loads of flavor. It starts with a stew of apricot, green apple, and grapefruit,
The Poppy Monterey Pinot Noir 2017 is sourced from vineyards in the Arroyo Seco AVA inside of Monterey County in California's Central Coast AVA. Arroyo Seco translates to a dry riverbed and is located southeast of the Monterey Bay.This area is a deep valley close to the Pacific Ocean and has warm days cooled by afternoon winds off the ocean. It has a large differential between daytime temperature and nighttime temps that Pinot Noir grapes crave.The Poppy wine brand, the poppy is the California state flower, was founded in 2003 by the Silva Family who has 45 years of experience farming in Monterey. It the "house" brand for the Monterey Wine Company, founded in 2002.Half of the wine produced in California come from faux wine companies, meaning that they do not own their own vineyards or production facilities (a winery).The Monterey Wine Company provides a facility and services for these faux wineries. From crushing the grapes to bottling the finished wine they have you covered. If you ever feel the need to start your own wine brand give them a call.The Poppy Monterey Pinot Noir 2017 was fermented and aged with some lots of the Pinot Noir in stainless steel vats and others in French oak barrels. About halfway thru the fermentation and aging process, they rotate the wines. The oak fermented wine goes to stainless steel and the stainless steel gets transferred to oak barrels. The 2017 vintage is the current release and that tells you a bit about the production methods used to produce this Pinot. It is a young, drink-it-now wine, Poppy recommends drinking it with 4 years of release.If in 2020 a current release is a 2019 or 2018 vintage, that would indicate that the winemaker used techniques that would allow the wine to balance fairly quickly. A 2017 vintage in 2020 suggests more involved production methods that would need additional time for the wine to be ready for sale.It is not necessarily a difference of good or bad if a wine is made for faster release or has more extensive production. It is more of a stylistic difference, but I find I prefer Pinot Noir wines that need more time to balance.I am a fan of coastal California Pinot Noir and Monterey County has its share of excellent Pinot Noir producers. While they have many high0-end wineries, Monterey has a pretty good track record for making excellent affordable Pinot Noir. I found the Poppy Monterey Pinot Noir 2017 onside for $11.99. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Poppy Monterey Pinot Noir 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear, see-thru garnet red. The nose is very promising, there is bright, ripe cherry, with herbs, mushroom, oak spice, crushed fall leaves, black pepper, a little vanilla, and strawberry. A good Pinot Noir has a very unique aroma.This Pinot Noir has a silky smooth mouthfeel and a good bit of complexity on the palate. It starts with slightly tart cherry, a touch of tea, exotic spice, a little creamy vanilla, and strawberry. The mid-palate offers a rougher brush of spice, a salty sensation, and cranberry.The tannins do not interfere with the flavor profi...
For Halloween Wines 2020 Part 1 we are starting out with a budget-friendly Red blend, $7.99 at Trader Joe's. The Dearly Beloved I Thee Red 2018 sourced from vineyards in California's Central Coast AVA.Its claim to Halloween wine fame is an elaborate Day of the Dead skull on the front label. The bottle is tinted black glass the skull is painted on in red ink.I do not like wines that are made exclusively for a holiday. Except for a few specific wines, most wines will last in the bottle for a couple of years. So I am suspicious of a wine that is produced, with a holiday-specific label, that will reasonably only be on store shelves for a month at most.Is the wine made for you to drink or is it mainly a decoration? I figure if the wine in the bottle;e was any good they would sell it year-round and not try to cash in on an eye-catching holiday label.Luckily, for Halloween parties, there are a whole slew of wines with skull or skeleton themed labels along with other kinds of off-kilter labels. The Dearly Beloved wines, there are two Red blends ana a Chardonnay, all from the Central Coast AVA, all with variations of the Day of the Dead label.These wines are available on their website, see link in the first paragraph, for $12 for the Chardonnay and one Red blend and $14 for the other Red blend. Since TJ's sells this wine for $7.99 you can get a glimpse of the type of savings you can get from Trader Joe's.The I Thee Red 2018 is a blend of Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Sirah. It is sort of the greatest hits of California Red wine grapes. The grapes were fermented separately and then blended into the final blend.They do not mention what type of oak conditioning that they use for this blend, but the tasting notes mentioned chocolate and toasty vanilla. This suggests a blend of French and American oak were somehow used for this Red blend.The Dearly Beloved I Thee Red is included in our Halloween Wines 2020 Part 1 because it has been a reliably good wine. Cheapwinefinder has been reviewing Dearly Beloved wines since the 2009 vintage. So not only will this Red look the part at a Halloween party it will taste great, too. And since it is so inexpensive you can buy a few extra bottles.Halloween Wines 2020 Part 1 Tasting NotesThe color is a barely see-thru black cherry red. The nose is very fruit-forward with sweet ripe fruit aromas. There are ripe cherries, chocolate, spice, light herbs, raspberry, vanilla, with a hint of smoke.This is a medium-bodied red blend with smooth flavors balanced by tart spice and sour cranberry. It starts with a mix of blackberry and strawberry, then milk chocolate, toasted marshmallow (without the sugary sweetness), and spice.The mid-palate offers tart to sour cranberry, and a welcome bit of grip from the tannins. So many value-priced wines have had the tannins watered down. You do not want too aggressive tannins, that can disrupt your drinking pleasure. But slight tug from the tannins, just enough to let you know they are there are, I think, an essential component of Red wine.Halloween Wines 2020 Part 1 Summary* How does the Dearly Beloved I Thee Red 2018 measure up as a Hallow...
The Columbia Crest H3 Les Chevaux Red 2016 is a blend of Merlot, Syrah, and Malbec, (along with other Red varietals) sourced from vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills AVA (also known as H3) inside the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington State.The Horse Heaven Hills AVA is located east of Vancouver and west of the Walla Walla AVA and situated along the northern banks of the Columbia River. Like the name suggests early settlers found herds of wild horses in the area.Columbia Crest is the second label for Chateau Ste. Michelle. I have read that the Chateau Ste. Michelle's family of wines accounts for 50% of the wines produced in Washington. The Columbia Crest label was started in the early 1980s.Do not let Columbia Crest's 2nd label designation fool you, their wines have been featured in many "Best Of' lists and in 2009 one of their reserve wines, a Cabernet Sauvignon, was Wine Spectators Wine of the Year. Their wines may not be expensive, but they have a history of quality.This review is for the 2016 vintage, the 2017 vintage is also available. They changed the label completely for 2017, it went from a dark label to mostly white.The name Les Chevaux translates to "the Horse" in French. Columbia Crest does not go into great detail on the making of the Columbia Crest H3 Les Chevaux Red 2016. But they do mention a couple of important things.One thing that stood out is this Red Blend was aged in French and American oak barrels for twenty-two months. That is an impressive amount of oak conditioning for a wine I found on sale for under twelve bucks and I think is even cheaper at Costco.Most Red wines in the general $10 range are intentionally made to come together quickly. That typically means less oak barrel aging or maybe no oak aging at all. The rule of thumb with oak barrel aging and there are variables, is that the wine needs to age one month in the bottle of each month of aging in the barrel. This is not a hard, fast rule, but it gives you an idea of much aging a wine had, by how soon after harvest it was released for sale.Wines that can be released sooner are often less expensive than wines that need more time to develop. So a wine that has extensive (for the price point) oak aging is an excellent surprise.Winemakers have learned to do a commendable job of adding oak flavoring to wines that do not have a great deal of oak contact. But the one thing that they can not replicate is what happens to the wine it has been in barrel for almost two years. The melding of flavors can only come with time.The 2nd production detail that caught my eye is they only could name tree of the grapes in the blend, they simply said "along with other grape varietals", how do they not know what grapes they used? You would figure they would know something like that. It actually occurs fairly often in Red blends. There must be a reason for the uncertainty, some legalese, some state labeling requirements, who knows? The alcohol content is 14.5%.Columbia Crest H3 Les Chevaux Red 2016 Tasting Notes
The Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay 2019 is sourced from vineyards in Monterey County south of the San Fransico Bay inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Cupcake Vineyards is one of The Wine Groups' sixty-plus labels of wine.Check out the link above, their wines are available everywhere and I figure your local supermarket sells at least 10 of their brands. They say that over-all the quality of wine has never been better. The expensive wines have always been pretty good, it is the more affordable end of wines that have shown great improvement.Cupcake Vineyards is a "taste of the world" wine brand. The Pinot Grigio is from Italy, the Sauvignon Blanc is from New Zealand, and the Malbec is sourced from Argentina. The Prosecco is from Italy, the Cava is from Spain, and the Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay 2019 is from California's Central Coast.Monterey County is an interesting wine destination. The water off the Pacific Coast is some of the coldest in the whole ocean. The vineyards can be found in coastal areas, high altitude Mountain regions, valleys, plateau's, foothills, flat ground, and rolling hills, they have a little of everything.As a brand wine, that means the wines are not tied to a single winery or vineyard, there is not much information available about the making of this Chardonnay. They did offer a couple of pertinent details, first, this Chardonnay is oak barrel fermented. That is a production technique seldom seen in ten dollar Chardonnay. They actually do not mention any oak barrel aging.As a 2019 vintage wine, it could not have had too much aging of any kind. The second detail is the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. That is a process that changes the naturally occurring tart flavored acids in the wine to rounded, softer tasting acid. Almost all Red wines use malolactic fermentation and Chardonnay is one of the rare White wines to benefit from the process.It is typically used with wines that have some sort of oak conditioning. Central Coast, Monterey County grapes, barrel fermentation, and malolactic should make the Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay 2019 a solid example of California Chardonnay. The alcohol content is 14.1%.Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a clean, clear wheat yellow. You can often tell how much oak conditioning a Chardonnay had by the color, the deeper the yellow the more time in the barrel. It is hard to tell anything about the oak program with wine this young, 2019 vintage selling in 2020.The nose is apple, peaches, and pears, with butterscotch, a hint of butter, and lemon chiffon pie. This is a tasty little Chardonnay, creamy, and lightly buttery.It tastes of butter, apples, lemons, lime, soft spice, and tart grapefruit. I sometimes find the butter in certain Chardonnay to be a bit too much, but here it flows with all the flavors. The mid-palate brings a slice of Key West lime pie and apricot. The acidity is fine, it allows the flavors to get where they need to good and does not bite.The Summary The Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay 2019 is a well-made, tasty wine and a bargain. I found it for $8.99 and it is a solid Chardonnay. The Cupcake website that they have a female winemaker, Jessica Tomei. I am always kind of surprised when they make a...
The Mumm Napa Brut Prestige is a non-vintage blend of 45% Chardonnay, 45% Pinot Noir, and 10% Pinot Meunier and Pinot Gris. Those are the 4 main grapes approved for use in Champagne, France. There are actually a couple of other approved grapes but they are seldom used.Mumm has been in Napa since the 1970s and in Champagne, France since 1827. Since it is produced in Napa Valley it has to be called Sparkling wine and not Champagne. Only Sparkling wine produced in Champagne is entitled to be called Champagne, but Mumm Napa is made with legitimate Champagne know-how.To go off-topic for a moment, I want to talk about the three varieties of the Pinot grape that are included in the Mumm Napa Brut Prestige. Pinot is French for pinecone way back when the original vintners thought the grape cluster reminded them of pinecones. Pinot Noir means black pinecone, Pinot Gris (also known as Grigio in Italy) means grey pinecone. Pinot Meunier is a little more complicated.Meunier is the wheat dust left over when grinding wheat into flour. The grape leaves have white markings that the farmers thought looked like Meunier of wheat dust. There is also a Pinot Blanc grape that is not approved for use in Champagne and that translates to a white pinecone. I know, not all that exciting, it sounds better in French.The grapes for the Mumm Napa Brut Prestige came from forty-five growers throughout Napa. With fancy still wines fewer vineyards are seen as being better but that is not how it works with Champagne and Champagne-style wine. I know of a leading Champagne that uses up to one hundred different growers from different parts of Champagne.In fact, mosy Champagne Houses do not have much in the way of vineyard holdings. If they do own a vineyard those grapes go into their most upscale Bubbly. Many longterm contracted vineyards in the norm.This is a Brut Sparkling wine which means it is dry and not sweet. Sparkling wines are fermented twice and the Mumm Napa Brut Prestige was fermented in both stainless steel vats and French oak barrels. The wine aged in stainless and wine aged in oak take on different characteristics, So the Mumm Napa well feature a blend of both.The second fermentation, which occurs in each and every bottle, lasts an average of 18 months. That is also the minimum aging requirement in Champagne, France. After the dead yeast is removed from each bottle and the dosage is added to achieve the desired sugar level and acidity, the wine is aged an additional three months before release.This is a Napa Valley Sparkling wine that is very much made in the Champagne tradition. A leading wine magazine gave this Bubbly 91 points and Wine Spectator named #54 in the top wines of 2014, it is a non-vintage so it should be essentially the same wine in 2020. The alcohol content is 12.5%.Mumm Napa Brut Prestige Tasting NotesThe color is a mix of platinum and gold, with plenty of tiny energetic bubbles. The nose is crisp apple, lemon, yeasty bread, light Christmas spice, a whiff of vanilla, peach, and pear, along with dried pineapple bits.This is a delicious Bubbly with bright, but balanced acidity. The flavors are nicely mingled together, on first sip nothing stands out just this tasty stew of flavors.Then on the next sip, there is crisp,
The LÉGENDE Bordeaux Blanc 2019 is 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Sémillon sourced from a vineyard in the Entre-deux-Mers region of Bordeaux in southewest France. 90% of the wines produced in Bordeaux are Red but Entre-duex-Mers accounts for 90% of the White wine.The LÉGENDE is a brand owned by Domaines Barons De Rothschild (LAFITE) which is part of Taub Family Selections. Ninety-Five percent of the LÉGENDE wines ( they have a full line of Bordeaux wines from various regions inside Bordeaux) are exported out of France.All but one of the LÉGENDE wines use grapes sourced from contracted vineyards and not Lafite estate vineyards. This allows these wines if a significant pedigree to be affordable. The Blanc lists for $19, but a check of the web showed prices from $12 to $18.Bordeaux calls their White wine simple "Blanc" which translates to is French for White. They do not show Sauvignon Blanc on the label, though they do show the grapes and the percentages on the back label.Sauvignon Blanc is an extremely popular White wine and the Bordeaux version is extremely attractive. But I find that the average American wine drinker does not know Border Blanc means Sauvignon Blanc.One major difference between Bordeaux Blanc and other Sauvignon Blanc is Bordeaux's addition of the Sémillon to the mix. Sémillon rounds out the Sauvignon Blanc and mutes some of Sauv Blancs "spikey" flavors. While adding delicious complimentary flavors.The LÉGENDE Bordeaux Blanc 2019 may have a fancy name, but it is a young drink-it-now wine meant to be consumed now rather than later. It was fermented and aged," on lees", in stainless steel tanks, no oak barrels. Not unlike make Sauvignon Blanc in this price range, but you will find this Sauv Blanc to have a different character from the typical value-priced Sauvignon Blanc."On lees" is important in White wine, it means that the dead, spent yeast and grape residue are left in the tanks while aging. The lees are stirred on a schedule based on what effect the winemaker desires and often gives the wine a nutty, salty sensation. The alcohol content is 12%, many Sauv Blancs from other growing areas will show 13.5% or more. It is a very French style to have lower alcohol and not always easy to achieve with global warming issues.LÉGENDE Bordeaux Blanc 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is pale lemon yellow. The nose is very pleasing, it made me smile. There are notes of peach, pear, pineapple, lemon, lime, and grapefruit, with ripe apple, citrus spice, and papaya.This is a Sauvignon Blanc with excellent acidity and rich varied flavors. It tastes of grapefruit, unsweetened pineapple, green apple, lime, and slightly sour peach. The mid-palate adds tropical fruit salad, that salty on lees thing, and a slight creamy sensation. The acidity will have you reaching for the next sip before you know it.The Summary The LÉGENDE Bordeaux Blanc 2019 is a classy Sauvignon Blanc. It will have you wondering why more winemakers do not add in Sémillon.
The Trader Joe's Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, the actual name on the bottle is Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Lot #97. The name was too long to fit in the title section.Trader Joe's features an array of Napa Valley sub-AVA Cabernets. I saw Atlas Peak, Yountville, Spring Mountain in addition to Oakville. All sell for $14.99. A typical Nappa sub-AVA starts at $24 to $30 and goes up.I picked the Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon because Oakville is the home of Screaming Eagle, a 100 point Red that sells for thousands of dollars. This Trader Joe's wine is not Screaming Eagle, but Oakville is not that big, the vineyard these grapes came from was not that far from the Screaming Eagle vineyard.I do not know which vineyard or vineyards the grapes for Lot #97 came from, but we do know who made the wine. Precision Wine Company offers 11 different wine brands, one of them, Technique, is sold at Trader Joe's. They offer an Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon under their own label that lists for $48, so they know their way around Napa wines.This is a 2018 vintage wine which means it is a drink-it-now wine that has had almost two years of aging. We do not know what sort of oak barrel aging treatment the Trader Joe's Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 had. Not knowing key production facts is one of the reasons this wine sells for such a low price for an Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon.With the expensive Napa Cabs who the cooperage was and which forest in France supplied the oak important features. Which vineyard supplied the grapes, which famous winery, and which rockstar winemaker was involved are the details that lead to coveted wines and super high price tags.With Trader Joe's Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, we don't know any of that. We do know that Oakville is a load production wine, less than 5,000 cases (12 bottles to a case) and the grapes came from a premium vineyard. We know that because that is the only type of vineyard they have in Oakville.Knowing we are getting a wine made from great grapes is all we really need to know. Trader Joe's has enough of a history and a reputation that we expect solid winemaking techniques. Add great grapes to that along with a low price and you have the makings of a bargain.Trader Joe's says this Cabernet Sauvignon under a retail wine label would sell for $30. They do not typically over-sell their wines so if they say it is a thirty dollar wine I believe them. The alcohol content is 15%.Trader Joe's Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is deep, dark, opaque purple. The nose is smokey, spicey, dark, and brooding. There are extracted blackberry, black licorice, black pepper, mushroom, herbs, exotic spice, slow-cooked BBQ in a smoker, and sweet chocolate. The nose is worth the cost of the bottle.This is a drink-it-now wine, it shouldn't need decanting, but give the wine plenty of time to open up. This is a sleek, rich Cabernet that is full of flavor. It tastes of blackberry mixed with slightly sweeter blueberry, slightly bitter dark chocolate, a hint of green pepper,
The Trader Joe's Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2019 is actually Carneros Napa Valley Lot #204. There is a Lot #205 which I imagine is from a different producer. Some Trader Joe's get the 204 and others get the 205, both are $9.99.Carneros is an interesting AVA, it is located half in Sonoma and half in Napa. If the vineyards are on the Napa side you almost always see Napa shown on the label. Sonoma side vineyards just say Carneros, which shows you the name recognition for Napa,The San Pablo Bay, which is the northern part of the San Fransico Bay defines the southern border of Carneros. Without the Bay, Carneros would be too far inland and too warm to be a premier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing region. But with the Bay providing cold Pacific winds Carneros is home to many high-end wineries and vineyards.The Trader Joe's Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2019 is a young, drink-it-now wine. As a 2019 vintage, the grapes were picked about a year ago, which does not leave much time for fermentation and aging. Young wines are not common in Carneros, as a premier wine location they prefer to offer higher-end wines.This is a $9.99 2019 vintage wine, but if a Carneros winery produced a Chardonnay to ready a year later, the 2018 vintage, they can easily charge twice the price. There is not much incentive to offer a ten buck young Carneros Chardonnay.That is where a store like Trader Joe's comes in handy. TJ's is good at finding grapes from some of the best growing areas but turned into wine with value-priced wine production methods. Young wines do not experience complicated production techniques, they let the qualities of the grapes shine through.When you have grapes from an expensive growing region, such as Carneros, letting the qualities of the grapes shine is a good thing. It is not common to find Carneros Chardonnay at a bargain price.The back of the bottle says this wine was vinted and bottled by Avid Winery, which may be related to Avid Vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA, they are both headquartered in the same town. Avid is a producer of expensive, boutique Pinot Noir.There are clues that whoever made this wine for trader Joe's is a high-end producer. The bottle is heavy this is no inexpensive eco-bottle and the cork is an actual cork. I save my corks, for some reason, so I can verify that under twenty dollar wines almost never use real cork, it is always a composite or some plastic thing.Wineries that are used to producing value-priced wines have cheaper bottles and corks in stock. The boutique wineries use what they have on hand.The only tasting notes available for the Trader Joe's Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2019 is a sentence on the front label. It gives very little detail but does mention oak as a flavoring. That usually means a little spice and some vanilla. The alcohol content is a ripe 14.6%.The Trader Joe's Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is pale golden yellow. The Chardonnay you can often tell how much oak aging the wine had by how deep the color is. This is a moderate yellow. The nose is a mix of lemon, melon, apple, and spice, along with unsweetened pineapple, a whiff of butter, and a little tropical fruit.This is smooth well-balanced Chardonnay with a nice mix of fruit-forward and tart flavors. It starts with peach, pear, and Golden Delicious apple, a touch of spice, and a little grapefruit.
The Aruma Malbec 2018 is a joint project between Nicolas Catena and Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) of Bordeaux fame. Both represent families that have been in the wine trade since the 1800s.They created Bodegas Caro is 1999 which is dedicated to growing high altitude (the vineyards 3,000 feet above sea level) focusing on Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Malbec was once a prominent wine in Bordeaux. Problems with disease and pests over the years have led to a decline in Bordeaux Malbec.None of the issues that plagued French Malbec exist high up in the Andes foothills. Argentinean vineyards are planted above the line where pests can flourish and the mountain plateaus provide plenty of uninterrupted, intense sunlight.The days can be quite warm and the mountain nights are very cool which provides the grapevines ideal conditions. Heat up during the day, calm down and cool down at night, then repeat.Aruma, which translates to "Night" in the local indigenous language is Bodegas Caro's entry-level offering. I think it lists for $15 and should be found at a high volume wine shop for $12 to $13.This Malbec is produced in the drink-it-now style, meaning drink it when you buy it. It will not necessarily improve with age if you cellar it, so it is not wise to wait to drink it.Aruma Malbec 2018 is fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in cement tanks. It has enough intense flavor and natural tannins that it does need oak barrel conditioning. Cement tanks keep the wine at a constant temperature, they are less affected by outside temps than steel tanks or wooden barrels.Wine loves to be aged at constant temperature and humidity which is why caves are seen at the ideal place to store wine. I always find value-priced wines produced by wineries that focus on more expensive offerings to be interesting. They seem to have a different philosophy than wine made by value-wine producers. The alcohol content is 14.5%.Aruma Malbec 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a seriously dark raspberry red. The nose is ripe blackberry, black pepper, plum, and soft spice. This Malbec has extracted focused flavors.It starts with rich blackberry, and licorice, black tea, pepper, and soft spice. The mid-palate adds tart cranberry, slightly sweet blueberry, and some dusty tannins.This is one of those wine that with your first glass you think, "this wine is nice." With the second glass, you think, "this wine is very nice." The flavors seem to bloom as the wine opens up.The Summary* The Aruma Malbec 2018 is an excellent value-produce Malbec. There is plenty going on in the glass, you will not miss the lack of oak barrel aging.
The Taymar Russian River Chardonnay 2019 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's exclusive produced for them by DNA Vineyards who have made some of the best TJ's wines over the years. DNA Vineyards is Dennis Patton and Andrea Silverstein. Dennis has been a leader in the Mendocino wine industry for forty years and Andrea has been in the industry for 25 years and a part of DNA Vineyards since 2008. Here is a link to DNA Vineyards showing their Trader Joe's wines and their own wines.The Russian River Valley AVA is a premier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing region. The Russian River started out following east-west but long ago a massive earthquake caused the river to take a sharp right turn going north, It now runs thru Sonoma and Mendocino to the Washington State border.While DNA Vineyards has long been a Mendocino based wine company they purchased a vineyard in the Sonoma Russian River AVA in 2012. The Taymar Russian River Chardonnay 2019 is not sourced from their estate vineyard, but the grapes are taken from a single well-known Russian River grower.The Taymor is a 2019 vintage which would categorize this Chardonnay as a young wine. You could probably wait 2 or 3 years to drink this Chard, but the sooner the better. waiting will not yield better results it is ready to go, right now.One of the fun things about Trader Joe's wines is that you get to sample wines from top-notch growing regions at an extremely low price. Russian River Valley AVA Chardonnay does not sell for $7.99. At this price, it probably was not produced with the exact same techniques as a $20 Russian River Chardonnay. It was made to a drink-it-now style, but it was made with the same grapes as the more expensive wines.The difference between a $10 wine and a $20 wine is not a good or bad situation. Drink-it-now style wines have less complicated production and are designed to come together quickly and be ready for sale sooner than more complicated wines.It is the difference in style that causes the difference in price. not a good wine, bad wine thing. Wines are in the drink-it-now everyday style are the largest selling wines in the world. The reason is not simply the lower price. There are a great many drink-it-now wines that are truly tasty.So, the Taymar Russian River Chardonnay 2019 seems to be a wine made from grapes that usually make it into more expensive wines but now are made in a more affordable style. It gives you a taste of what the Russian River Chardonnay is all about without the price tag. The alcohol content is a ripe 14.3%.Taymar Russian River Chardonnay 2019 tasting NotesThe color is a very pale wheat yellow. You can sometimes tell how much oak barrel aging a Chardonnay has by how dark the yellow coloring is. A $7.99 Chardonnay does not figure to have an extensive oak program if oak barrels were used at all. The nose is really nice, this has one of those fruit stands at harvest aromas, there is apple, peach, pear, lemon, lime, even banana, and a little tropical fruit, all bright and juicy.This is a Chardonnay with an engaging mouthfeel and full, husky flavors. It tastes of a stew of apple, melon, and lemon, followed by peach. The mid-palate offers vanilla, a salty, nutty sensation, pear, and guava.
The La Burgondie Brut Rosé is an $11.99 Trader Joe's import Sparkling wine made in the Traditional Method with grapes farmed in the Burgundy region of France. This is a Cremant which is French for Sparkling wine or Bubbly.The grapes used in this Cremant are 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Gamay. If you are not familiar with Burgundy the southernmost growing region is Beaujolais which produces wine with the Gamay grape. The northernmost region is Champagne, which, well, you know what they are famous for.Burgundy, in the middle, is the home of some of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the world. The La Burgondie Brut Rosé is made with the same production techniques as Champagne. With that method, the final fermentation, where the bubbles are created, occurs in each and every bottle. An important difference between Champagne and Cremant is that the 2nd fermentation must last at least 18 months in Champagne, while this Cremant is only required to have 9 months of aging. Winemakers will often age their wines beyond the minimum.Trader Joe's import wines can often have mysterious patronage, but we know who produced this Bubbly. Bailly-Lapierre is a group of 430 grape growers who have been producing Cremant since the 1970s. They are very well regarded and produce 3,500,000 bottles of Bubbly per year.Trader Joe's has a price advantage over the typical wine retail shop. For one thing not only is Trader Joe's nationwide store in the US, but it is also ALDI Nord (North) is Europe and other places. They have an almost worldwide sales reach. Wine shops are usually confined to a city or a state. Supermarket chains can have a larger reach, but they do not typically focus on their own brands.Trader Joe's does not advertise or market their products other than the in-house Fearless Flyer and their distribution costs are reduced. I do not have information on every deal they have with wineries, but they often pay for the wine on delivery which allows them to negotiate a better price.The La Burgondie Brut Rosé at $11.99 may well be the equivalent to a Sparkling wine with a price closer to twenty dollars. It is difficult to make exact comparisons, but Bailly-Lapierre sells a Brut Rose' under their own label that lists for $24. How similar that wine is to the La Burgondie isn't clear.What is known is that Burgundy is an outstanding location for Pinot Noir grapes and this Sparkling wines producer makes quality wine. A Brut Buubly is wine talk for a dry or not sweet wine and the alcohol content is 12%.The La Burgondie Brut Rosé Tasting NotesThe color is Barbie doll pink with a hint of amber and the bubbles are plentiful. The nose is strawberry seltzer, ripe black cherry, faint crusty bread, and cherry hard candy.This is a crisp, delicate Bubbly, with excellent acidity. It tastes of tart, slightly sour cherry, a hint of vanilla, nectarine, and just a touch of yeasty bread. The mid-palate adds sharp cranberry, a little spice, cherry cough drops, and salt.For a Bubbly that has very light and delicate flavors, it is especially tasty and the acidity calls you to take another sip.The Summary* The La Burgondie Brut Rosé is a very controlled Bubbly.
The Lange Twins Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 is an Estate grown Zinfandel sourced from vineyards in the Lodi AVA of California's Central Valley. The Lange Twins are identical twins Brad and Randall Lange, their family have farmed in Lodi since the 1870s and first purchased vineyards in 1916.They are the 4th generation farming grapes with the 5th generation also part of the family business. It is not uncommon for Lodi wineries and vineyards to trace their roots back to the 1800s. While it is not unheard of in other California growing regions, it is almost typical for Lodi.The term "Old Vine" is not a legal definition the usual interpretation is 40 years plus. But in Lodi, many vineyards survived Prohibition because the Catholic Church had an exemption for communion wine. The Church went through a great deal of wine, but the authorities looked the other way.The White Zinfandel craze of the 1960s, it was a semi-sweet Rose' wine, caused many Zinfandel vineyards to be planted to keep up with demand. Those vineyards may not have been highly regarded at the time they have become but after 60+ years they are sought after vineyards.So, why "Old Vines"? The simple and short explanation is grapes need to struggle to develop complexity. Some of the best vineyards in the world are situated on land that provides the bare minimum of nutrition and water for the vines to survive and thrive. Older grape vines struggle they same way older folks have a harder time doing what they did in their younger days.The 2017 vintage in Lodi was the first one after California's extended drought and the late summer and early fall were extremely warm. So the grapes had a long growing season. For most grapes a long growing season is a very good thing, it allows the grapes to fully ripen with the most complexity.This Zinfandel was taken from the Lange Twins best performing vineyards. The wine was aged in mainly American oak barrels. They did not specify the length of aging, but the 2017 vintage is the current vintage, so it has had a pretty good amount of age for a wine that lists at $15 and I found for $12.99. The alcohol content is 15%.The Lange Twins Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 Tasting NotesThe color some serious purple with a clear halo. The nose is raspberry and spice, blackberry and black pepper, cold mocha coffee, and French vanilla. This is a full-flavored Zinfandel, half sophisticated and half rustic, kind of how I like it.The Lange Twins Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 tastes of a stew of blackberry and licorice, plum and herbs, and a slap of spice. The mid-palate shows raisin spice, chocolate powder, tart cranberry, and ripe strawberry. The tannins do not get in the way (they rarely do in modern value wine) and the acidity allows the flavors to unfold. There is a soft, rounded mouthfeel that contrasts well with the tart flavors and the shocks of spice. The finish is full and long.The Summary The Lange Twins Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 is an excellent Zinfandel. There are some great Zinfandel producers in other parts of California that mainly produce up-scale Zins. They have great reputations and deservedly so. But I like my Lodi Zinfandel.* Not only are they usually less expensive, but I am a fan of the Lodi style. That is not to say the Lodi ZIns are all the same, they are not.
The Riff Pinot Grigio 2019 is an organic inexpensive (around ten bucks) Pinot Grigio sourced from vineyards in the Delle Venezie DOC of northern Italy. The vineyards are situated in the Dolomites which are part of the Southern Alps Mountain Range.The Delle Venezie is a White wine grape growing region and they grow as many German grape varietals and Italian varietals. Alto Adige is included in this region and it is considered the prime Pinot Grigio region. Riff Pinot Grigio is a brand from Aldis Lageder and this is a certified organic wine everywhere except the United States. It is a wine made from organically grown grapes but their certification paperwork in the US has not been completed.This Pinot Grigio is also vegan and vegetarian friendly. If you wonder why would something made from grapes not be vegetarian? Wineries traditionally "fined" the wine with egg products. To "fine" the wine is to remove the solids in the finished wine. Vegetarian-friendly wine uses minerals to fine the wine.The Riff Pinot Grigio 2019 is a "young" wine, meaning a wine with just a little aging and meant to be consumed shortly after purchase. The website says if properly stored it will last two to three years, but I think it is best not to wait.As a young wine is was fermented in stainless steel vats and then aged for about four months (on lees). On lees is an important White wine term, it means the dead yeast and grape residue is left in the tank while aging. The "lees" are stirred to give the wine a creamy texture. Stirred a little, not so much, stirred a lot, very creamy. On lees also adds a nutty, salty flavor. The alcohol content is 12.5%.Riff Pinot Grigio 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a very pale wheat yellow. The nose is fresh and delicate, there is lemon, melon, green apple, peach, Anjou pear, light spice, and dried pineapple bits. This is a light, but tasty Pinot Grigio with mouth-watering acidity.It tastes of a mix of peach, grapefruit, lemon, and apple, the flavors make a nice stew. The mid-palate shows some of that nutty, salty thing from the on lees, a hint of spice, and juicy pear. The acidity does not bite, I have had value Pinot Grigio where the acidity can burn, but it well controlled here.The Summary The Riff Pinot Grigio 2019 is a fine everyday Pinot Grigio. Maybe not as intricate as the more expensive Alto Adige Pinot Grigio, but not too far off, either. It has that acidity I like that gets you reaching for the next sip sooner than you think.* This Pinot Grigio has a very "clean" flavor profile.
The 30 Miles Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ALDI is a $14.99 store exclusive. That is about all I know about this wine. I can usually do some sleuthing and figure out who made Trader Joe's wine. But ALDI does things a little differently.With Trader Joe's wines, I can do a trademark search and find out which producer holds the trademark. That does not completely tell me who made the wine, but it is a start, a solid clue. ALDI owns the trademark for their wines. They can change wineries if conditions and costs change and still keep the wine brand they have promoted for years.I was hesitant to pay 15 bucks for an ALDI wine, but their $19.99 Champagne was one of my favorite wines from 2019. Typically an $8 dollar store brand is the equivalent to a $10 to $12 retail wine. The difference between an $8 to $12 can be significant. Taking a chance on a store brand that you know nothing about is a good, safe bet at that price point.The difference between a $15 wine and a $20 is not always noticeable. Sometimes it is a higher status AVA or a more established winery, but the wines themselves do not have that many changes. So a $15 store brand, with zero available production information needs to be significantly better than the competition to take the leap of faith.I have had pretty good luck with ALDI wine so that means something. But what can we figure out about this Napa Cab? It is a 2017 vintage which is a decent amount of aging for this price range. The front label only says "Napa" and not a sub-AVA so it seems to be sourced from more than one Napa AVAIf a wine is sourced from Napa grapes you could show California as the place of origin. A winery wouldn't do that it makes no marketing sense, but they could. They can use a more broad location if they wish, but not a more narrow one if it is not warranted. There is a Cabernet Sauvignon grape glut in Napa and Sonoma that is further aggravated by the COVID 19 crisis shutting down restaurants and large gatherings. The major outlets for expensive Cabs are closed off for 2020. You can keep most of these Cabernet Sauvignons aging for another year, but then you start stacking up next year's release.The economic troubles of 2008 caused pressures on the wine industry that helped Trader Joe's make their reputation with wines sold off for a quick cash infusion. Is the 30 Miles Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ALDI a product of the Napa Cabernet glut? It seems to have been released sometime in 2019 (my ALDI only recently stocked this wine), but since ALDI owns the Trademark is this a different newer version? Do not know, just hope it is worth the higher price. The alcohol content is 14.3%.30 Miles Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ALDI Tasting NotesThe color is a pretty, shimmering black cherry red. The nose is ripe dark berries, spice, dark chocolate, plum, black pepper, and oaky vanilla. This is a silky, smooth Cabernet, sleek and fruit-forward, with interesting spice accents.It tastes of blackberry, vanilla, creamy chocolate, exotic spice, licorice, and juicy plum. The mid-palate offers blueberry, tea, and orange zest. This is a very balanced wine, all the transitions are smooth and the flavors flow seamlessly into each other. The tannins are sweet and the acidity does its job well.
The Deep Valley Red Blend 2018 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in Mendocino County. Deep Valley is not an AVA inside Mendocino, it is a local name for the region around the town of Ukiah.This Red blend, Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Syrah, was produced by the custom wine department of one of the oldest wineries in Mendocino. Since they didn't put their name on this wine I won't name them, but there is a national trademark registry website that lists the owner of brand names.Just because a well-known winery made a custom wine for a store such as Trader Joe's does not mean that the wine is something the winery would sell under their own name. Often the style of wine and the price point is dictated by the customer. The Custom wine department is making wine to the customer's specifications, The wine can be very different from their usual offerings, though I expect the quality to stay the same.Mendocino is north of Sonoma County and west of Lake County in the North Coast AVA. The coastal vineyards produce fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, while the more inland valleys are known for Bordeaux and Rhone-style grapes.Normally I would think that $5.99 is a little too cheap for a full-bodied Red wine. But Trader Joe's has some price advantages over retail store wines. There is no advertising and marketing budget, they do not need the full distribution services, and they often pay for the wine upfront, which will get you a discount. So a Trader Joe's wine will match up with a retail wine selling for several dollars more.There is not any technical information available for the Deep Valley Red Blend 2018, but the back label says it is rich and bold and suggests pairing with stews and grilled steak. It is a 2018 vintage which would indicate it did not have extended oak aging, not that you would expect that at this price point.I read in Wine Folly that Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Syrah are some of the least expensive grapes to buy. They can make great wines, it is just that the demand is less than grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Seeing less expensive to buy but good quality grapes in an inexpensive Red blend is a good sign. They cut costs but in a way that does not affect quality. The alcohol content is 14.5%.Deep Valley Red Blend 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a barely see-thru black cherry red. The nose is bright red and dark berries, slightly herbal, with black pepper, oak spice, and spearmint. This is a fruit-forward and lightly spicy red blend.It starts with a mix of extracted blackberry and sweet/sour raspberry, followed by chocolate, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds ripe, soft plum, sharp spice, and black cherry. This a food wine, it sips fine, it isn't a delicious wine, but it tastes fine. But it will balance nicely with burgers, pizza, burritos, and such.The Summary The Deep Valley Red Blend 2018 is a legit $5.99 food wine. This is a sort of wine that you can pair with good carry-out food.* Or just drink it, it is a solid Tuesday night just because wine.
The Fleur de Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. If Napa Valley is not your first thought when you think of American Sauvignon Blanc, that is ok because Napa has concentrated on the other Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon.But back in the 1960s, Robert Mondavi kick-started they whole Sauvignon Blanc craze with a wine he called Fume Blanc. The story I heard is that he could not sell his Sauvignon Blanc wine, nobody knew what it was. So he gave it a name change and promoted the wine until it caught on. So if you are a Sauv Blanc fan you can thank Mr. Mondavi for his efforts.This is a Trader Joe's own brand wine so the who, what, when, and where of this wine is not known. There is a National Trademark Registry website that you can Google to find. You may be able to find who holds the Fleur de Napa trademark, but with brand wines that do not always tell you who actually produced the wine.The store itself or a third party may own the name. That way if they build a following for the brand they can keep it going if there is a contract dispute with the winery or they need to keep costs in check.The Fleur de Napa Sauvignon Blanc is 2019 vintage which indicates that this is a "young wine" meaning that it had a fairly short aging period and is made to be consumed near the time it was purchased. Cellaring this wine or waiting a few months before drinking will not improve it. With young wines, the sooner is the better.A quick check of the web showed a typical Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc selling in the $15 range. Since it does figure that the vineyards used for those wines are likely the same vineyards used for the Fleur dr Napa, this wine is we;;-priced at $6.99.These young Sauv Blancs are simply produced wines, they do not need fancy techniques and complicated aging. Take good grapes, keep the winemaking simple and Sauvignon Blanc wines can shine bright. The alcohol content is 14%.Fleur de Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a fairly clean, shiny, wheat yellow. The nose is a very pretty, bright tropical fruit, peach, pear, apple lime and lemon, with a touch of fresh spice. This Sauv Blanc has a syrupy mouth-feel, it has some weight on the palate.It tastes of a mix of grapefruit, green apple, and peach, there is a salty sensation (aged for a while "on lees"?), stone fruit, a light grassy flavor, and lime from a Gin and Tonic. The acidity is good, not quite lip-smacking good, but close. You will be reaching for another sip before you know it.The Summary Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Calley, $6.99, what else do you need to know. A great drink-it-now, Tuesday night wine. The Fleur de Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 drinks like a more expensive (young) Sauv Blanc, but is bargain priced.
The Eola Hills Classic Pinot Noir 2017 is sourced from 7 vineyards in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Four Eola Hills Wine Cellars estate vineyards along with three others. Actually the technical information for this wine is for the 2016 vintage their website is still selling the 2014 vintage and they have not done an update.I found this Pinot Noir on sale at Whole Foods, it is typically found in the $18 range but was featured for $12.59. I am a huge fan of Willamette Valley Pinot noir and an even bigger fan of bargain-priced Willamette Valley Pinot noir.Eola Hills Wine Cellars was founded in 1982 and started producing wine in 1986. Over the years some of the best winemakers in Oregon have worked there. The current winemaker, Steve Anderson, has held that post since 2000.The Willamette Valley is located on the eastern side of the Oregon Coastal Mountains. The Eola Hills winery is found in the Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVA which is located in the center of the Willamette Valley. There are gaps in the mountains that allow cool to cold air to blow in and make what is essentially a desert, a great place for grapevines.The tag line for the Eola Hills Classic Pinot Noir 2017 is "everyday extraordinary, I am not so sure a wine that sells for $18/$19 is everybody's idea of everyday wine. But a first-rate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir can be extraordinary.Since the technical notes are out of date and the 2016 vintage notes are vague I can't say too much about how they made this wine. They mention a few months in an oak barrel, but nothing more in-depth than that. The main fact of interest this that this is 2017 and in 2020 seems to be the current vintage.Since this Pinot Noir does not seem to have extended barrel aging, it does have extended bottle aging. Value-priced wines are designed to come together quickly so they are ready to be sold sooner rather than later. The Eola Hills Classic Pinot looks have been designed to be ready to sell when the time was right and not before. The alcohol content is 13.9%.Eola Hills Classic Pinot Noir Tasting NotesThe color is a very pretty, see-thru garnet red. The nose is red berries and rich spice, French vanilla, sour cherry, and faint chocolate. This is a silky smooth Pinot noir with very cool Pinot Noir funky edges.It tastes of slightly sour cherry, black pepper, exotic spice, sweet ripe plum, and dark chocolate. The mid-palate adds orange zest, cranberry, and another late slap of spice. This is not one of those ethereal, feathery Pinot Noirs, this is one with loads of up-front flavor.The Summary The Eola Hills Classic Pinot noir 2017 is well named as everyday extraordinary. At its regular price, the Eola Hills is a well priced Pinot, but at the Whole Foods sale price of $12.59, it is an extraordinary value.
The Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from vineyards in the Miraflores and Los Lingues estates in the Colchagua Valley in Chile. The Colchagua Valley is located between the Coastal Mountains and the Andes.This is a wine I found at Costco selling for $7.49 a quick check of the internet found it selling online for $9.99 to $12.99. James Suckling who is probably the world's premier wine critic gave the Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 93 points. That is a very lofty score for a sub ten buck Red wine.Santa Carolina was founded in 1875 and Carolina is Carolina Íñiguez who along with her husband Luis Pereira started the winery. Santa Carolina is one of the oldest and largest wineries in Chile. The winery is listed on the Bronco Wines website (Two Buck Chuck) website, they do not seem to have an ownership claim, maybe they are the US distribution.The Colchagua Valley is an ideal place to grow grapes. It has the warm days and the much cooler nights followed by morning fog that grapevines crave. The earthquake of 2010 basically destroyed the Santa Carolina winery and they were forced to rebuild (completed in 2012). Santa Carolina took the setback to reinvigorate the winery and the full lines of wines.The vineyards are Estate vineyards which means the winery owns and operates them. Santa Carolina owns several estates being an estate winery in this instance is not as exclusive as estate vineyards in upscale wines. But it does indicate that the winery had complete control over the farming and the picking of the grapes.Plus the winery has extensive experience with the grapes year after year. Contracted vineyards can be every bit as skilled in the vineyard as estate, but the wineries do not always have the years of knowledge with those particular grapes This Cabernet Sauvignon was fermented in stainless steel vats then aged "in contact" with French oak for 8 months then bottle aged for an additional 4 months. Being aged in contact with French oak does not necessarily mean oak barrels were used.An expensive Cabernet Sauvignon that was not aged in oak barrels probably would not sell well, but with value-priced Cabs, considerations need to be made. An oak barrel, especially French oak can cost one thousand dollars or more and a wine selling for $7.49 just does not have the production budget to accommodate that expense.Oak flavoring is an expected sensation for Cabernet Sauvignon wine and often techniques other than barrels (such as oak stave added to the tank) are of higher quality than the type of barrels that would fit the budget. So for inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon if it tastes good, if it is a satisfying experience, then the winemaker did a good job. If barrels were used or not used isn't of the utmost importance. The alcohol content is 13.5%,Santa Carolina Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2018The color is garnet red with black highlights. The nose is red berries and spice, cigar box, grilled meat, lightly herbal, hints of smoke strawberry, and chocolate. This is a very good Cabernet Sauvignon nose for such an inexpensive wine.This is a very well-balanced Cabernet,
The Presto Sparkling Rose' is a $9.99 Whole Foods North American exclusive made from the Lagrein and Raboso grapes grown in the Veneto and Trentino regions of northern Italy. Trentino and Veneto are well known for Alto Adige (Pinot Grigio) and Prosecco regions.Lagrein and Raboso are local grapes that are popular in Italy, you can find these grapes as single varietal wines at a wine shop with a good Italian section. Presto also makes a Prosecco and a Lambrusco, they seem to specialize in value-priced Italian Bubbly.Even though the Presto Sparkling Rose' seems to be produced in the same general area as Prosecco it can not be called Prosecco Rose'. Prosecco is a very specific wine, a Sparkling wine made with the Charmat Method using the Glera grape. They are very protective of their brand, so this is not Prosecco but Sparkling Rose'.In Italy Sparkling wine is called Spumante, it is the Italian word for Bubbly. Prosecco and Champagne are both Spumante but are more well-known for their brand names. Spumante in the US is synonymous with inexpensive, sweet Sparkling wines from the Asti region. So even though this should be a Spumante they use Sparkling wine to avoid any negative connections.A Rose' gets its pale pink color when the grapes are crushed the skins are left in the tank for a couple for hours and are removed when the desired color is reached. While the tasting notes do not specify the method the second fermentation was likely the Charmat Method or large pressurized tanks. The alcohol content is 11.5%.Presto Sparkling Rose' Tasting NotesThe color is a salmon pink and there are plenty of bubbles. The nose is a mix of cherry, lemon/lime, grapefruit, and dried strawberry. Very light and delicate.This an Extra Dry Bubbly which means slightly sweet, but there is enough acidity to counter the sugar. It tastes of crisp, sour cherry, a splash of minerality, tart apple, and tangerine. The mid-palate adds a salty, nutty sensation, a hint of vanilla, and tart cranberry. The acidity is well-balanced, this is a light, crisp, refreshingly Sparkling Rose'.The Summary The Presto Sparkling Rose' gets the job done. Well priced, very tasty, and well-made. There is not much you can ask for at this price range. If you enjoy a glass of Prosecco you will like the Presto Sparkling Rose'. Many of the same elements that make Prosecco so attractive are on display, but with a different, but pleasing flavor profile.Photo by Anthony DELANOIX on Unsplash
The StoryThe Two Angels Petite Sirah 2017 is a wine I found at Costco for $9.99 sourced from vineyards in the Red Hills sub-AVA of the Lake County AVA north of Napa in Northern California.This is a fairly new wine brand, the 2017 vintage is their third vintage for this label. Red Hills AVA is an interesting growing region. It is located on the southwest corner of Clear Lake with most of the vineyards planted above 2,000 feet in the Mayacamas Mountains.You have high-altitude growing with intense sunlight, volcanic soils, and a variety of micro-climates caused by the elevation and the lake. Lake County is north of Napa and many wine drinkers forget that it's there, But Lake County is an important growing region and producer for value-priced, quality wine.I always maintain that you can successfully choose a wine by its label and the Two Angels Petite Sirah 2017 is a prime example. The label is a drawing from the year 1591 depicting 2 drunken angels. There is a link above from the producer explaining the label.The 2017 vintage is the current vintage which gives this relatively inexpensive Red a good bit of bottle age. This Petite Sirah was aged in French oak barrels for 9 Months with 20% of the barrels being new oak.Oak barrel is something of a math problem with this percentage of new oak barrels and this other section using second use barrels and another amount using 3rd use barrels. It is very important to get the flavoring precisely right, along with getting the wine ready for sale in a timely manner.Petite Sirah is a grape created in the late 1800s by a man named Durif. This was a time when France was having a major problem with disease and pests in the vineyards. Petite Sirah was put together to use in place of Syrah grapes which were having repeated tough vintages.By the time the grape had successfully stabilized, the issues with the Syrah grape subsided and the need for Petite Sirah disappeared. It would have been forgotten but it somehow made its way to Australia (where it is known and Durif) and to California where the grape has had a recent renaissance. It is very popular in Red blends and often added to Zinfandel wines. The alcohol content is a stout 14.3%.Two Angles Petite Sirah 2017The color is a deep, dark, opaque purple. The nose is extracted ripe fruit and spice, there is toasted vanilla, black cherry, a smokey, meaty note, light herbs, and plums.This Petite Sirah is both silky smooth and bold, rich, and spicy. It starts with blackberry, licorice, and a healthy slap of Altoids spice. The mid-palate adds peppermint, vanilla cream, sour cherry, chocolate powder, and then some more spice. This is a big, bold, tasty wine.The tannins are sweet, they actually get a little lost with all the flavors popping up in your glass. The acidity does a good job of supporting the multitude of flavors and allowing them to unfold.The Summary* The Two Angels Petite Sirah 2017 is a party in your glass. I am drinking it on a hot and humid August night and it seems a little out of place for summer drinking. But just wait until the nights cool down and th...
The StoryThe Paso Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a Trader Joe's $7.99 exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA of the Central Coast AVA in California. Paso Robles is about halfway between Los Angeles and San Fransisco.Trader Joe's does not offer up much information on this Cabernet. Most of the Fearless Flyer article refers to the Paso Dragon name. The Paso Drago is Lake Nacimiento which is located up in the hills and if you squint your eyes look something like a flying Dragon.Paso Robles is getting a very good reputation for growing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Other California AVAs tend to emulate France or Italy and focus on Pinot Noir like Burgundy or Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot such as Bordeaux. But Paso Robles follows no one it does its own thing. While they respect other wine regions they are free to try need techniques and styles.How much innovation and style is going to show up in a $7.99 Bottle of Paso Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 remains to be seen (the glass is poured just have not tried a sip, yet).Cabernet Sauvignon is usually problematic with sub-ten dollar wine. Oak flavor and conditioning is an internal part of the Cabernet flavor profile. A good oak barrel can cost $1,000 and a Cabernet Sauvignon barrel does not hold all that much wine.There is not a lot of budget in a $7.99 wine for wine barrels. Yes, you do see a good many used barrels (oak barrels can be used up to five times before they are considered neutral) and that does help defray the expense. Getting authentic oak barrel flavoring into an inexpensive Cab takes skill and expertise.The Paso Dragon has a heavy, expensive bottle and has its name stamped on the cork. The label is the equal of any retail store wine brand, they did not skimp on the packaging for this wine. I always say you can choose a wine by the label and so far so good. The alcohol content is a reasonable 13.5%.Paso Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is dark black cherry red with an almost clear halo. The nose is extracted blackberry, a little, spice, light herbs, ripe raspberry, orange zest. The Fearless Flyer mentioned toasted marshmallow which I didn't find, but you might want to see if you get it.This is a smooth Cabernet Sauvignon with rich flavors, maybe not too complex, but what is in your glass is tasty. It starts with blackberry, and strong licorice, dusty chocolate powder, and plum. The mid-palate adds a little blueberry, some vanilla, and a late slap of spice.The acidity is hitting my palate a little oddly, getting a fizzy sensation. It isn't pronounced and it does not hinder the wine's enjoyment. I could very well be just me, I do not think that everyone will share this experience. I always feel slightly silly complaining that a $7.99 wine isn't perfect. A few years ago an odd reaction to a cheap wine's acidity would be the least of the problems. I am kind of nitpicking while trying to be accurate.The Summary The Paso Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a solid California Cab and drinks well above its price tag. With each sip my issue with the acidity is diminished and again it did not interfere with may sipping enjoyment.* The oak flavoring in this Cab is solid, sometimes inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon has "fake" tasting flavorings. That is not an issue here. I do not know how the oak got into the wine,
The StoryThe Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Russian River AVA of western Sonoma County. This Sauvignon Blanc is produced for TJ's by Owl Ridge Wine Services.Owl Ridge is a custom crush and private label facility located in the Russian River AVA founded in 2006. They make wines to order for restaurants and stores as well as a line of retail labels. So this is not some surplus eighteen dollars Sauvignon Blanc from a well-known winery, it is a wine designed to sell at its intended price.But that is not a bad thing since Trader Joe's has some built-in price advantages over wines sold in retail wine shops. And Owl Ridge has years of contacts and relationships with Russian River vineyards and wineries. There is a sort of hierarchy for wine pricing and single sub-AVA wines do not often sell for less than ten dollars or maybe a few bucks more.The $7.99 price category is usually reserved for wines sourced from a more general region, such as California or Mendoza (for Argentinean wines) on the front label. Trader Joe's is a great resource for wines from high-end growing regions that sell at bargain prices.Trader Joe's Petit Reserve is a 2019 vintage which indicates that this is a young wine that did not receive a great deal of aging. This is fine with me because that is how I like my Sauvignon Blanc. When young it is a fragrant wine the is bright and alive.There isn't any production information available for this Sauv Blanc, but it is safe to assume it was fermented in stainless steel tanks. It probably had a few months of aging, also in stainless steel. Quick and simple works very well with Sauvignon Blanc. Have the winery do what needs to get done and let the quality of the grapes shine through. The alcohol content is 13.4%.Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a pale lemon yellow. The nose is kind of reminiscent of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, but with some differences. There is melon, tropics; fruit, lemon, green apple, peach, pear, sour grapefruit, slightly grassy, with a solid floral edgeThis wine has a nice slightly syrup-like mouthfeel and a clash of strong and interesting flavors. It tastes of a stew of melon, peach, and lemon, followed by a salty sensation and a slap of minerality. The mid-palate brings guava, Anjou pear, spice, and ends with a soft creamy sensation. The acidity is solid, it is not quite that take another sip acidity I like so much, but it is very well-balanced.The Summary* Surprisingly, this $7.99 Russian River Sauv Blanc is not a light and breezy patio cooler. Trader Joe's Petit Reserve has some weight to the body and an array of complicated flavors. This is a wine you need to concentrate on, spend a little time figuring out all the textures, aromas, and flavors on display. This is a wine that drinks above its price tag.
The StoryThe Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red 2017 is a blend of 33% Syrah, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 3% Mourvèdre, 2% Grenache, 2% Counoise, 2% Sangiovese, and 2% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington State. Counoise is a grape typically found in the Rhone Valley in France and used in Red blends.Tamarack Cellars was founded in 1998 and usually produced more boutique single vineyard wines and the Firehouse Red is their more value-priced Red (I found it for around $15). The back of the label says "produced and bottled by" Tamarack Cellars which means they may not have grown the grapes, but they did everything else.In the age of Wine Corporations and LLC's, it is rare to find a value-priced wine that actually tells you who made the wine. I have great respect for wineries who produce upscale wines, but also produce wine priced for the average wine drinker. Bringing a wine of good value year in and year out is not an easy task.The Firehouse Red seems to be made with a great deal of precision as shown by the exacting nature of the blend percentages. The oak barrel program is also fine-tuned, 40% of the wine was aged in new barrels with the remaining 69% aged in 2nd and 3rd use barrels. An average oak wine barrel is used 4 or 5 times before it is considered neutral and with each use, it gives off a little less oak flavoring.The oak used is a mix of French and American oak, with some Hungarian oak barrels added in. French and Hungarian oak is the same species and adds similar flavoring to the wine. American oak is a different species with wider wood grain and tastes different from French oak.Each of the lots of grapes was aged separately in oak barrels for a year and after that time the blend was created. The alcohol content is 13.8%.Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is basically an opaque black cherry red with a clear halo. The nose is ripe fruit and spice, both black and red berries, candy spice and BBQ sauce with the aroma of burnt ends added in, and Red Twizzlers.This is a wine that is smooth on the palate, but it is not a simple wine, there is a lot of flavors. It tastes of ripe blackberry, slightly tart raspberry, chocolate powder, and a little slightly sharp Dr. Pepper.The mid-palate offers orange zest, smooth blueberry, sour cherry, herbs, and vanilla. I think if you took your time and tried hard enough you can actually taste every grape in the blend. The tannins do not bite and the acidity keeps the flavors unfolding.The Summary The Tamarack Cellars Firehouse Red 2017 is a delicious and precisely made red blend. Some red wines are a seamless blend you can not tell one grape from the other, but the Firehouse Red seems to justify each grape in the blends inclusion.* An interesting selection of grapes and top-quality winemaking makes for a very tasty wine.
The StoryThe Matsu El Picaro 2019 is a Tempranillo wine sourced from 90-year-old vineyards in the Toro D.O. of Spain. Toro is located near the Northeast corner of Portugal, the northwest of Spain wraps around the Portugal border.Matsu is a Japanese word that means to wait and El Picaro translates to the Rouge. Bodega Matsu is one of the projects from Vintae, which is three generations of winemakers who produce wines from nine separate regions in Spain. The El Picaro is the youngest wine of the 4 wines made under the Matsu name and I believe that is a photo of the youngest son on the label.There is an old adage that wine grapes need to suffer to produce interesting wine. The two most commons ways for the grapes to struggle are poor soil or old vines that naturally struggle due to age. The El Picaro grapes are 90-year-old vines grown in poor soil, the struggle is real.The grapes were fermented in large cement vats/ Cement works well with winemaking since the thickness of the cement keeps the juice contained inside the vat at a constant temperature. Wine grapes like steady temps and the winemakers' ability to control the temperature assist in certain production techniques.Sparkling wines/Bubbly is said to undergo 2 fermentations, but the reality is that most Red wines and sometimes White wines such a Chardonnay are fermented twice. The second fermentation is malolactic fermentation which changes the natural tart acids in the grapes to more rounded tasting acids. With El Picaro, the malolactic fermentation occurs when the wine is transferred from the cement vats to oak barrels.The oak barrels are not there to age the tempranillo and oak conditioning, just to add a little character to the malolactic fermentation. This is intended to be a young wine, bright, juicy, and fruit-forward.The grapes were farmed with bio-dynamic methods that go beyond organic farming. The vineyard decisions are based on the phases of the moon and complimentary plants are grown in the vineyard to attract the insects that feed on pests that plague the vines.I sometimes read articles about the best places to find "cheap" wine is South America or South Africa, along with a few other locations. While those growing regions at one time may have concentrated on value-priced wine, they now are concentrating on more expensive offerings.If you want to find the best location (outside of the West Coast of the USA) learn to like Tempranillo and Garnacha from Spain. There are more 90 plus point wines under $15 in your wine shops Spanish aisle than any other region. The Matsu El Picaro 2019 is an old vine Tempranillo grown with bio-dynamic practices and any interesting wine production style and I found it selling for $9.99. The alcohol content is 14.5%.Matsu El Picaro 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a very dark black cherry red. The nose is intense, ripe blackberry, licorice, a little cola, soft spice, raspberry, and faint herbs. This is an intense full-flavored wine with sharp spice and persistent acidity.It starts with blackberry, Australian licorice, sharp spice, and blueberry. The mid-palate offers cherry cough syrup, a salty sensation, and dried strawberry bits. This wine is unfiltered and unfined, which removes solids from the wine. Anytime you remove something from the wine you also remo...
The StoryThe Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2018 is a $9.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards along the Pacific Coast in Northern California. The Peaks and Tides brand also have a Cabernet Sauvignon and I think I saw a Pinot Noir.The Sonoma Coast runs from above San Francisco all the way to Mendocino County and much of it lies in valleys situated between Coastal Mountain ranges. It also runs east and overlaps with the Russian River AVA.I was at a Sonoma Coast AVA trade show a few years back and I picked up what I guess I would call gossip from some of the winemakers and winery Reps. They thought that large, politically connected wine companies to the east of Sonoma Coast used they clout to expand the boundaries of the AVA to include their holdings.I am not sure why that is a bad thing, but I know that there is a recent application to the California governing board to create a new West Sonoma Coast AVA. The coastal vineyards are mainly Boutique, high-end Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir specialists, but then again the Russian River portion is also a quality Pinot and Chardonnay growing area.This may be a matter of the little guy against big corporate wine and it is not a major concern to Cheapwinefinder wine drinkers. But a little gossip is sort of fun. In getting back to the Peaks and Tides the vineyards in Sonoma Coast are divided into the boutique, smaller but still commercial vineyard size and vineyards owned by larger wine companies.All the vineyards grow high-quality Chardonnay grapes, which is a very good thing for us drinkers of $9.99 store brand Chardonnay. It is a 2018 vintage that shows it went through a more complete production technique. Wines from the 2019 vintage probably underwent a simpler production that allowed the Chardonnay to be released for sale sooner.The packaging for the Peaks and Tides is the equal of retail brand wines in the same price range. The grapes came from a premium growing region, and if you Google "wineries located in (a town named on the back label)" you can make a good guess at which winery or one of their entities produced the wine. The alcohol content is 13.9%.Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is rich and varied, there is apricot, honey, pineapple, lemon, apple, grapefruit, peach, banana, yes, the nose is not shy. This $9.99 Chardonnay has some very definite oak influence, along with a solid array of flavors.It tastes of green apple, orange-blossom honey, Meyer lemon, lime, and grapefruit (soft). The mid-palate adds a salty "on lees" thing, Anjou pear, spice, and vanilla creme. The acidity is balanced, it allows the flavors to unfold and gets you reaching for another sip.The SummaryPhoto by Sterling Lanier on Unsplash * The Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2018 is a very good Chardonnay. Somewhere around $10 will get you a solid, enjoyable Chardonnay and the Peaks and Tides is another excellent example of a bargain Chard.* I would say that this is a wine made with very good grapes, the wine exhibits a wonderful nose and full flavor. That this wine sells for ten bucks is a treat.
The StoryThe Aria Pinot Noir Brut Cava is a non-vintage Bubbly from the Penedes region of Catalunya, near Barcelona in Eastern Spain. Aria is part of the Segura Viudas family of Sparkling wines. Segura Viudas is in turn part of the Freixenet group that includes Mionetto Prosecco and Gloria Ferrer wines.Cava is produced with the same production methods used in Champaign wines. The Traditional Method where the second fermentation occurs in each and every bottle. The major difference is the grapes used. In Champagne, the main grapes are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with Cava three local grapes are used, Xarelo-lo, Macabeo, and Parellada. Champagne is also 500 or 600 miles to the north of the Penedes in Spain.The grapes used are typically a difference but not so with the Aria Pinot Noir Brut. Pinot Noir is not a grape usually grown in eastern Spain. The grapes are Estate grown in the higher elevations where the temperatures are cool enough to keep Pinot Noir grapes happy.The second fermentation for this Cava lasts for 18 months, which also happens to be the minimum length for 2nd fermentation in Champagne. The grape used, Pinot Noir and the length of 2nd fermentation sets the Aria Pinot Noir Brut Cava up to be compared with entry-level Champagne. There is a price difference, I found the Aria for $11.99 and "cheap" Champagne typically starts around $35.It isn't fair to directly compare the 2 Sparkling wines, Cava and Champagne have stylistic differences and Champagne is a cool to cold growing region while the Cava region is warm to hot. So while it isn't fair, it will be interesting to compare and enjoy the two similar but different Bubbly wines. The alcohol content is 12%.Aria Pinot Noir Brut Cava Tasting NotesThe color is somewhere between pink and apricot and there are plenty of bubbles. The nose is light and delicate, there is a scent of strawberry, butterscotch sundae, it is faint but there a butterscotch and vanilla thing, ripe cherry, and a soft floral edge.This is a smooth Cava with soft acidity. It tastes of sour (slightly) cherry, a slap of minerality (it has that mineral water sensation), lemon, and nectarine. The mid-palate adds a salty, nutty "on lees" sensation, cranberry, and a slight apple core flavor.Photo by Malin Strandvall on Unsplash Pinot Noir based Champagne is maybe my very favorite of all wines. Well at least for now, my favorites tend to change with the seasons, so I was very interested in tasting the Aria. It does not remind me of Champagne, the flavor profile and the intensity is different. I didn't expect them to be the same the two growing regions do not have much in common and the similar production techniques were not going to bridge the difference.But that does not mean that I did not thoroughly enjoy the Aria Pinot Noir Brut Cava Bubbly. It is a lot of Bubbly for 12 bucks. It over-delivers at its price point while budget Champagne sometimes underwhelms at its price-point. It is all about using the right tool for the job and at under twenty bucks Cava gets the job done.
The StoryThe 19 Crimes Snoop Cali Red 2019 is a blend of mostly Petite Sirah and then Zinfandel sourced from vineyards in California. 19 Crimes are one of Treasury Wine Estates family of almost 50 wine brands. They seem to concentrate on Australian Brands but have a very solid American portfolio.The name 19 Crimes refers to the list of offenses that could get English crooks and thieves sent to the Australian penal colony. The 19 Crimes website focuses on the stories of the folks who populated Australia, not by choice in the 1800s and not a great deal on the nuts and bolts of their wines.I think Snoops Red blend is the only 19 Crimes wine sourced from California grapes, I tried to verify that on the 19 Crimes website, but even that was too technical for what they were trying to achieve.In the past few years, Petite Sirah has been the "secret weapon" used in affordable Red blends. It went from a seldom-used grape to a frequent blending grape (especially for ZInfandel). I have seen it added to Bordeaux Blends and Rhone blends. It is a grape that started in France but never caught on and is becoming a staple of California blends.19 Crimes line of wines have a history of being solid bang-for-the-buck wines and they are widely available. But that is not the reason I bought this wine and we are talking about it today. This is Snoop Dogg's wine! Forget Gin and juice, we are drinking Cali.The label is pretty cool, actually better than I expected, and like I have always maintained, you can buy wine by the label. I like Petite Sirah and Zinfandel just fine, but it could have been any combination of grapes and I still would have dropped a bottle into my shopping cart. It's Snoop Dogg wine, I had to give it try. The alcohol content is 14.1%.19 Crimes Snoop Cali Red Tasting NotesThe color is purple which is one shade away from being opaque. The nose is subtle (for a big Red wine) there are some juicy red berries, licorice, a shot of spice, a little vanilla. The 19 Crimes website mention some oak seasoning but with it being a 2019 vintage there isn't much time for extensive oak aging.This is a smooth, flavorful Red blend, balanced, not over-the-top. It starts with jammy blackberry, raspberry, and a strong but balanced slap of spice. The mid-palate adds blueberry (slightly sweet), vanilla, and tart cranberry. This is not a complicated, layered Red blend, but it is a tasty Red blend. The tannins are sweet and smooth, the acidity lets the flavors unfold, but does not bite.The SummaryPhoto by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash * The 19 Crimes Snoop Cali Red 2019 is a good tasting, easy to drink Red blend. The Petite Sirah grapes and the Zinfandel grapes used really compliment each other. The interplay between these 2 grapes is worth the price of the bottle, I found it for $10.99 on sale. I liked this wine, it drinks well and is nicely priced. I know Post Malone has a twenty dollars Rose' (I have not tried it yet) and that is all well and good, but for me, I am riding with Snoop Dogg Cali Red. It is a good wine for everyday folks.
The StoryThe Fallen Bridge Lodi Zinfandel 2017 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. That is about all the information available for this Zin. The company that made the wine, Sonoma Bespoke, a custom private label winery. They make wines for stores and restaurants across the country. If you are in a 7/11 and see Vin Seven, that's them. This is a single AVA Zinfandel from Lodi in the Central Valley, which is my favorite place to find Zinfandel wines. Some of the top name producers are from Sonoma or the Central Coast, but I think Lodi gets the job down and the price is usually right.This might be silly, but I must address the label. The wine is named Fallen Bridge, but the artwork shows someone with an umbrella on their head falling off a bridge. The bridge seems to be a railroad bridge, there is a train in the distance, but below the train is a sailboat. The label looks interesting at first glance, but upon inspection makes absolutely no sense.Since there is no information released on the making of this wine, what can we figure out from the bottle? They do not mention "old vines" which is rare these days for a Lodi Zinfandel. There is no legal definition for "old vines" and Lodi has a bunch of 40-year-old plus vineyards so the come by old vines rather easily.This is a 2017 vintage which with a Red wine can indicate a more extensive production process. More grape extraction, more tannins, more acidity, and a longer oak aging process. More complicated production techniques cause wine to take more time to come together.But, since this is a $6.99 Trader Joe's wine it could be a wine that was ready to go sometime in 2018 but was leftover for some reason. It is common for wineries to produce more wine than they need and to sell off the excess for added profit. The alcohol content is a stout 15%.Fallen Bridge Lodi Zinfandel 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is dark black cherry red. The nose is interesting, by just the aroma I would guess that this is a wine with a more detailed winemaking process. There is sweet cherry, the scent of BBQ pork slow-cooking, spice, cinnamon, RC Cola, and sugar cookies baking in an oven. Their this wine has a terrific nose or I am really hungry.This Zinfandel has a nice rounded mouth-feel that is balanced by some sharp spice. It starts with ripe cherry, black coffee, dark chocolate, Altoids spice and plum. The mid-palate is fairly quiet compared to the body of the wine, but there is some raspberry and orange zest added in. The Tannins are sweet and smooth and the acidity is balanced.The Summary* The Fallen Bridge is a pretty good drink-it-now, everyday Zinfandel. It drinks way above its price tag.
The StoryThe Pico Viejo Reserva Chardonnay 2019 is a $7.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from grapes grown in vineyards located in the Uco Valley of Argentina. The Uco Valley is not actually a valley, it is high plains that butt up against the Andes Mountains.The Uco Valley is one of the best growing regions in Argentina, think of it sort of like Sonoma County in reputation, though there isn't a direct comparison. The vineyards are situated about 3,500 feet up the foothills and are subject to a great deal of sunshine, there are only about 10 inches of rainfall a year.There is a long growing season, with plenty of sunlight, and a wide differential between daytime temperatures and nighttime temps that grapes seem to thrive on. While the Uco Valley is primarily known for producing Malbec, it should also be able to grow excellent Chardonnay.The term Reserva in the name does not have any legal significance. In places such as Rioja in Spain Reserva is an actual wine category designation. But for the most part, is used by wineries or brands to differentiate between different wines in their portfolio. The meaning can differ from winery to winery.This Chardonnay was aged in oak barrels for 4 months. Which is long enough to impart some oak flavoring, but not long enough to add too much time to the aging process, this is a 2019 vintage. Argentina has its summer and winter reversed from the US, so a 2019 vintage drink-it-now wine had plenty of time to come together.ALDI named the winemaker on the front label, but I did a Google search and didn't come up with anything, at least anything in English. The alcohol content is 13%.Pico Viejo Reserva Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a pale sunshine yellow. The nose is lemons and apples, a little spice, some coconut, a bit of creamy vanilla, and a light floral edge. This is a Chardonnay that favors citrus over fruit and has a very balanced acidity.It tastes of lemon/lime (not sweet) green apple, grapefruit, and guava. The mid-palate adds ripe peach, nectarine, vanilla, a salty sensation, and blood orange. The acidity gives the flavors plenty of room to unfold.The SummaryPhoto by Manuel Venturini on Unsplash * The Pico Viejo is a solid Chardonnay, it is well worth its $7.99 price tag. It has plenty of interesting flavors, excellent acidity, and it is very well priced. ALDI's wine section is often a complete mess, it looks thrown together, but whoever is buying their wines is doing a very commendable job.
The StoryThe Liquid Light Sauvignon 2018 is a wine brand from Chateau Ste Michelle's family of wines sourced from grapes on 68% Horse Heaven Hills AVA and 32% Yakima AVA of Washington State. Chateau Ste Michelle is by far the largest winery in Washington and according to several winemakers I have talked to over the years, they are a very good neighbor.A few years ago you would have seen Columbia Valley as the vineyard location, but Washington wines seem to have done some rebranding. I don't know if folks thought Columbia Valley was located in California or what, but the labels now say Washington State along with the sub-AVA. This puts more emphasis on the individual growing areas in Washington, which is a good thing.The name Liquid Light is a reference to the 5th form of matter that was recently discovered. I am only aware of the first four, there is yes, it matters, no it doesn't matter, well if it matters that much to you, then ok, and I don't know let me think about it. Yes, I am a scientist.The fifth form of matter is the Bose-Einstein condensate and even after reading the explanation, I have no idea what it is. The other 4 are solids, liquids, gases, and plasma, what any of that has to do with Sauvignon Blanc, I do not know.I am a fan of Sauvignon Blanc, but I am not overly familiar with Washington State Sauv Blanc. The grapes are sourced from cool-climate growing AVAs and Chateau Ste Michelle has an excellent track record for producing affordable wines, I found this for $9.99. The alcohol content is a mild 12.0%.Liquid Light Sauvignon Blanc 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a pale, clear wheat yellow. The nose is interesting, it is very different from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, there is a mix of peach, lemon, and pear, a little grapefruit, lime, and a distinct grassy aroma. This Sauv Blanc has a soft smooth mouthfeel and tart flavors.It starts with peach, apricot, a touch of honey, grapefruit, pear, and lime. The mid-palate lemon, juicy apple, a little salty sensation, and not sweet pineapple.The Summary The Liquid Light Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is no copycat Sauv Blanc, it is a different take, but a very tasty take. The Liquid Light has a great deal of flavor and really good acidity, which is excellent combination.
The StoryThe Summer Water Rose' 2019 is a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah sourced from vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. This Rose' is made in the style of French Provence Rose'.Summer Water is one of the Winc family of wines. Winc is a wine membership company, you pay to join and receive a certain number of bottles and they ship the wine to your door. Summer Water Rose' 2019 is available through its program but is also widely sold in wine shops.You should be able to find Summer Water for around $15. This isn't one of those "I hope we are not too late to join the fad" Rose'. The winemaker went to a great deal of effort both in the vineyard and in the winemaking to make a legitimate, proper Rose'Yes it is a drink-it-now, have fun on the patio, sort of Rose', but that is what a good Rose' is supposed to be. If the Summer water is based on Provence Rose' it should be dry, with an interesting, delicate nose, and plenty of balanced flavors.Cheapwinefinder recently recorded a podcast complaining that the only information shown on a wine label that is worth anything is the artwork. The label here does tell you the grape blend and percentages and indicates Central Coast AVA as the source, so it is better than most labels, but it was the name and the artwork that caught my eye.I was in the Rose' isle and since Rose' is so popular there were about 10 yards of wine bottles. When I saw Summer Water I immediately thought, "Yes, that is what I want'". It was going to be a hot and humid weekend in Chicago and I did not want a heavy wine. Summer Water seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.I have not tested it yet, that will happen in the next section, so the jury is still out. But I do have high hopes that the Winc marketing people know their way around a wine label. The alcohol content is a mild 12.5%.Summer Water Rose' 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a Barbie doll pink with an apricot tint. The nose is delicious, I wish scented candles were this good, there is watermelon, lemon/lime, green apple, a faint scent of vanilla, strawberry, and light spice. This is a dry Rose' with a nice firm mouthfeel.It tastes of soft ripe cherry, nectarine, tangerine, exotic spice (not sharp), and pear. The mid-palate a salt, cashew flavor, a touch of cream, and watermelon. The acidity has that reach for the next sip without thinking element that I love in summer wines.The Summary The Summer Water Rose' 2019 is a very tasty wine, I can see why it is so popular. And guess what, the artwork and a name told me everything I needed to know about this Rose'. You can't judge a book by its cover, but it seems you can judge a wine by its label.
The StoryThe Tourner Sparkling Brut is a $6.99 ALDI exclusive produced in the Traditional Method from grapes grown in California. And that is just about everything I know about this Bubbly. The back label has a few words concerning tasting notes, but nothing that would give clues as to the grapes used.The number one important detail about this wine, at least to me, is that is made with the Traditional Method, the same techniques used to produce Champagne. They even make sure to show Method Champenoise prominently on the artwork.There are 2 major ways that modern winemakers use to get bubbles into wine, the Traditional Method, and the Charmat Method. The Traditional Method (Champagne) is 16th-century technology and the Charmat Method (Prosecco) is 19th-century technology.With the Charmat Method, the wine is fermented once then transferred into a huge pressurized tank. They add a measured amount of yeast and sugar and anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months (the more expensive Charmat wines tend to take more time) you have Bubbly. It is a less expensive and quicker way to make Bubbly, basically from the more modern technology.The Traditional Method is more detailed after the wine is fermented the first time the wine is bottled. They do not fill the wine to the top, they leave some space and add an exact amount of yeast and sugar to each bottle. They place the bottle in a rack with the neck angling down, they want the spent yeast to congregate in the bottle neck.But they have to give the bottle a quarter turn every couple of days or so to stop the spent yeast gunk from sticking to the glass. In the Champagne region, they do this for 18 months, usually longer. Every other region shortens the time to 9 months or year, longer if they choose.Now they have to get the yeast out of the bottle, so they freeze the neck to pop the spent yeast plug out. They now have to fill the bottle to the top and they add additional Bubbly. They can adjust the sweetness of the Bubbly at this point by adding sweet or dry Bubbly. Now that add the cork and cage and age the wine for some additional time.If you are making Bubbly in the Traditional Method you are making a commitment. Nobody complains if you $7 Sparkling wine is made in the Charmat Method, it is actually very popular. You have to want to make cheap Champagne-style Bubbly. Yes, modern advances have made using the Traditional Method far easier than years ago. But the Champenoise Method in value-priced Bubbles is an unexpected treat.ALDI's $19.99 Champagne was one of my favorite wines from 2019 so I have high hopes for the Tourner Brut Bubbly. As a quick refresher Brut means dry, not sweet. The alcohol content is 12%.Tourner Sparkling Brut Tasting NotesThe color is pale gold with a decent amount of bubbles. The nose is Champagne-like, lemon, green apple, bakery bread, and tart, crisp grapefruit. My first impression is, "not bad at all for $6.99".It tastes of lemon/lime, but not soda sweet, Anjou pear, a little Sweet Tart candy, again more tart than sweet. The mid-palate offers a little yeasty bread, peach, and stone fruit. The acidity is on the sharp side of balanced, but nothing to complain about in a 7 buck Traditional Method Sparkling wine.The Summary* Tasty cheap Bubbly.
The Podcast StoryOk, with all the turmoil 2020 has brought us, complaining about the lack of useful information available on a wine bottle label seems a bit shallow. But after being cooped up in the Cheapwinefinder Covid-19 bunker all these months any distraction from current events is a welcome respite. So, listen to Dave rant about how wine labeling regulations make finding useful information about your wine purchase much harder than it needs to be.
VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot NoirThe StoryThe VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced, like the name says, from the Sonoma Coast AVA located along the Pacific Coast of Sonoma County. The AVA border goes far enough inland to include some of the Russian River AVA.I was in Trader Joe's looking for a different wine, but when I saw a sub-seven buck Sonoma Coast Pinot I immediately grabbed a bottle. The Sonoma Coast is a relatively small AVA, with mostly small-production boutique wineries.Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir does not under usual circumstances sell for anywhere near $6.99. CWF featured an ALDI Sonoma Coast Pinot that sold for $12.99 and I was astounded at that low price.The VINTJS label for Trader Joe's does not typically designate a special purchase or rare value. They use the Grand Reserve or the Platinum reserve labels for those special purchase wines. So, why is this wine so cheap? It is inexpensive for a Pinot Noir with California as the place of origin on the label, much less a high-end small production growing region.I have absolutely zero inside information on the VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot's origin, but I can think of several scenarios (there are many different reasons) that would explain the low price and Trader Joe's unassuming approach to this wine.Commercial vineyards replant their vines on a set schedule, they want the vineyard to be operating at top efficiency at all times. For the first few years, they don't pick the grape clusters, at harvest they cut the grapes and let them all to fertilize next years crop.After a few years, they will harvest the young grapes, if they are up to standards they will blend them in with other grapes, and if they don't make the cut they get sold off. The grapes may come from a vineyard that produces a wine that sells for $50 and those vines will make wines that command those prices, just not this year.Sometimes wineries change philosophy and replace winemakers, and left-over wine that no longer represents the winery gets sold off. Selling the wine to TJ's works since Trader Joe's does not compete with expensive Pinot Noirs. The original wines don't have to worry about their own(sold off) wines selling at a lower price are competing for attention on the same shelf.Or the grape juice is the same as expensive Pinot Noir, but the juice went thru simpler production techniques and less costly oak treatment. The crushed grape juice is the same but the finished wine is different. Then again, it could be a wine that once sold for $20 now selling for $6.99. It probably isn't, but that does happen.As a Trader Joe's exclusive wine, we don't know who or how of this wine. We know what (Pinot Noir) and the where (Sonoma Coast) which was enough to get me to buy it. The alcohol content is a stout for Pinot Noir 14.2%.VINTJS Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear, see-thru garnet red. The nose is cherry, sticks and stems, a light hit of herbs, a little black pepper, some exotic spice, and crushed fall leaves. So, far there is nothing that explains why this Pinot Noir is $6.99. At 2018 it is the current vintage for many Sonoma Coast Pinots.This is a fairly simple Pinot Noir and at first sip, the spice is a little out of balance, but that may even out as the bottle opens up. It tastes of smooth black cherry,
The StoryThe Opaline Sparkling Pinot Noir Brut Rose is a non-vintage $7.99 Trader Joe's wine imported from France. That is the bulk of the information concerning this Bubbly. The label says Product of France which does not narrow wines origin down to any great extent.The Opaline does have a very nice bottle. The glass is prism-cut and the shape reminds me of the type of bottle they use in Provence. Opaline is either milk glass or translucent glass, though the actual bottle is neither.The only information I found for the Opaline is from Aldi Sud, which is Trader Joe's real German name. Not that Reader Joe's wines have a wealth of technical information available.Does this Pinot Noir get its bubbles in the French traditional Method or in the Italian Charmat Method? I would expect it, at this price, to be produced in the Charmat Method (Pressurized tank 2nd fermentation), but Cava from Spain does the Traditional Method Bubbly at close to these prices, so you never know.A sub eight buck Sumner Bubbly Rose' from France is usually a good thing, so not knowing the who, what, when, and where of this Bubbly is not a deal-breaker, as long as it passes the taste test. The alcohol content is a mild 12%.Opaline Sparkling Pinot Noir Brut Rose Tasting NotesThe color is on the apricot side of pink and it has decent but not great bubbles. The nose is a little black cherry, a touch of bakery bread, some mineral water, and cherry cough drops.This is a crisp, lightly fruity Sparkling wine, not complex, but still tasty. It starts with cherry, with a slightly hard edge, a hit of minerality, and strawberry. There is a little tangerine on the mid-palate, along with soft vanilla. The acidity is well-balanced, this is one of those wines that will get you reaching for another sip.The Summary 8 bucks for a French Brut Pinot Noir Bubbly, how can you go wrong? Put a good chill on the Opaline Sparkling Pinot Noir Brut Rose' and you have a party, even if you are the only one there.
The StoryThe Hyland Estates Old Vine Pinot Noir 2018 is sourced from the Hyland Vineyard that was planted in 1971. The Hyland Vineyard is situated in the foothills of Oregon's Coast Range inside the McMinnville sub-AVA of the greater Willamette Valley AVA.It is one of the oldest and finest vineyards in the Willamette Valley. The vineyard came first and then later the Hyland Estate Winery which was established to showcase the Hyland Vineyard.Ok, you are thinking, "Hey this is Cheapwinefinder, why are you writing about a single vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, it must cost a small fortune?" Well, I found this wine for $17.99 (Binny's if you are near Chicago), it lists for $45 and the average online price is $31, but it seems to go onside on a regular basis.The Old Vine Pinot Noir is a blend of several clones (Coury, 95, 113, 667, Wandenswil, and 115, if you are wondering). Clones are extremely important with high-end Pinot Noir and individual clones or a combination of clones have their fans.Often with wine, you will see the individual lots of grapes are fermented separately and then blended together. But here, all the various lots and clones were fermented together. The winemaker says this gives the grapes a headstart in mingling and mixing as one.The Hyland Estates Old Vine Pinot Noir 2018 was aged in French oak barrels for 10 months, with 34% of the barrels new barrels. New oak barrels give off more oak influence than used oak barrels, barrels can be used 4 or 5 times before they are considered to be neutral. Getting the exact mix of new and used barrels is a fairly complicated math problem.With inexpensive wines the technical notes will often say that the wine was aged "on" oak, whatever that means, is it aged "in" a barrel? What does "on" mean? With upscale wine, they go one better and tell you who the cooperage was (cooperage is the barrel maker). They have nothing to hide.Most of the wines CWF write about are drink-it-now wines, meaning that these wines are their best the day you make your purchase. It is a style of winemaking, probably the most popular style of wine in terms of sales. The Hyland Estate is different, this is a Pinot Noir with a potential 20 years of aging. The alcohol content is 13.9%.Hyland Estates Old Vine Pinot Noir 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a garnet red, clear, and see-thru with some black highlights. The nose is sharp and focused, there is tart cherry, oak spice, cold coffee, lightly floral, soft herbs, a slap of exotic spice, and ripe, juicy plum. This is a Pinot that will engage your palate you will taste and feel it in all areas of your mouth.It starts with tart, slightly sour cherry, a mix of dark chocolate and black pepper (sounds bad, but tastes good), a brush of herbs, orange zest, and sweet, but not jammy raspberry. The mid-palate shows a sensation from lightly dusty tannins, black cherry, a little bit of cream, and very tart cranberry.You can tell this Pinot Noir can age for a decade or two by how the acidity engages your palate. With drink-it-now wines that acidity does not need to do a lot of work, give the flavors room to unfold and that is about it. With the Hyland Estates, the acidity is loud and proud, not over-bearing. They have twenty years in which to calm down.The Summary
The Story
The Fetzer Shaly Loam Gewurztraminer 2018 is sourced from vineyards in the Monterey AVA of California's Central Coast AVA. Shaly Loam is a type of soil associated with farmland since we are not told exactly where the vineyards are mentioning the type of soil without a vineyard location is being very specific and vague at the same time.
Fetzer is an interesting wine company, they were started 52 years ago in Mendocino and is now owned by a wine company from Chile. But rather than simply being a brand name they are the North American headquarters and have an independent identity.
Their wines are sustainably produced, they have 100s of acres of organic vineyards along with several hundred acres biodynamic vineyards. Biodynamic wines go organic vineyards one better and have wine and vineyard practices tied to the phases of the moon. They are also a certified B Company (along with companies like Ben and Jerry's) that balance profits with purpose and are currently trying to address racism on a corporate level.
Gewurztraminer is a grape associated with the Alsace region in France, along with Austria, and Germany. It is usually a moderately sweet wine but has enough acidity to balance its sweet nature. Here is a review of another Monterey Gewurztraminer that may be similar to the Fetzer.
This is a wine that is widely available (I think I found it for 6 bucks and I think I saw it at Trader Joe's) and is very well reviewed for an inexpensive wine. The Fetzer was fermented in stainless steel vats and a portion of this Gewurztraminer was aged "on lees". The alcohol content is a mild 12%.
Fetzer Shaly Loam Gewurztraminer 2018 Tasting Notes
The color is a pale butter yellow. The nose is sweet and interesting, melon, hard lemon cough drops, honey, peach, tangerine, and tart apple. The nose is not shy on this one. This wine has a firm mouthfeel and while it is sweet, it is nectar sweet, like a ripe juicy plum and not candy sweet.
It tastes of a stew of navel orange, lemon/lime, orange blossom honey, followed by a little Altoid's spice. The mid-palate adds peach, apricot, and tart apple. This wine packs a great deal of flavor, the acidity does not get in the way of the flavor profile but does not the edge off of all the sweet flavors on display.
The Summary
- The Fetzer Shaly Loam Gewurztraminer 2018 is a very solid take on kind of sort of sweet wine. I am not generally a fan of sweet wine, I understand it had its place, but I can skip wine at the dessert course. But I like Fetzer Shaly Loam, this wine tastes great.
The Story
The Petit Bourgeois Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is an IGP Valle de Loire wine (the back label calls this a "table wine" which is a designation below IGP). It is the entry-level Sauvignon Blanc from Famille Bourgeois and winemaking family that has been producing wine in the Loire Valley for ten generations. They specialize in the Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé regions of the Loire Valley.
The Petite Bourgeois is probably not from those vineyards, Famille Bourgeois farms about 180 acres in the valley, but the back label only says "bottled by Henri Bourgeois". Bottled by means just that, the producer named on the front label bottled the wine and nothing more.
The label laws for wine are awful, they confuse things rather than explain things. Since Famille Bourgeois is the actual winery and Henry Bourgeois is the brand name might explain may be the reason why who actually grew the grapes and made the wine are hidden. But still, it is not information that is too much to ask.
With that rant out of the way, Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc has been my favorite Sauv Blanc for years. And not the fancy Sancerre wine, though I do like them, just the plain old everyday Sauvignon Blanc, it is amazing, sunshine in a bottle.
The problem with Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc is that it isn't the easy wine to find at a competitive price (I found this one for $10.99 on sale). Good New Zealand Sauv Blanc is available at grocery stores and West Coast and Central American Sauvignon Blanc is plentiful and well priced.
Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, which I think is excellent at all its price ranges, is available only at the better wine shops. Even then, it is mostly Sancerre and the prime location wines. For whatever reason the simple immensely enjoyable Loire Sauv Blanc isn't widely available, maybe the French keep it all to themselves.
The Petit in the name means young, as in a wine with a very little aging. The wine was fermented in cool temperature-controlled stainless steel vats and then was aged on fine lees for 3 months. Aging on lees means they left the dead yeast and grape residue in the tank. Fine lees indicate they filtered the lees enough to remove larger bits and pieces but the left the small stuff. Aging on lees can give the wine a salty, cashew taste and when the lees are stirred can give the wine a creamy texture. The alcohol content is 13%.
Petit Bourgeois Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Tasting Notes
The color is pale wheat yellow. The nose is bright and lovely, all fresh fruit and tart citrus drizzled in honey. This Sauv Blanc has excellent acidity, that is something that you can take for granted until you taste a wine that just nails it.
It tastes of ripe, not tart apple, grapefruit with a bit of a kick, and soft juicy peach. The mid-palate brings a little of that salty lees thing, a little melon, pear, and lemon chiffon. The acidity will have you reaching for another sip, your palate will demand it.
The Summary
- The Petit Bourgeois Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a joy to drink. Loire Valley Sauv Blanc is my favorite so I figured I would like it and it didn't let me down.* The problem is that now I can't simply head to a grocery store to get my Sauvignon Blanc fix. I have to hit the fancy wine shop and fight my way thru all the Sancerre's to find the simple, beautiful inexpensive Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc that I love.
The Podcast
With this podcast, we at Cheapwinefinder.com discuss getting started drinking French wine. With all the different wine regions and classifications, it can get very confusing. We try to keep it simple, most of the grapes used are familiar to American wine drinkers, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. But the producers and the different regions may be intimidating, so we strip it down to the basics. Just concentrate on what French wines are available at your local wine shop and know which wine importer matches your palate. So check it out!!
The Podcast
Cheapwinefinder Talks about Trader Joe's & Aldi Wine. With this podcast, we explain why we often choose wines from Trader Joe's and Aldi. Why we like most of their wines, why they are different from retail wine shops, and what they are so inexpensive. I won't write much more since this a podcast (18 minutes long), so listen up and enjoy!
The Story
The Antoine Delaune Beaujolais Villages 2018 is a $6.99 ALDI import exclusive. ALDI (both ALDI North Trader Joe's in America and ALDI South) is a German company with stores thru out Europe the US and Australia and has over 10,000 stores which give them tremendous buying power.
In Europe, Great Britain, and Ireland they are the bang for the buck wine shop. Their wines are consistent award winners and they have contacts with quality European wine producers. With over ten thousand stores ALDI can move a great deal of wine.
I have had good luck with ALDI's American wines, but I always keep my eyes open for interesting well-priced European wines. With ALDI's buying power it has a good chance of being pretty good and pretty cheap. And Beaujolais is just the place for for a bargain.
Beaujolais is the French wine district just south of Burgundy, to the north of Burgundy is Champagne. Beaujolais has some pretty pricey neighbors and its wine can get overlooked.
Beaujolais does the Gamay grape, which is a grape that always reminds me of Pinot Noir. Since it is known for one thing, it is much easier to figure out than most French growing regions.
First, there is Beaujolais Nouveau, a portion of the grape harvest is set aside for this extremely young wine. On the 3rd Thursday in November (kind of sounds like our Thanksgiving), the wine is released for sale and the whole region throws a major party. The day of the party is set by law so if the harvest is early or late, it does not matter, the wine gets released ready or not.
Then there is just Beaujolais wine, which is a wine from any part of the growing region after that is Beaujolais Villages. That is gravers taken from what is deemed to be the 38 best villages for growing Gamay grapes. Then there are Cru wines that come from the ten best villages.
It is fairly simple for wine, which tends to be overly complicated for seemingly no reason. Also since its neighbors to the north get all the press and all the high-rollers Beaujolais is well-priced. All but the highest-end Cru wines can be found for under $25 or $30 dollars with most of the wines being under twenty bucks.
This region has had vineyards since the Romans came to stay a long long time ago. So, Beaujolais is a well-respected growing region, that only has to get one thing right (the Gamay grape), has affordable wine, and knows how to throw a party.
Antoine Delaune Beaujolais Villages 2018 Tasting Notes
The color is a garnet red, not unlike Pinot Noir, but darker and less see-thru. The nose is raspberry, pepper, and spice, a little herb, a touch of crushed autumn leaves, spearmint, and cherry. This is a well-balanced wine, with a nice mix of smooth and slightly rough flavors.
It tastes of sweet black cherry, red cough drops, sharp spice, and soft plum. The mid-palate adds cranberry, strawberry (not too sweet), and a light, soft brush lightly rough tannins. The acidity is fine, it lets the flavors unfold and does not get in the way.
The Summary
- The Antoine Delaune Beaujolais Villages 2018 is a very solid $6.99 wine, it drinks well, I have no issues with it. If you are interested in the wines of Beaujolais this is a pretty good place to start your journey. Sometimes when you go too cheap on a wine it isn't very representative of the other wines of the region.
The Story
Loudenotte Pinot Noir 2018
The Loudenotte Pinot Noir Pays d'Oc 2018 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's import exclusive sourced from grapes from the south of France. The Oc in Pays d'Oc refers to Occitania which runs from the border with Spain to the Rhone Valley to the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean.
The wines from this region are designated as IGP wines which is a step below the AOC classification. IGP wines are the wines that folks in Europe drink every day. They are usually well made and produced in large enough quantities to keep the price down.
This part of France is not well known for Pinot Noir, many of the Red wines are blends. But here is a link to another Trader Joe's Pays d'Oc Pinot Noir that has been a solid value for the last several vintages.
The Pays d"Oc region of France has a wine history going back to Ancient Rome. They have found evidence of winemaking that goes back 2,600 years. That they still produce wine here a couple of thousand years later, says a lot but the area.
There is no technical information available for the Loudenotte Pinot Noir and the label gives no clues. It says bottled in France, also bottled with care, and product of France, not exactly detailed information. The back label says the grapes came from selected vineyards, but every wine has grapes from vineyards that somebody selected.
So, to learn more about this Pinot Noir, we are going to pour and glass and take a sip. At $6.99 we are not taking much f a risk. the alcohol content is 13%.
Loudenotte Pinot Noir Pays d'Oc 2018 Tasting Notes
The color is a dark, but still clear garnet red. The nose is black cherry, spice, light herbs, plum, and black licorice. Yes, I know licorice is supposed to be black, but I was raised on red Twizzlers. This is a Pinot with a silky mouthfeel, but a more challenging flavor profile.
It tastes of ripe black cherry, black pepper, a slightly rough edge from herbs, and then smooth plum. The mid-palate adds tart cranberry and a good slap of Altoid's spice. The tannins are smooth and the acidity is balanced.
The Summary
- The Loudenotte Pinot Noir Pays d'Oc 2018 is a decent Pinot Noir, I can't say it is my favorite Pinot, but it is well worth the $6.99 price tag. There are few sub-seven buck Pinot Noirs this good. Though there are several Pinots in the $10 range that I prefer. Expecting a world-class Pinot Noir is silly, it's all about exploration and they Loudenotte is worth a stop on your wine journey.
The Story
The Kingsley Sparkling Brut Rose' is a $6.99 Trader Joe's Sparkling wine made in the Traditional Method by Rack and Riddle. That is all I know about this Bubbly, but that might be enough.
The first thing to note is that $6.99 for a Traditional Method Sparkling wine is crazy cheap. The Traditional Method is the production technique used in Champagne. After the wine is fermented the first time, it is bottled, not all the way to the top, they leave a little room.
Then a measured amount of yeast and sugar is added to each bottle and sometime later, in Champagne a minimum of 18 months, they remove the spent yeast, top off the bottle and add the cork and cage. About every other day for the entire period of the 2nd fermentation the bottles are turned a quarter turn so the dead yeast does not stick to the inside of the bottle.
In the old days all this was done by hand, it is mostly automated now, only the most exclusive Champagne wines are made by hand. It is one of the reasons Champagne costs more than Prosecco. Prosecco is made in the Charmat Method which is a quicker and less complicated way to get bubbles into wine.
The second point is this Bubbly is made by Rack and Riddle, they are a custom Sparkling Wine House with a couple of facilities in northern California. Quake from Cheapwinefinder toured their Sonoma facility on one of his California wine visits. He reported seeing pallets of cases of Sparkling wines from every conceivable wine brand.
There is a very good chance that you have tasted Bubbly made at a Rack and Riddle facility and didn't know it. The point is that they know how to make Bubbly. I don't know the origins of this Bubbly, is it made to order for Trader Joe's? Is it the leftovers from a more expensive Sparkling wine?
I don't know, I don't even know what grapes were used in the making of this Brut Rose'. (Just a reminder, Brut means not sweet). You occasionally see Spanish Cava, which is also made in the Traditional Method for under ten bucks. But an American $6.99 Traditional Method Bubbly is rare, Barefoot makes Bubbly is this general price range, but as I recall those wines are made in the less expensive Charmat Method. The alcohol content is 12.5%.
Kingsley Sparkling Brut Rose' Tasting Notes
The color is on the apricot side of pink and there are plenty of bubbles. I read somewhere that you can tell the quality of a Sparkling wine by the size of the bubbles. I guess that means the length of time the 2nd fermentation lasts to better the bubbles are incorporated into the wine. My first impression when looking at my glass is these bubbles are on the larger side. But, what exactly is the difference between teeny and tiny?
The nose does not give up a lot in terms of aromas, there is a little melon, yeasty bread, some candy spice (red licorice), a hint of cherry. The Kingsley Sparkling Brut Rose' maybe a little short on aroma, but it is not lacking in flavor.
It tastes of a lemon/strawberry mix, sort of like Italian ice, followed by tart, sour cherry, a slap of minerality, watermelon, and light yeasty bread. It has that lip-smacking acidity that constantly tempts you to take another sip.
The Summary
- The Kingsley Sparkling Brut Rose' does not drink like a $6.99 Bubbly. I don't think it is exactly delicious, but it is not bad at all. I don't what your expectations are for a sub 7 buck bubbly,
The Story
The Bogle Phantom Red Blend 2016 is a blend of 51.5% Petit Sirah and 48.5% Zinfandel sourced from vineyards in several California vineyard regions. Bogle Vineyards was named 2019 Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
Bogle is located in the Clarksburg AVA which is south and a little east of Napa in the delta region of San Pablo Bay. The San Francisco Bay is on the south side, San Pablo to the north. The Bay is the reason that Carneros is cool enough for Pinot Noir, Napa gets cold ocean breezes and Clarksburg and Lodi can grow grapes even though they are some distance from the Pacific Ocean.
Clarksburg had been an AVA that was mainly vineyards who sold their grapes to her wineries with Bogle Vineyards being a notable exception. Bogle 's vineyards and production are run by the 6th generation of the family. They have grown grapes and made wine since 1978.
Bogle concentrates on value-priced wines and the Phantom series is their flagship wine (they have a Phantom Chardonnay, too). This is a wine that I found on sale for $15, so the production details will be more involved than regular Bogle labels.
The first thing that jumps out about this blend was aged in American oak, a mix first and second use barrels for 28 months. That kind of extended oak barrel aging is relatively rare in this price range and is the reason this is a 2016 vintage when competing Red Blends currently on store shelves are more likely to be 2017 or even 2018.
A rough rule of thumb is a wine needs one month of additional bottle aging for every month of oak barrel aging. Twenty-eight months in barrels require time for the wine to balance. Bogle needed to wait 3 to 4 years to release this vintage. Time is money in the wine world and obviously Bogle thinks doing it right, aging the blend for years is what the wine needed and was the right thing to do.
They could have aged this blend for a year in oak, plenty of the competition take that route. You can add oak flavoring to wine fairly quickly, but the benefits of long-term oak aging do not have a shortcut. This one detail tells you everything you need to know about the Phantom. Bogle did not have to give this Red extended aging. But they did and you are not paying much of a premium for the extra attention to detail.
Petite Sirah and Zinfandel are often blended together, but the usual mix is a smaller percentage of Petite Sirah in a Zinfandel labeled wine. Petite Sirah is used as a blending grape in countless value-priced blends. So with the Phantom Red, Petite Sirah gets a chance to shine. The alcohol content is 14.5%.
Bogle Phantom Red Blend 2016 Tasting Notes
The color is an opaque black cherry red, emphasis on the black. The nose is dark and brooding, there is extracted blackberry, a good dose of spice, new leather jacket, cigar box, licorice, ripe plum, herbs, and milk chocolate.
This is a smooth Red blend that has some real complexity bubbling below the surface. It tastes of blueberry mixed with black pepper, followed by dark chocolate (almost chocolate milk-like, but not sweet), a sharp splash of spice, and ripe plum.
The mid-palate brings non-sweet cola, a little cream, orange zest, and slightly tart cranberry. The overall impression is a silky smooth wine with sweet, and sharp flavors popping out.
In this episode Quake chats clones, guitars, Alexa, and Chardonnay - the Wente Single Vineyard (Riva Ranch) Chardonnay 2018.
Wente is the First Family of Chardonnay, and they're doing something pretty cool - a virtual wine tasting app for your Amazon Echo or Google Home device.
So why should we tell you all about this wine when Alexa can do it for us? Pour yourself a glass & listen now ...
The Story
The High Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is a single vineyard (Betsy's Vineyard) located in the High Valley sub-AVA of the Lake County AVA which directly north of Napa. High Valley is one of Shannon Ridge's family of wines.
Shannon Ridge is owned by Clay Shannon who farms several thousand acres of vineyards. They use 50% of the grapes for their own wines and the other 50% are sold off to other wineries. You have probably experienced Shannon Ridge grapes and not known it.
The vineyards are sustainably farmed, they use sheep to control weeds and provide some free and natural fertilizer. Using sheep to help in vineyards is called the Ovis Cycle, here is a link with a quick explanation of the process.
The High Valley AVA is centered in Coastal Ranges in northeast Lake County and features and has volcanic ash in the soil. The vineyards are located from 1600 to 3000 feet in elevation. So this is a single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc with a unique terroir.
The 2018 vintage was Shannon Ridge's longest vintage in 25 years, giving the grapes all the time they needed to fully develop. Fermentation for this Sauvignon Blanc lasted for a month in stainless steel tanks.
The High Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is a wine I found on sale for $11.99 but sells on Shanon Ridge's website for $27. Wine selling on a winery website is often priced higher than retail wine shops since a winery typically gets most of its sales from wine shops and does not want to interfere.
I am looking forward to tasting this Sauvignon Blanc, it won't be like a New Zealand SB or one from the Loire Valley in France, or Coastal Chile or Central Coast California. I should be a new flavor of Sauvignon Blanc, not exactly like all the rest, but maybe not so different either. The alcohol content is 13.1%.
High Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2018 Tasting Notes
The color is a very pale wheat yellow, from some angles it almost looks clear. the nose is both bright and mellow, there is bright crisp lemon/lime, green apple, a pleasing spice scent, melon, unsweetened pineapple juice, and tropical fruit.
This Sauv Blanc is again a clash of textures, sweets fresh flavors, and an austere edge. It has that acidity I love in White wine where your palate tells you to take another sip before your brain does.
It starts with tangerine mixed with lemon, followed by ripe peach and nectarine. The mid-palate offers soft spice, pineapple (not sweet), some of that nutty, salty "on lees" thing, and sharp, tart lime.
The Summary
- If you are into Sauvignon Blanc you need to check out the High Valley Sauvignon Blanc. It has some interesting contrasts, bright and juicy, along with hard-edged and brooding. Most inexpensive Sauv Blancs do not require your focused attention, they just make you happy when you sip them.* The High Valley demands a bit more of your attention, you can drink it as one of those springtimes in a bottle Sauvignon Blanc. But you will be better served if you contemplate the flavors at least for the first few sips. This wine is worth your attention.
In this episode, we chat with the folks over at Everledger about the emerging wine tech that not only prevents fraud, but can create a direct relationship between producers & us winos!
Did you know one third of the booze out there is fake or mislabeled? There's such stringent rules in place to be sure a producer can label their wines as coming from somewhere, but what about the rest of the supply chain? Listen in to see what's being done ...
The Story
The Trader Joe's Reserve Anderson Valley Pinot Noir is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. Anderson Valley is located in coastal Mendocino and is situated between two mountain ranges. Two more things to note are this the 2018 vintage and is Lot #201.
Anderson Valley has a growing reputation for the production of fine Pinot Noir wines. I noticed that the alcohol level is 14.5% which fairly heavy for a Pinot Noir. Burgundian Pinot Noir is closer to 12.5%, so this is a substantial increase.
I did a quick check of currently released Anderson Valley Pinot Noir's and found that 14.5% is not out of line. So this should be a Pinot Noir with a bit more weight on the palate than California Pinot Noir.
Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer claims that this Pinot Noir is comparable to $30 Pinots from the region. I believe them, we recently did a post on a $12.99 Napa Chardonnay that TJ's said would have cost twenty-five dollars under a different label. And that claim rang true.
A Pinot Noir from a winery located in Anderson Valley can easily sell for $30 and usually much more. A Brand wine, that is a wine that is not tied to a particular winery, may come in a bit cheaper. But Pinot Noir from a well-regarded AVA can get expensive in a hurry.
It's funny, one of the reasons I thought the $12.99 Napa Chardonnay should have cost twice as much is because it had a real cork, no composite or plastic cork. Value-priced wine almost never has a real cork, you are drinking the wine within 48 hours of buying it, there is no reason to use a real cork that when it isn't really needed.
The Trader Joe's Reserve Anderson Valley Pinot Noir has a composite cork, so no tip-off there, it is just that a 100% Anderson Valley Pinot Noir can command a good price. But, that is if it from a well-known winery or a winemaker with a solid track record.
Store label wine just cannot demand the same prices as established wineries can for their wines. Folks will pay thirty plus dollars for a Pinot Noir from a boutique Anderson Valley winery because they know what they are getting and what to expect.
Trader Joe's Reserve wines have been wines well worth buying for quite some time, but they are a mixed bag. Where they came from and how they were made varies. There have been $9.99 wines that should have sold for $50 and $9.99 wines that were priced about right.
So, if this was a $30 wine under a different label, a label where the wines provenance and vintage history can be verified, that is believable. That is the main story here, Trader Joe's Reserve wine, Grand Reserve, Platinum Reserve, and the rest are for adventurous bargain hunters. Sometimes you find a great bargain and sometimes not so much. I think this one just might be a bargain.
Trader Joe's Reserve Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Tasting Notes
The color is dark, but still see-thru garnet red. The nose is cherries and spice, a little vanilla, some herbs, black pepper, and cold coffee. This is a little bit heavier on the palate, the 14.5% alcohol does make a difference, but the complex Pinot Noir flavors are on full display.
It starts with ripe black cherry, and a healthy dose of exotic spice, there is a hard edge for herbs and a splash of black pepper.
The Story
The Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Napa Chardonnay 2018 Lot 85 is a $12.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer says "expect to pay twice as much elsewhere for a similarly pedigreed Napa Chardonnay." And they called this wines producer their winery partner.
That sounds about right, if a winery from Napa releases a Chardonnay under their own label it is going to sell for a minimum of $25. You can find an occasional brand wine from Napa for less, but winery wines sell for a premium.
The back label shows the Behind the Scenes Wine Company cellared and bottled this Chardonnay. Cellared and bottled by dose not mean much in terms of who farmed the grapes or fermented the wine. It only means they might have aged the wine a little and they poured it into bottles.
The Grand Reserve label from Trader Joe's means that this is a limited availability wine, it is only here for a short time and when it is gone it is gone for good. It also indicates the source of the wine is a cut above the usual TJ's Reserve wines. They usually make more of an effort to conceal the origin of the wine.
There are many scenarios as to how a TJ's, Aldi, Costco, etc get their own label wine. There are companies that will make any wine, at whatever price you choose, there are wineries that sell-off leftover grapes, juice, or finished wine. The Grand Reserve Lot 85 origin story can be just about anything, there are tons of options.
But that is no fun, Trader Joe's says this $12.88 is comparable to a $26 bottle, so what are the clues we have to go on? Well, for one thing, there is a real cork in the bottle, not some composite stopper that is the norm for under twenty dollar wine. That may not seem like much, but real corks are rare in value wine.
So why is that a clue? Actual Napa Valley wineries do not use composite or plastic corks, they use the real deal. And since the Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Napa Chardonnay is a limited supply wine it probably was not worth the effort to get cheaper corks.
This is just a guess, I have no first-hand insight, but I would think that somewhere along the supply chain this Trader Joe's Chardonnay was produced by a legit Napa winery. Are these leftovers from a Chardonnay sold under their own label or is this a second line wine? I do not know, but I suspect this is a wine made by a well known Napa winery.
Since this is a Napa Chardonnay expect some oak barrel influence and malolactic fermentation. It would not Napa Chardonnay otherwise. The alcohol content is a ripe 14.2%.
Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Napa Chardonnay Tasting Notes
The color is a clean, clear, but deep lemon yellow. The nose is honey, apple, peach, pear, lemon chiffon, rich vanilla, candy spice, and melon. This is a rich, ripe, flavorful Chardonnay.
It starts with rounded peach, tart lemon, apricot, spice, and vanilla. I really tasty mix of sweet, tart, and sharp flavors and textures. The mid-palate tosses in some creme brûlée, melon, lime, pear, and a late dash of pineapple. The acidity is very well-balanced, this is a well-made wine.
The Summary
- This is a no-brainer...but the Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Napa Chardonnay 2018 Lot 85* These Trader Joe's Reserv...
The Story
PPE, six-foot social distancing, lockdown, masks, wash your hands every time you touch something, cross the street when you see someone walking towards you, so much for your favorite pub or restaurant, and stand in line to enter the grocery store, the so-called new reality.
Well, we have our XLR microphones and our FaceTime cameras, Quake and Dave decided to do a long-distance wine tasting, alone together. Luckily Quake has a Zoom account for business, we plugged in the podcast equipment and had a party. Kind of like usual, only this time we were in different towns about thirty-five miles away from each other.
We checked if we both had the same wine available and it turned out we both had the Federalist Bourbon Barrel Aged Zinfandel in our respective wine racks. So we pop the top on a Zin, fired up the computers, and had us a wine tasting.
In this age of shelter at home, while it wasn't as fun as the real thing, it was a pretty satisfying experience and a welcome change of pace. We both happened to have this Zinfandel because it was leftover from the whole line of Federalist wines that were sent to each of us to celebrate these wines being available at Chicago Cubs games.
We both had the Bourbon barrel-aged Red wines leftover because neither one of us was sure about the whole bourbon barrel thing. Wine barrels are toasted by flame, each level of toast, light, medium, dark offer different oak flavoring. Bourbon barrels are charred, they really put the flame to these barrels, and bourbon whiskey can stand up to strong oak flavors. Wine, not so much.
As it turned out the Federalist Bourbon Barrel Mendocino Zinfandel was well-balanced and full of flavor. No odd or extreme whiskey flavors, just loads of ripe fruit and spice. At times we did more sipping than podcasting, we were very happy with our wine choice.
The long-distance wine tasting concept works surprisingly well, we plan to do more and we recommend you give it try. We matched our wine selection, but a potluck wine tasting will work just as well. Do not let a stupid virus slow you down, stay safe, and keep friends and family safe. But maybe it is time to forge a new reality.
CheapWineFinder Long Distance Wine Tasting Podcast Below
The Story
The Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Petite Sirah, 1% Cabernet Franc, and 1% Merlot. All but the Petite Sirah are grapes approved to be included in the Red wine blends of Bordeaux. Petite Sirah is also a French grape, not Bordeaux, and never was widely planted in France but has found a home in California.
The bulk of the grapes come from 2 Simi estate vineyards, Los Amigos and Red Fan, along with a portion from other local vineyards of some renown. Simi winery has a long history, it was founded in the late 1800s and was one of the pioneers of Alexander Valley wine.
The Alexander Valley AVA runs north-south along the Russian River with Mendocino to the north and the Russian River AVA (a cooler region known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay) to the south. The Russian River at one time in the very distant past ran east/west until a major earthquake caused the river to make a sharp turn heading north.
Simi has hand several owners of the years and is currently one of Constellation Brands stable of wines. Often when a large wine conglomerate purchases a wine brand, they only use the name. The vineyards and the winery are sold off or repurposed. But Simi remains much like it always was, the same facilities and the same outstanding vineyards.
This is a Cabernet Sauvignon that lists for about $25, and I found it for closer to $15. The usual difference between a $25 wine and say a $12 wine is style and production techniques and sometimes vineyards. It is not completely uncommon for a $12 and $25 wine to be sourced from the same vineyards, but that is another story.
The Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 was fermented with the grape skins for 21 days to get all the goodness the skins had to give. All the tannins, color, and chemical compounds are released into the juice. This cab was aged for 14 months in French and American oak barrels, mostly used barrels with 15% new oak barrels.
All the tannins and all the oak conditioning mean that the winemaker has to take steps to balance all the varying elements in the wine. That usually dictates more complex production and additional time for them to balance. With a typical $12 Red wine, the winemaker will take steps that allow the wine to come together faster which makes for a bright fruit-forward wine.
Those wines are very popular, but the more expensive wines have depth and finesse that the less expensive wines do not have the time to develop. The Simi Alexander Valley Cab is a classic example of Cabernet Sauvignon from this region of Sonoma County. The alcohol content is a balanced 13.5%.
Simi Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Tasting Notes
The color is a dark raspberry jam red with black highlights. The nose smells expensive, I know that is sort of a weird thing to say, but with inexpensive Cabs, the first aroma is usually fruit, here it is herbs and spice with blackberry lingering in the background, along with a smokey, savory note, bitter dark chocolate, and mint.
This is a medium-bodied wine that really engages your palate and exhibits excellent balance. It tastes of extracted blackberry, black pepper, sharp spice, dark roast coffee (black,
The Story
The Proyecto la Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo translates to the Wild Garnacha Project of Moncayo. The concept behind this wine is simple. Find old, neglected Garnacha vineyards and bring them back to life.
The Moncayo is one the largest mountain peaks (Pyrenees) along the Elbro Valley in the district of Aragon in northeast Spain. Further north and a little west along the Elbro Valley is the Rioja wine region
There was a time when Garnacha was the most planted red wine grape in Spain, Tempranillo now leads the way. The most planted wine grape in Spain is Arien a White wine grape that makes the local inexpensive everyday wine and is seldom seen outside of Spain.
The owners of the Garnacha Project explore the old wine-growing areas where many of the old vineyards have had the vines pulled out and the land put to a different use. They would find neglected, have forgotten vineyards, and bring them back to life.
The Proyecto la Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo is the younger, drink-it-now wine in their line-up. This Garnacha was aged in new French oak barrels for 5 months. This region is inland, not coastal the summers can get hot, though the mountains can moderate the climate and cool things down at night.
So, this is a wine, a Garnacha rescued from a forgotten vineyard. If you are not familiar with Garnacha, it is the same grape as Grenache which is one of the 2 main grapes (Syrah is the other) of the southern Rhone region in France. The Rhone region in France and the Aragon region in Spain are not that far from each other. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
Proyecto la Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo Tasting Notes
The color is very dark but somehow still see-thru black cherry red. The nose is lush and ripe, there are bright and juicy red berries, a slap of spice, a savory, herbal scent, mint, a whiff of smoke, blackberry, and pepper.
This Garnacha was lighter on the palate than expected, it has bright fruit flavors and plenty of spice. It tastes of blackberry mixed with licorice, there is some sharp orange zest, a little spice, and ripe plum.
The mid-palate adds Snickers bar chocolate, raspberry, a hint of cream, and a little Dr. Pepper (not sweet). The tannins are sweet and smooth and the acidity is really well balanced, it lets the flavors unfold and gets your palate looking for another sip.
The Summary
- The Proyecto la Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo is a really great value for a ten buck wine. A long-standing CheapWinefinder Red wine rule is if you want the best inexpensive Red wine then learn to like Garnacha from Spain. There are probably more 89to 90 plus point wines in the under 15 dollars Spanish section of your local wine dealer than any other wine geographic section.* The Project Garnacha tastes great, is well-made, and does not put a dent in your wallet.
The Podcast Story
We thought we would try our hand at a ZOOM webcam get together that has become one of the main ways to stay in touch in these days of self-isolation. So the Cheapwinefinder Lockdown Virtual Wine Tasting Podcast was born.
The concept was Mike and Dave would each pick up a Sauvignon Blanc to taste test alone together. Mike grabbed the R Collection Sauvignon Lot 4. There are four generations of winemakers working for Raymond Vineyards and Lot 4 means that this is the handwork of the 4th generation.
The grapes came for Lodi and the North Coast and you will have to check out the podcast to hear Mike's impression of this wine. (He liked it, the bottle was empty by the end of the podcast).
Dave, that's me, tried to go to the large local Liquor store/Wine shop in the neighborhood. When I got there I saw I line of folks reaching through the parking lot to the street waiting to get in. These days stores limit the number of customers allowed in at any given moment.
Luckily there was an ALDI around the corner with no line and I managed to get an estate farmed and bottled Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand selling for under eight dollars. Again, check the podcast for my impressions.
After we talked about the wine our thoughts turned to these uncertain times and the future of things we once took for granted. We are safe and healthy, so our biggest problem is boredom. But so many more are dealing with serious issues and concerns, both health-wise and financial So many have died in the last 6 weeks, that it is hard to completely comprehend.
So hopefully you will be amused by our Virtual Tasting and we plan to do more installments. So Cheers and be Safe.
Cheapwinefinder Lockdown Virtual Wine Tasting Podcast
The Story
The Parasphere Sonoma Zinfandel 2014 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's mystery wine. There are several things here that do not add up to an aged Sonoma County Zinfandel for under eight bucks.
The first point is obvious, Sonoma Zinfandel with 6 years of age selling for $7.99 does not exist in the wild. Generally speaking, the difference between a ten-dollar Red wine and a twenty-dollar Red wine is the production techniques the winemaker chose to use.
A ten-dollar wine is designed to come together quickly, to be bright and juicy, and to be a drink-it-now wine, that is not to have much aging potential.
A twenty-dollar has a more elaborate production, it typically has more oak aging and the wine is designed to handle stand up to the extra oak influence. A $20 wine is still made to drink-it-now, not made to age.
The properties in the grapes that would allow the wine to age well are not accentuated. Those properties are not removed either, so while it will last for a few years most people are drinking these wines within hours of purchase.
The next point is the bottle, it is rather heavy and somewhat unique. It is thinner and taller than a typical Red wine bottle. With most under ten buck wines, they use generic wine bottles that are eco-bottles, with thinner than usual glass that is lighter and save some money on shipping.
The Parasphere Sonoma Zinfandel 2014 has an actual cork stopper. I know that sounds like a small thing, but I keep all my corks (I don't know why) and maybe 2 or 3 out of 50 or 60 corks are actual cork and not some composite or synthetic material.
This may be a little excessive, but I google Parasphere Trademark and found that this name was trademarked in November of 2019. The company that trademarked the name circles around to a privately owned Napa winery. Not exactly the kind of place that would be associated with Trader Joe's 8 dollar wine.
So, this is an odd wine, it is too old a vintage, with an upscale bottle and a real deal cork to be selling for $7.99.
Parasphere Sonoma Zinfandel 2014 Tasting Notes
The color is a deep dark black cherry red. The nose is large and in charge, there is deep, ripe blackberry, herbs, a savory note, black pepper, spice, those hard red cherry candies with liquor inside that your Grandmother had, and raisin.
This is a full-bodied Zinfandel with lots of spice and an aged wine taste, I think this is a wine that needs to be consumed in the next few months, next year maybe a bit too long.
It starts with bright, still juicy blackberry, a substantial slap of spice, light herbs, pepper, and plum. The mid-pale brings blueberry, soft chocolate, orange zest, and tart cranberry. The tannins are sweet and the acidity is well-balanced. The alcohol content is 14.5%.
The Summary
- A six-year-old Sonoma Zinfandel is a rarity in this price category,
The Story
The Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2018 is 100% Malbec sourced from Estate vineyards in the Uco Valley in the southwest corner of the Mendoza Valley in Argentina.
Santa Julia is one of the labels produced by Familia Zuccardi Estates who have been in the wine business since the 1950s. Santa Julia was started in 1982 and Julia in the name is the founders' only daughter.
This is a side note, I have not tasted the Malbec yet. I have found that whenever a winery names a wine or a label after a loved one, they do not mess around. Certain standards are always met, corners are not cut. This is a wine I found on-sale for under ten dollars, but I expect it to be made with great care.
The actual name of this particular bottling from Santa Julia is the Winemakers Reserve, which is not shown on their website. They do have a Malbec simply labeled Reserva which is in the same price range and is also sourced from Uco Valley.
This brand name seems to a wine only found at a local very large chain of liquor stores. Are they the same wines with a different label? It looks like they are similar if not exact.
They both seem to be sourced from the same vineyards, the back label refers to this wine as a Reserva, the price is about the same, and both have an alcohol content of 14%.
The Reserva was aged for 10 months in French oak barrels and unless the Winemakers Reserve is an unoaked Malbec, this bottling probably has similar oak treatment. That will get figured out in the tasting portion of this post.
Familia Zuccardi is a leader in organic farming in Argentina. While the vineyards used for the Santa Julia Reserve Malbec 2018 are not certified organic, they are located at such altitude (3130 and 4600 feet, these are the foothills of the Andes) that most pests and disease that can plague grapevines are not present. These vineyards can be farmed with little intervention.
Santa Julia Reserve Malbec 2018 Tasting Notes
The color is a deep dark cranberry red. The nose is blackberry, bacon fat, licorice, light herbs, a little spice, a whiff of smoke, cherry, and a faint floral note.
This is a medium to full-bodied wine with bold flavors. It starts with extracted blackberry, cola, black pepper, and exotic spice.
The mid-palate brings in a little vanilla, some black cherry, and Nestles chocolate powder. The tannins are dusty, they are in the flavor profile, but do not bite. The acidity is well integrated into the body of the wine.
The Summary
The Santa Julia Reserve Malbec 2018 is a lot of wine for the money, I found it for under $10 and it drinks far beyond that price.Malbec was all the rage a few years ago, I think Rose' knocked it off its pedestal and I kind of forgot about Malbec.I am glad I rediscovered Malbec it makes for a terrific value-priced drink-it-now red wine. You do not have to spend a great deal of money to find a satisfying wine.
The Story
The Arroyo del Imperio Chardonnay 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from vineyards in the foothills of the Andes in the Central Valley of Chile.
There usually isn't much of a story to tell for six buck Trader Joe's Chardonnay. There is no technical information available concerning the production of this wine. The back label of inexpensive Trader Joe's wines will often give a hint as to what is in the bottle.
But the back label for the Arroyo del Imperio Chardonnay 2019 does not say much of anything other than the general location of the vineyards. No hints like butter in the flavor profile that would give some indication of oak treatment of some sort. Nothing that will even allow you to make a guess.
The back label does tell us something about this Chardonnay and that is it is both Vegan friendly and a Kosher wine. Here is a link to an explanation of Kosher wine. A simple version is a Rabbi has to oversee parts of the winemaking process. This a wine that Trader Joe's brought in for the Passover Holiday before we were so rudely interrupted.
I used to think, "isn't all wine Vegan Friendly?", after all, it is made from grapes. It turns out that the "fining" process used egg whites. To "fine" the wine is to add an agent to the wine to remove chemicals that make the wine cloudy or bitter.
The standard way to complete this was to used animal-based products, but today, mineral-based components such as volcanic ash are used. Vegan friendly isn't the same as Natural wine, but it does use some of those practices.
I guess there was more to this $5.99 Chardonnay than I thought. The alcohol content is 13%.
The Arroyo del Imperio Chardonnay 2019 Tasting Notes
The color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is crisp and clean, there is lemon, green apple, pear, lime, a little orange blossom honey, and spice lemon cough drops.
This is a medium to light-bodied Chardonnay, fairly simple, but tasty. It starts with non-sweetened lemon/lime, tart apple, Anjou pear, and pink grapefruit.
The mid-palate does not have a lot to add, but there is tart apricot and maybe some of that salty, nutty, "on lees" thing. The acidity is balanced, the flavors get to unfold and the acid does not bite.
The Summary
The Arroyo del Imperio Chardonnay 2019 very useable $5.99 Chardonnay.It may well perform better as a food wine than sipping wine, though it drinks well.I prefer my Chardonnay to have a more detailed production, some malolactic, some on lees, a little oak, but I can not complain about the Arroyo del Imperio. The price is right, it is Vegan approved and it is Kosher.With Passover in the rearview mirror, this Chardonnay is now a Tuesday night Netflix wine
The Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel 2018 is sourced from vineyards in the Lodi AVA of Northern California. Gnarly Head is one of Delicato Family Vineyard's portfolio of wines.
Click on the link above to see their family of wine. Delicato has been around since 1924, they are the sixth-largest winery in the United State. They control 6,000 acres of grapevines in Lodi, Napa, Sonoma, and Monterey.
The term Gnarly Head refers to a style of pruning the vines. The branches are trained to come out of the stalk three or four feet off the ground. The branches are pruned back to keep them in shape. After several years, these are Old Vines, the vines become gnarled and twisted.
Old vines are not a legal term each winery can come up with their definition, but Delicato says some of the vines are over 80 years old. Which brings us to the next question, "what's the big deal about old vines?
Grapevines need to suffer to produce great wine grapes. By suffer I mean they do not need to get too much water or be planted in too fertile soil. Most vineyards are planted on rock-strewn sides of hills on land not suitable for crops.
So, the struggle for nutrients and moisture is an integral part of the development of the grapes. Old vines naturally struggle, they do not need to be situated on perfect (well perfect for grapevines, kind of bad for most commercial crops) ground to get the full benefits. The struggle is already built-in.
Grapevines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Chardonnay are pulled out and replanted in commercial vineyards when they no longer are in their prime. These grapes are in demand and the vineyards are constantly being renewed. A new vine may take four or five years to produce wine worthy grapes.
Zinfandel has been planted in Lodi for over 100 years and for most of its history there was never the demand for Zinfandel wine to cause the vineyard owners to renew their vines. Vines as they get older, maybe around 25 to 30 years, start to slow down their yield, but few vineyards needed to go through the time and expense to replant.
That is a very good thing for the Lodi vineyard owners because these old vines are now in demand and sought after. What may have been good vineyards but not standout vineyards are now exceptional vineyards. Good things come to those who wait.
The Gnarly Head label was started in 2004 and includes a full line of drink-it-now wines, both Red and White. The Gnarly Head Old Vines Zinfandel 2018 was aged in/on French and American oak. I am always confused when the tasting notes say racked on oak rather than racked in oak barrels.
Racked is a wine term about moving the wine from one barrel or tank to another using gravity rather than some sort of pump. So exactly the sort of oak aging isn't specified, but in a wine that I purchased for $8.99 fancy French oak barrels isn't of too much importance. The alcohol content is 14.5%.
Gnarly Head Old Vine Zinfandel 2018 Tasting Notes
The color is a dark but still see-thru black cherry red. The nose is rich and weighty, a nice surprise in a sub-$10 wine, there is depth to the aromas. There is ripe blackberry, a hint of herbs, black licorice, smoke from the BBQ, black pepper, black cherry, and spice.
The Story
The Wildsong Hawke's Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is sourced from the Wild Flower Vineyard located in Mangatahi one of the highest elevated regions in the Hawke's Bay growing region on New Zealand's North Island. Most of the Sauvignon Blanc you would typically see on store shelves comes from Marlborough on the South Island.
Wildsong is one of Te Awanga Estate line of wines. About half of Te Awanga's vineyards are certified organic with the other transitioning to organic.
Hawke's Bay is located on the North Island is more well-known for producing Syrah, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon than Sauvignon Blanc. They have more Chardonnay under vine than Sauv Blanc, so if you are used to the wines of Marlborough on the South Island, this will be different.
This Sauvignon Blanc was fermented in stainless steel and then aged "on lees" for a few months before bottling. "On lees" refers to the winemaker keeping the dead, spent yeast in the tank with the wine while aging. The lees (dead yeast) can be stirred occasionally to often. The more the lees are stirred more the wine takes on a creamy character.
Though they usually do not stir the lees too much with Sauvignon Blanc, they are normally looking for a combination of ripe and tart citrus, not cream. On lees can also give the wine a salty, cashew like flavor. If you pick out a bit of salt with White wine that is a pretty good indicator that on lees took place.
I think I found this wine for $12.99, which is an excellent price for a single vineyard, somewhat boutique Sauvignon Blanc. This is a young wine, virtual all Sauvignon Blanc in this price range is made in the drink-it-now style. And that is just fine since Sauvignon Blanc made in a young, bright, fresh style is delicious. The alcohol content is a mild 12.5%.
Wildsong Hawke's Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2018 Tasting Notes
The color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is pretty, there are scents of melon, peach, Altoid's mints, tropical fruit, Anjou pear, orange blossom honey, and lime. This Sauv Blanc is a little subdued from the stuff on the South Island, still good, but different.
It starts with pineapple mixed of ripe apple, and peach, then a slight slap of spice. The mid-palate offers light melon, tart grapefruit and that salty cashew thing described above. The acidity is very well-balanced, enough to support the flavors and to entice you to take another sip.
The Summary
- The Wildsong Hawke's Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is a very tasty wine. It is not big and bold like Marlborough, it does not have that edge, it is softer, more rounded and still tastes great. This is a Sauv Blanc well worth seeking out, a single vineyard wine priced the same of the multi-vineyard wines.
The Story
The Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2017 is 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier sourced from vineyards in South Australia. In case you are not aware, Shiraz (Syrah) is a red grape and Viognier is a white grape and it is not all that common that red and white grapes are used in a blend.
I asked a winemaker why they would add a small amount of a White wine grape to a Red wine since you would figure the Red grape would overpower the White grape. She told me that adding Viognier "puts a shine" on the wine. It is an effect you can only get from adding a White grape to Red wine.
Yalumba Family Vignerons is a family-owned and operated winery that was founded in 1849 in the Barossa Valley region of South Australia. They cover the entire winemaking process from the vineyards to cooperage (making the oak barrels), wine production, and bottling. The Y Series is their drink-it_now line of wines.
This is the 2017 vintage, but their website shows a 2018 and 2019 vintage that is also available. This is an unoaked wine not meant to be cellared or aged. The 2017 vintage is still very drinkable, especially since it was produced to be bright and shiny in nature. It is usually a good idea to get the newest vintage with drink-it-now wines unless a certain vintage is known to be better than the others.
Viognier is known for its bright acidity and its great nose it will add a wonderful fragrance to any wine. Shiraz is the Red wine of Australia, but it is normally found with a decent amount of oak barrel aging. Here is unoaked and blended with a small amount of white wine, so this will not be the typical Australian Shiraz.
The Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2017 is sustainably farmed and produced, vegan friendly, and natural yeast (the yeast found in the air and on grape skins) was used for fermentation, rather than commercial yeasts. The alcohol content is mild for an Australian Shiraz 13.5%.
Yalumba Y Series Shiraz Viognier 2017 Tasting Notes
The color is a clear, shiny, see-thru cherry jelly red with black highlights. The nose is dark berries, lightly smokey, very spicey, with a whiff of mint. This is a medium-bodied Shiraz, with a mix of soft fruit and edgy spice.
It tastes of ripe blackberry, black pepper, plum, sharp, exotic spice, and tart cranberry. The mid-palate offers blueberry, orange zest, and a light, rough slap from the tannins.
The Summary
- This is a wine that I found on sale for $8.99, but it drinks beyond its price point. It reminds me of red wine from the Southwest of France. It is lean and not afraid to show its structure. This is not a bold and juicy fruit bomb, it has a mix of rich fruit flavors and challenging spices, this may not be a wine for beginners. But if you are up for the challenge and are not afraid of a little of wines' structural elements you will be rewarded with a tasty wine that offers bang-for-the-buck.
The Story
The William Wright Monterey Chardonnay 2018 is a $7.99 ALDI wine produced for them by Scheid Vineyards in Greenfield, California (Monterey County). It seems that if you see a Monterey County wine from ALDI there is a good chance Scheid Vineyards produced it.
Scheid Family Wines has been in business since 1972 and have 12 estate vineyards. They produce a wide variety of wines from expensive single-vineyard wines to highly affordable wines sold in grocery stores. In doing a quick check of the CWF archives I found a good number of Monterey County wines produced in Greenfield, California.
Virtual all those wines received positive reviews with terms like bang-for-the-buck and hits above its price tag often used. Which bodes well for the William Wright Monterey Chardonnay 2018. Often wines that are sold exclusively through a store chain attempt to hide their origin.
Scheid Family Wines has William Wright wines featured on their webpage complete with tasting notes and professional bottle shots. That means they stand behind their wine and that is a good detail for a $7.99 ALDI wine.
The William Wright Chardonnay is sourced from Scheid estate vineyards (they have 12) which again is a positive detail for a $7.99 wine. The tasting notes say this Chardonnay was aged "on" French oak.
What exactly does "aged on French oak" mean? Wine is typically aged "in" oak barrels. Are barrels used? The tasting notes are vague, but at less than eight bucks saving some production money with "other" forms of oak aging is understandable and to be expected.
So, this a $7.99 estate wine sourced from a single AVA and produced by a well-respected winery. You really can not ask for more than that from wine in this price range. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
William Wright Monterey Chardonnay 2018 Tasting Notes
The color reminds me of extra virgin olive oil. The nose is clean and bright, there is lemon, ripe green apple, banana, pink lemonade, peach, pear, a little vanilla, and a touch of spice. This is a crisp, bright Chardonnay with well-balanced acidity.
It tastes of a mix of melon, lemon, apple and pear, followed by creamy vanilla, and light oak spice.
The mid-palate is tame compared to the body of the wine but adds tart tangerine and lime. The acidity lets the flavors unfold and will get you reaching for another sip.
The Summary
It is getting harder to procure wine during the lockdown. In Chicago, they are asking us to not go to the grocery store this week and next, so hitting a wine shopman be difficult.Being able to go to ALDI for supplies and to do double duty and get a wine that is worth drinking is a blessing.The William Wright Monterey Chardonnay 2018 is the perfect wine for rewatching The Wire for free on HBO during the lockdown. Just remember to get 2 (or more) because safely going to the store to get more may be difficult.
The Story
The Bluebird Monterey Pinot Noir 2016 seems to be an orphan wine. All the social media for Bluebird Wines and they had everything, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, all stopped posting in 2015. There is a single webpage, for the 2013 vintage of this wine.
They seemed to have produced other wines from past vintages, but this is the only wine still for sale. I also found it selling at a local grocery store, Mariano's, which is a Kroger store in the Chicago region. This is not your typical grocery store wine.
For one thing, this is a small production, boutique Pinot Noir, the label says only 52 barrels were produced (about 15,000 bottles). Most of the bottles found in supermarkets (not all) tend to be produced in the hundreds of thousands. Mass production keeps the price down.
The second thing is the tasting notes name Garys' Vineyard as a/the source. The only source is for the 2013 vintage and this is the 2016 vintage, I am guessing everything stayed the same.
Garys' Vineyard is located in the Santa Lucia Highlands not far from the Monterey Bay, it is one of the premier Pinot Noir vineyards in California. Pinots sourced from this vineyard routinely sell in the fifty dollar range. The Bluebird Monterey Pinot Noir 2016 was found for under $15.
The Bluebird label only shows Monterey County as a source, maybe they sourced grapes from other parts of Monterey. Their information only lists one vineyard. If it is sourced solely from Garys' Vineyard this is a wildly underpriced Pinot Noir, even if it is only partially sourced from there it is still very well priced.
There are many high-end Pinot Noir brands that show Garys' Vineyard and Santa Lucia Highlands on their front label. The Bluebird Pinot Noir seems to be modestly labeled. This is a 2016 vintage which is a good deal of aging for an under $15 Pinot Noir.
This wine was aged in French oak barrels for 16 months, with 40% in French oak barrels and the rest in neutral oak barrels. Neutral barrels have been reused to the point that they no longer have any oak flavoring left to impart. The winemaker could use stainless steel tanks, but oak barrels let a tiny amount of air into the barrel. That minuscule amount causes enough of a change for the winemaker to go through the extra trouble and expense of barrels.
The Bluebird seems to be a boutique, small production, well-sourced wine that just happens to be selling at a grocery store. There are interesting bargain wines everywhere if you take the time to search for them. The alcohol content is 13.8%.
Bluebird Monterey Pinot Noir 2016 Tasting Notes
The color is a see-thru garnet red. The nose is really good, inexpensive Pinot Noir is usually dominated by fruit on the nose along with the expected herbs and spices. But, here we have an array of exotic scents, herbs, dried fall leaf, unusual spices, cherry, pork cooking on the outdoor grill, a whiff of smoke, this wine has a nose that takes you on a journey.
This is a medium-bodied wine with bright acidity and delicate flavors. It starts with tart cherry, a slightly rough edge from the tannins. oak spice, tea, and a hint of chocolate.
The mid-palate brings orange zest, sweet blueberry, licorice, herbs, and cranberry. The acidity gives this Pinot a good deal of length. What I enjoy about a good Pinot Noir is that you have to seek out the full display of tastes and textures. Some wines hit you over the head with flavor and that is fine, but I like a wine that does not give up its secrets so easily.
The Summary
The Bluebird Monterey Pinot Noir 2016 is a very fine Pinot Noir. It has features that are not normally found for under fifteen dollars.I think I am going to take my time next time I am in a grocery store searching for a wine and not just grab whatever is on sale. The Bluebird Pinot shows that there are treasures to be found if you take the time to look.
The Story
The Anne Amie Rose of Pinot Noir 2019 is an estate farmed, produced, and bottled Rose' sourced from vineyards in the Yamhill-Carlton and Chehalem Mountain districts of the Willamette Valley in western Oregon. Anne Amie Vineyards is a privately owned winery founded in 1999.
This Rose' is a brand new wine for Anne Amie and they have not gotten around to adding the wine to their website, so I do not have production tidbits to pass along. But this is an interesting wine we will have a fair amount to talk about.
Willamette Valley is my favorite Pinot Noir and a Rose' of Pinot Noir is the flip-side of Pinot Noir wine. When a winemaker produces a Red wine they have to take into account the tannins (a chemical compound found in grape skins) and the flavor influence of oak barrels. They concentrate flavors and texture in the wine to seamlessly blend with the oak and tannins, it is a balancing act.
Rose' juice only has contact with the grape skins long enough to get the desired pink color (usually a few hours). Rose' wine, especially in this price range (I found it for $14.99) do not have new oak aging. If oak barrels are used they are typically neutral oak, which are barrels that have released all their flavor.
Since there are little in the way of tannins and oak influence a winemaker has no need for the same production techniques as regular Red wine (in this case, Pinot Noir). Flavors and textures that can get overpowered in regular red wine are allowed to breathe and come to the forefront. And if you are paying attention, you can pick up flavors in a Rose' that if you look, can now find hidden in a glass of Red wine.
If you are a fan of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, a Rose' of Pinot Noir can help you start to find all the interesting nuances in the wine. If you are simply a Rose' fan and Pinot Noir does not really do it for you, then these Rose' wines can be excellent.
Another point I want to make is choosing a wine at a wine shop based on the label. Some folks will tell you that that is a bad idea, but I disagree. The label to the Anne Amie Rose of Pinot Noir 2019 is beautiful, very eye-catching.
My bottle shot does not capture the entire label it wraps around the bottle. It is a painting of a garden, but not a still-life reproduction. All the elements of a garden are included, but things are placed where the artist chose, not where nature would dictate. The colors are both eye-catching and muted, there are contrasts.
At this point, I have the bottle open and a glass poured but I do not know how this Rose' tastes. But if I am right about what the label is signaling to me, this is a bright, fresh Rose', with style and differing contrasts of flavor. It isn't merely a simple almost no manipulation Rose', but has elements the winemaker intended to showcase. The label is a representation of what to expect with your first sip.
Now that is my theory on wine bottle labels and it seems to work for me. But then again it may be my imagination fitting square pegs into round holes. The alcohol content is a relatively mild 12.7%.
Anne Amie Rose of Pinot Noir 2019 Tasting Notes
The color is pink mixed with apricot. The nose is a mix of bright citrus and slightly husky fruit aromas, candy spice (not sweet), cherry, lemon, melon, Anjou pear, and sour hard candy. This is a sleek, very well-balanced Rose', this is no fruit bomb.
It starts with sharp cherry, a little lemon/lime, tangerine, and ripe black cherry. The mid-palate adds nectarine, light spice, and a slightly creamy, slightly salty sensation. The acidity lets the flavors unfold and will get you reaching for another sip sooner than you think.
The Summary
The Anne Amie Rose of Pinot Noir 2019 is delicious, casual, and the same time a little elegant.It is a young wine, vintage 2019, but the flavors have melded together very well in that short period of time.My theory of labels worked with Anne Amie Rose'.
The Story
The Bear Bros Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is an ALDI $8.99 exclusive sourced from vineyards in California. That is about all the information on the production of this Cab that is available.
And that is ok because this is a lockdown wine, if you take a chance and head out to ALDI is grab some provisions can you also pick up a decent wine to help make watching Netflix for the 3rd week a row more palatable. ALDI does not have the most attractively displayed wines around, but there are some wines that are well worth drinking.
So what do we know or at least guess about the Bear Bros Cabernet Sauvignon 2017? First, a 9 buck store-brand wine is usually equivalent to an $11 or $12 wine at a retail wine shop. There are many variables with that assessment, but that is a ballpark guess.
This Cabernet Sauvignon is a 2017 vintage, which gives this wine about two years of aging. That is respectable for a sub-$10 drink-it-now wine, they are frequently produced with methods that allow the wine to come together quickly. That is fine, but you do not want shortcuts and two years of aging is a proper length for this style of wine.
The notes on the back label mention vanilla as part of the flavor profile and that is something that comes from some sort of oak aging. I would think that some if not all of this Cab Sauv some barrel aging. With a California Cabernet Sauvignon, we have come to expect oak flavoring in the wine, an un-oaked cabernet can seem a little weird.
I do not know for certain, but the actual winery that produced this wine (Bear Bros is an ALDI name) is also responsible for several other ALDI wines that I thought delivered some decent bang-for-the_buck. So on to the tasting notes to see if my quick store run purchase was a wise one. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
Bear Bros Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Tasting Notes
The color is cherry jelly red with black highlights. The nose ripe jammy red berries, extracted blackberry, mint, vanilla, light spice, and just a hint of dark chocolate. This 9 buck Cabernet Sauvignon has a medium body and chewy sweet tannins. It starts with blackberry, milk chocolate, tart cranberry, and black pepper.
The mid-palate adds vanilla creme, plum, and soft spice. The aforementioned chewy tannins added some unexpected character, but do not interfere with the flavor profile. The acidity allows this cabernet to be bright and fresh.
I am going to skip writing about a wines finish unless it just happens to be extraordinarily good. For the most part, I do not particularly care about what happens after I quit drinking the wine. If it is really good I am constantly taking another sip, so the finish rarely comes into play.
The Summay
The Bear Bros Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a worthy lock-down Netflix binging wine.I tend to prefer the style of Cabernet Sauvignon that they make that sells closer to twenty dollars than ten dollars. The more complex winemaking production gives the wine a little more oomph, which I prefer in my Cabernet.But with that said, this is very drinkable wine that delivers beyond its modest price tag.
The Story The Ken Forrester Petit Chenin Blanc 2019 is a young wine sourced from vineyards in the Stellenbosch region of South Africa. Ken Forrester is one of the leading wineries in South Africa, their farm dates back to 1689 with grapevines first planted in 1694. Ken Forrester bought the rundown derelict estate in 1993 and started producing wine in 1994. he is acknowledged as one of the best growers of Chenin Blanc.
The Stellenbosch region is situated in the Western Cape not far from Cape Town. It is one of the oldest wine-producing areas in South Africa and is considered to be an elite growing region. The summers are warm and dry and the climate is considered to be similar to the Mediterranean, think Italy or the south of France. Chenin Blanc is a grape that is originally from the Loire Valley in France. But like how now Sauvignon Blanc is well known from New Zealand, South Africa is the place for Chenin Blanc.
The Petit is the wine name that means this is a "young" wine that receives little or no aging. These are the real drink-it-now wines, the sooner you drink it from its release date the better. These are wines that are not meant to be put away for a year or two. In 2020 drink the 2019 vintage, next year in 2021 grab the 2020 vintage. South Africa has its seasons the reverse of the US, these grapes were probably picked last May.
Give them a little time to produce the wine, maybe a little bit of aging, a month or two and then the bottles are shipped out. As a young wine, this Chenin should be bright, crisp and fruity/citrus. Chenin Blanc is an extremely versatile grape, it can get the full winemakers treatment with loads of oak barrel aging that will cellar for decades, or made into wonderful sparkling wine, and everything on down to a young drink-it-now wine.
That may well be one of the reasons that a delicious wine such as Chenin Blanc is not more popular. It can take on so many personalities that you may love one brand and not be impressed by the next. Chardonnay is also a versatile grape, but most US wine drinkers know what to expect from California Chardonnay in each price range. They are all different, but usually variations on a theme. Chenin is more of a mystery from one bottle to the next. But not with the Ken Forrester Petit Chenin Blanc 2019, a young Chenin Blanc should have reliable characteristics. the alcohol content is 13%. Ken Forrester Petit Chenin Blanc 2019 Tasting Notes The color is pale wheat yellow. The nose is pretty, tangerine, peach, pear, apple, lemon/lime, spring flowers, and pink grapefruit. This is a very tasty wine with a more substantial mouthfeel than I was expecting for a young wine. The mouthfeel has a lightly syrupy feel, it tastes of a mix of lime, apricot, orange, and light spice. There are lemon curd and green apple.
The mid-palate adds a salty sensation, a little tropical fruit, and tart grapefruit. the acidity is real good, it allows the flavors to unfold and will have you smacking your lips and reaching for the next sip. The Summary
The Ken Forrester Petit Chenin Blanc 2019 is a delicious, reasonably priced (I found it on sale for $11.99) White wine. Yes, it is a young wine, but there are loads of flavors and a ton of personality. This is a very likable wine. This is one of those wine where you need to buy twice as many bottles that you originally intended to, don't worry there won't be any leftovers.
The Story The Cotillion Pinot Noir 2017 is a Trader Joe's $9.99 exclusive brand sourced from vineyards in 56% Monterey County, 33% Sonoma County, and 11% Santa Barbara County in California. Under usual circumstances, this is a wine that would show 'California' on the front label as a place of origin since 67% of the grapes came from the Central Coast AVA and 33% came from the North Coast AVA. But since each of the AVAs mentioned are excellent Pinot Noir growing regions Cotillion preferred to brag a little.
The Cotillion Pinot Noir is one of my favorite Trader Joe's wines, here is a link to the 2016 vintage, not only do I enjoy the Pinot Noir, but I am partial to the label. The label shows animals at a party and each animal is wearing a head mask of another animal, such as the fox is wearing a chicken mask and chicken is wearing a fox mask. It is all very strange.
The Cotillion Pinot Noir 2017 is interesting, it is sourced from some of the better Pinot Noir locations in California. Santa Barbara County is only about an hour and a half drive north of Los Angeles. The surrounding area is too hot in the summer to grow grapes, much less finicky Pinot Noir, the vineyards are located on a section of land that juts out into the Pacific Ocean on two sides. That gives the vineyards cool Ocean winds on both sides and plenty of early morning fog.
Monterey County is located near a Bay south of San Francisco, there is a deep spot in the ocean just off the coast that concentrates very cold water, that keeps the Monterey vineyards the right temperatures for grape growing. Monterey also has a diverse landscape, coastal mountains, valleys, and benchlands. They successfully grow a wide variety of grapes and there are some excellent Pinot Noir areas.
Sonoma County is well known for Pinot Noir, with the Sonoma Coast AVA, the Russian River AVA and the Sonoma side of the Carneros AVA. While Cotillion does not specify where exactly in these quality Pinot Noir growing regions the grapes were sourced, I am crossing my fingers and hoping that they would not be bragging on the front label if they weren't from someplace good.
Another detail in the Cotillions favor is that the current vintage is 2017, which gives this Pinot Noir at least 2 years of aging. The back label mentions vanilla and oak undertones, so some sort of oak aging took place. Value priced wines often keep you guessing if oak barrels were used or not, but since this Pinot needed a full two years plus to reach its balance, that does suggest oak barrel is used and not some other more economical method. The alcohol content is 13.8%. Cotillion Pinot Noir 2017 Tasting Notes The color is a see-thru cherry jelly red. The nose is pretty decent, it is a little on the ripe fruit side, but still hs plenty of Pinot Noir funk. There is black cherry, herbs, crushed fall leaves, a savory note, vanilla, a little spice, and dusty chocolate powder. This pinot has an excellent silky mouthfeel, the ripe fruit on the nose is much more subdued in the body of the wine. It tastes of tart cherry, soft spice, slightly sharp herbs and plum with vanilla.
The mid-palate adds some Altoids spice, cranberry, chewy sweet tannins, and orange zest. The acidity is well-balanced, this is a bright, zesty Pinot Noir. The finish is soft but does stick around for some time. The Summary
The Cotillion Pinot Noir 2017 is a throw-back Pinot. There has been a trend lately for more full-bodied Pinots that are blended with Petite Sirah or Syrah. They are very popular the leading brand recently sold for a third of a billion dollars. But the Cotillion is a value-priced version of the best old school California Pinot Noir. It isn't equal to 40 or 50 dollar Pinot, but it does have some of the characteristics of those more fancy Pinot Noirs. AT $9.99 any Pinot Noir that can remind you (if not actual match) of the expensive stuff is ok with me. The Cotillion gives you a real Pinot Noir drinking experience a...
The Story The Monique Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is a Trader Joe's $6.99 exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. This is a wine made for Trader Joe's by the Central Coast Wine Warehouse which is part of Thornhill Companies. The Central Coast Wine Warehouse has been working with Trader Joe's for years.
The Central Coast Wine Warehouse is a winery that produces retail brand wines, store brands, contract wines, you name it and they also own some of the most acclaimed vineyards in the Central Coast AVA. They are a 5th generation wine family with roots going back to the late 1800s. When we first started Cheapwinefinder.com it seemed that every other wine that Trader Joe's sold was either made by Bronco wines (2 Buck Chuck) or the Central Coast Wine Warehouse.
Here is a link to a review for another Central Coast Wine Warehouse/Trader Joe's wine, the Flower Keeper Sauvignon Blanc from the Monterey AVA. Which was another well-priced Sauv Blanc from the Central Coast AVA. The Central Coast isn't one of the more well-known Sauvignon Blanc growing regions. Bordeaux, the Loire Valley in France, and New Zealand get more press than the Central Coast, but those locations can't compete when it comes to price.
For me, Sauvignon Blanc is a grape that is best when produced with only the winemaking techniques that are absolutely necessary. In Bordeaux, they make Sauvignon Blanc wines (blended with a little Semillon) that can be aged for 25 years. I don't get to drink those wines, but I can get young, bright, fresh Sauv Blanc wines that are Spring-time in a bottle, that is priced very well.
And that is what the Monique Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2018 should be all about, beautiful aromas and crisp, bright citrus and fruit flavors, nothing complicated, but nothing not to like either. Like most Trader Joe's wine, there is no technical information concerning the farming of the grapes or the making of the wine. But after all these years of Central Coast Wine Warehouse producing contract wine for Trader Joe's I know to expect a wine that drinks above its price point. The alcohol content is 13.9%. Monique Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2018 Tasting Notes The color is a clean, clear, lemon yellow. The nose is lemon, lime, green apple, orange blossom honey, soft spice, canned peaches, and lightly floral. The nose isn't quite as seductive as Loire Valley Sauv Blanc or as bold as New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. This wine has a nice rounded mouth-feel and a solid mix of flavors. The acidity isn't as bright as some Sauv Blancs which makes the Monique Cellars seem slightly subdued. It tastes of grapefruit, pear, peach, and ripe apple.
The mid-palate brings a salty sensation, along with sleek guava, a hint of banana, and a late slap of tangerine. The finish is soft but does stick around for some time. The Summary
The Monique Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is a wine that grows on you. It is not as big and bold a New Zealand Sauv Blanc and at first sip may seem somewhat lessor. But after a few sips, you start to appreciate it for its own virtues. This is a solid, very drinkable Sauv Blanc that has a bit of personality and sells for a penny less than seven dollars. That is nothing to take lightly. Just the White wine for watching Netflix, plus you can grab it at Trader Joe's while getting other needed supplies. In these days of lock-down getting your wine at a grocery store makes your shopping a little easier. Try to make a wine shop run, they need your business in these strange times.
The Story The Hopes End Red Blend 2017 is a blend of 41% Shiraz (also known as Syrah), 39% Grenache, 12% Malbec, and 8% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards in South Australia. Hopes End is one of the Trinchero Family Estates stables of wines, which include some of the more popular wine brands on the market. The South Australia wine region is clustered around coastal areas where the cool Southern Pacific Ocean keeps the climate safe for vines. You need not go too far inland before the temperature gets too hot for grapes. The Hopes End Blend is an interesting blend of the two main Red grapes (Syrah and Grenache) from the Southern Rhone Valley of France along with two blending grapes, Malbec and Petit Verdot from France's Bordeaux district. You take that and filter it through the growing conditions of South Australia and you get a unique and interesting Red blend. In the past Australian, Red blends were super ripe with high alcohol content, but the Hopes End has a reasonable alcohol level of 13.5%. The tasting notes for the Hopes End Red Blend 2017 do not give a great deal of detail, limestone soils may indicate some of the grapes can from the Limestone Coast growing region and a mention of vanilla suggests some sort of oak aging. The residual sugar content show this blend to be categorized as off-dry, meaning it should be a little nectar sweet but not sugar sweet. Another detail in the Hopes End's favor is this is a 2017 vintage selling in the spring of 2020. Australia is on the other side of the equator so their growing season is the reverse of North America's. The grapes for this blend were probably harvested in May 2017, which means this bottling has about two and half years of aging, a combination of some sort of steel vats or oak, along with some bottle aging. That is a solid length of time to age a drink-it-now wine, the Hopes End website says drink by 2022. It takes time for the flavors and textures of a wine blend to balance. Winemakers can design wine to be ready quickly, but sometimes with wine, you just have to wait until the wine is right. Hopes End Red Blend 2017 The color is black cherry red, clean, clear and slightly see-through. The nose is dark and brooding, red berries and spice, dark chocolate, licorice, pepper, light herbs, and blackberry. This is a smooth refined Red blend with pleasing flavors. It tastes of a stew of blackberry, chocolate, raspberry, and vanilla, that sounds like a cake or candy, but the effect is not sweet. The mid-palate adds slightly dusty tannins, sweet blueberry, a little spice, and a salty sensation. The acidity lets the flavors unfold and the finish is a continuation of the body of the wine. The Summary
The Hopes End is a tasty wine, loads of flavor and enough structure to get the job done. I found this wine selling for $9.99 at Target, it was one of the least expensive wines in the aisle. These days when shopping can be difficult it is good to know you can hit Target, buy cleaning supplies, some foodstuffs and get a wine that is worth drinking all in one shopping trip.
The Story The Red Cloak Petite Sirah 2017 (ALDI)is a $6.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from grapes farmed in the Monterey County AVA inside the Central Coast AVA of California. ALDI virtually never issues any technical information concerning their wines, they tend to skip anything that will add to the price. But they are upping their label game, the Red Cloak can hold its own with any retail wine in that regard.
The label shows someone (Little Red Riding Hood?) entering into a dark shadowy forest, it is a scene of mystery and foreboding. After I brought the bottle home it dawned on me why I was attracted to the label. We are all entering a time of uncertainty and foreboding, except we shouldn't be going to grandmother's house. A phone call or Facetime is probably the wiser healthier choice.
Petite Sirah was created in France in 1880 by a man named Durif, he crossed Syrah with another grape (Pelsourin). The story I heard is that France in the 1800s had all sorts of problems with disease and insects in the vineyards. The entire vintages would be decimated. The Syrah grape in southeast France was having difficulties so Durif set out to make a Syrah-like grape that was hardy and disease resistant. The only problem was that by the time he came up with Petite Sirah the issues with Syrah cleared up.
The grape never caught on in France but did make its way to California and Australia (where it is known as Durif). In California, the secret ingredient in many Red blends and is routinely used in Zinfandel wines. The Red Cloak Petit Sirah 2017 has a decent amount of aging for a $6.99 wine, you figure the grapes were harvested at the end of September 2017 and this is March 2020, so the wine had close to two and a half years to age. There is no mention of oak barrel aging (there is no mention of anything), but Petite Sirah can be tannic and need time to find its flavor balance.
When you have no information concerning the making of wine, things such as the length of the aging process tell you a good deal about the wine. If you are making a bottle of wine to sell for 7 bucks you would design the winemaking process to have the wine come together fairly quickly. The sooner it is ready to sell the sooner the winery can recoup its investment. A $6.99 store brand wine may well indicate that the wine in question might have been intended to sell at a higher price. Without knowing more details it hard to know for sure, but guessing is part of the fun with these value-priced wines. The alcohol content is 13.5%. Red Cloak Petite Sirah 2017 (ALDI) Tasting Notes The color is Thanksgiving cranberry red. The nose is really good, ripe red berries, a savory note, bacon fat, smoke, spice, dark chocolate, the nose hits above the wines price point. This is a medium to full-bodied wine with plenty of flavors and decent structure. It tastes of ripe raspberry, a dash of black pepper, spice, bitter dark chocolate, and soft, smooth plum.
The mid-palate shows dusty tannins with a slightly rough edge (this is a good thing, the body of the wine can handle it), blueberry with a tiny bit of cream, and a late hit of exotic spice. The acidity is fine, this is a sipping wine, yes it will pair with pizza and burgers and do well. But this is more of a Netflix wine, it is tasty enough to exist on its own. The Summary
The Red Cloak Petite Sirah 2017 (ALDI) is a well-made tasty wine. It will have you wondering why you don't drink more Petite Sirah. At $6.99 you can't go wrong.
The Story The Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, actually the complete name includes Lot 96 and it is a Trader Joe's $12.99 exclusive wine. This wine is featured in Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer, but there is no mention of any technical details, is it 100% Cabernet Sauvignon? What are the rough details of the oak program? Nothing, but they do tell us it is from the Chalk Hill AVA.
Chalk Hill is a relatively small sub-AVA located in the northeast corner of the Russian River AVA inside the Sonoma County AVA. While the Russian River AVA is a cool climate region well suited for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay the Chalk Hill AVA is warmer, harvest can occur several weeks earlier than the surrounding AVAs. This is a very hilly location and the soil is also unique, it is ancient volcanic ash, making this an attractive location for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Typical Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon start at around $20 and can go up to two or three times that price. You do not normally see Chalk Hill AVA on the label of discounted contracted store brands. There are only 5 wineries setting up shop in Chalk Hill and the vineyards under cultivation is a fraction of the greater Russian River AVA.
A couple of details of note concerning the Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is that the bottle is a full size and weight Napa/Sonoma big boy Cabernet bottle and a real cork are used. I always keep my pulled corks for some unknown reason, I guess I will recycle them, but most are made of corks version of particle board or are some sort of synthetic. Real corks are rare in wine in the CheapWineFinder.com price range.
Since $12.99 is a bump up from the usual $9.99 price of Trader Joe's Reserve wines. The cork and the bottle are typical of wine in the twenty dollars plus range, this may be a clue that the Chalk Hill Lot 96 may have been intended to sell for higher than its current price tag. I wouldn't think that Trader Joe's would mandate a real (and more expensive) cork or a heavy glass bottle that also adds to the price tag as an incentive to buy a $12.99 bottle of wine. You expect those details in a twenty-five dollar of wine.
So, this is a Cabernet Sauvignon from a region that does not seem to sell off their excess grapes of finished wine to store brands with basic packaging that is above its price point. I am only playing detective here, I have no actual insight into the history of this Cab. But since store brands such as Trader Joe's have price advantages over retail wines, lower distribution costs and paying upfront for the bottles all add up to considerable cost savings. So, maybe this time this is an actual twenty buck wine selling for $12.99.
I could easily be wrong and this is a $13 Cabernet Sauvignon selling for $12.99, but the clues left behind do say otherwise. The alcohol content is a ripe 14.5%. Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Tasting Notes The color is a jammy, opaque black cherry red. The nose is a combination of ripe blackberries and raspberries, herbs and menthol, followed by chocolate powder and soft vanilla. This is a wine that may be a little bit young, not that it does not have good flavor it just seems a little "tight". This Cabernet starts with smooth, ripe blackberry, black pepper, juicy raspberry, and slightly rough herbs.
The mid-palate add tart cherry, orange zest, a lightly rugged edge to the tannins (something welcome in a full-bodied cabernet Sauvignon) and a late hit of cool blueberry. The acidity is nicely balanced and the finish mirrors the body of the wine and sticks around for a while. The Summary
The Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Chalk Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a tasty classic Califonia Cabernet Sauvignon. My advice is to buy a couple of bottles now (it will sell out and when it is gone it is gone for good) and stick them in a cool, quiet spot at home. Wait until after the 4th of July to pop the top and t...
The Story The JaM Butter Chardonnay 2018 is a brand that is part of the John Anthony Family of Wines. John Anthony is John A. Touchard out of Napa, California. JaM stands for John and Michelle Truchard. And this is a "lifestyle" brand of wines.
This is a wine that I found (on sale( for $12.99 and a quick check of the web shows it selling for between $13 and $15. There is a stiff competition of your Chardonnay dollars at this price point. JaM is big on lifestyle marketing and no so good and where what and when of the winemaking. The JaM Butter Chardonnay 2018 is 100% Chardonnay and uses a special blend of oak barrels for aging.
The tasting notes do not actually mention oak barrels, just that the Chardonnay is aged "in" oak which I figure means oak barrel aging. But that is kind of my complaint about their marketing materials, they do not really say much of anything on the technical side. They do know their intended market well and I imagine these are not the wine drinkers who get hung up on malolactic fermentation and "on lees"aging.
But these are probably not the folks who are reading your technical/tasting notes either, so you can give us wine geeks a little something, too. What we are going to find out about the JaM Chardonnay we are going to get from the tasting experience. This is a very popular Chardonnay and the proof is always in the tasting anyway. The alcohol content is a stout for a Chardonnay 14.8%. JaM Butter Chardonnay 2018 Tasting Notes The color is a clear, shiny, butter yellow, go figure. The nose is apples, melons, peach, pear, lemons, and honey, with a touch of spice and a floral edge. This is a full-flavored Chardonnay and not overly buttery. It has bright fruit (and citrus) flavors and is smooth almost silky. It starts with a stew of peach, apple, French vanilla, and lemon. The mid-palate offers that nutty, salty on lees thing, lime, crème brûlée, and caramel.
The JaM Chard has that lip-smacking acidity that I enjoy, you will be reaching for another sip sooner than you think. 14.8% is a fairly high alcohol content for a Chardonnay, but the body of the wine carries it well, this is not a "hot" wine. The finish mirrors the body of the wine and fades before too long, but never completely disappears. The Summary
I like big, full-flavored wines that still have balance and nuance and the JaM Butter Chardonnay is one of those wines. This is a very easy wine to like.
The Story The Corte Rossa Barolo 2015 is an $11.99 Trader Joe's import exclusive, 100% Nebbiolo grape from vineyards in the Barolo DOCG region of northwest Italy. The Barolo region in Italy bills itself as the King of Italian wine. Barolo wines typical sell for around forty dollars and the best offerings from the best estates can sell for hundreds of dollars. An $11.99 Barolo is extremely rare.
The DOCG (the G stands for Guarantee)is the Italian wine governing body, they set and enforce the rules and regulations in the vineyard and wine production. In Barolo they are particularly strict, I went to a Barolo seminar where a winemaker told me that the estates have a limit on the number of bottles they can produce each vintage. If they cheat and surpass their quota the DOCG will make them sell the extra bottles as Table Wine (at a much lower price tag) under a separate label.
This ensures that only the vineyard's best grapes are used and the limited quantity of production keeps the demand and the prices high. This means the grapes that are used for Barolo are the best grapes in the region. Most Estates have second and third labels that sell the excess grapes as Nebbiolo from Piedmont. So even grapes in an $11.99 Trader Joe's come from the elite Barolo vineyards.
This is a 2015 vintage that is released for sale in 2020. The Corte Rossa Barolo 2015 was aged in oak barrels for three years which exceeds the DOCG regulations of a minimum of 18 months. This is a Barolo that came from the best vineyards and was produced with methods above and beyond the DOCG rules. I suspect that this is a negociant wine. A negociant is a wine dealer that buys excess wines from the vineyards in their area. They can either sell the purchased wine under their own label or blend the various vineyards into their own unique blend (still 100% Nebbiolo).
Since you do not know a wines particulars a negociant succeeds by building trust with his customer. The Corte Rossa Barolo 2015 is from a heavily regulated premier growing region and has the specification (ones we are aware of, anyway) of a typical far more expensive Barolo so we don't need too big of a leap of faith. Again, I do not know for certain that this Barolo is a negociant wine, but that is my best guess to explain the seriously low price.
The Nebbiolo grape and Barolo wines, in general, are known for having a pretty good dose of tannins. Modern winemaking techniques have softened the effects of the tannins to match today's wine drinker. But, be warned the tannins may be a bit more than you are used to and if you regularly drink value-priced wines, three years aging in oak barrels will be a change. Some Barolo wines need an additional 10 years of bottle aging to calm down enough to be at their peak. Modern drink-it-now wines and wines that have seen years of oak barrel aging are two very different styles of wine. The alcohol content is 14%. Corte Rossa Barolo 2015 Tasting Notes The color is a garnet red. The nose is raspberry and oak spice, cinnamon and vanilla, and smoke and cherry. This is a wine with dusty tannins, most modern wines do their best to minimize the tannins, but not here. This is a medium-bodied wine with sleek fruit flavors of black cherry, strawberry, sharp spice, black pepper, extracted blackberry, and tart cranberry. The mid-palate adds chocolate powder, and the tannins get really chewy of the mid-palate (a good thing), along with a late slap of red berries in cream.
The acidity is well-balanced and the tannins added to the overall enjoyment of this Barolo if they were not in the mix you would have been cheated. Give this wine extra time to open up and you will be rewarded. It can be a little rough when it is "tight". I pulled the cork a couple of hours earlier and then poured my glass with an aerator and it still needed more time. The Summary
The Corte Rossa Barolo 2015 is a no-brainer, it is $11.99, these are wines that can retail in the $40 to $60 r...
The Story The Domaine Angelliaume Chinon 2018 is a $12.99 Costco wine. The winery is Domaine Angelliaume and the name of the wine is Domaine des Falaises which translates to English as Field or Place of the Cliffs which is the name of the estate vineyard that the Cabernet Franc grapes were farmed. The vineyards near the town of Chinon are situated on steep hills leading down to a river that runs through the Loire Valley in France.
I mention the name of the winery and the wine name since when I researched this Chinon, most of what is available on the web had the name backward. Since the wine brand name had Domaine in the title most of the writer assumed that had to be the winery. This is a problem for French wines in the United States.
In France wine is known by Estate name and location, as in Chinon means that the Red wine is going to be Cabernet Franc or the Right Bank in Bordeaux are going to be Merlot dominated blends near this village and maybe not so much for wine grown near that village. In France, the wine drinkers know this, it is part of their heritage. In the US folks who write about wine and should have a clue can not figure out which is the winery and which is the brand name.
Chinon is a town in the Loire Valley that is famous for producing Cabernet Franc single varietal wines, though blending some Cabernet Sauvignon is approved by AOC rules. Chinon and the Loire Valley are located in west-central France, north of Bordeaux and west and south of Champagne. It is a picturesque and historically rich section of France and be on the look-out for the excellent Sauvignon Blanc from the region.
The Domaine des Falasises is Domaine Angelliaume "young" Chinon, it is sourced for a vineyard with 40-year old vines and is fermented and aged in cement vats and it is micro oxygenated. Too much oxygen is bad for wine, but this technique adds a controlled dose of air to the wine. It softens the tannins and stabilizes the noes and color and allows the wine to come together quickly. It is a useful technique for drink-it-now wine.
Concrete vats are common in France (also Spain) as fermentation and aging vessels. The advantages are that they last a long time and can be used over and over (they are lines to prevent the concrete from leeching into the wine). They are thick enough that the wine inside the vat is kept at a temperature and humidity that is not influenced by the outside air. Wine loves a stable climate and environment and cement vats offer a degree of insolation that steel tanks and wood barrels can not. The alcohol content is 12.5%. Domaine Angelliaume Chinon 2018 Tasting Notes The color is a dark, bit still see-thru raspberry jelly red. The nose is bright, juicy, and spicey, there is jammy strawberry, exotic spice, soft herbs, black cherry, cinnamon, and orange zest. This is a flavorful Cabernet Franc that is surprisingly ripe and smooth. It starts with blackberry and licorice, a little sizzle from the spice (just a little), followed by sweet blueberry. The mid-palate adds tart cranberry, a light herbal edge, and ripe plum. The tannins are in the flavor mix, but are sweet and do not bite. The acidity brightens up the overall profile of the wine. The finish is sleek and lengthy. The Summary
The Domaine Angelliaume Chinon 2018 is a tasty wine, it isn't too heavy, it is not too anything, it is simply a solid well-made Cabernet Franc. If you are intrigued by the Loire Valley and its wines, the twelve ninety-nine Costco Chinon is a pretty decent place to start. This is a young wine, the winery website says drink within 1 to 5 years, but really why wait 5 years. This is a drink-it-now Chinon, most of the Chinon you find on wineshop shelves are probably going to be the more expensive offerings with more complex winemaking procedures to justify the higher price. Start with the younger more affordable wines and work your way up. You never know, the young affordable wines may well be your favor...
The Story The Henri Gaillard Provence Rose' 2018 ($9.99 at Costco) is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, and Mourvèdre from vineyards in the Cotes de Provence AOC of the Provence region in the south of France. The Cotes de Provence is the largest growing region in Provence. The different regions in Provence tend to feature different grapes or blends in their Rose', so the wines can vary from region to region.
This is a $9.99 Costco wine though it does not seem to be a Costco exclusive. I checked the internet and it seems this Rose' is available elsewhere selling for about 15 dollars. I would imagine that most wine shops will not bother to stock a wine that Costco has for 1/3 less.
The Henri Gaillard Provence Rose' 2018 is one of Les Grands Crus labels they have wine from virtually every region in France, Italy, along with wines from Germany and New Zealand. If you want an imported wine they got you covered.
Henry Gaillard is an actual person, he is a long time wine broker from Provence with deep ties to the growers of the region. As a wine broker rather than a winery, he purchases the grapes and contracts with wineries to produce the Rose'. With wine who you know is as important as what you know, so a well-connected wine broker can produce excellent wine for a fair price.
In past years there has been a Provence wine roadshow that would have a tasting in Chicago. There would be 30 or 40 producers showing two or three wines each. Provence Rose' is uniformly excellent. But the one thing I came with is that the more affordable value-priced Rose' was so enjoyable that there was little reason to drink more up-scale Rose'.
Young, bright, fresh, fruit-forward Rose' is extremely appealing, and these inexpensive Provence Rose' tasted of the South of France in summer in a bottle. Not that the more costly bottles were not terrific, they were delicious, it is just that when it comes to Rose' more is not always better.
Rose' has had a spike in popularity in the last few years, it seems that everybody brought a Rose' to the market. Many of the newer Rose' was a Rose' of a single grape, such and a Rose' of Pinot Noir or a Rose' of Sangiovese, which is fine. But the Rose' from Provence are blends which can add complexity and depth to the wine. With a blend, the winemaker can pinpoint exactly what they are trying to achieve. Since Rose' is what the winemakers of Provence do, they are skilled at blending and the making of Rose'. The alcohol content is 13%. Henri Gaillard Provence Rose' 2018 Tasting Notes The color is a more amber or maybe apricot shade of pink. The nose is subtle, the aromas do not jump out of the glass, you have to concentrate, there are dried strawberry bits, Anjou pear, delicate spice, oranges, cherry hard candy, and light floral note. This is a medium-bodied Rose' with a nice blend of smooth and tart sensations.
It starts with rounded, almost creamy black cherry, then tangerine, melon, lemon, spice, and tart strawberry. The mid-palate offers that salty, nutty "on lees" thing, along with a late hit of unsweetened pineapple. This is a Rose' so there are no tannins to speak of and the acidity is the kind that compels you to take another sip (as if you needed to be prodded). The finish is full and the acidity allows the finish to roll on for some time. The Summary
The Henri Gaillard Provence Rose' 2018 is a tasty, well-made Rose'. I was getting a little over-Rose'd, they were everywhere. I know I lighter-bodied wine is great for the summer, but it isn't too hot for Red wine that often and when the weather gets oppressively hot, I do have airconditioning. It is not like anyone actually needs Rose'. The Henri Gaillard reminded me what I liked about Rose', who cares what the temperature is outside. Drink Rose' because it tastes great.
The Story The Trader Joe's Reserve Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 lot #191 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive produced for them by an unspecified winery from grapes farmed in the Monterey County AVA inside the Central Coast AVA of California. The listed producer, Ashford Court, also is the name used for Trader Joe's Cotillion Pinot Noir.
If you are familiar with Trader Joe's wines the Cotillion Pinot has the label that is a drawing of what looks like a party from the 1700s only the guests are animals not human and they are wearing masks portraying different animals than themselves. It is one of my favorite Trader Joe's labels and also a very consistent and very drinkable Pinot Noir.
This is a wine that is featured in the February Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer and TJ's usually gives a few details on the featured wines, but not for the TJ's Reserve Pinot. The most interesting tidbit that provided is that the wine came from a trusted partner who usually makes more expensive wines. That does not tell us much since Trader Joe's has over the years used many top-notch producers for their wines and basically, all of them typically produce wine that sells for more than TraderJoe's wines.
Monterey may not be the first California AVA you think of when you consider Pinot Noir, but it is the largest grower of Pinot Noir in California. There is a spot in the Pacific Ocean not far from the Monterey coast that is the coldest of all Ocean water along the California Coast. That cold water provides many locations in Monterey County with the cool nights and the foggy cool mornings that Pinot Noir vines crave.
The tasting notes on the front label mention spice and vanilla, both of those flavors are associated with aging wine in French oak. They make no mention of oak barrels or any other oak aging method, but I wouldn't be surprised if French oak barrels were used. French oak barrels can cost one thousand dollars each and that is a significant cost for value-priced wine to absorb.
But store contract wines and especially Trader Joe's who sell a good deal of wine, have a cost advantage over regular retail wine shops. They typically pay for the wine upfront which allows them to negotiate a better price than retail brands. And contract wines do not need all of the services wine distributors provide and that too provides savings, so a $9.99 may be the equal of a retail brand wine selling for several dollars more.
Plus these Trader Joe's Reserve and Grand Reserve wines tend to be one-offs, special purchases and not yearly available wines. These one-time purchase wines have been wines that under different circumstances would sell for a good deal more. Not always, sometimes they are wines that should sell for about the price they do, but sometimes you get a wine that may usually sell for twice the price. The alcohol content is a slightly hot 13.8%. Trader Joe's Reserve Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 Tasting Notes The color is a clear, shiny, see-thru garnet red. The nose is very spicy, usually, you get cherries and herbs, but here spice takes the lead. Followed by cherry, faint mushroom, soft herbs. The spices are both baking spice and hot candy spice. This is a Pinot Noir with a smooth silky mouthfeel up front and then a sharp slap of that hot candy spice, this is a Pinot with a unique flavor profile. It starts with smooth black cherry, black pepper, vanilla, and Altoid's spice candy.
The mid-palate adds milk chocolate and tart cherry, with a bit of the "on lees" salty cashews after a few sips that thing. The tannins are sweet, and the acidity allows the flavors to unfold. The finish is full and does not let go. The Summary
Trader Joe's Reserve Monterey Pinot Noir 2018 Lot 191 is an interesting Pinot Noir. Well worth trying, it hits above its price tag. After a few sips that major spice thing calms down and the smooth back cherry and milk chocolate thing take over. If you gor ten bucks and are in a Pinot Noir kind of mood give it...
The Story The Global Adventure Series Chianti 2018 is a $4.99ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Chianti DOCG region of Tuscany in Italy. There are two DOCG Chianti regions, Chianti Classico and just plain Chianti (there are sub-regions). The Classico Chianti is the original DOCG region and has a black rooster on the neck of the bottle. Italy has wine governing organizations, DOCG and DOC that are tasked with enforcing rules and regulations to ensure quality and promote the wines.
The Global Adventure Series Chianti 2018 is designated a DOCG wine, which is the highest classification and has the strictest rules for farming grapes and wine production. How a wine conformed to the rules and was shipped thousands of miles and still only sells for $4.99, I don't know. But this wine is representative of the wines that Italians drink with each daily. Few people spend more than the equivalent to ten dollars for a bottle to share at their meal. The Italians take their value-priced everyday wine very seriously.
ALDI is well regarded in Europe (and Australia, too) as the destination for bang-for-the-buck cheap wine. The term cheap wine around here is not in any way derogatory, we are quite fond of the stuff. As a value-priced wine destination, ALDI has built relationships with some of the best value producers in Europe. ALDI wine wines awards on a regular basis and an ALDI wine going viral and selling out in hours are not unusual.
I checked the CheapWineFinder archives and found this is the 4th $4.99 ALDI Chianti DOCG wine we have reviewed over the years. A quick check showed that I thought they were pretty good and hit harder than their price tags. So, it seems ALDI is experienced and getting super value priced DOCG Chianti right.
Chianti DOCG needs to be a minimum of 70% Sangiovese, there are several approved blending grapes but the bottle does mention what is in the bottle. The rules call for this level of wine to be aged for at least 6 months and that is about all I know about the technical aspects fo this wine. The alcohol content is a reasonable 12.5%. Global Adventure Series Chianti 2018 Tasting Notes The color is clear, see-thru cherry red with some black highlights. The nose is subtle, this wine a little stingy with its aromas, there is cherry, a little spice, herbs, a whiff of smoke, and faint prune. This is a medium-bodied dry red with nice rounded mouthfeel and a solid pull from the tannins.
It starts with blackberry, sour cherry, strong black pepper, and a decent slap of spice. The mid-palate adds dusty dark chocolate (not sweet), jammy raspberry, and a sharp edge from the tannins. Most wines today do their best to limit the tannins, but with a rustic Chianti DOCG, tannins are welcome. The acidity is balanced, this isn't a super favorable wine, but it does have decent structure. The finish is fairly soft but does linger. The Summary
The Global Adventure Series Chianti 2018 is crying out for a pizza, delivery or a good frozen pie, it isn't fussy. This is not a wine that you would peg for a five buck wine. Pair it with almost anything with red sauce and it will do well. My very favorite Chianti is Chianti Classico, the ones with the black rooster on the label. The best ones are delicious, but this little unassuming 5 buck Chianti DOCG has a place. There is nothing wrong with being a go-to pizza wine. You do not want to pair a pizza with a wine that costs more than the pizza. This wine provides a proper entree to wine balance.
The Story The Federalist Lodi Zinfandel 2016 is 100% Zinfandel sourced from three different sub-AVAs of the Lodi AVA which is inside the Central Valley AVA. Most of the California wine you drink comes from the Central Coast AVA (Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, and others) and the North Coast AVA (Sonoma, Napa, etc..) and they are all coastal or mountain growing regions. Lodi is south and east of Napa and would be too far inland to grow grapes, the Bays to the east of San Fransico extend far enough inland that the resulting delta and river valleys allow cool ocean air to reach the vineyards.
There are many wineries inside the Central Valley but most are small, boutique size, while Lodi has the weather and the terrain to mass-produce wine. Lodi is warmer than most of the coastal growing regions and their wines tend to be produced in a ripe, fruit-forward style, but nothing too out of place with the rest of California wine. Lodi is well known for the Zinfandel grape (though Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are quickly becoming favorites), especially with many "old vine" vineyards. The Federalist Lodi Zinfandel 2016 is one of the few ZIns you will find without "old vine" on the label.
The Federalist line of wines, they have 3 Zinfandels, a couple of Cabs, 2 Red blends and a Chardonnay are part of Terlato Wines. Terlato is the folks who brought you Pinot Grigio with Santa Margarita. Before they broke Pinot Grigio in the United States, it was just another one of Italy's 100s of White grape varietals. So if you are a Pinot Grigio fan, say "Thank you Terlato".
I am a fan of Lodi Zinfandel, it's my go-to AVA, Sonoma, Napa Valley, and Paso Robles all make great Zins, but dollar for dollar I will take Lodi. The blocks of grapes from the different vineyards were fermented separately to allow the final blending to be performed with precision. This Zinfandel was aged in American oak barrels for 12 months with 25% new barrels the rest used. With Red wine, you can get some information on how the wine is produced with how long the wine is barrel-aged and how much new oak is used.
A wine that is aged for a full year with a significant amount of new oak has to have the body and the forceful flavor to match up with the oak influence. That would indicate that the winemaker did the techniques to fully extract the tannins, flavors, and aromas from the grapes. A lighter-bodied wine with an extended oak aging period will take a long time to meld the flavors, so the winemaker has to match the grape extraction with the oak aging. Inexpensive Red wines typically have short oak aging periods, if it is oak-aged at all, so a less complicated winemaking style can be used.
It keeps costs down and allows the wine to be released for sale sooner. But that is not the case with the Federalist Zinfandel and most of my other favorite Zins. These Zinfandels tend to be made in the same style as expensive wines, but since Zinfandel is popular and Lodi is a less costly growing region and many of these wines are mass-produced the cost is reasonable, a quick check of the web showed prices from $12 to $16. The alcohol content is a stout 14.5%. Federalist Lodi Zinfandel 2016 Tasting Notes The color a clean, clear and still see-through cherry jelly red. The nose is ripe and spicey, there is jammy black cherry, oak spice, herbs, smoke from the BBQ grill, black pepper, faint chocolate, and plum. This is a Zinfandel that evolves on your palate, it starts off simple, then blossoms. It tastes of strawberry and candy spice, followed by milk chocolate, pepper, tea, and ripe plum. The mid-palate shows licorice, sour cherry, and a salty sensation and adds to along finish. The mouthfeel is smooth and the tannins are sweet. The acidity is hidden by the body of the wine but does give the flavors ample space to unfold. The Summary
With George Washington on the label, I should have showcased this Zinfandel on Presidents Day.
The CasaSmith Vino Rosso 2016 is a 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese blend sourced from seven vineyards located in various AVAs inside the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington State. CasaSmith is one of Charles Smith's Wines of Substance line of wines intended to pay tribute to his favorite wines of Italy. You may know Charles Smith from his line of wines that included Kung Fu Girl Reisling and Boom Boom Syrah, he sold those wine to Constellation Brands and is concentrating on the Wines of Substance.
The Vino Rosso is a tribute to the Super Tuscan wines of Tuscany in Italy. In the Chianti region, Chianti is made with the Sangiovese grape, the Chianti wines were in decline from their days of massive popularity. There are governing bodies in Italy (DOC and DOCG) that provide strict rules and regulations for the farming of the grapes and the making of the wine.
A few winemakers were looking to modernize their wines and experimented with using French grapes, mostly Bordeaux grapes and Syrah) which were not permitted by the governing body. The business was slowing down, so the winemakers, who were very encouraged by the results of their new blends, decided to release them for sale, anyway. Even though the grapes came from DOCG and DOC designated vineyards they had to show Table Wine on the label.
Table wine was the lowest classification of Italian wine, usually used for low-cost bulk wine. The Super Tuscans were an immediate hit and are extremely popular to this day. This caused a problem for the DOCG and DOC who were promoting and protecting the quality of Italian wines. Table wine was outselling the highest designated wines, so the created the IGT (now IGP the European Union standardized terms). An IGT wine is a wine that represents the region it is from but does not conform to the rules. So, Super Tuscans were at one time an outlaw wine.
This brings us to CasaSmith Vino Rosso 2016 which is an interesting wine. I forgot which vintage of this wine I had purchased and downloaded the 2017 tech notes by mistake. When I corrected my mistake a got the 2016 notes I found the vineyards used in 2016 were completely different than 2017 and 2016 was oak barrel-aged and 2017 was aged in stainless steel vats. They actually change the sourcing and production details based on the conditions of each vintage.
That is the sort of thing you see in small boutique wineries, not with wines that are available to purchase from coast to coast. So we have vintage selected vineyards, natural yeast, not commercial yeast used in fermentation and oak barrel aging for 9 months with 35% of the barrels new oak. Even though the Super Tuscan wines were from a Sangiovese region the percentage of Sangiovese could vary with each producer or occasionally no Sangiovese was used. A 70% Cabernet Sauvignon to 30% Sangiovese blend is in keeping with the original. The alcohol content is 13.5%. CasaSmith Vino Rosso 2016 Tasting Notes The color is a deep, dark, barely see-through black cherry red. The nose is rich and ripe, there is blackberry, exotic spice, cinnamon, plum, bacon frying in the pan (no maple), raspberry, sour cherry, and pepper. This is a chewy Red blend with a nice mix of light and dark flavors. It tastes of a stew of tart cherry, sweet blueberry, and extracted blackberry, followed by interesting spice, and tobacco. The mid-palate adds orange zest. a salty sensation, and dusty chocolate powder. The tannins have a slight edge, you can feel them but do not bite. The acidity is really good, it brings a solid bright edge to the wine. The finish is softer than expected but sticks around. The Summary
The CasaSmith Vino Rosso 2016 is a Super Washington. This is a well-made, very tasty wine. Give the wine time to open, don't just pop the top and pour. If you wait you will be rewarded with a velvety texture and rich, bright flavors.
The Story The Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2017 is 76% Zinfandel, 21% Petite Sirah, and 3% Mixed Blacks (mixed blacks is the old school way of saying various Red wine grapes) sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. That actually is the tech notes for the 2016 vintage, about a year ago the brand owners, Constellation sold Ravenswood and about 30 other wine brands to E and J Gallo.
I imagine that since they no longer owned the brand they didn't go through the expense of doing marketing materials. Before there was Constellation there was Joel Peterson who founded Ravenswood in the 1970s. It was Joel Peterson who came up with the Vintners Blend which at one time was the largest selling ZInfandel in the US. Even though Peterson no longer owned the brand he was still active in the winemaking for Ravenswood.
Gallo only bought the brand, not the winery or the tasting room, so Joel Peterson no longer has a relationship with the Ravenswood brand. I do not know what Gallo's plan is for the Ravenswood brand, but it won't and can't be the same. And that is a bit of the end of an era for me because back in 1994 or 1995 Ravenswood Vintners Blend was the first wine that opened up my palate to the possibilities of wine.
Before the Vintners Blend, I never went to a liquor store to specifically purchase a wine. It was the wine that started my wine journey that is still unfolding. So let's get on with discussing the Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2017. Petite Sirah is the secret weapon in many value-priced Zinfandel wines, it adds Red berry flavors, a different spice profile and good acidity to Zinfandel. This ZIn used natural yeast for fermentation.
Natural yeast is the yeast that floats in the air and attaches itself to the grape skin, it is seen as a more perfect match than commercial yeast. Though different commercial yeasts can bring out different elements in wine, so it is basically the winemakers' call. The wine was aged in French oak for 9 months with 35% the oak new. All of these are excellent technical notes for a wine that I found for $9.99. The alcohol content is 13.5%. Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2017 Tasting Notes The color is a slightly see-thru cherry red. The nose is a little smokey and spicy, with ripe blackberry, spice, a little toasted vanilla, black pepper, and raspberry. This is a balanced and tasty ZInfandel, slightly rustic, but that's how I like my Zinfandel. It starts with smooth blueberry, blood orange, spice, and black pepper. Followed by blackberry, creamy vanilla, bitter dark chocolate, tart cranberry, and more spice. The tannins are smooth and sweet, the acidity proves a strong backbone. The finish is softer than the body of the wine and does linger on and on. The Summary
I am glad to find the Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2017 a delicious well-made wine. It didn't "WOW" me like the first time back in the 90s, but I have sampled a lot of wine since then and am probably much harder to impress. Though the 1994 or 1995 Ravenswood Vintners Blend was a bottle of really good wine, it sort of went the wine version of viral. I remember going to a wine shop looking for it when most of the vintage had been sold and the wine shop had priced what they had left at around $25 when it was about ten bucks originally. Price gouging was good for me at that point because it reinforced the notion that I liked an excellent bottle of wine. Having confidence in your wine selection is important, especially with value-priced wine since wine marketing leaves the impression that a bottle isn't good enough unless to sell for a certain price. So, thanks to Ravenswood for teaching me that a good bottle of wine does not need to be expensive, and sometimes a value-priced wine can beat the big boys.
The Story The Inverted Red Blend 2017 is an ALDI $6.99 wine sourced from vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. And that is about all I know about this wine. It does not show up on the internet or under COLA name search, except there was an Inverted Red blend out of the Monterey AVA for the 2014 vintage.
That version of the Inverted Red blend seems to exist for only one year, does it have any relation to this ALDI Red? I do not know. Again the website for the 2014 Inverted wine was blocked due to a possibly malicious site. That typically occurs when the company goes out of business or shuts down a division and does not terminate the website and unsavory folks move in.
So, we have a $6.99 ALDI Red Blend with very nice packaging, it would like right at home at a wine retail shop, ALDI seems to have stepped its game up. The back label is the only information available it says the grapes are estate fruit (possibly a winery from Greenfield, California) and mentions mocha flavors and spice along with cherry and blueberries. So, if I were to guess I would think there is some Zinfandel or Syrah, Petite Sirah, possibly Merlot along with some sort of oak aging and conditioning.
You never know, unless they specifically spell it out, if a sub ten dollar Red wine was aged in actual oak barrels or received the flavoring from another method. There is a chemical additive called MOCHA that adds French oak spice and a chocolate/coffee flavor to the wine. I have no idea if something like that was used, but today winemakers have gotten very good at giving inexpensive wine a solid dose of oak flavoring. The tasting/technical notes for these wines almost never explicitly detail which methods are used.
Since nobody is spelling out the Inverted Red Blend 2017 details we will have to taste it to gather our information. I am expecting it to be enjoyable, the Central Coast AVA is a great place to source grapes for drink-it-now everyday value-priced wine. And there is not much excuse for a sub-par Red blend since they winemaker gets to pick and choose the grapes that are used. A good winemaker should be able to produce a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. The alcohol content is 13.5%. Inverted Red Blend 2017 Tasting Notes The color is an opaque black cherry red with an emphasis on black. The nose is dark and slightly smokey, there is black cherry, plum, and spice, followed by toasty vanilla, and dark chocolate. This is a wine that starts out heavy on the palate then lightens up, sort of like it has 2 sides, is this where the Inverted name comes from? It starts with ripe blueberry and black pepper, then jammy raspberry and spice. The mid-palate offers up dusty chocolate powder, and little cherries in cream, and orange zest. The tannins are in the mix but do not bite, the acidity allows the flavors to unfold. The finish is strong and lengthy. The Summary
- I always go into these very inexpensive Red wines expecting one thing and getting another.
- I usually expect that oak barrels are not used in the making of these wines, barrels are expensive and they add costs to the wine that I don't see how a $6.99 selling price can recoup. But if oak barrels were not used here then they did an excellent job of creating the allusion.
- This is a worthy Red blend that happens to sell for $6.99.
The Story The Nikau Point NZ Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from vineyards in Marlborough on New Zealand's South Island. This wine is a bit of a mystery. When I went online to check for information the company that was listed as the producer and seemed to have information concerning the Nikau Point was blocked as a malicious website.
There was a Nikau Point Reserve Sauvignon Blanc that was a single vineyards wine, actually a small section of a single vineyard. But that seems to have disappeared a few years ago. Aldi Australia sold a Nikau Point Syrah a few years ago and Nikau Point wines were available in retail wine shops. This wines producer seems to be in business, so maybe their website was temporarily hijacked, but at one-time Nikau wines looked as if they were mid-priced retail wines, along with being store brands.
Though it is odd that a winery used the same brand name on a retail and a store brand wine. There is a story on the internet about the parent company selling five vineyard properties in Hawkes Bay and other locations. So is this $5.99 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc part of a distress sale? They have, in the past, sold this label at Aldi, so creating store brands is not unusual.
At any rate, the Nikau Point Sauv Blanc seems to be a young wine, it is a 2019 vintage there could not have been too much additional aging. And that is fine with me, young, bright, juicy Sauvignon Blanc can be delicious. I do not have information on the grape sourcing, purchased grapes, estate grapes, both? The bottle says estate-bottled, which means a winery bottled the wine and since wine bottling lines are usually on the winery property, that information is not very telling.
How the Nikau Point NZ Sauvignon Blanc ended up at Trader Joe's and does it have any relationship to the older Nikau Point Reserve label isn't evident. But that is ok since this is a $5.99 Sauv Blanc from one of the most popular Sauvignon Blanc growing regions in the world, seemingly made in the bright, fresh, and juicy style. The alcohol content is 13%. Nikau Point NZ Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Tasting Notes The color is a pale, clean, clear, wheat yellow. The nose is not shy when I twisted the top off and poured myself a glass the aromas hit me from several feet away. There is grapefruit, guava, peach, pear, ripe apple, and a grassy sensation. This is a dry, rather tasty Sauvignon Blanc with acidity that is well controlled. It tastes of grapefruit mixed with peach juice, just when it starts to get a little too tart the peach smooths things out. followed by rounded lemon, a slap of lime, a light pear. The mid-palate offers that salty, cashew on-lees thing, along with faint banana, and melon. The acidity is balanced, sub ten dollars White wine can sometimes be on the acidic side, but the Nikau Point is fine. The finish is full and long. The Summary
- The Nikau Point NZ Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a very tasty, no-issues value-priced wine.
- I do not see a great deal of difference between the Nikau Point and you typical ten or twelve dollar retail store New Zealand Sauv Blanc.
- Actually, the acidity on the Nikau Point may be better controlled than your average NZ Sauvignon Blanc.
- The more I sip this wine the more I appreciate it.
- The base flavors are pleasing, but there are some overtones, flavors above the flavors, that really add a little something to the overall enjoyment.
Wind Song Chardonnay 2018 ALDI The Story The Wind Song Chardonnay 2018 ALDI is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Margaret River district of Western Australia. Most Australian wines in the under twenty dollar price range come from South Australia or Southeast Australia. Margaret River is on the other side of the country, near the city of Perth and has a very different climate from the rest of the Australian grape growing areas.
Margaret River is a cooler grape growing area with some of the lowest rainfall totals in Australia, cool and dry is exactly what grapes need. The wineries around here tend to be low production and boutique. They are getting a reputation in high-end wine circles for Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion blends (Bordeaux White style) and Chardonnay. Not the region that you would typically find producing $7.99 grocery store brand wines.
The statistic I read in several publications is Margaret River produces 2% or 3% of Australian wine production, but 20% of its high-end wines. So in its own way this Western Australian Chardonnay is an anomaly in the same way the occasional twelve dollars Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is when featured at Trader Joe's or Costco.
Aldi does not give tasting or technical notes for its wines, but since the climate is more in keeping with Burgundy in France (if not necessarily the soil), this is a Chardonnay that may be produced in the French style as opposed to Eastern Australia or the familiar California Chardonnay. This is one of the things I love by the exclusive brands from the Aldi, Trader Joe's, Costco, etc., there are wines that would not exist at this price range if not for store brands.
If the wineries here can easily sell there Chardonnay for $35 or $40 there isn't much incentive to make one for eight bucks. That makes the Wind Song Chardonnay 2018 ALDI an interesting wine well worth trying. Is it the same as the usual more pricey wines from the region? Probably not, it may be made in a more drink-it-now style, which is fine because I am going to drink it, like right now.
But I thoroughly expect the Wind Song to be a somewhat new experience. I have tasted Western Australian wines at Trade Tastings, but never a value-priced one. I am looking forward to what the tasting experience offers. The alcohol content is 13.2%. Wind Song Chardonnay 2018 ALDI Tasting Notes The color is clean, clear, pale wheat yellow. The nose is not shy, there is lemon curd, green apple, melon, peach, Anjou pear, light spice, a little vanilla, coconut milk, and spring flowers. It has a great nose. The Wind Song Chardonnay is dry with a firm mouthfeel and rich flavor. It starts with a stew of grapefruit, melon, and very tart apple, followed by dried apricot pieces, and soft spice. The mid-palate shows a touch of cream, a little of that salty, cashew thing, and tangerine. There is good well-balanced acidity, you know the usual, the acidity allows the flavors to unfold and adds enough of sizzle on your palate to get you reaching for another sip. The finish is full and of reasonable length. The Summary
- I have found in my years of writing CheapWineFinder.com that I often find very good Chardonnay, but rarely find great Chardonnay.
- The Wind Song Margaret River Chardonnay 2018 is a very good Chardonnay and you have to give it extra points for not only being valued priced but being value-priced from a region that does not do value-priced wine.
- Finding greatness in sub ten dollar Chardonnay isn't realistic,
Poppy Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 The Story The Poppy Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is sourced from the Sunny Slope and the San Juan vineyards inside the Paso Robles AVA which is also inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Poppy (which is the state flower of California) is a brand started in 2003 by the Silva Family who has 45 years' experience in the wine trade.
I chose to write about this wine for a couple of reasons, first, the Paso Robles AVA is a terrific place to find quality Cabernet Sauvignon. You can find rather pricey bottles there, but they also showcase excellent value-priced drink-it-now, no aging required Cabernet Sauvignon. Paso Robles, along with Lodi and Columbia Valley are great places to look for bang for the buck Cabs.
The second reason for this review is the innovative and complex techniques used to produce the Poppy Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a wine that I found for about twelve dollars and my usual explanation of the differences between value-priced wine and more expensive wine is that value wine is made with simpler processes that allow the wines to come together quickly. The faster the wine becomes ready for release and sale the sooner the winery can start to recoup their investment.
The Poppy Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 does not follow that example. Before they even get to fermentation they use thermovinification and maceration on the crushed grapes and juice. Thermovinification is a fairly new technique where the crushed grapes are either heated to almost boiling or chilled to fully extract all the color and the desired compounds from the grapes, This process allows you to maximize the desired characteristics of the grapes and minimize the qualities that are not needed.
A portion of the Poppy Cab see thermovinification and the rest undergoes maceration which is where the crushed grapes, seeds, and stems are left to stew with the crushed juice (either before fermentation or during fermentation). Maceration takes longer to complete than thermovinification and does not do as complete a job.
My point to highlight thermovinification and maceration is not to definitively explain the process, it is way more complicated than I spelled out. The winemaking techniques, even in value-priced wines make a huge difference. You don't need to know exactly how these winemaking tools actually work but if wine X was made with certain techniques and wine Y wasn't, but wine Z was, wine Z may be the wine to choose.
The Poppy Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 18 months in small French oak barrels. Aging wine for a year and a half in French oak is a detail seen consistently in wine selling in the twenty-five dollar plus price range. So we have a wine sourced from 2 named vineyards (most wines in the $12 range do not list the actual vineyard, just the general AVA if you're lucky) in Paso Robles and underwent new and innovative winemaking techniques and was aged in the same manner as expensive wine.
I like wines that have websites that provide technical notes into the making of their wines. Way too often the tech notes are some fluffy lifestyle blatherings and almost no useful information to get to know the wine. I don't need too much information, I only semi-understand what all the terms mean. But knowing which of the major, important processes are used gives you insight into what went into the making of the wine, and maybe explain why you like the wine.
Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé The Story The Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé Cava is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay sourced from estate vineyards near the town of Lleida in the Cava D.O. of northeast Spain (near Barcelona). A typical Cava uses the three indigenous grapes, Macabeo, Xarello, and Parelada, but since this is a Rose' and Red grapes skins are needed to get the pink coloration so traditional Champagne grapes are substituted.
The Cordorniu company has a great tradition. They are the oldest company in Spain and the 17th oldest company in the world. They have been in business for over 500 years and they are the first winery to produce Cava in 1872. Cava is produced with the same techniques used in Champagne, France. The second fermentation (where the bubbles are formed) occurs inside each bottle. In Champagne second fermentation has to last a minimum of 18 months, with Cava the second fermentation lasts a minimum of 12 months.
The Cordorniu family started the winery as early as 1551 and in 1659 Anna de Codorniu married Miquel Raventós. And in 1872 it was Josep Raventós who pioneered Cava, so there is a lot of history and knowledge behind this $11 (on sale) Spanish Bubbly.
While the Cava D.O. borders on the Mediterranean Ocean the Codorniu vineyards for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are more inland section. The grapes are always harvested at night when the weather is cooler and the grapes are relaxing. If you want to know where the pink color comes from the skins of the Pinot Noir grapes are left with the crushed grapes juice for 3 to 4 hours. Then the skins are removed and the first fermentation begins.
What is the difference between Champagne and Cava? The climate is an obvious difference, Champagne is much farther north in France, the climate there is cool or cold enough that grapes growing to produce still wines (no Bubbles) frequently didn't get ripe enough to be useable. Sparkling wine grapes are picked earlier than still wine grapes, so they suit Champagne's climate. In the Cava region, it is warmer so the growing season is shorter. So the climate makes a difference.
Champagne ages their Sparkling wine (second fermentation) much longer, on average than Cava wines typically are aged. The Bubbly with extended aging is the Bubbly that is of the most interest and demands the highest prices. There are Cava's that have very long aging, 3,4 years or more, but they are usually small production wines and not that common. Bubbly aged a shorter period of time tend to be crisp and with a long time can get creamy.
The internal pressure from the carbonation (atmospheres) is greater with Champagne wines, it is one of Champagne's unique features. There is typically less pressure inside a Cava bottle, though you may not notice unless you pop the top on a Champagne and a Cava side by side.
The 3 traditional Cava White grapes will taste different than Champagne Chardonnay grapes. There is a noticeable flavor difference between the two Sparkling wines. But with the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay used in the Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé Cava, a comparison of flavors is possible. This Cava is 25% less expensive than entry-level Champagne, is Champagne four times better, let's find out. Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé Cava Tasting Notes The color is a salmon pink and there are plenty of bubbles. The nose is tart cherry, pink lemonade, stone fruit, soft spice, and a touch of crusty bakery bread. This is a dry, crisp Sparkling wine with flavor. It starts with ripe strawberry, lemon/lime (not sweet), tart cherry, and a salty sensation. The mid-palate offers a slap of minerality, dried strawberry bits, and lime. The acidity is really good, it is the type of acidity in the wine that lets the flavors unfold and also gets you reaching for another sip. The finish is fairly full and lengthy. The Summary
I said, is Champagne four times better than the Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé Cava and that was kind of a trick question.
Meringue Chardonnay Edna Valley 2018 The Story The Meringue Chardonnay Edna Valley 2018 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from the Edna Valley AVA which is located south of Paso Robles along the Pacific Ocean coast inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Edna Valley may not be the best known AVA in California but it has an excellent reputation for producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.
Single AVA wines rarely sell in regular retail wine shops for under ten bucks or maybe more like under twenty bucks. This is one of the reasons I enjoy Trader Joe's wines. You can explore somewhat off the beaten path growing areas or wines from upscale growing regions and not risk a great deal of money. Most folks wouldn't know to look for Edna Valley Chardonnay, but for $7.99 they can give it a try.
Most Trader Joe's exclusive wines don't have much to offer in the way of technical notes, but the Meringue Chardonnay Edna Valley 2018 was featured in this month's Fearless Flyer. Their tasting notes give us some indication of what winemaking techniques were used. What the winemaker did to produce this Chardonnay is very important, since it seems that no 2 Chardonnays are exactly alike. Similarities, yes, alike, no.
Processes such as malolactic fermentation and on lees, along with whether they conditioned the wine with oak are extremely important. Did all the Chardonnay undergo malolactic fermentation or just a percentage, did any of the Chard see oak barrel conditioning. New barrels, used barrels, oak chips or no oak? The winemakers can use any of these techniques in any proportion they choose and each decision makes a difference in the flavor of the wine. And we didn't discuss grape selection or other more technical methods, Chardonnay is complicated.
Trader Joe's says the Meringue has green apple, lemon and pineapple flavors along with crème brulée and vanilla. All those tastes lead me to think at least partial malolactic fermentation with a good bit of some sort of oak aging. The flavors that come from oak(vanilla) seem to be pronounced, so a decent amount of time in oak barrels or oak staves in stainless steel vats are suggested. The flavors seemed to be rounded rather than tart so a certain percentage of malolactic fermentation probably was used. The crème brulée may have come from "on lees" aging, since the more the lees are stirred the creamier the wine becomes. These are all guesses on my part and made to demonstrate that Chardonnay is complicated, even value-priced Chardonnay. Meringue Chardonnay Edna Valley 2018 Tasting Notes The color is a wheat yellow with an amber tint. The nose is ripe apples and melon, lemon and vanilla, soft spice and orange blossom honey, and light floral edge. This is a Chardonnay dry, with a firm mouthfeel and rich flavors. It tastes of Golden Delicious apple, grapefruit (not too tart), oak spice, a little French vanilla, and nectarine. The mid-palate adds a light halo of pineapple (that was part of the Fearless Flyer tasting notes, so I don't know if getting that flavor is the power of suggestion, but it's faint but it is there), tart blood orange, and just a hint of cream. The acidity is well-balanced, it allows the flavors to unfold and will get you reaching for another sip. The finish is soft but lasts a long time. The Summary
It is $7.99, but the Meringue Edna Valley can hold its own with Chardonnay selling for a good five dollars more. It has complexity and flavor that no sub-ten dollar Chardonnay would be expected to have as little as 5 years ago. This is a Chardonnay that punches above its weight class.
The Story The Revelation Pinot Noir 2018 is a Trader Joe's $7.99 American exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc region of southeastern France. The Languedoc growing area borders the Mediterranean on the east, the Pyrenees Mountains to the west and Spain to the south. This is a Pays d'Oc (IGP) designated wine which is rated a step below AOC wines. Pays d'Oc is wines that are representative of the region but don't follow the AOC wine rules and regulations or are grown in vineyards outside the AOC boundaries. This Pinot Noir is produced by Badet Clément which is a winery founded in the 1990s by two winemakers from the Burgundy region. They produce Estate wines and Brand wines and create 15,000,000 bottles a year. The Révélation does not seem to be a Brand made exclusively for Trader Joe's since the full line of Révélation wines are available in Great Britan and possibly elsewhere. The Languedoc region is the largest growing region in France producing about a third of all French wine. This is the region were everyday French wine is produced. There are several winemaking regions in France with more acclaim, but this is where the affordable wines are produced. Pinot Noir isn't the first wine you think of when you consider Languedoc wines. They grow a wide variety of grapes in the region and most are grapes associated with slightly warmer growing conditions, but the Mediterranean Ocean does offer cooler coastal growing areas. This brand has been in Trader Joe's for several years, we reviewed the 2010 vintage of the Révélation Cabernet-Merlot blend and thought it was a solid bang for the buck wine, in those days the wine sold for $4.99. There aren't any technical notes for the Révélation Pinot Noir 2018, so I don't have any winemaking details. But I will be interested in how this differs from inexpensive California Pinot Noir, which has undergone a large improvement in quality in the last several years. There was a time when value-priced French Pinot Noir would have outdistanced the California value wine, but at this point, I am not so sure. So the tasting will tell. The alcohol content is 13%. The Revelation Pinot Noir Tasting Notes The color is garnet red. The nose is black cherry, herbs, black pepper, spice, and a little mushroom. This is a balanced Pinot Noir, with a silky side and a little bit rougher edge. It starts with tart cherry and slightly sharp spice, followed by plum and herbs. The mid-palate adds ripe black cherry and orange zest, and a surprise salty sensation, and a slightly rough brush of the tannins. This is not the most complicated Pinot Noir, but it is interesting, the balance of fruit and structure is attractive. The finish is lively and while it does fade it lingers for some time. The Summary
- I liked the Revelation Pinot Noir 2018, while California cheap Pinot Noir has made great strides it was fun to match those up to the cheap French stuff.
- This is a tasty wine, good fruit, good structure.
- The price has increased by three dollars since we first reviewed the 2010 Révélation wine and even with the upcharge it is still a bargain.
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The Story The J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petite Sirah, 5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 1% Syrah sourced mainly from J. Lohr's 7 Oaks vineyard as well as other estate vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA of the Central Coast AVA in California. J. Lohr is a family-owned winery founded in the Monterey AVA in the early 1970s. In the 1980s they expanded into the Paso Robles AVA (south of Monterey AVA) and have a property in the St. Helena AVA inside of Napa Valley.
I have been a fan of J. Lohr wines for some time, not only because they taste great, but how they go about their business. This may be something that appeals to only me, but in writing the Cheap Wine Finder website I come across a plethora of wine company websites and their corresponding wine technical notes. Most wine company websites, while attractive to the eye, say almost nothing. I think the key is being positive, promote an upscale lifestyle but do not say anything that can turn folks off.
J. Lohr has an attractive website, just like you would expect, but their technical notes go into terrific detail. They compare the growing season to previous vintages and give details on exactly which procedures were used in winemaking that few wine companies bother to tell. I actually learned more about malolactic fermentation from their tech notes than I knew before I read it. Gleaming actual knowledge form a wine website and technical notes are very rare, trust me, I know all too well.
So, what did I learn, well for one there was a heatwave in early September where temperatures hit 115 degrees. This could have been troublesome, but since temps went back to normal and the harvest wasn't until October the vines had plenty of time to de-stress and the vintage turned out well. I also learned a few things about malolactic fermentation. This Cabernet was fermented in stainless steel tanks, but for malolactic 20% was transferred to small oak barrels. Then Viniflora Oenos (dried bacteria) is added to the wine and that process changes the natural tart acid in the wine to rounded acid.
Almost all Red wines receive this process, but J. Lohr is the first winery to shed a little light on the subject. This Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in American oak barrels for 12 months, 22% new barrels with the rest used barrels. Another first is the tech notes said the oak came from Missouri and Minnesota. When French oak is used it isn't uncommon to list which French forest the oak came from. American oak is usually mentioned as an afterthought, but not here. I get the impression that J. Lohr is proud of their wines and what went into the making of their wines.
I get it that most wine drinkers do not geek out on the tasting and tech notes as I do. It is just that wineries should be more transparent with their winemaking. Lifestyle marketing is fine, but being more open with their processes would probably lead to better wine. So kudos to J. Lohr. The alcohol content is 14%. Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting Notes The color is ripe black cherry red with a clear halo. The nose is subtle and balanced, blackberry, vanilla, dark chocolate, soft spice, black pepper, lightly herbal, with a faint floral edge. This is a sleek, refined Cabernet Sauvignon with a nice stew of flavors. It starts with a mix of extracted blackberry and sweet blueberry, licorice, vanilla, and pepper. The mid-palate offers milk chocolate, orange zest, ripe raspberry, and a slap of Altoid's spice. The flavors are well-balanced, no one taste overpowers the next. The tannins are sweet and the acidity lets the flavors unfold. Pair this Cabernet Sauvignon with a steak on the grill or drink it on its own. The finish mirrors the body of the wine and has good length. The Summary
The J.Lohr Seven Oaks Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a very good California Cabernet. This is an interesting Cab, it is mass-produced, they make a fair amount of this wine,
The Story The Sean Minor 4B Chardonnay 2018 is 100% Chardonnay sourced from several contracted vineyards in California's Central Coast AVA. Sean Minor Wines do not have their vineyards but have long term contracts with selected vineyards. They have a full line-up of wines from affordable White and Red wines to single-vineyard Pinot Noir, though they concentrate more value-priced wine.
You may remember this wine from when they were 4 Bears Wines, there is still a 4B on the label. The 4 Bears name came about when the Minors were tasting different blends of their wines. Something along the lines of one was too big, one was too small, and another was just right and their four-year-old thought the process reminded him of the story of the 3 Bears. Well, they had four kids and they couldn't leave one kid out, so the wines became 4 Bears wine.
The 4B Chardonnay is made the way I usually like my Chardonnay, a little oak barrel, a little malolactic fermentation. A percentage of this Chardonnay was fermented in smaller French oak barrels with the rest fermented in stainless steel tanks. Oak barrels are of course watertight but they do allow a tiny amount of air transfer with the Chardonnay. Stainless steel tanks are watertight and airtight. Everything you do to the wine causes some sort of change, so the Chardonnay that had a tad bit of air contact will be different from the Chardonnay that was kept from oxygen exposure, And then there is the difference from a small barrel and a huge stainless steel tank.
That brings us to malolactic fermentation which is something that almost always occurs in Red wine. This is a process or a fermentation that takes the tart-tasting naturally occurring acid in the wine and converts it to a more rounded tasting acid. Most White wines want to keep the tart acidity, but Chardonnay that sees a bit of oak barrel conditioning responds well to Malolactic fermentation. Since only a portion of the wine saw oak barrels only a portion undergoes malolactic.
Producing a Chardonnay this way gives the wine varied flavors and complexity. Both tart and rounded flavors, some of that butter and vanilla that French oak brings to Chardonnay, but not too much. It is a style that gives a little bit of something for everybody. The alcohol content is 13.5%. Chardonnay Tasting Notes The color is bright and shiny butter yellow. The nose is ripe and juicy, there is apple, lemon, pear, peach lime, honey, apricot, and a floral edge. This wine has a nice rounded mouth-feel along with an interesting flavor profile. It tastes of melon and lemon mix, followed by grapefruit, a little honey, and pear. The mid-palate brings apple, a dash of butter, a little vanilla cream, and lime. There is also that salty, nutty thing from "on-lees", but the tech notes didn't mention "on lees". The acidity is solid, enough to allow all the flavors to develop, but not enough to be sharp on the palate. The finish is full and lasts a decent length of time. The Summary
The Sean Minor 4B Chardonnay 2018 is a tasty, well-priced Chardonnay (I found it on sale for $9.99). It is a well-made classic California Chardonnay. The Central Coast is a great place to find delicious value-priced wines. Yes, you can find Chardonnay from fancy well-known AVAs, but there is typically an additional price to pay for the famous growing regions. And these places do produce great Chardonnay, but when you need a tasty, well-priced, everyday Chardonnay the Central Coast AVA matches up well. This is one of those wines that get you reaching for your glass without actually thinking about it. Your brain just says MORE.
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Trader Joe's Petit Reserve GSM 2018 The Story The Trader Joe's Petit Reserve GSM 2018 is a Trader Joe's $6.99 exclusive. A GSM is Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre blend in this case sourced from vineyards in the Arroyo Seco AVA inside the Monterey AVA which in turn is inside the Central Coast AVA of California. This is a wine made exclusively for Trader Joe's by ASV Wines.
ASV Wines, the ASV stands for Arroyo Seco Vineyards, is a custom wine producer (they also make their own wines} and has been in business for almost 40 years. They can be contracted to produce a wide variety of wines, either using their own vineyards or contracting with other vineyard owners. The Arroyo Seco AVA is home to several well-regarded wineries that specialize in producing Rhone Valley-style wines.
A GSM Blend is one of the great Red wine blends of France and is found in the Southern Rhone Valley and in particular the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region. Grenache and Syrah are often blended together in southeastern France and eastern Spain (here Grenache is spelled Garnacha). Grenache wines are often sleek and lean and Syrah wines can be plump and juicy with a little spice. Each one has what the other doesn't have and they work well together. The Mourvedre adds color, a floral nose, and structure.
Arroyo Seco AVA of Monterey is a cool-weather growing region. There is a deep ocean trench off the coast of Monterey that concentrates the already cold Pacific Ocean waters. Monterey has a variety of climates for vines, some areas are blocked from ocean influence by coastal mountains, some areas are high ground and windswept, and other valleys are well-tailored to cooler weather grape varieties. The Ocean not only provides the climate for a long growing season it also protects the vineyards from temperatures ever falling too low for vine safety.
There is a certain order to California wine pricing, wines that show California on the label as a place of origin tend to be the least expensive since a wide variety of locations are available for grape sourcing. When you get to the main AVA on the label, in this case, Central Coast the bottle price can rise a few bucks, then when a sub-AVA is used like here the Monterey AVA the number of available vineyards lessens and the price tag can rise. When you get a wine sourced from a sub-AVA of a sub-AVA and the vineyard selection significantly lowers the wines can get pricey. Except at Trader Joe's where these wines can be seriously cheap, this Arroyo Seco GSM is $6.99. The GSM Tasting Notes The color is dark cranberry red with black highlights. The nose is bright and spicey, there is blackberry, black pepper, exotic spice, black licorice, lightly herbal, and slightly floral. This is a red wine with a bit of complexity, it has a smooth side and a rough side. This GSM tastes of blackberry, rich and extracted, along with rounded black cherry, raisin spice, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds blood orange, tea, and raspberry. The tannins are dusty and provide a nice texture. The acidity is balanced, this is a $6.99 GSM food wine. Pair with stews, burgers, roasts, and pizza with all the toppings. The finish is subtle and fades before too long, but never really goes away. The Summary
What's there not to like about a 7 buck GSM from a small AVA? It does not taste inexpensive, there is a good yin/yang between sweet and tart, smooth and rough textures and flavors. I would not call this GSM delicious, it is more challenging and interesting which is actual praise for a sub-$10 wine. This wine will perform very well with food.
The Story The Lagranja 360 Verdejo Viura 2018 is a $4.99 Trader Joe's import exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Castilla y Leon region of northeast Spain. The Verdejo grape is indigenous to Spain and widely planted and the Viura grape is also known as Macabeo which is one of the 3 grapes traditionally used to make Cava. Trader Joe's carries a whole line of Lagranja 360 wines which are very representative of the types of wine that average Spaniards drink every day.
The Castilla y Leon region wraps around the northeast corner of Portugal but does not extend to the Ocean either north or west. The wines of this region are Vino de la Tierra wines which are one step below the DO wines and are roughly the same as IGP wines of Italy and France. The grapes come local communes.
A commune is a group of small farmers who band together to pool their resources and produce wine on a scale much larger than they could provide individually. Lagranja 360 seems to have tapped into these communes in different regions of Spain to produce their wines. In the ranking order of wine, a commune is seen as a step or two below wineries with their own estate vineyards. But when dealing with value-priced wine a commune is a great way to get a good wine at a good price.
This is the type of wine that folks in Spain who drink wine with lunch and dinner drink. The crazy thing about this Trader Joe's import wine is that it is sold in the US for about the same price it would be in Spain. The majority of people who use wine for their daily meal never spend more than ten bucks for a wine. Wines selling for a few Euros routinely are paired with the meal.
One thing you need to remember with wines that are produced particularly for food consumption is that they are designed to reach their balance when sipped with food, they may seem a little too acidic when sipping alone. The Lagranja 360 is produced for export so concessions are made for how Americans drink wine. It will probably be a little more fruit-forward than its Spanish equivalent to better appeal to the American palate.
This White wine is Vegan-friendly and uses natural yeast for fermentation. Natural yeast is the yeast that floats in the air and is naturally attached to the grapes' skins. It is thought these yeasts are better suited for the grapes, though I doubt if most people could tell the difference between natural yeast and commercial yeast. Then again natural is usually the way to go when possible. The alcohol content is a mild 12.5%. The Verdejo Viura Tasting Notes The color is barely there, just a little pale wheat yellow. The nose is ripe and fresh, sort of reminds me of California Chardonnay, there is apple, peach, apricots, pears, lemon, lime, and orange blossom honey. This is a flavorful, crisp wine with just a hint of sweetness (nectar sweet, not sugar sweet). It tastes of grapefruit, peach, green apple, soft spice, and dried apricot. The mid-palate offers lime, the tasting notes mentioned banana and I don't know if it the power of suggestion, but I tasted banana cream. The acidity is solid, this $4.99 wine will make a very good food wine. The finish is strong and sticks around. The Summary
- Four ninety-nine never tasted so good.
- In a blind tasting with regular ten bucks White wines you would never pick out the Lagranja 360 as the five buck wine.
- Cheap and delicious is a very good thing.
The Story The Source and Sink Red Field Blend 2018 is a blend of 65% Petite Sirah, 25% Alicante Bouschet, and 10% Carignan sourced from the Dunbar Ranch vineyard located near Glen Ellen in the Sonoma Valley region of California. Source and Sink is a new wine company, I think this is their first vintage. The company was formed by 2 Chicago guys who met during the 2017 harvest in Sonoma and decided to put together a wine project.
When you have a new, small wine company such as Source and Sink it is hard to compete directly with the big corporate wine behemoths, so you need to do your homework and be clever. They search out small overlooked, almost forgotten Sonoma vineyards to source their grapes. Some of these vineyards come from Hobby farms others were going concerns years ago but have had parcels sold off due to urban sprawl. The Dunbar Ranch is situated in the heart of the Sonoma Valley, but it isn't a large commercial vineyard.
The parcel of grapes that Source and Sink purchased had been planted to be a Field Blend. A Field Blend is when specific varietals of grapes are planted in the same section of the vineyard. I was told that back in the day farmers would plant many different grapes to see which varieties would thrive and which wouldn't. They would pick the grapes when the majority were of proper ripeness and then crush the grapes and ferment them all together. The proportions of the blend were decided by Mother Nature. If one grape had a big yield and another didn't, well, that was what the vineyard gave them.
The Source and Sink website mentioned that Dunbar Ranch Field Blend section was planted to also include Zinfandel grapes in the blend, but the Zinfandel grapes seem to have gone elsewhere. Sometimes wines with Field Blend on the label are not actual Field Blends, but more of a homage to the old ways to blend wine. While Source and Sink do not get specific with the technical details they seem to be dedicated to letting the vineyards lead the way. They use the least evasive winemaking techniques that can get away with. These are not wines that use a focus group to get the blend right, this is Old School California winemaking.
Petite Sirah is originally from France but now is found mainly in California and Australia. It is used in countless Red blends and is often used to add a little something to Zinfandel wines. Alicante Bouschet is also a French grape that again is rarely seen in France but is widely used in Portugal and Spain. And Carignan is a grape widely used in southeast France and Spain. So this blend will not be your typical North Coast Blend, but something a little different.
One of the reasons Field Blend fell out of style was that it was difficult to get the different grapes to ripen at the same time. With some vintages, the timing might be perfect and other vintages more problematic. The wines could vary in flavor and quality from year to year, and if you notice vintage variations are often not very noticeable with todays California wine. The Source and Sink Field Blend has an alcohol content of 12.8% and it isn't uncommon for a Sonoma Red wine to see 14.5% alcohol. I'm guessing here, but is 12.8% the point where most of the grapes reached their ideal ripeness? Anyway, I am looking forward to a taste of how California Red Blend used to be. Field Blend Tasting Notes The color is seriously deep and dark. The nose is rich and spicy, there is blackberry, plum, black pepper, spice, a hint of smoke and sweet raspberry. This is a wine that hits all areas of your palate with bright fruit and spice, nothing out of balance, but definitely not shy.
The Story The 90+ Cellars Pinot Noir Lot 179 2018 is sourced from vineyards in more than one California Coastal grape growing AVA. And that is about all I know about where the grapes were grown and who made the wine since 90+ Cellars are Negociants. A Negociant is a French term and it refers to a wine business that buys excess wine from a winery and distributes it under its own label.
90+ Cellars was founded in 2009 during the last economic meltdown which created an environment where there were plenty of wineries looking to sell them to generate much-needed cash. There were so many wineries offering surplus wine that 90+ Cellars came up with the idea of only buying wines that had recently scored 90 plus points in one of the leading wine magazines.
It was a brilliant idea since negociants buy the surplus wine at a discounted price they can sell the wine retail at a lower price than the original winery. So you were able to purchase wine with a top wine score for a bargain price when compared to the original wine. Often the 90+ Cellars wine would be on the store shelve just a few feet away from the exact same wine that sold for several dollars more.
This system, which has a very long history in France, only works if the customer never knows who the original winery is. The producing winery will never sell its wine if the public knows they can but the exact same wine for less. And since a negociant, in this case, 90+ Cellars, does not make their own wine, the wine drinkers have to trust that the negociants are offering the best wine for the lowest price.
I don't think 90+ Cellars still only buys and then resells wines that received 90 or more points, that was always limiting. They were stuck dealing only with wines that received high recent scores and not with excellent wineries that either didn't get their wines into the magazines or only got 89 points. Because after all, that is the difference between a wine that gets 89 points and wine that got 90 points, can you taste that extra point?
You will follow 90+ Cellars not by the wines they make, but by the wines they choose. A Negociant succeeds by offering you a good wine at a fair price, but you have to take a leap of faith. Since you don't know the all-important details concerning the wine, a wine drinker must be satisfied that 90+ has you covered. If you search for 90+ Cellars wines on CheapWineFinder you will see that we have been reviewing their wines for years and we were usually impressed.
So, this is the seventh paragraph and I have not mentioned one technical detail about Pinot Noir Lot 179 2018, well because I don't know any of the details. The one thing I do know is this Pinot Noir that I found on sale for $8.99 was probably in another bin under a different label selling for several dollars more. And that is the allure of negociant wines. The alcohol content is 13.5%. Plus I have been hearing a buzz about this bottling from reputable sources saying that this is one of the best value wines from the vintage. Pinot Noir Tasting Notes The color is clear, see-thru garnet red. The nose is a combination of cherry and those funky Pinot Noir aromas, herbs, dried autumn leaves, spice, bacon fat, a hint of smoke, and spearmint chewing gum. This is a dry, medium-bodied Pinot Noir, fruit-forward, but still possessing balance. It starts with cherry, Dr. Pepper, licorice, spice, and tea. The mid-palate brings soft herbs, ripe plum, black pepper, and faint dark chocolate. The tannins are sweet, they are there,
The Story The Raimund Prüm Mosel Dry Riesling is a $6.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Mosel district of Germany. There are a few interesting and unique details with less than 7 buck Riesling. First, you remember that ALDI is a German company and has great buying power in Europe and especially Germany.
Second, Mosel is to Riesling what Pinot Noir is to Burgundy what Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot is to Bordeaux what Barolo is Nebbiolo. It is the epicenter for that particular grape. If you want the best Riesling the first place you look is Mosel. This Riesling is designated a Qualitatswein wine which is the base quality level there are two categories above this. Which is expected in a wine at this price range.
The third point is Raimund Prüm is responsible for this ALDI wine. The current SA Prüm winery has been family owned and operated for over 100 years, but the Prüm family has been involved with wine in Mosel for 900 years. Raimund Prüm is one of the elite winemakers in Mosel, he has produced Riesling that has sold for 100s of dollars.
It is not unusual for established well-regarded wineries to produce custom wines for the likes of ALDI and Trader Joe's, but they normally use a dummy wine company name and come up with a brand name that does not suggest the original winery. Here, Raimund Prüm is putting his name on a $6.99 Mosel Riesling.
The Mosel wine region is located on the steep banks of the Mosel River. The slopes are so steep for much of the best growing area that it is difficult and dangerous for humans to work the grapevines. The soil is strewn with chards of slate and the slate is so essential to the mineral component of the Riesling that any slate that rolls down the hill is collected and put back in its place.
This wine seems to be sourced from vineyards from all over Mosel which keeps the price down. Like most wine areas certain sections can command a higher price and wine produced from a selection of districts are less expensive. But with a wine priced this low, it is not necessarily the location of the vineyards that matter, it is who made the wine. Good winemakers make good wine, great winemakers make even better wine. The alcohol content is a mild 11.5% and this is dry or not sweet Riesling. Riesling Tasting Notes The color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is green apple, lemon, lime, melon, mineral water, and apricot, the scents are all light and subtle. This is a light, delicate, dry Riesling with a slightly complicated flavor profile. It tastes of peach, ripe, juicy apple, lemon, a soft minerality, lime, and melon. The mid-palate adds raisin spice, dried apricot, juicy nectarine, a salty sensation, and guava. I named a fair amount of flavors, but they were all restrained, one didn't overpower the other. The acidity gave the structure that allowed the flavors to unfold. Again the finish is subtle but lingers on and on. The Summary
- This is a pretty good Riesling for $6.99 at a supermarket.
- I was expecting it to be pretty good considering its provenance. Mr. Prüm wouldn't have put his name or the family name on this bottle if the results were not satisfactory.
- I quite honestly am more used to writing about Washington State Riesling for Cheapwinefinder. The Washington Rieslings are priced right and are easy to drink and to like. But this 7 buck Aldis Mosel Riesling is an extremely satisfying drink. The more I sip, the more I like it.
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The Story The Chateau Le Grand Moulin Bordeaux 2016 is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 5% Malbec from the Estate vineyard in the Blaye Cotes de Bordeaux AOP. This is wine available at Costco for $7.99, I don't think this is a Costco exclusive, on-line retailers seem to sell the same wine for almost twice as much.
Chateau Le Grand is a family-owned vineyard and winery founded over 100 years ago. Blaye AOP is the northern-most growing region in Bordeaux's Right Bank (the big names like Pomerol are located further south). Merlot is the main grape, but Blaye also produces White wines and Sparkling wine. This is the region that produces everyday wines that is a step up from the value-priced wines.
50% of the wines from Bordeaux sell for under $20, which always surprised me since I equated Bordeaux with Napa Valley and not much is value-priced in Napa. The French have a tradition of drinking wine with their meals, so it makes sense that Bordeaux offers reasonably priced wines. Actually every growing region in France, other than Champagne, produces affordable wines. Sometimes the marketing makes it seem like they specialize in high-end wines, but that isn't the case.
In Bordeaux, the simple (too simple) explanation is the Left Bank grows Cabernet Sauvignon and the Right Bank farms Merlot, but it is more complicated than that. The soil types change from area to area as do the growing conditions, but most of those details are not as important with value-priced wine. The collectors argue over which year is a good year and which Grand Cru excelled that year. With affordable Bordeaux, a good producer with a quality vineyard is what is important.
The Chateau Le Grand Moulin cold maceration before fermentation. Cold Maceration is where they refrigerate the grapes for a few days, this technique helps concentrate the flavors and the color of the wine. After fermentation, this Red blend was aged in cement vats. Cement vats (they are lined to keep the actual cement away from the wine) are thick enough that they insulate the wine from temperature and humidity changes. Wine loves stable aging conditions and cement offers protection that stainless steel tanks and wood barrels can't.
Even though this is an 8 buck Red blend the Chateau Le Grand 2016 has received 89 and 90 points from James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast, respectively. While wine points do not mean you will actually like the wine they do indicate that acknowledge professions deemed this a quality- made Bordeaux Red wine. The alcohol content is 13.5%. Bordeaux Tasting Notes The color is a dark, barely see-thru black cherry red. The nose is blackberry, baking spice, black pepper, tea, dark chocolate, raspberry, and a blast of sweet blueberry. This is a well-balanced wine, it has tannins if you are used to California value-priced wines you might have forgotten how tannins used to be. It tastes of a mix of blackberry, pepper, soft plum, and spice. The mid-palate brings orange zest and dried strawberry pieces, a light hint of cream, and Nestlt Quick powder.
This is a French Red blend, it is a different style than California and Washington State Red blends, you would never call this a juicy wine. What it lacks in fruit flavor it makes up for with structure, though it does have good flavor. The tannins are there, they make their presence known, but they do not bite. The acidity gives this Red nice length. The finish is fairly full and of reasonable length. The Summary
- I like this wine, it resets my palate.
The Story The Kirkland Champagne Brut is a $19.99 Costco exclusive produced for them by Champagne Janisson of Verzenany in the Champagne district of France. There was a time when a sub 20 buck real-deal Champagne was unheard of, but ALDI, Trader Joe's (I think TJ's French Bubbles has gone up in price) and Costco have all managed to offer pretty enjoyable Bubbly.
Janisson is a legit French Champagne House, check out the link above they have an architecturally stunning winery. The Kirkland Champagne is a blend of Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay and the Janisson labeled Bubbly only uses Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, no Pinot Meunier. This indicates that this is a bottling made exclusively for Costco and Kirkland.
This also means that this Champagne was sourced using contracted purchased grapes, which in Champagne is far more ordinary than you may think. With the prices that Champagne command you would think that famous Bubbly is sourced from the most exclusive sections of their Estate vineyards. But, most of the most well known Champagne Houses either don't have their own vineyards or only enough land to supply their most high-end offerings.
Most people can name maybe ten Champagne Houses, some are so famous that even people that have no interest in wine know their names, but their 100s of Champagne producers. Most have been in business for decades and the average American wine drinker is unaware of there existence. So it does not mean much that you have never heard of Janisson, the reality is you have never heard of 90% of the Champagne Houses. Though finding a new favorite Champagne is fun and is probably the reason Janisson is selling their Bubbly for below market price. It is hard to attract attention when your competition is Icons.
As a quick refresher, Champagne differs from Prosecco, because with Champagne after the grapes are pressed and go through fermentation, the wine is aged and then bottled. In each and every bottle a measured amount of yeast and sugar are added, a temporary cork is attached and the bottles' wine continues to age for a minimum of 18 months (Champagne is frequently aged for a longer time).
So can a $19.99 Champagne be as good as the more expensive stuff? And the answer is yes, Champagne has extremely stringent rules and regulations governing all aspects of Champagne, from the vineyards to the winemaking process. These measures are designed to ensure quality, corner-cutting is not acceptable. The vineyards are the same vineyards used by the well-known wineries and the winemaking techniques are exactly the same as the other Champagne Houses. Champagne Tasting Notes The color is platinum with a hint of gold, the bubbles are plentiful. The nose is yeasty, with bright citrus, along with apple, cherry, vanilla, and melon. This is a Champagne with a substantial mouthfeel, it has some weight on your palate. It starts with lemon/lime (the flavor of a soft drink, but not the sugary sweetness), there is a nice salty sensation, followed by green apple, and a hint of stonefruit. The mid-palate adds cashew, dried strawberry pieces, and very dry, tart cranberry. There is an intensity to this Bubbly that you only get from the Sparkling wines from Champagne. The more you look for flavors, the more you find, this Bubbly keeps developing. The acidity is really solid, the flavors have room to unfold and that touch of acid gets you reaching for your glass. The finish is subtle and lengthy. The Summary
- I have always said that Bubbly/ Sparkling wine was my favorite category of chea...
The Story The Technique Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a wine that sells for $6.99 at Trader Joe's. Is it a Trader Joe's exclusive? I don't know since this wine does not conform to the typical Trader Joe's exclusive wine brands. The Technique label is owned by the Precision Wine Company which has 9 different labels and specializes in Napa Valley wines. This bottling is not shown on their website, but there is a Technique Chardonnay from the Knights Valley AVA.
The Alexander Valley AVA in Sonoma is about 25 miles from the Pacific Ocean but is a warmer climate growing region since it is blocked from the Ocean by mountains. The Russian River runs through the middle of the Alexander Valley and the river gives the AVA the cool mornings and the even cooler nights to offset the warm summer days. The Russian River AVA, which is known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, is south of Alexander Valley. The Alexander Valley is THE Sonoma AVA for Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Precision Wine Company produces wines that sell in the $20 to $65 range and generally speaking Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon does not sell for $6.99. A typical Trader Joe's exclusive wine is contracted from a winery who along with Trader Joe's creates a dummy wine company and a unique wine label. The dummy wine company is used to hide the original source since Trader Joe's wines usually sell for less than the producing wineries line of wines. The details involving the production of the wine are hidden, to hide the original winery and to keep costs down.
But with the Technique Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon we know who made the wine, cellared and bottled by does not mean too much, but we don't know why it is $6.99. Is this a wine they made especially for Trader Joe's and just didn't bother to hide the origin? Is this a Cabernet Sauvignon leftover from their wine club offerings? Is this a wine produced to sell for seven bucks or is it a wine that fits into the Precision Wine Companies portfolio and should list for $20 plus?
Since Sonoma County Alexander Valley Sauvignon Cabernet doesn't sell for $6.99 in retail shops it probably does not fall into the first category, but what is what with this Cab Sauv remains a mystery. Maybe tasting will shed some light on just what is in the bottle. The alcohol content is 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a very nice shade of purple. The nose is subtle, the aromas are soft and integrated, there is ripe blackberry, black pepper, plum, oak spice, and a little vanilla. This is a balanced, dry Cabernet Sauvignon. It starts with blackberry, black licorice (Iknow licorice is supposed to be black, but I grew up on Twizzlers and they were red), black pepper, and soft, slightly sharp spice. The mid-palate brings raspberry, tart cranberry, none of these berries are super ripe and juicy, a little cream and a late slap of orange zest. The tannins are soft and sweet, you barely know they are there. The acidity is balanced and the finish is subtle and light but does linger. The Summary
- If this were a twenty-dollar Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, I wouldn't be too impressed. It was nice to try, I liked it, but I would probably never revisit this wine at a later date.
- But $6.99 makes all the difference. It has subtlety and balance that are rare in inexpensive Red wines.
- So this is a Cab Sauv that is too good for 7 bucks and not so good for 20 dollars. But then again nobody but me mentioned $20 when talking about this wine so that comparison isn't fair.
- But at $6.
The Story The Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a young Sauv Blanc sourced from mainly Estate vineyards (they own several in different sub-regions of Marlborough) and other carefully chosen contracted vineyards. Babich is a family-owned wine operation founded in 1916 and three generations of the Babich family currently oversee the operations. Marlborough is located on the northern tip of New Zealand's South Island and produces 2/3's of New Zealand's wine.
We have just entered 2020 and the Babich Sauvignon Blanc is a 2019 vintage which seems like this wine is released a bit too soon until you release that New Zealand has its summer when the US has its winter and vice versa. So, it is just a young wine, not meant for aging, which is fine for value-priced Sauvignon Blanc. Young Sauv Blanc smells and tastes like springtime in a bottle. There are some wine regions, such as Bordeaux, where Sauvignon Blanc is blended with Semillion and often oak barrel-aged, while I think Bordeaux Blanc wines are great, there is something about a well-made young Sauvignon Blanc.
This Sauv Blanc was fermented in stainless steel vats and uses both natural yeast and cultured yeast. The yeast used brings different flavors to the wine, so the use of both types of yeast indicates the winemaker was going for a particular outcome. This particular wine label was first introduced in 1991, so this wine has been a success for 30 years. This isn't a wine you want to lay-down for a year or two, it will be at its best on the day you buy it and pop the top or actually unscrew the top. The alcohol content is 13%. The Tasting Notes The color is very pale sunshine yellow, just the hint of color. The nose is not shy, you can nose this Sauvignon Blanc from 10 paces away, there is a citrus, tropical fruit, grassy notes, apple, peach, pear, and limes, the aromas are bold, but rounded. This is a clean, crisp, bright Sauv Blanc. Every time I see NZ Sauvignon Blanc tasting notes from the producer they will almost always mention gooseberry, I don't think I have ever seen as gooseberry much less tasted one so these tasting notes will be gooseberry free. It tastes of a mix of melon and lime, Anjou Pear, juicy apple, soft spice, and lightly grassy. The mid-palate has unsweetened pineapple, lemon creme, peach, and just a dash of tangerine. The acidity is solid, enough to allow the flavors room to unfold, but not enough to be sharp on the palate. The finish is soft, yet long. The Summary
- The Babich Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc is exactly what you want from NZ Sauv Blanc. Bold, but not too bold, loads of flavor and easy to drink.
- There is just a touch of cream on the mid-palate that puts this Sauvignon Blanc over the top. It is extremely enticing.
- I found the Babich on sale for $9.99, it is a bargain at that price and a good value at full price.
Check out the Companion Podcast Below !!!!!
The Story The Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio 2018 is 100% Pinot Grigio sourced from the Tiefenbrunner estate (founded 1848) vineyard in the Vigneti Delle Dolomiti IGT district of Trentino-Alto Adige region of far northern Italy. Vigneti Delle Dolomiti is located in the foothills of the Dolomite Mountains which are part of the Alps Mountain chain. This part of Italy is as much German as it is Italian, with most villages having both a German and an Italian name.
The IGT wine designation loosens the rules and regulations that winemakers in DOC and DOCG areas have to adhere to. Trentino and parts of Veneto are the leading growing regions for Italian Pinot Grigio with Alto-Adige being the elite area and wines from there commanding the highest prices. But the conditions in the district allow many locations to grow excellent Pinot Grigio grapes.
The Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio is sourced from a vineyard with mature grapevines (planted 1985 or older). This Pinot Grigio was fermented in stainless steel tanks and them aged in cement vats for 4 months. Cement vats are not yet common in US winemaking but are used often in Italian and French wines. The cement tanks are lined to keep out odd flavors and the sides are thick enough to provide the aging wines stable temperatures and humidity.
Caves are often used as wine cellars since the temperatures and humidity in a cave a constant and developing wine perform best with consistent climate conditions. Stainless steel tanks are fairly thin-walled and while they provide several advantages for the winemaking process are not as efficient with climate control as cement vats. The alcohol content is 12.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a very clean, clear pale wheat yellow. The nose is ripe citrus, along with Golden Delicious apple, peach and a bouquet of flowers. This is a rather tasty Pinot Grigio, light and delicate, but rich flavors and well-balanced acidity (some Pinot Grigio from this general region can overdo the acidity). It starts with a mix of grapefruit, lemon, and lime, and then pear, and a little gentle spice. The mid-palate adds guava, a salty sensation, a hint of minerality, and a late dash of juicy peach. One thing I always enjoyed about Pinot Grigio was the layers of distinct, but subtle flavors and the Tiefenbrunner does well in this regard. The acidity is in the pocket, the flavors unfold, but the acid does not bite. The finish is subtle but does not quit any time soon. The Summary
- I was talking to someone recently who has family in Rome and they made the comment that folks in Italy do not spend more than $10 for a bottle of wine unless it is a very special occasion. I found the Tiefenbrunner for $11.99 in Chicago, which would put it under ten bucks back in Italy.
- It is a delicious Pinot Grigio.
- Not only are the flavors pleasing it has enjoyable mouth-feel and texture, but it is also a well-made wine.
Check out the Companion Podcast Below !!!!
The Story The Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2018 Lot #23 is a $12.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Carneros AVA which is half inside the Sonoma AVA and half inside the Napa AVA. This is the 10th vintage of TJ's Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir, we last reviewed the 2017 version. Carneros is an interesting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape growing region.
The Carneros AVA is farther inland than most Pinot growing regions and is able to have the proper climate because its southern border is the San Pablo Bay (that is the bay just north of the San Fransico Bay). This brings cool breezes in from the Pacific Ocean which along with the poor soil (remember, quality wine grapes need to struggle to produce good wine, happy grapes make bad wine) create proper Pinot Noir conditions.
Carneros Pinot Noir tends to start in the $20 range and go up from there. So, $12.99 is a very good price if the Pinot Noir if this Pinot Noir is even close to those more high-end Pinots. There are not any "budget" wineries in Carneros, the grapes had to come from quality vineyards. Plus the 12.99 TJ's price seems to indicate a quality source for this wine. Trader Joe's does not give any information on the maker of this Pinot Noir or the source of the grapes, but this being the 10th vintage indicates a stable source.
At first, I thought a 2018 vintage may be a little young for a Carneros Pinot Noir, but I checked and there are plenty of 2018 Pinots on the market from big-name producers. The Grand Reserve Pinot Noir was aged in French oak barrels for 10 months, which is right on par with Carneros Pinot Noir selling in the $40 range. So, even though we do not know the who, what, and where of this wine this Trader Joe's Pinot Noir does have a track record and what little we do know about it matches up to some top-notch Pinots. The alcohol content is 13.9%. The Tasting Notes The color is a see-thru garnet red, with a clear halo. The nose is very promising, there is the aroma of herbs, mushroom, dried autumn leaves, spice, cherries, black pepper, all very delicate and enticing. This is a smooth fruit-driven Pinot with an exotic edge. It tastes of black cherry, licorice, sharp spice, and ripe plum. The mid-palate brings in black pepper, raspberry, a salty sensation, herbs, and bitter dark chocolate. The tannins do not bite and the acidity lets the flavors unfold but does not interfere with the flavor profile. The finish is persistent and while subtle does last. The Summary
- The Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2018 Lot #23 does a very solid impression of a more expensive Pinot Noir.
- So you know where I am coming from, I prefer the more classic Russian River, Sonoma Coast-style Pinot Noir to the modern Meiomi-style big and fruity Pinot Noir.
- The Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot tastes like old-school California Pinot Noir. It has the tasty ripe cherry that you would expect along with the crazy, funky flavors that only California Pinot seem to have (well, have in abundance, anyway)
- There was a time, not long ago, when value-priced Pinot Noir was simple, inoffensive cherry-flavored wine. Not exactly terrible, but nothing worth remembering.
- Today, there are many cheap Pinots that are extremely enjoyable, solid and worthy wines in their own right. Winemakers have adopted new (new to California Pinot Noir, not Beaujolais, France) that has brought improvements to the point that cheap Pinot Noir is my favorite cheap red wine. And the TJ's reserve is a great example of cheap Pinot ...
The Story The Louise d’ Estrée Brut is an $8.99 Trader Joe's exclusive Sparkling wine produced somewhere in France with undetermined grapes. The label has virtually no information except that this Bubbly is made with the Traditional Method (same technique as Champagne) and it is Brut or Dry (not sweet). In France where the grapes are grown and the wine is produced is more important than which grapes were used. For example, Red wine from Burgundy will display the village where the vineyards are located but have no mention of Pinot Noir.
The wine classification is also extremely important, AOC, IGP, or Vin de France are mentioned on every French wine label, but not here. Which is odd for a French wine, they all have some sort of classification. The producer named on the back label is Marcel Martin, which is a company and not a person, located in the Loire Valley and is part of a very large French wine company.
Marcel Martin does make a well regarded Cremant (the French term for Sparkling wine or Bubbly that is not produced in Champagne) from the Loire Valley using the Chenin Blanc grape. So, Marcel Martin does have a track record of producing excellent Sparkling wines. Still, I am puzzled by the lack of information on the label, maybe because this wine is made for the US market it is not subject to French labeling laws. But still where the grapes were grown and which grapes are included should be standard info for any wine. The alcohol content is 11%. The Tasting Notes The color is a pale golden yellow with a splash of tiny bubbles. The nose is crisp and clean, lemon, melon, citrus along with apple and pear, ripe peach and faint spring flowers. This is a balanced and tasty value-priced Bubbly, not complex by any means, but enjoyable. It starts with a mix of ripe peach, slightly tart lemon, and slap of minerality, pear, and grapefruit follow. The mid-palate adds that salty, cashew "on lees" thing, along with a juicy apple. The acidity is well focused, lets the flavors unfold, but does not bite. The finish is nicely full and long. The Summary
The Louise d’ Estrée Brut Trader Joe's is a first-class New Years' Eve 2020 party wine. It is relatively cheap ($8.99), tasty (cool mix of sweet and sour flavors along with some wine snobs attributes like minerality and "on lees"). Why drink a Bubbly toast only at midnight when you can have your Bubbles all night long. This Trader Joe's Bubbly is satisfying enough work for the midnight 2020 toast.
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The Story The Roederer Estate Brut is a non-vintage Sparkling wine with a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir. Roederer Estate (founded 1982) is the Mendocino County, Anderson Valley in particular, branch of the nearly 200-year-old (founded 1833) Louis Roederer Champagne House in France. Roederer Estate has 600 acres of vineyards and grows only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Anderson Valley is a coastal valley about 100 miles north of San Fransico.
Roederer Estate produces Champagne-style Traditional Method Bubbly with the same esthetics as its Champagne counterpart. The first fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks, then portions of these wines are then aged in French oak barrels. As a non-vintage Sparkling wine different vintages of these barrels aged wines are added to the mix.
Roederer Estate goes into detail about the production techniques used. When the freshly picked grapes a crushed to extract the juice, they often crush the grapes 2 or 3 times, it is thought that the quality of the juice declines with each pressing. The Roederer Estate Brut only makes use of the first pressing, the 2nd or 3rd pressing juice is sold off.
In Champagne, the rules dictate that the second fermentation (this is where the bubbles are formed) must last a minimum of 18 months, this Roederer estate Brut was aged "on lees" in the bottle for at least 2 years. This Bubbly was named the #27 wine in Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of 2018 (it is a non-vintage wine so the 2019 release should be exactly the same) and every wine publication of noted has issued it 92 points or more.
So, what we have here is a Sparkling wine founded by an Iconic French Champagne House, produced very much in the style of the French Bubbly. With Estate farmed grapes from an excellent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir growing area and produced to specifications above the rules and regulations of Champagne, France. So what exactly is the difference between Champagne and comparable Traditional Method Sparkling wines produced elsewhere? Is the difference only price or is there more? Let's find out. The alcohol content is 12.4%. The Tasting Notes The color is pale gold with persistent bubbles. The nose is detailed and slightly yeasty, there is lemon, green apple, pear, crusty bread, grapefruit, soft black cherry, and lime. This is a Bubbly that expands as it engages your palate, crisp, clean with excellent acidity. It starts with lemon cream, tart grapefruit, slightly sour apple, and Anjou pear. The mid-palate offers cherry, a little brioche, that salty, cashew "on lees" thing, a touch of melon, and guava. The acidity is well-balanced, this Bubbly has terrific length, the flavors keep rolling on. The finish is strong and long. The Summary
Do you really need to spring for real-deal Champagne for New Years' Eve 2020 or can you save a few bucks and get what is essentially the same thing only from Anderson Valley, not Champagne? In a blind tasting, I doubt if too many people can pick which Bubbly was French and which is California. Louis Roeder Champagne produces Cristal and some truly excellent high-end Bubbly and there are not many other wine regions that can go one-on-one with high-end Champagne. But when it comes to more "entry-level" Champagne there are Sparkling wines that can compete and come in several dollars cheaper than the French stuff. The Roederer Estate Brut is a Bubbly worthy of special occasions, weddings, anniversaries, and New Years' Eve 2020. It is not Champagne, but it is real-deal, great-tasting, luxurious Sparkling wine that does not have to take a backseat to any entry-level Champagne.
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The Story The ALDI Monsigny Brut Champagne #3 is a non-vintage $19.99 ALDI exclusive, a blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, and 10% Chardonnay sourced from multiple vineyards in Champagne, France. It seems this is a brand name that ALDI owns and in the past several different Champagne Houses supply the Bubbly for ALDI. But it seems, and it isn't easy to be sure, that Philizot et fils has been making these Bubbles since 2012.
Philizot et fils are negociants, which means they do not grow the grapes and possibly do not perform the first fermentation on the grapes. That isn't unusual in Champagne, most of the big, famous Champagne Houses do not own their vineyards or if they do have some fields only use those grapes on the most exclusive Bubbly.
ALDI in Europe and Australia are far more famous for their value wines than in the US. Their wines often win prestigious awards and Monsigny Brut #3 won the best Champagne award in an international wine festival. In Europe, the Monsigny Brut is known for its low price and for being one of the best Sparkling wines under $50.
Is this the same Champagne that won the award? It does not seem to be, the award-winning Bubbly was 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Pinot Meunier, and 20% Chardonnay and while that is only a 10% difference with the Chardonnay and the Pinot Meunier, that does make this a different Bubbly. I asked a winemaker once on why they would add 1% of a grape to a blend and they said everything you do to wine makes a difference. Ten percent of something makes a big difference.
Is this a Champagne made for ALDI America and not the same as the European effort? I don't know, but the $20 selling price is attractive and ALDI has an excellent track record with this Bubbly. There are some great reviews online and who knows, maybe the change in the blend (I am not positive these Bubbles are from the same producer) made this Champagne even better than advertised. The alcohol content is 12%. The Tasting Notes The color is a mix of platinum and silver and the bubbles are plentiful. The nose is crisp and clean, there are scents of cherry, lemon, a nice hint of minerality, a little melon, and lightly floral. This is a well-balanced Champagne, nice and dry, it almost evaporates on your palate. It tastes of tart, sour cherry (not sweet and ripe), lemon cream, a slap of minerality, a touch of crusty bread. The mid-palate adds that salty, nutty "on lees" thing, lime, and soft black cherry (again not juicy and ripe). The acidity is spot-on, enough to let the flavors unfold and enough to get you reaching for the next sip. The finish is full and does not stop. The Summary
- I came into this post thinking this, at $19.99, would be ok for a party Champagne, but not for the New Year's Eve toast or any other very special occasion, but I was wrong.
- That this version of the Monsigny Brut # 3 wasn't the same Champagne as the Sparkling wine that received all the acclaim in Europe was a red flag, after all, it is 20 buck Champagne.
- Now, I do prefer Pinot Noir based Bubbly to Chardonnay-based Bubbles, so I am predispositioned to enjoy this 60% Pinoir Noir Bubbly. But this Champagne is delicious
- This is the best entry-level Champagne I have tasted in some time, period.
- That you can buy 2 bottles of the Monsigny Brut #3 for the price of a typical entry-level French Champagne is crazy.
The Story The Trader Joe's RSVP Brut is a $6.99 TJ's non-vintage exclusive, sourced from grapes grown in California and produced with the Traditional Method, the same techniques used to make Champagne. CWF reviewed this wine way back in 2010 and then it was a blend of "92% Chardonnay and 8% shhh...it's a secret". Why they felt the need to "shhh" us, I don't know, what could the mystery possibly be? This may or may not be the same blend. The label says this Bubbly was produced by RSVP Vineyards out of Ceres, California. Ceres, Ca. happens to be the headquarters of Bronco Wines, the makers of "2 Buck Chuck" a Trader Joe's staple, so there may be a connection.
I went to Trader Joe's looking for an inexpensive Holiday party wine, I recalled them having some decent Cremant Bubbly from Burgundy in past years. Cremant is the French term for a Sparkling wine or Bubbly made in France, but not in Champagne. I checked the Bubbly section and they had a few to choose from, but none of the bottles said Traditional Method on the label. Now, this isn't by law or is scientific, but I have found that when a Sparkling winemaker produced the Bubbly with the Traditional or Champagne Method that put the information on the label front and center. If the Bubbly was made in the Charmat Method or the Prosecco Method they don't mention it.
It's just me, but I want my value-priced (cheap) French Bubbly made in the Champagne style and my inexpensive (cheap) Italian Bubbles made in the Prosecco style. So, anyway, this isn't a value-priced French Burgundian Cremant write-up, It is a super cheap California Traditional Method Sparkling wine. Judging from my review from Christmas 2010, I thought it was a very tasty bang-for-the buck Bubbly. The alcohol content is 12%.
PS: If you want to know what RSVP stands for check out the upper left corner of the front label, turns out RSVP is French, who knew? Tasting Notes The color is a pale golden yellow with a flurry of bubbles. The nose is a crisp green apple, lemon, a little brioche, Anjou pear, peach, and lime. This a well-balanced Sparkling wine, the acidity stays in control (often very inexpensive Traditional Method Bubbles can be acid bombs) along with some flavors that caused me to pause to figure out what was happening in my glass. It tastes of slightly sour lemon, a drop or two of lime, crisp apple and melon. The mid-palate adds some Ricola cough drops (mix of herbs and lemon), apple core (seeds and all), stone fruit, and pear. The acidity does not bite and the herbal, apple core flavors take a moment to get used to, but once you adjust it becomes a pleasant surprise for a $6.99 Sparkling wine. The finish is full and long. The Summary
- I seemed to have enjoyed the 2010 version of the RSVP Brut more than the 2019 version. The 2010 RSVP seemed to be a typical Chardonnay-based Sparkling wine, just very inexpensive. The 2019 edition has some challenging flavors, not bad flavors, it is just that herbs, minerals, and apple core are not often seen in cheap Bubbles.
- This is a very drinkable Bubbly, but may not be the first choice to pour for non-wine people at a Holiday party. Something light and breezy may be a better choice.
- It is not a bad Bubbly by any means and is actually quite interesting, it is just that I am not so sure interesting is the best choice for a Holiday party.
The Story The Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2015 is a 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30%Merlot blend sourced from Domaines Barons de Rothschild estate Lafite vineyards near the village Pauillac in the Medoc region of Bordeaux. That is about the fanciest sentence CheapWineFinder ever had to write. While these vineyards are very, very upscale vineyards, the grapes were taken from some of the younger vines, which keeps the cost down. This is a Bordeaux selling in the $45 to $50 range rather than 100sof dollars per bottle.
The Légende is Rothschilds' brand wine, they have a line of White and Red Bordeaux wines that are reasonably priced (50 bucks for a Bordeaux from Lafite vineyards IS reasonably priced, the others are mostly well under $20)) and solid representations of Bordeaux wines. You don't need to know Domaine This or Chateau That to choose an excellent, affordable Bordeaux wine, You just need to know Legende.
With the younger vines and the various lots of wine being aged 3 to 9 months, 40% in French oak barrels, the didn't specify but I would imagine the other 60% was aged in stainless steel tanks. This is a drink-it-now wine, not meant for cellaring, you may be able to put it down for a couple of years, but there isn't any need for further aging.
Check out the Podcast where Quake and Dave put the Légende Pauillac Bordeaux 2015 through its paces. While we make no claims to being Bordeaux experts, we do know good wine and more importantly, we know what we like. So listen up as CheapWineFinder goes upscale for the Holidays.
The Story The Beringer Founders Estate Pinot Noir 2017 is the #1 wine on Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Best Buy Wines of 2019. And that is somewhat remarkable. Beringer is the oldest (since 1876) continuously operating winery in the US and they produce a lot of wine, from $400 bottles to $4 bottles, they run the gamut. The Founders Estate Pinot Noir is not the typical wine that leads best-of lists (I have not tasted it yet, I do the tasting notes in real-time).
First, it is a Pinot Noir that I found on sale for $7.99, second, most of the grapes (along with a smaller portion of grapes from coastal Central Coast AVA) are sourced from multiple vineyards in the California Delta region. The California Delta region is basically the Clarksburg AVA and the Lodi AVA, they are about 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean. They are wine grape growing regions because of the San Pablo Bay, which is the bay north of the San Fransico Bay and is far enough inland that its influence can reach those areas through rivers and valleys. Neither AVA is known for Pinot Noir.
Value-priced (cheap) labels from giant wineries, featuring grapes from non-buzz-worthy Pinot Noir growing regions and nothing out of the ordinary production techniques. It is aged for 5 months "on" French oak, what does "on" mean in this setting? I thought you aged wine "in" barrels, is "on" some winemakers term or does it mean something else. Actually, I don't expect a sub-10 buck wine to see oak barrels, it does happen from time to time, but the oak influence can come from oak staves or chips with inexpensive wine.
I am not trying to be negative, because I am intrigued. #1 wines on Top 100 lists tend to be some wine from France or Italy that you can't find in any wine shop. Not that the Beringer was easy to find, I figured since it hit the top of the Best Buy 2019 list every store would feature it with a sign saying #1, but I had to visit 5 shops to find it and it was on the bottom shelf behind a kiosk of some other wine. I guess accolades don't count for much anymore, but when I read it took the first spot, I knew I had to see what was what. The alcohol content is 13.9%. The Tasting Notes The color is crystal clear, see-thru garnet red. The nose is ripe fruit and funky herbs, there is ripe cherry, mushroom and a distinct herbal scent, oak spice, vanilla, slightly sour cranberry, and a faint hint of smoke. Ok, I kind of get it, it has a distinct mouthfeel, smooth, but with an edge and interesting flavor. It tastes of black cherry, spice, a little black pepper, chocolate powder, and ripe plum. The mid-palate shows tart cranberry and vanilla cream, along with soft herbs and orange zest. The tannins stay out of the way and the acidity does a good job of allowing the ample flavors to unfold. The finish is soft and does linger for a while. The Summary
First of all, we at Cheap Wine Finder have known for some time that on the best, if not the best, inexpensive red wine was California Pinot Noir. In the last few years, cheap Pinot Noir has blossomed. Is the Beringer Founders Estate Pinot Noir 2017 my personnel #1 wine of 2019? No, but I am glad I gave it a try. It is more on the Meiomi side of Pinot Noir, which I like, but it isn't my favorite style of Pinot Noir. If you like your Pinot Noir full of ripe and juicy cherries, herbs, and spice, yet nicely focused, then the Founders Estate might be your #1 wine.
Check out the companion podcast below
The Story Quake and Dave sample a bottle of Mionetto Brut Prosecco from their Prestige Collection. It is a light, crisp and delicious DOC Prosecco from the Treviso region in northern Veneto section of Italy. It may be crisp, light, and refreshing Bubbly, but it has loads of flavor: apple, lemon, pear, honey, and grapefruit, with light acidity. It is one of those wines where the bottle is empty before you know it - it is just so easy and enjoyable to take another sip.
Mionetto has a whole line of tasty sparkling wines. The IL Collection, a light, and breezy bubbly that goes well with pizza. The Prestige Collection, which is this bubbly with the orange label. The Avantgarde Collection, the black label which we have not tried but it looks interesting. Then there is the Luxury Collection, with the Cartizze DOCG, the flagship wine. Mionetto is one of those "can't miss" bubbly wines. If you don't know which Prosecco to pick, grab the Mionetto.
Quake and Dave also reminisce about a few terrific wine events we've attended, the Spring and Fall Galas at Mainstreet Wine and Liquors in La Grange, Illinois. Nancy and friends really know how to throw a party - these are great events!
Also one of our favorite events, the LuxeHome Chill @ the Mart, is a truly unique wine and food event inside the showrooms at the Merchandise Mart on the Chicago River in Chicago's River North neighborhood. Each amazing high-end kitchen and bath showroom features food from a noted Chicago restaurant and several excellent wines. The Mart is huge and there are many showrooms along the block-long first floor and every showroom has something interesting to eat and drink.
And last but not least we talk about Wine Condoms, an idea that at first, I thought was silly and then when I used them made perfect sense and they certainly are a conversation starter at a party. So listen up and enjoy!
The Story The Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from several carefully selected vineyards located in various AVAs inside the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington. Check out the Wines of Substance website for vineyard details. This is the base Cabernet for the Substance line, the others are single-vineyard wines selling at several times the price. But being the value offering does not hold this Cabernet Sauvignon down, Wine Spectator (also gave it 91 points) named it #49 in the Top Wines of the Year, not Top Value wines, #49 out of all the wines they reviewed. Jeff Dunnuck (also gave it 93 points) said this Cab would sell for 3 or 4 times the price if it said Napa on the label.
Substance wines are one of Charles Smiths' wine labels, he was behind House Wines, Kung Fu Girl Riesling, Boom Boom Syrah, and Velvet Devil Merlot among others. He produces wines that receive 100 points and can get quite expensive and is also one of the most reliable value winemakers. This wine was fermented with natural yeast, which is the yeast that naturally floats on the air and sticks to the grape skins. This Cab was aged for 12 months ("on lees") in 50% new and 50% reused French oak Bordeaux sized barrels. The alcohol content is 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is deep, dark, opaque purple. The nose is rich, ripe fruit with a touch of spice, there is blackberry, molasses, plum, a hint of smoke, baking spice, licorice, and pepper. This is a balanced wine, nothing is over-the-top, it is sleek and focused. It tastes of blackberry, licorice, chocolate, soft spice, and juicy plum. The mid-palate adds extracted blueberry, a nice rough edge from herbs, the salty, nutty "on lees" thing and a late hit of tart cranberry. The tannins are smooth and the acidity does its job and gives the flavors plenty of time to unfold. The finish is as full as the body of the wine and stays with you. The Summary
The Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is an extremely tasty wine. Often value-priced Red wines get things done with a bit of bombast, in-your-face flavors, but the Substance Cs use the restraint and elegance approach. The more sips I take, the better I like it, which tells me to be sure you let the wine "open up". Pop the top and pour will do this cab a disservice. Is this Cab the equal to Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 3 or 4 times the price? (Costco has it for $12 or $13, it lists for $17 and every store sells it for somewhere in between). I don't know, I do not have that much experience with pricey Napa Cabs, I am the Cheap Wine Finder, not the Napa Cab Finder. But I can say that the Substance Cs Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is my current favorite Cab.
Check Out The Companion Podcast Below!!!!!
The Story The Trader Joe's Reserve North Coast Brut is a Trader Joe's $9.99 non-vintage exclusive and is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. The North Coast AVA consists of Sonoma, Napa, Lake, Mendocino, along with the lesser-known Marin and Solano AVAs. This Bubbly is made for Trader Joe's by Rack and Riddle, a company that specializes in producing Sparkling wine and many of the California Bubbly made under varying Brand names are produced by Rack and Riddle. They also have Sparkling wine sold under their name.
The term Reserve doesn't have a legal meaning, Trader Joe's may have a less expensive Califonia Sparkling wine and Reserve means this one is positioned a step up. The TJ's Reserve is made in the Traditional Method, the same production technique as Champagne, meaning the 2nd fermentation (this is where the bubbles are created) occurs in every bottle. A major difference with the Trader Joe's Reserve and Champagne is the 2nd fermentation in France must last a minimum of 18 months and here the 2nd fermentation is 12 months. That is more in line with Cava than Champagne.
Brut indicates that this is a dry wine or not sweet. The North Coast AVA is an excellent place to grow these grapes, Rack and Riddle have years of experience making Sparkling wines and Trader Joe's has a history of bang for the buck Bubbly. So why not take a chance. The alcohol content is 12.7%. The Tasting Notes The color is a pale, clean, clear gold with plenty of bubbles. The nose is crisp and slightly nectar sweet, lemon, green apple, juicy peach, lime, a little brioche, cherry, and pear. This is dry Bubbly with crisp flavors and a bit of an edge. It starts with a mix of green apple and unsweetened lemonade, a salty sensation, a bit of yeasty bread (not too much), and ripe pear. The mid-palate adds ripe peach (again not too sweet), lemon cough drops, and spice. The acidity is well managed, sometimes under ten dollars, Bubbly has the acidity that can bite. The finish is full and does not quit. The Summary
The Trader Joe's Reserve North Coast Brut does not have the depth of Champagne, but it is plenty tasty. At $9.99, getting the flavor, but not the depth ain't a bad thing. I am getting jaded enough with Sparkling wine (Champagne and Prosecco are both Sparkling wine) that I am really into Bubbly that has extended 2nd fermentation times (often several extra years), there is something about that extra time that brings out sensational characteristics in the wine. The Bubbly with extended 2nd fermentation tends to get a little pricey, so this solid. but standard Bubbly is really nicely priced. I am of the position that with Bubbles if you are looking for a special bottle for a special occasion find one of those extended fermentation Champagnes, they can be remarkably special wines. If you just want a nice glass of Bubbly/Sparkling wines like TJ's Reserve hit the spot at a great price.
The Story The Tempest Bay Carneros Chardonnay 2018 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from grapes grown on the Napa side of Carneros, the Carneros AVA is half in Sonoma and half in Napa. The Carneros AVA is located a good distance from the Pacific Ocean, but its southern border is the San Pablo Bay (the bay just north of the San Fransico Bay) which brings cool Ocean breezes and morning fog. Carneros is one of the premier Chardonnay regions in the US (they are known for Pinot Noir, too) and many of the wineries located here are the Whos Who of California wine. So, a $7.99 Carneros Chardonnay is a welcome find.
Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer states that "you normally wouldn’t find a Carneros Chardonnay of this quality for under $20" and that is not an exaggeration. You may find a brand (a wine not tied to a specific Winery) Chardonnay for around $20, but Carneros Chardonnay gets expensive in a hurry. I checked the COLA website (the government website that keeps alcohol records) and found that the Tempest Bay label name is owned by a very highly respected Sonoma winery. I won't name them since how they fit into this can vary. Since this seems to be a wine that Trader Joe's contracted with them to produce and this isn't one of their own wines, you can't infer too much other than they do know how to make high-quality wine.
The Tempest Bay Chardonnay does have a write-up in Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer, which gives a few clues on how this Chardonnay is produced. They mention vanilla, baking spices, and toasted oak which would indicate a fairly serious oak seasoning program. There is no mention of oak barrels, so how those flavors were imparted into the wine isn't specified, but you wouldn't figure that new French oak barrels are used on a $7.99 wine. Then again, it does not make much sense to be too critical or demanding of an 8 buck Carneros Chardonnay. The alcohol content is 13.4%. The Tasting Notes The color is a wheat beer yellow with a touch of gold. The nose is full of ripe fruit and citrus, there is an apple, lime, orange blossom honey, lemon, vanilla, candy spice, pear, peach, and melon. This is a Chardonnay with balanced acidity and subtle flavors. It tastes of lemon curd, tart green apple, melon, vanilla, ripe peach, and Anjou pear. The mid-palate is slightly spicey, with that nutty, salty sensation from "on lees", and banana cream (faint). The acidity is very well balanced, the flavors have plenty of time to unfold. The finish starts strong and slowly, very slowly fades away. The Summary
With writing for Cheapwinefinder.com, I do not have a great deal of experience with Carneros Chardonnay. Its almost always out of the price range for the website and while I do get to sample it now and again at tastings, I really didn't have a good fix on what to expect with the Tempest Bay. The Tempest Bay is not as fruit-forward as the typical $10 California Chardonnay, there is a subtlety there, it builds slowly in flavor. I actually really enjoy several Chardonnay wines in the ten buck price range, they are bright and fruit-forward and often delicious. But this Carneros Chardonnay is not exactly the same, it hits your palate in a slightly different way, the acidity seems more integrated. My favorite value-priced Chardonnay are still my favorites, but I am glad I bought this wine. It brings elegance to $7.99 California Chardonnay.
CHECK OUT THE COMPANION PODCAST BELOW !!!!
The Story The Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2016 is sourced from 16 "old vine" vineyards in the Mokelumne delta region of Lodi, California. Klinker Brick is family-owned and they are 5th generation fruit growers and have produced Klinker Brick wines since 2000. You hear about old vines when talking about Zinfandel on a regular basis, but there are no legal standards for what age an old vine vineyard has to be. Klinker Brick Old Vine Zin is taken from vineyards aged from 55 years to 120 years. That seems legit to me.
This is Klinker Brick's second line Zinfandel label. They have the Old Ghost Zinfandel which is sourced from a single 90-year-old vineyard and is priced about 3 times higher. Older vineyards naturally have smaller yields than vineyards in their prime years, the smaller the yield the fewer grapes to go around and the higher the price. The way to get all the good qualities the old vine vineyards provide at a lower cost is to use smaller portions of grapes from multiple vineyards. By the way, grapes from the same vineyard as the Old Ghost Zinfandel are also included in this bottling.
This Zinfandel is produced the traditional way, oak barrel fermentation, then the grape juice and skins are cold-soaked for 24 hours and then undergo maceration for 7 days. Maceration extracts color, tannins, and aroma from the grapes and allows the structure of the wine to develop and enriches the body of the wine. This Zinfandel is aged for 15 months in American oak barrels and then the various vineyard lots are blended to achieve the final product. The alcohol content is a sturdy 15.4%. The Tasting Notes The color is a barely see-thru, concentrated black cherry red. The nose is extracted red berries, toasted vanilla, baking spice, chocolate milk, orange zest, raspberry, and pomegranate. This is a Zinfandel with a soft mouthfeel and a mix of rounded and edgy flavors. It starts with rounded black cherry, black pepper, dark chocolate, slightly sharp spice, and plum. The mid-palate adds licorice, cold coffee, and cherry. The tannins are soft and sweet and the acidity allows the flavors to unfold. The finish is large and long. The Summary
The Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel 2016 is an excellent, classy Zinfandel. In this price range, there are many "brand" wines, and that isn't a bad thing. The rise of brand wines (meaning the label is part of a large wine conglomerate and not associated with a particular winery) has improved the overall quality of "cheap wine" while keeping prices down. But the Klinker Brick is a genuine Winery offering and typically the 2nd tier wine has many of the characteristics of the top-line wine but at great savings. This is a delicious Zinfandel that was produced with all the production techniques the winemaker deemed necessary, no shortcuts, nothing to speed up the process. Just old-school Lodi Zinfandel.
The Story of New Mexico Bubbly The Gruet Blanc de Noirs is a non-vintage blend of 75% Pinot Noir and 25% Chardonnay sourced from vineyards in New Mexico along with grapes from, I believe, California and Washington. The term "Blanc de Noirs" translates to White from Black, yes, I know, White wine grapes are usually green and Red wine grapes are purple or red in most cases, but for some reason the French use terms that are color blind.
Gilbert Gruet started farming a vineyard in Champagne in the 1950s and the 1960s founded his Champagne winery near the village of Bethon in Champagne, France. He heard from other French winemakers about a promising, off the beaten path grape growing region in New Mexico. He decided to check it out and in the 1980s started a vineyard and by 1989 was selling New Mexico Bubbly based on the Sparkling wines from Champagne. In 2010, the Gruet Blanc de Noirs was named to Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines list, not bad for a Bubbly selling for less than $15.
The Gruet Blanc de Noirs is produced with the Traditional or Champagne Method of production. Here the grapes are fermented the first time, the 1st fermentation is where all the secret House Style techniques take place. After fermentation, the wine is bottled, but before a temporary top is attached a measured amount of yeast and sugar is added to every bottle. The 2nd fermentation then takes place inside the bottle, the yeast and sugar do their job in about 30 days, but the dead yeast and residue stay in the bottle for a minimum of 18 months. During that time the CO2 that was released as a result of the 2nd fermentation incorporates into the body of the wine. After 18 months or so, the dead yeast and gunk are removed from each bottle and the bottle is topped off with a little bit of wine and maybe some sugar to reach the intended sweetness level, such as Brut or Extra Dry. Just like they do it in Champagne only this time it's occurring in New Mexico. The alcohol content is 12%. The Tasting Notes The color is pale gold with a hint of pink, along with a flurry of pretty little bubbles. The nose is crisp and clean, toasty vanilla, pear, grapefruit, green apple, and black cherry. This is an elegant Bubbly, well-balanced with tantalizing hints of flavor. It tastes of cherry and vanilla, peach and pear, tart grapefruit, and raspberry. The mid-palate shows that salty, nutty thing that 18 months of "on lees" provides, ripe McIntosh apple, and a flash of tangerine. The flavors are all subtle, they float in and out. The acidity is sneaky, it will get you reaching for another sip. The finish is soft and long. The Summary
- I have to admit my favorite Bubbly is the Pinot Noir based stuff, Blanc de Noirs, of course, I'm perfectly happy sipping the Chardonnay-based stuff as well. So, I am predispositioned to dig the Gruet Blanc de Noirs.
- We last reviewed this Bubbly in 2010 and while the price has risen in the last 9 years my enthusiasm seems to have remained.
- This is an excellent Sparkling wine/Bubbly. It is not merely good for the price.
- I have sampled the next level up Gruet Bubbly (around $25 to $30) when compared directly with Champagne Bubbly 2 or 3 times the price and in my mind, the Gruet won.
- When making your Bubbly purchase for the upcoming holidays let flavor and texture be your guide, not just price tag. Inexpensive Bubbly can give the entry-level Champagne Bubbles a run for their money.
For additional information check out the companion podcast below
In this podcast episode, Quake talks about: Repeal Day International Cabernet Franc Day
and sips the Field Recordings FRANC 2017 Cabernet Franc from Paso Robles.
Want to know more about these important booze holidays? How about cabernet franc? Listen in now (podcast episode below) ...
The Story The Sienna Glen Chardonnay 2018 is a $6.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from grapes from more than one California grape growing AVA. This is one of those wines where there isn't much to say. It is a contracted store brand, they rarely give technical details on their wines. The winery that produced the wine, they are located in Mendocino, is an excellent winery, but they made the wine for another company (ALDI's) specifications, it does not really tell us much except a winery that knows what they are doing made the Chardonnay. The back label mentions vanilla as one of the flavors and that would indicate some sort of oak aging, but what? Oak barrel, oak staves or oak chips added to the stainless steel tanks or some other method, we don't know. Every winery and winemaker has their own way of making Chardonnay, it seems no 2 companies make it exactly the same.
One thing that is different about the 2018 vintage of the Sienna Glen Chardonnay is they have upgraded the label. In the past they had a pretty basic front label, it basically shouted "inexpensive Chardonnay". The 2018 label has been improved, while it isn't fancy it would blend right in with retail Chardonnay selling for under $15. That is a trend I have noticed recently, the quality of inexpensive value-priced wines have improved to the point that they need a flashy label to catch your eye, a cheap price alone isn't good enough anymore. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a pale butter yellow. The nose is not shy, lemon, apple, pear, melon, lightly floral, a touch of honey, and a little butterscotch. This is a very fruity Chardonnay, not sweet, just fruit-forward. It starts with ripe apple, lemon, grapefruit, peach, vanilla, and melon. The mid-palate brings dried banana chips, a little spice, and a salty, nutty sensation. The acidity is fine, it does not bite and allows the flavors to unfold. The bold flavors in the body of the Chardonnay run right into the finish, which is full and lengthy. The Summary
The Sienna Glen is a solid, fruit-forward Chardonnay. Remember, store contract brands have a significant price advantage when compared to retail brands. You never know how much of the saving the store (in this case ALDI) passes on to the consumer. It is probably at least a couple of bucks, so we should compare this to a Chardonnay closer to ten bucks. If you like your Chardonnay bold, but balanced, without too much oak influence, give the Sienna Gen Chardonnay 2018 a try.
The Story The Pure Bred Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's (maybe exclusive). The reason I say maybe is this wine seems to be a close-out wine of some sort. The listed winery on the back of the label, West Coast Wine Group, Lodi, California, no longer has a website. Their URL, which is under their name, now sells online generic drugs. Maybe they forgot to re-up their domain name or maybe they changed their name or are no longer in business. But the 2016 Pure Bred Lodi Zinfandel sold online for $16.99 and another site had this 2017 vintage for $11.99. At some point, the Pure Bred Zin was a 17 dollar wine, since their website is down it would seem that this is some sort of distress sale, closing out of inventory. With store brands, contract brands you know you are getting wine at a discounted price, but it isn't easy to figure out the size of the discount. Here we know, the old price, $16.99, the new price, $6.99. In the accompanying podcast, we will go into detail on why old vines are a good thing and why they seem to be so abundant in Lodi. For now, we are happy to be drinking a Zinfandel selling for roughly 60% off. The alcohol content is 14.8%. The Tasting Notes The color is a still see-thru, black cherry red, with a clear halo. The nose is ripe and meaty, there is blackberry, mushroom, herbs, cherry, black pepper, baking spices, and dark chocolate. This is a medium-plus bodied ZIN, smooth with a nice sharp slap of spice. It starts with a mix of milk chocolate, black cherry, and black pepper (sounds awful, but actually tastes good.), raspberry, and spice. The mid-palate shows creamy vanilla, herbs, blueberry, and orange peel. The tannins are smooth and the acidity does its job. The finish is full and sticks around. The Summary
This wine is easy, it is a Lodi Old Vine Zinfandel, you basically know what to expect, and it sells for 60% off the list price. If you enjoy Zinfandel there is no reason not to give the Pure Bred Old Vine Zinfandel a try. It isn't my favorite Lodi ZIn, but it is a very respectable effort, it is enjoyable to drink and $6.99 is a ridiculous price.
The Story The Flora and Stone Gewürztraminer is a non-vintage dated $4.99 ALDI exclusive wine sourced from vineyards in Monterey County AVA in the Central Coast AVA of California. Normally, $4.99, non-vintage, and a store brand would be a cause for concern, but I did a little digging and there is more to this wine than that. The company listed as the producing winery, Pacific Bay Vineyards, seems to be a Trademark owned by a large, well-respected Winery headquartered in Mendocino. That Winery just happens to make a well-received Gewürztraminer that sells retail for just a few dollars more than the Flora and Stone. The Gewürztraminer grape is not widely planted in the US, a couple of AVAs in California and some cool weather grape growing regions sprinkled throughout the United States.
Gewürztraminer is a grape that is reminiscent of Moscato but isn't necessarily sweet. ALDI's description of the wine says it will pair well with grilled meats with fruit sauces and will also do double duty with dessert. So, this looks like a White wine that will do well accompanying the Thanksgiving feast. The alcohol content is 12%. The Tasting Notes The color is a pale butter yellow and it is slightly effervescent. The nose is ripe and almost sugary, there is orange slice candy, grapefruit, lemon cough drops, pear, peach, orange blossom honey, and melon. The nose suggests a sweet wine, so on to step 3. This is a wine that seems like it will be a sweet wine, but never quite gets there. It is probably classified as an off-dry wine, but there is a balanced unexpected in a $4.99 wine. It tastes of lemon/lime soft drink (not sweet), tangerine, honey, peach, apricot, soft candy spice, and dried pineapple chunks. There isn't much of a mid-palate, but with all the flavor upfront it isn't missed. The finish is full and does not let go. The Summary
The Flora and Stone Gewürztraminer is a very tasty White wine. It isn't a full-blown sweet wine and I am not typically a fan of sweet wines, but I think this wine is a crowd-pleaser. Normally it is the acidity in White wine that keeps me reaching for another sip, but the acidity here is not that pronounced. I guess I'm reaching for more because it tastes good. Yes, this will pair well with white meat turkey and cranberry sauce and it will do well with a slice of pumpkin pie.
The Story The Raisins Gaulois Beaujolais 2018 is a Gamay wine from Marcel Lapierre sourced from vineyards in the Morgon area of Beaujolais in France. The name "Raisins Gaulois" simply translates to French Grapes and from there we will begin our story. Marcel Lapierre is one of the icons of Beaujolais, pioneered a return to the old ways of producing wine, organic farming in the vineyards, native, natural yeasts for fermentation, no added sulfur dioxide, and not filtering the wine at bottling. Marcel has passed on and his son Mathieu is continuing his father's legacy (they are adding biodynamic farming techniques). If you notice the label, and the label is something that does get your attention, the wine is designated as Vin de France or Table Wine, which is the lowest French wine classification. It is Table Wine, not because of quality issues, but this is a Beaujolais that does not conform to Cru or AOC rules and regulations.
The Gamay grapes are sourced from organic Cru vineyards near the town of Morgon, along with a small number of grapes from AOC vineyards. The vines average about 15 years old, which is young for Marcel Lapierre, their top Beaujolais wines feature vines 60 years old and up. The Raisins Gaulois is a young, affordable wine, but has impeccable sourcing of grapes. The front label features a cartoon of a man squeezing a bunch of red grapes and wine pours from the grapes to his open mouth. The winemaking is not quite that simple, but the winemaking process is intended not to get in the way of the quality grapes. This is a wine that is not exactly Beaujolais Nouveau and isn't AOC Beaujolais either, hence the Vin De France designation. It was aged for 4 months and is intended to be as drinkable as Nouveau, but with the quality of grapes of Cru Beaujolais. The alcohol content is 12.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a see-thru black cherry red. The nose is subtle, a little cherry, herbs, some minerality, soft spice, a hint of jammy strawberry, and black pepper. This is a Gamay with an engaging mouth-feel, solid balanced acidity, and rich fruit flavors. It tastes of blackberry with a herbal edge, spice, black cherry, pepper. The mid-palate offers a salty sensation, minerality, a hint of tart cranberry, and a late blast of sweet raspberry. This is a very French wine, every component is of equal value and importance. The finish is soft and very long. The Summary
The Raisins Gaulois is a wine made with the old techniques, but with modern equipment and ideas. A very tasty and affordable wine featuring some of the best quality grapes Beaujolais has to offer. This is a wine that grows on you, at first sip you are thinking, "I don't know about this". By The 3rd sip, you can't get enough.
The Story The Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2017 is 98% Chardonnay and 2% Gewürztraminer sourced from Wente estate vineyards in the Livermore Valley AVA located across the Bay from San Fransico in the northern section of the Central Coast AVA. Wente Vineyards started in the 1880s and has been in continuous operation since then (they didn't close during Prohibition). Wente is one of the cornerstones of American winemaking, their work in the vineyards developing hardy disease-resistant grape clones is still the basis for most vineyards. The Wente Chardonnay clones (there are more than one) comprises 80% of all Chardonnay grown in California. I have had a Bordeaux winemaker tell me that they use the Wente Cabernet Sauvignon clone for their high-end Bordeaux blends. He said it was a healthier vine and Wente originally got their Cabernet vines from Bordeaux anyway. Livermore Valley AVA is located on the east side of the San Fransico Bay and is unique because the valley runs east-west, most valleys in the wine regions run north-south. Livermore Valley gets the full benefits of the cool breezes off the Bay and the cooling morning fog (so that's where the name comes from).
Wente is the first California winery to sell wine with Chardonnay on the label (back in the 1930s). The Morning Fog uses several Wente Chardonnay clones and is fermented in 50% neutral American oak and 50% in stainless steel vats. The neutral oak portion of the Chardonnay was aged "on lees" for 5 months, the stainless steel parcel was also aged for 5 months. 50% of this portion aged "on lees" and the 50% with the lees removed. Lees are the dead, spent yeast and grape residue bits, "on lees" means those bits are left in with the aging wine. They add texture and a salty nutty flavor and when stirred can bring a creamy mouth-feel, the oak barrel Chardonnay was stirred. Neutral oak does not add much if any flavor to the wine, but brings a different character to the Chardonnay since wood barrels allow for a tiny bit of oxygen to get to the wine and stainless steel does not. There is a noticeable difference in wine aged in barrel, even neutral barrel than wine aged in stainless steel. This Chardonnay should not have a great deal of oak influence, but it went through a very precise and detailed winemaking technique. The alcohol content is 13.5% And if your interested James Suckling scored this Chardonnay 91 Points. The Tasting Notes The color is a clean, clear, wheat yellow. The nose is elegant, it is not just a rush of ripe fruit and citrus, there is honey, brown butter, lemon curd, green apple, lime, Anjou pear, light spice, and French Vanilla, all with a floral edge. This is a bright, alive Chardonnay, crisp and lean, with a pleasing flavor. It starts with lemon cream, tart apple, vanilla, soft, and exotic spice. The mid-palate brings juicy peach mixed with pear, melon, and tart, unsweetened pineapple. The mouth-feel allows the flavors to engage your palate and the acidity is very well-balanced. The finish is full and long. The Summary
I have long been a fan of the Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay, as a matter of fact, this is a Chardonnay that I compare all other Chardonnay. I think I found it for around $12 and it is rare that I find an expensive Chardonnay that I like better. It is really well-made and there is a lot of flavor happening in your glass. In France "terrior" is everything. That is the sense of place of the grapes in the vineyard and the winemakers' knowledge of these grapes that have been passed down over the generations. Wente Vineyards has "terroir" in spades, they created the grape clones and have winemaking knowledge passed down for 5 generations, all with 130 something years of knowing their vineyards and climate. Wente is legit and they have seriously good knowledge in producing Chardonnay (other grapes and wines, too).
The Story The Castle Rock Mendocino Pinot Noir 2017 is an inexpensive Pinot Noir, I found it for $7.99 at Costco that should provide a solid value. Castle Rock is an interesting wine company, they have been around for 25 years and have a unique business model. They own no vineyards, all their grapes come from long term contracts with well-respected vineyards. They own no winery or equipment, again they lease space and winemaking gear from existing wineries. They have a very low overhead which allows them to produce wine that will hit above its pricetag. Another interesting thing they do is they get grapes from all the leading AVAs. For instance, with Pinot Noir, they source grapes from the Central Coast, Monterey, Carneros, Russian River, Columbia Valley, and Willamette Valley. If you are looking to explore the Pinot Noir regions at a value price they have you covered. They do the same with other grapes.
Mendocino County is just north of Sonoma County on the Pacific Coast and has all the climate advantages as Sonoma, but somehow is overlooked by many wine drinkers. While there are many well-respected Pinot Noir producers in Mendocino, it is a great place to look for Pinot Noir bargains. The Pinot is a 2017 vintage which is a decent amount of aging for a wine I found for $7.99. You can tell a great deal about wine by the year it is released, a 2018 Pinot would be a young fruit-forward, made to come together quickly, while 2017 will most likely have a more involved winemaking process which added another year to its release. That does not mean that one is better than the other, just in some way produced differently. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting notes The color is a see-thru garnet red. The nose is black cherry, herbs, dried autumn leaves, black pepper, brownies cooking in the oven, and exotic spice. This is a light side of medium Pinot, subtle, delicate Pinot Noir. It tastes of smooth cherry, black pepper, herbs, and strawberry. The mid-palate adds spice that has a bit of a sharp edge, cooling black cherry, jammy raspberry, orange zest, and a little dark chocolate. The acidity is well-balanced and the finish is soft but lengthy. The Summary
This is an elegant Pinot Noir, that is something I did not expect in a sub-$10 Pinot. It has the same body and texture as expensive Pinots, it does not have the layers of flavors and depth, but it does just fine for a $7.99 Pinot Noir. The Castle Rock Mendocino Pinot Noir would pair well with the Thanksgiving feast, it nails the turkey, stuffing, and sweet potato thing. Gooey, cheesy side dishes may throw the pairing off a little, but there is enough acidity on hand to pull-thru.
The Story The Saint-Hilaire Brut 2017 is a blend of 90% Mauzac, 5% Chardonnay, and 5% Chenin Blanc sourced from grapes farmed in the Limoux area of the Languedoc in Southwest France. The Sparkling wine of Limoux is 100 years older than the Bubbly of Champagne. Saint-Hilaire is the Abbey were history first records monks producing Bubbly/Sparkling wine (I am not saying Champagne, because only Bubbly from Champagne can legally be called Champagne, with a few exceptions...check out a bottle of Andre's). This particular Bubbly is designated a Blanquette de Limoux which by AOC law must be at least 90% Mauzac grape, a local grape long associated with this wine. There is also a Cremant de Limoux, Cremant is French for Sparkling wine and these wines can have a greater percentage of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc if Mauzac ain't your thing. And if you need more history Thomas Jefferson drank Blanquette of Limoux, after he passed away an inventory of his wine cellar showed several cases on hand.
The Saint-Hilaire brand does not date back to the 1500s, just Limoux Bubbly produced in the Traditional Method. Champagne adapted the Limoux method to make their Sparkling wines and made the technical advancements that we recognize today. The Saint-Hilaire is fermented twice, the first fermentation is the same as all still wines and the 2nd fermentation happens in each and every bottle. With The Saint-Hilaire, the 2nd fermentation lasts 12 months, in Champagne, the 2nd fermentation must extend to a minimum of 18 months. In some ways, the Bubbly of Limoux may be more closely related to Cava, the Spanish Sparkling wine, produced in Catalonia, Spain. Catalonia is a bit south along the Mediterranean Coast. Brut indicates the Saint-Hilaire is a Dry Bubbly and the alcohol content is 12.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a pale hint of gold. The nose is delicate, crisp apple, a little bakery bread, pear, peach, soft lemon, and lightly floral. This is a crisp Bubbly, with a slightly husky taste profile. It starts with an apple, core and all (I have tasted Saint-Hilare in past vintages where the apple core flavor was pronounced, but for 2017 it is very mild), lemon, tart lime, and soft grapefruit. The mid-palate adds a salty, nutty sensation, crusty bread, and slightly sharp spice. The acidity is well-controlled, enough to allow the flavors to flow, but not enough to bite. The finish has some oomph and lasts awhile. The Summary
- What we have here is a French Bubbly with almost 500 years of tradition, produced in the expensive Traditional Method, and sells for around ten bucks (I found it at Cosco for $9.99). Really what more do you need?
- If you are not a fan of the Mauzac grape, Cremont of Limoux with more Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc may be more your style. But any Bubbly that can survive for 475 years must have something going for it. Give it a try, you will be amazed at what $10 can buy.
Check out the Podcast Below !!!
The Story The Stick Figure Red Blend 2016 is a Trader Joe's $8.99 exclusive sourced from a selection of cool climate and warm weather vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. As per usual, Trader Joe's does not offer technical information for the Stick Figure Red, so let's see what we can figure out on our own. Trader Joe features a Pinot Noir in November to pair with turkey and according to the Fearless Flyer, this blend is intended to pair with baked ham. It is a fruit-forward, generously oaked (their description), that is moderately dry. This is the 2016 vintage which is a fair bit of bottle age (and oak barrel age, too?) for an $8.99 wine. Generally speaking a wine with plenty of oak and a fairly long aging period is made differently than your typical $8 to $10 red wines. Most sub-ten buck wines are made to come together quickly, they do do not need much aging by design, the Stick Figure Red does not seem to follow this profile. The packaging is excellent, the bottle has some weight to it and the label features drawings of the various types of grapevine pruning. Nothing about this bottle says cheap and inexpensive. We do not learn which grapes are in the blend and since the Central Coast does well with almost all of the popular grapes, guess will be nothing more than a guess. Though the Fearless Flyer write-up suggests Bordeaux grapes, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Petite Verdot, with maybe Petit Sirah and Zinfandel. One of the great things about value-priced Red blends is the winemaker can accentuate the positive with the grapes, the blend can offer greater rewards than the individual grapes could on their own. The alcohol content is 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is dark, barely see-thru, cranberry red with black highlights. The nose is cherry, toasty oak vanilla, and spice (I would say this Red same some sort of extended oak conditioning), blackberry, molasses, licorice, light smoke, and baking spice. This is a medium to full-bodied wine, with bold flavors and a smooth mouth-feel. It tastes of black cherry, toasted vanilla, dark chocolate, black pepper, and ripe plum. The mid-palate is strong, there is blueberry, tart cranberry, exotic, slightly sharp spice, orange zest, and raspberry jam. The tannins are sweet and do not bite and the acidity allows the flavors to unfold. The finish starts off strong, fades before too long, but never completely fades away. The Summary
- There is nothing about the Stick Figure Red Blend 2016 that says sub-$10 wine, from the packaging to what is in the bottle all hit higher than the $8.99 price tag.
- Trader Joe's is positioning the Red to pair with a baked ham dinner and, yes, it can pair well, but I think this is more of any after the feast wine. More of a sit by the fire with family and friends Red wine, maybe talk about old times or watch the game. A nice, big, soothing Red blend to kick back and relax with.
Check out the companion Podcast below
The Story The Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay 2018 is sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards in more than one California grape-growing AVAs. Fetzer was founded in 1968 and is a Certified B Corp, which is a designation given to companies that are sustainably and ethically managed, others are Patagonia and Ben and Jerry's. The Sundial Chardonnay sells over under 10 bucks (I found it on sale for $6.99) but received 88 points from Wine Spectator magazine. Wine Spectator typically deals with high-end wines and does not easily give points to any wine much less a value-priced wine. Fetzer is head-quartered in Hopland, California which is in the Mendocino AVA.
I checking out Fetzer's website I found the Sundial Chardonnay has been receiving excellent wine scores for a number of years, which isn't always the case for sub-$10 wines (these wines tend to get overlooked by the wine magazines). Often value-priced White wine is very simply produced and with good results, but the Sundial production isn't so simple. This Chardonnay was fermented in stainless steel tanks, the tasting notes were vague, but it looks like a percentage of the tanks has French and American oak (staves, chips, or actual barrels?) and the oak has various levels of toast. The inside of new wine barrels are flamed to toast the wood and different levels of toasting impart unique flavors to the wine. The oaked portion of the Chardonnay also completed malolactic fermentation. So that they used French and American oak (each has their flavor profile) and used multiple toast levels indicates that Fetzer went to great lengths to get the overall taste experience they had in mind. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a clear, shiny butter yellow. The nose is sweet, floral, and fresh, there are notes of ripe apple, vanilla, peach, lemon chiffon, pear, soft spice, along with spring flowers. This is a smooth, dry, flavorful Chardonnay, there is an oak influence, but well-balanced. It tastes of tart apple, lime, lemon, and vanilla cream. The mid-palate offers a salty nutty sensation, a little butter, unsweetened pineapple, and guava. The acidity allows the flavors to unfold and does not intrude on the flavor profile. The finish is strong and long. The Summary
- The Fetzer Sundial Chardonnay 2018 is a really nice effort. If you like your Chardonnay with a little bit of oak influence, but not too much and you do not want to spend much money, then this is your wine.
- This is a tasty, light side of medium-bodied Chardonnay, really well-balanced, everything has its place.
The Story The Mumm Napa Brut Rose' is a blend of 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay sourced from as many as 50 different vineyards (depending on the vintage) in the Napa Valley AVA. Mumm Napa started in the early 1970s is the California project of GH Mumm founded 150 years earlier in Champagne, France. Mumm Champagne is the 3rd largest selling Bubbly in the world and the largest selling Sparkling wine in France. The 50 vineyard sources may seem like way too many vineyards but the entry-level Champagne from one of Champagne's most iconic Bubblies uses 100 vineyards. Since all Sparkling wine producers that use the Traditional Method of production use the same general method for the 2nd fermentation (where the bubbles are born), the magic happens during the 1st fermentation. Different vineyard lots are fermented separately and often differently, here most of the batches were fermented in stainless steel tanks, but some select batches were fermented in French oak barrels. Everything, every process used in the making of wine affects the finished product, even adding 1% of another grape makes a noticeable change. Champagne Houses have an identifiable and hopefully unique style for their Bubbly.
When talking about the making of Champagne (France) or Sparkling Wine (Napa) the Winemakers usually highlight the 2nd fermentation where each bottle is filled with still wine then a measured amount of sugar and yeast is added. The 2nd fermentation is fairly standard, the main differences are the length, here it is 18 months. The 1st fermentation is where the house-style is formulated and the exact production techniques are carefully guarded. This is a Rose' and to get the proper color a small measured amount of still (not Bubbly) Pinot Noir is added to every bottle. The Mumm Napa sells for less than half of the price the French Champagne Mumm Cordon Rouge Brut. I found the Mumm Napa on sale for about $16, while the French stuff is $35 to $40. Yes, Champagne has great vineyards and decades of Bubbly experience, but it's not like Napa vineyards are all that shabby and the production techniques and equipment are at this point universal. I know French Champagne is excellent but is there any reason that Napa Valley Bubbly cannot be equally entertaining at half the price? The Tasting Notes The color is pale gold with a flurry of tiny bubbles. The nose is black cherry, cream, a touch of yeasty bread, a hint of spice, grapefruit, and the nougat inside a 3 Musketeers bar. This Bubbly has a soft creamy mouth-feel, with black cherry flavors, quite different if you are used to Chardonnay dominate Bubbly. It starts with ripe black cherry, then sleek, not too tart grapefruit, then a slap of vanilla cream. The mid-palate adds some minerality (just enough to be noticeable), raspberry, and a salty, nutty flavor. The acidity is really good, not enough to bite, bit enough to get you to reach for another sip. The finish is subtle but long. The Summary
- Mumm Napa Brut Rose' is a well-made and delicious Bubbly, remember this is mostly Pinot Noir and the flavor profile will be a departure from Chardonnay-based Champagne-style Bubbly. Only Bubbly from Champagne can legally be called Champagne, so the Mumm Napa has to be referred to as a Sparkling wine.
- The best wine I ever had was a Blanc de Noir Champagne (that means White wine from Red Grapes) or a Bubbly made from all Red Grapes usually meaning Pinot Noir. I didn't know enough about wine at the time to remember the name of the wine, I mistakenly thought they were probably all that good. But just the same my personal preference with Bubbles is Pinot based wines. Though, I have drunk my share of Chardonnay Bubbles, too.
- So, Napa versus France, who wins? If I'm paying I'm am more than happy to drink Mumm Napa,
The Story The Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir 2018 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. There have been other Trader Joe's Reserve Pinot Noirs over the years, the regular Reserve and Grand Reserve wines tend to have Lot #'s to differentiate them, I believe the Petit designation indicates that there is a limited supply of this Pinot Noir. The Russian River Valley is located in western Sonoma County along the coast and runs parallel with the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean along the shore has cold water and winds and fog off the ocean are trapped in the valley allowing much of the Russian River Valley to be an ideal growing region for Pinot and Chardonnay. Brand wines from the Russian River tend to sell for over $15 and Winery Pinot Noir sells for $20 plus. So, $7.99 is an unusual price, the producers of this Pinot are negociants, make custom wines, and according to their website can produce clone wines. Tell the wine you want to imitate and they will reverse engineer it to come up wine at an agreed-upon price. There isn't any information available concerning the production of the Petit Reserve, but I figure anyone that can reverse engineer wine knows what they are doing. The back label mentions toaty oak and vanilla so this Pinot had some sort of oak treatment and the alcohol content is a rather stiff, for Pinot Noir, 14.58%. And as a 2018 vintage, this is a young wine with only a short period of aging. The Tasting Notes The color is pale garnet red. The nose is legit, the alcohol content had me concerned but the color and the nose are classic Pinot, there are notes of cherry, herbs, crushed autumn leaves, black pepper, exotic spice, and toasty oak. This Pinot is on the light side of medium-bodied, with delicate, but complicated flavors. This wine starts with tart cherry, followed by herbs, unsweetened cola, dark chocolate, and black pepper. The mid-palate offers bright fresh raspberry, a slap of sharp spice, a little creamy vanilla, and orange zest. The acidity is excellent, it does not bite but stays around to let all the flavors unfold. The finish is subtle but lingers. The Summary
- There is nothing about this Pinot that suggests it sells for $7.99, it looks, smells, and tastes like California Pinot Noir.
- If you got into Pinot Noir thru Meiomi Pinot Noir this will be different, the TJs is Old School Pinot Noir, Meiomi is New School.
- This is a Pinot Noir that will pair well with the Thanksgiving feast, the light-body, and the cherry flavors will complement the turkey and the acidity will cut through the accompanying dishes...The Tjs Petit Reserve is a Thanksgiving all-rounder.
The Story The Delicious Monster White Blend 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's import wine, a blend of 60% Chenin Blanc, 20% Muscat, and 20% Chardonnay from McGregor Winery vineyards in South Africa. McGregor Winery is a co-op of 33 farmers who have banded together to produce wines in the foothills of the mountains in the Robertson Valley district of South Africa. If you notice this is a 2019 vintage and we still have 2 months of 2019 left, South Africa's winter and summer are reversed from North America. This is a young wine with just a little bit of aging, meant to be consumed in the first year of release or so. I think McGregor wines are for sale in other parts of the world and TJs have rights to this blend in the US. I was perusing the McGregor website and I found out why TJs is importing the Chenin Blanc based blend and not the McGregor Chardonnay. They named the Chardonnay after a local rain tree, which I suppose is very beautiful but unfortunately named, because the wine is called the Golden Shower Chardonnay. It makes me wonder if a delicious monster has a different meaning in South Africa. Chenin Blanc does extremely well in South Africa so I have high hopes for this inexpensive White blend. Chenin is one of those grapes that are versatile, young and crisp, oak-aged and age-worthy, Bubbly and everything in between. The alcohol content 12.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is clear, pale wheat yellow. The nose is, well, delicious, there is a lemon, honey, grapefruit, pear, crisp green apple, candy spice, and apricot. This is a wine that feels like it is about to be a sweet wine but never gets sweet, I guess the 20% Muscat gives it that feel. It tastes of melon, lemon, and lime, the Muscat adds sweet hard candy, but tart apple, and pear bring the wine back to Dry. The mid-palate mirrors the body of the wine but does add unsweetened pineapple. The acidity is closing to being lip-smacking good, but not quite. The finish is vibrant and lengthy. The Summary
- That slap of sweetness in what is essentially a dry wine is in fact, delicious. I wouldn't call it a monster but tasty is well deserved.
- The Delicious Monster is a very drinkable, change-of-pace $5.99 White blend.
- This is one of those wines where you need to buy 2 bottles because the first bottle will be empty in a hurry.
The Story The Moon Willow Riesling 2018 os a $6.49 ALDI exclusive sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards in the Monterey AVA of California's Central Coast AVA. ALDI virtually never gives out technical information about their wines, so who, how, and where will be a mystery. But at this price point taking a chance isn't too big of a leap. The Monterey AVA is south of the San Fransico and north of Paso Robles and has a variety of climates, cool weather to warm and can grow a wide variety of grapes. The packaging for the Moon Willow is attractive, it's a reproduction of a painting that I believe is based on a Celtic poem. Inexpensive wines used to have very basic labels, maybe one or two ink colors, whatever it took to keep costs down, but this $6.49 White can hold its own on a retail store shelf. The back label mentions the wine having a light body, a touch of sweetness, and crisp acidity all of which are very promising for a value-priced Riesling. The alcohol content is 11.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is very pale butter yellow. The nose is bright and lively, there is a green apple, lemon, juicy peach, apricot, pear, and lime. This is a light to medium-bodied wine that has a touch of sweetness that is offset by the acidity. It starts with a stew of pear, peach, ripe apple, and lime. The mid-palate adds lemon hard candy and tropical fruit. This is a wine that will pair well with fancy salads, spicy Asian and can stick around for the dessert course, white cake with vanilla frosting comes to mind. The finish is light but does last. The Summary
- If you like your Riesling a little bit sweet, but generally balanced the Moon Willow is worth a try. I am not a huge fan of sweet wines, but I think the Moon Willow Riesling sis well.
- This is a very drinkable, slightly sweet Riesling at a very attractive price
The Story The If You See Kay Paso Robles Red 2016 is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, and Petit Verdot grown in vineyards in the hills and valleys of San Juan Creek and Estrella District of inland Paso Robles AVA of the Central Coast AVA of California. There seems to be or has been an Italian version of If You See Kay. It's kind of funny this brand has been around for at least 10 years and in that time calling the acronym (or is this a homonym ?) for sex isn't as acceptable and according to the website Kay is a strong independent woman and the name is inspired by a James Joyce novel from the 20s. Actually, I can think of a song from the 80s of the same name by April Wine (check it out on Spotify), it sounds sort of like a Sammy Haggar song, but Sammy was never that dopey. So here is something of a connection, a song by April Wine and Sammy Haggar has one of the best wine cellars in the country.
If you see Kay is a wine made in the Prisoner style of winemaking but sells for 1/2 to 1/3 the price. This should be a rich, extracted, full-flavored blend and they didn't cut corners in the winemaking, this Red was aged in French and American oak barrels for 18 months. Paso Robles has a reputation that for wine there are no rules, the winemakers go where the grapes take them without paying too much attention to the wine traditions of France and Italy. It is also a great location for growing top-quality Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. The alcohol content is a precise 14.1%. The Tasting Notes The color is about as opaque as wine gets and there is more black than purple. The nose is dark berries, toasty vanilla, soft spice, chocolate powder, pepper, and cranberry. This is a very well-controlled Red blend, the flavors make a stew and the structure holds it all together. It starts with ripe blackberry, raspberry, fudge brownie, black pepper, and creamy vanilla. The mid-palate adds tart cherry, spice with a slightly rough edge, and dusty chocolate powder. The tannins are soft and smooth and the acidity is balanced by the body of the wine. The finish is strong and long. The Summary
- I am not sure if he is still involved with this wine, but the originating winemaker made his name with $250 limited availability cult wines and this was his foray into more easily obtainable wine, it should sell for between $15 and $20.
- The comparison with the Prisoner Red blend is warranted. The If You See Kay is a well-made, delicious blend. Large without being over-the-top, ripe without being perceived as sweet.
The Story The Dearly Beloved I Thee Red 2016 is a kitchen sink blend, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, and Petite Sirah sourced from vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. Trader Joe's sells this blend for $7.99 and the Dearly Beloved website shows they produce 2 Red blends and a Chardonnay and the website prices are $12 to $14 (and I think I've seen this at Target and maybe other stores). The Dearly Beloved brand has been around for a while, CWF first encountered these wines for the 2009 vintage and its major claim to fame is the painted on Mexican Day of the Dead skull for a label. Dark bottle, red label, a flowery skull and you have a Red wine that kills at a Halloween party. I think skulls are appropriate year-round, but that's me. The 2016 vintage is fairly lengthy bottle aging for a $12 to $14 wine and seriously long for a $7.99 Red. The website says they ferment and age each grape varietal separately and then create the final blend. The back label mentions oak seasoning flavors but doesn't specify how the flavors got there. The alcohol content is 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is black cherry red with black highlights. The nose is pretty decent, spicy with ripe berries, a little chocolate, some pepper, slightly smokey, and savory. This is a medium-body Red blend, full-flavored with good structure, wasn't expecting this for $7.99 or even $12. It starts with blackberry, sour cherry, light herbs, black pepper, and licorice. The mid-palate throws in some orange zest, tart cranberry, dusty tannins (you feel them more than tasting them), with a late hit of jammy raspberry. The acidity is nicely balanced, pair this with stews, steaks, that sort of thing, something hearty. The finish is bold, fades quickly, but lingers on. The Summary
- Ok, maybe I short-changed this Red by calling it a Halloween party wine, it's a legit Red blend. I know wine tastes are subjective, but I like this style of Red blend, I like some rough edges over soft and smooth.
- It had a skull on the label, it had to be good. You can pick a wine by the label and skulls and skeletons haven't let me down, yet.
- I more I drink under ten dollar wine, the more I am amazed at how many of them I actually enjoy.
The Story The Moon X Black Pinot Noir 2017 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's wine, but I don't think it is a TJ's exclusive a website from New York sells it online for $9.99. The 2016 vintage of the Moon X Black Pinot was the #1 page on CheapWineFinder for about a year and a half, a lot of folks like this wine. The Black in the name is a hint, this isn't your typical Pinot Noir. It is Trader Joe's version of the extremely popular Meiomi Pinot Noir. Pinot purists hated Meiomi, but everyone else seems to love it, the founder sold the company for a 1/3 of a billion dollars, it looks like ignoring the purists is lucrative. There is isn't a technical sheet available for Moon X and at this part of the story I have not yet tasted the wine, but I would imagine that this isn't 100% Pinot Noir. There needs to be 75% of a single varietal to put the name on the front label, so the Moon X could have a good amount of other grapes involved. Which it would also have in common with Meiomi. The back label mentioned lightly toasted oak which can add vanilla, chocolate, and spice, but to discover more we will have to pour ourselves a glass. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is more purple than black. The nose isn't very Pinot-like, but it isn't bad, There is red berries, black pepper, dark chocolate, a touch of herbs, ripe black cherry, and a savory note. This is a soft, smooth Red wine, slightly jammy, with a dash of spice. It tastes of blackberry, cherry, plum, creamy vanilla, soft spice, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds raspberry, chocolate, tart cranberry, and some orange zest. The tannins are sweet and don't interfere, and the acidity is such that I think this is more of a sipping wine than a food wine (the 2016 vintage had a bit more structure), though burgers, pizza, steak burritos would do well. The finish is soft and faes before long. The Summary
- If you are looking for a solid $6.99 Pinot Noir, this ain't it. If you want a well priced soft smooth tasty Red blend, then give it a try.
- It isn't over-the-top rich and jammy, it is fairly balanced.
- You may want to audition the Moon X for the Holiday party season. This really isn't a Meiomo Pinot Noir competitor but at almost 1/3 the price and with some similarities it may be smart to keep a couple of bottles on hand.
The Story The Lindenman's Bin 65 Chardonnay 2018 is one of CheapWineFinder's perennial favorites it is an amazingly inexpensive Chardonnay (this time we found it on sale for $2.99, Binny's Chicago) that delivers year after year. Sourced from multiple vineyards in Southeast Australia, Lindeman's is no longer an operating winery, it is a brand. A large production, very inexpensive Brand wine does not sound like a promising proposition, but in this case, it works. The Bin 65 Chardonnay brand is been around since 1985 and in its time has received accolades from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker. This is the little Chardonnay that could.
The Bin 65 Chardonnay is a young wine and is made to be bright and full of citrus and fruit, but they did use French oak for seasoning. I doubt if they used actual oak barrels, the tasting notes didn't mention barrels which is usually a solid clue, but they just make too much of this Chard to use barrels. A French oak barrel can cost $1,000, I don't see how they can buy enough barrels to age this wine and still be able to sell for the price they do. As I said, I found it for $2.99, but it regularly sells for 5 or 6 bucks. The technotes don't say, but I think it is aged "on lees" since it has a creamy flavor on the mid-palate that often comes from "on lees" (aged with the dead yeast left in the tank and then stirred at regular intervals). In the past, it wasn't ever the greatest Chardonnay in the world, but at its price point, it was or is King. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a clean, clear pale wheat yellow. The nose is green apple, lemon, a little vanilla, a touch of peach, a little pear, with a slap of melon. This is a dry Chardonnay (sometimes very inexpensive wines are on the sweet side to give it the illusion of having more flavor) with balanced acidity. It tastes of a mix of grapefruit and pear, green apple, lime, lemon curd, and light spice. The mid-palate adds that salty sensation from "on lees", faint banana (of all things), kiwi, and a hint of cream. The acidity is very good, the kind that gets you to reach for another sip, but does not bite. The finish is fairly full and long. The Summary
- I don't want to oversell the Bin 65 Chard, but if you ask someone who just had a taste what they would guess the price is, they would never say $2.99 or even $5 or $6, it tastes and has the body of a Chardonnay in the 10 or 12 buck range.
- The 2018 vintage has more citrus notes than the last couple of vintages which were more on the ripe and juicy fruit side. The leaner more focused 2018 vintage has a touch of elegance.
- The Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay would make a great Holiday party wine, a wine that tastes great and costs little, what more could you ask for?
The Story The Time Waits For No One Monastrell 2017 is 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre in France) produced by Finca Bacara (Finca translates to farm or vineyard) in the Jumilla DO of southeastern Spain. This wine is designated a DOP wine which is Spain's highest wine category and Monastrell is the #1 Red grape in Jumilla accounting for over 80% of the grapes grown. Jumilla is located on the plains between the mountains to the west and the Mediterranean Ocean to the east. And they have a wine history that goes back to the ancient Greeks, which is enough of the wine travelogue stuff and gets us to why this Monastrell is on this website...it has a skull and crossbones on the label. I can't decide if the bones are a pirate flag or if they are the universal symbol for poison, which would be an odd choice for something you are about to drink. But, it is October, Halloween is coming and we are on the look-out for appropriate Halloween party wines.
Monastrell is the same as Mourvedre which is the M in the GSM blends of the Rhone Valley in France. It is typically a blending grape, but in Jumilla it is King. In doing a bit of research it seems that Monastrell has been grown in the area for about 1,500 years. The Time Waits For No One was aged in American oak barrels for 6 months. I found this bottle at Costco selling for $9.99 and prices on the web are all over the place, a range of $12 to $19, so grab it at Costco, if you can. The alcohol content is a sturdy 15%. The Tasting Notes The color is dark, barely see-thru raspberry jelly red. The nose is earthy and slightly raisiny, there is exotic spice, vanilla, fudge chocolate, blackberry, and prune. This is a wine with a soft, beguiling mouth-feel upfront and gets rougher and more complex as the flavors play out. It tastes of blackberry, raisin, and plum, along with oak spice. The mid-palate shows some dusty tannins, a light sprinkle of Nestles Quik powder, and pomegranate. The acidity is balanced and the finish is full, if not particularly long-lasting. The Summary
- The Time Waits For No One Monastrell is definitely not the same old, same old. Decanter gave this wine 95 points and Wine Spectator gave an earlier vintage 81 points and I get it, if you like this Monastrell you will really, really love it and if you don't you will hate it. And I think that is a sign of good wine, it isn't simple and easy.
- This is a wine that tastes like Jumilla, Spain, not France, not Italy, not California, sometimes with New World wines the influences kind of blend together, but not here.
- Take time to let this Monastrell breathe, as it opens up the flavors become richer and opulent.
The Story The Kirkland Asolo Prosecco DOCG Extra Dry is a $6.99 Costco import exclusive sourced from grapes farmed around the town of Asolo in the center of the Prosecco region in Veneto, Italy. In California, the wine grape growing regions comprise of unique territories known as AVA's, such as Paso Robles, Sonoma, Dry Creek, etc., these boundaries are all location-based there are no government mandates on which grapes can be grown, how they are to be farmed, and how the wine is produced. In Italy, the government uses DOC and DOCG to designate territories, but also provide strict regulations on many aspects of the grape growing and winemaking, with the DOCG (G stands for guaranteed) being the strictest level. These rules and regulations are put in place to ensure quality or with DOCG guarantee quality. That does not mean that a DOCG wine will taste better than a DOC wine, that is up to the winemaker and your personal preferences. But to my way of thinking the actual quality levels are up to the individual wineries because it is possible to make top-quality wine in all Italian levels of wine, DOCG, DOC, IGT, and table wine.
Most of the Prosecco region is designated as DOC, there is a very hilly section in the middle of the area that is deemed to be the absolute best place for growing the Glera grape, in the case of the Kirkland bubbles in the hills around the town of Asolo. This hilly section is rated as DOCG. Now, here is a bit about how Prosecco is made, first most Prosecco in the value price range is non-vintage, meaning that several vintages are blended together to maintain a recognizable "House Style", which is very important for Prosecco brands to create an identity. The Glera grapes (the exclusive grape of Prosecco) are kind of an empty canvas, you almost never see a Glera still wine (non-Bubbly) because it does not make a particularly interesting still wine. The Glera grapes are fermented the 1st time, each Prosecco House has its own winemaking tricks at this stage and when they decide the wine is ready it is transferred to huge pressurized tanks. These tanks are large autoclaves and are basically huge versions of the autoclaves used to sterilize surgical equipment and tattoo needles. Sugar and yeast are added to the vats and a 2nd fermentation begins. CO2 is released as a by-product of fermentation, but since the sealed vat is under pressure the CO2 has nowhere to go but back into the wine. This second fermentation can last a few weeks or a few months, the longer time allows the CO2 to better acclimate itself to the wine and become fine Bubbly. The alcohol content with the Kirkland Prosecco is 11%. The Tasting Notes The color is a platinum yellow with a decent supply of tiny bubbles. The nose is lemon, green apple, melon, and grapefruit, with a hint of ripe juicy peach and a floral edge. This Prosecco has balanced flavors, solid acidity, and a nice dash of minerality. It starts with tart lemon, peach, Bosc pear, and melon. The mid-palate offers a juicy apple, a salty sensation, and not sweet lemon hard candy. The acidity is very persistent, it is not quite a lip-smacking acidity, but it is part of the flavor profile. The finish is strong and long. The Summary
- This is an extremely solid Prosecco at an amazing price, $6.99.
- There are only so many Prosecco producers from the Asolo region, with a little bit of sleuthing you can probably figure out who made it, but I would imagine all the producers from this area are first rate.
- Keep the Kirkland Prosecco in mind for the Holiday party season, it is a steal at less than $7.
- This is an extra-dry Bubbly which means slightly sweet, but remember solid acidity balances the sweetness, so the sensation is more nectar sweet than sugar sweet.
The Story The Violet House Central Coast Red Blend 2017 is an $8.99 ALDI exclusive wine. And that is about all I know about this wine, there is no mention on the web and ALDI doesn't say a thing. The back label says this is a non-traditional blend and a 2017 vintage is decent age for an $8.99 Red wine. But I have to admit, I bought this bottle for the label, there are furry antler people coming out of the snow in the woods near a cabin on the lake, along with a violet-colored sky, which is probably where the name came from. It turns out the drawing on the label is from John Kenn Mortensen who has a book of illustrations, Sticky Monsters. It is somewhat odd for a store brand contract wine to have a label created by a noted artist or illustrator since the whole idea behind contract wines is to keep the costs down. I love the label, I thought it would be a great wine for Halloween parties, it's creepy and spooky without being too threatening. I have found that wines that have really good labels have good wine inside the bottle, the theory being if they don't care about what is stuck to the outside of a bottle, they didn't care about what is inside the bottle and vice versa. If that theory works on an $8.99 ALDI wine it might move from wine theory to wine law. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is barely see-thru, shiny cherry red. The nose is blackberry, a little chocolate, soft spice, slightly herbal, with a floral edge. This is a medium-bodied red, smooth upfront, slightly rougher on the mid-palate. It tastes of a stew of blackberry, blueberry, and Snickers Chocolate (not sweet), along with sweet spice. The mid-palate offers raspberry, molasses (again not sweet), a salty sensation, and a mix of black pepper and cranberry. I have no idea about what grapes went into this Red blend, but it is good tasting. The finish is soft, not particularly intense, but it does linger. The Summary
- Buy it for the label, drink it because it's tasty.
- It is way better than the typical Halloween themed wine, though I don't think the Violet House Red Blend is actually intended as solely a Halloween wine.
- This is not the same old, same old Red Blend, it is hard to be unique in the value-priced Red category, but the Violet House pulls it off.
The Story The Federalist Dry Creek Zinfandel 2016 is 98% Zinfandel and 2% Carignane primarily sourced from Orsi vineyards in the southern end of Dry Creek Valley about a mile from the Russian River. The Zinfandel grapes came from 6 separate blocks of the vineyard and were fermented separately. The 6 lots were then blended and then aged in oak barrels for 16 months, 20% new oak the rest used barrels. Dry Creek Valley has a climate that is similar to the Bordeaux region in France. It has the classic wine grape growing conditions, warm, but not too hot days, a wide differential between daytime and nighttime temperatures, along with morning fog that limits the amount of time the heat of the sun gets to interact with the grapes. The grapes thrive in the heat up then cool down cycle. Dry Creek is the home of upscale Sonoma Zinfandel and the Federalist sells (according to a search of the web) between $17 and $25. Dry Creek is known for an elegant, balanced style of Zinfandel, a more subdued style than those found in Lodi if you are more familiar with those value-priced ZIns. Estate grown Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley can sell in the $30 to $50 range, so while the grapes didn't come from Terlato's estate they came from a very high-end vineyard at a relatively reasonable price. The alcohol content is a ripe 15.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a fairly see-thru raspberry jelly red. The nose is delicious, meaty and smokey, with baking spices, chocolate, ripe red berries, black pepper, spicy and lightly herbal. This is a large, but well-balanced Zinfandel, ripe, fresh fruit, with enough of a rough edge to keep things interesting. It tastes of blackberry, licorice, plum, and soft spice. The mid-palate adds chocolate powder, a slight tug from the tannins, orange zest, and late slap of vanilla. This is a wine that engages your palate, you will sensations on the back of your palate, the roof of your mouth, it packs a punch. The finish is soft but lasts. The Summary
- The Federalist Dry Creek Zinfandel 2016 is a very solid Zin, a nice combination of elegance and rustic, which is how I like my Zins.
- With all the under $15, Lodi Zinfandel on the wine shop shelves a $25 Zin might sound expensive. But Lodi and Dry Creek are different enough to not really compete against each other.
The Story The Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2018 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. And this is an unexpected Chardonnay, the Fearless Flyer didn't have much of anything interesting to say and the front label is the usual Tj's exclusive label. But the back label tells that these grapes came from a single Family-owned estate vineyard, the Stony Point Vineyard owned by the James Family Cellars. The James Family Cellars are a Pinot Noir producer, their website does not show any current vintage of Chardonnay, but they have grown grapes for Schramsburg Winery of Napa, maybe the best Champagne-style Sparkling wine producer in America. So, these are not grapes usually associated with $6.99 Chardonnay.
The back label also mentioned this Chardonnay was aged in French oak, again something that is not typically found for under 7 bucks. When I grabbed this bottle I figure it was a Chard produced along the lines of your usual 10 buck Chardonnay, but the single-vineyard estate, Russian River AVA, French oak details have me confused. Is this a regular drink-it-now value-priced White wine, with fancier grapes than normal or is this something else. The alcohol content is a rather precise 13.71%. The Tasting Notes The color is a very pale wheat yellow. The nose is melon, lemon, and apple, along with pineapple, peach, and pear. This is not your typical $6.99 Chardonnay, there is some weight on the body with a solid mix of tart citrus and sweet fruit flavors, the oak is subdued. It starts with creamy lemon, mixed with green apple, followed by grapefruit, and juicy peach. The mid-palate has a salty cashew sensation, along with a touch of vanilla and a late slap of tropical fruit. The acidity is excellent, it allows the flavors to unfold while adding enough lip-smacking acidity to get you to take the next sip. The finish is full and long. The Summary
- This summary is short and to the point. If you want a single vineyard estate Russian River AVA, French oak-aged Chardonnay for $6.99, then this is it. Buy it. These wines don't come around that often.
The Story The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Lot 89 is a $14.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes, like the title says, farmed in the Atlas Peak AVA of Napa Valley in Northern California. Atlas Peak is a unique region inside Napa since it is the highest elevation growing region. When it comes to Northern California vineyards you usually hear the same story, warm to hot afternoons, with much cooler evening followed by cooling morning fog. But Atlas Peak is so high up in the mountains there is no fog, yes there is warm but cooler than the typical Napa sub-AVA afternoon temps and cool evenings, but instead of the morning fog, they get intense sunlight. All this adds up to optimal Cabernet Sauvignon growing conditions that produce wines not typically found in the $14.99 price range.
As a Trader Joe's contract exclusive wine, there isn't too much beyond the write-up in the Fearless Flyer about the particulars of the making of this Cab. At first, I thought a 2017 vintage maybe a little bit of an early release for an Atlas Peak Cab. But since I found $50 and $60 2017 Atlas Peak Cabernets on the internet, that stifled that idea. While the typical Atlas Peak Cab has more age when released, 2017 seems to be perfectly fine for a ready-now Red wine. So, is this a legit $25 to $35 Cab selling for TJ's prices or is this a typical drink-it-now Cabernet Sauvignon but with Atlas Peak grapes, something you never ever see in this price range. Either way, it is well worth giving this wine a try. The alcohol content is 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is barely see-thru black cherry red. The nose is ripe and juicy, blackberry, herbs, black pepper, spice, a touch of vanilla, chocolate powder, yup, it's a Cabernet Sauvignon. Be sure you give this Cabernet plenty of time to open up because there is plenty of spice and black pepper on hand and it needs all the fruit on hand to balance. That detail right there is something you do not ever find in typical $15 drink-it-now Reds. Once the ripe fruit shows up this is a completely different wine. There is very detailed fruit and spice, the flavors are on-point, blackberry, sharp spice, black pepper, bitter chocolate. The mid-palate adds creamy vanilla, orange zest, tart cranberry mixed with sweet blueberry. The tannins are more dusty than sweet (the way value-priced wine is made nowadays the tannins are rarely worth mentioning, here they are definitely on the menu). The acidity allows the ample flavors to unfold, while not getting in the way. The finish is subtle but lasts. The Summary
- This is NOT your typical ten dollars, well $15, drink-it-now Cabernet Sauvignon. There are flavors and textures that do not show up in value wine.
- If you are looking for an entry into the world of Napa Cabs Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Atlas Peak Cab Lot 89 is about as inexpensive and easy an entry as you will find. This wine is an actual bargain.
The Story The Kirkland Napa Valley Red Blend 2016 is a $10.99 Costco exclusive, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. That mix of grapes is a Bordeaux Blend and in California is referred to as a Meritage Blend. There is a Meritage organization that promotes and helps develop these grapes and wineries using the Meritage name on the label pay a license fee and comply with a set of rules and regulations. Since this is a value-priced wine it makes sense that they would skip the licensing. Costco names the winemaker on the back label, Glen Hugo. He makes his own wines and is part of the winemaking team for Vintage Wine Estates. The winery shown on the label is DC Flynt MW Selections who are responsible for many Kirkland wines both import and domestic.
Most contract wines don't spend money on things like fancy labels and tasting and technical notes, which is fine with me, it keeps costs down. But some of the information needed to make a knowledgable wine selection is missing. You have to make do with a low price and what you can glean from what info is available. And with Kirkland Napa Red I would say the fact that this is a 2016 vintage is a good sign. While this isn't exactly scientific a Red blend made to sell for around ten bucks is most likely a 2017 vintage, they make the wine to come together as quick as possible so they can sell it sooner. A Red blend that lists in the twenty dollar range usually will have an extra year of aging. The rule of thumb and there are variables so this isn't exact are 1-year aging in barrel needs 1-year aging in bottle. The extra time adds to the price and the wine is produced to take advantage of the additional aging. So it seems this $10.99 Bordeaux-style blend has production techniques closer to a $20 Red. The alcohol content is a very California 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a see-thru cherry jelly red with black highlights. The nose is dark berries, baking spice, nutmeg, chocolate, vanilla, a hint of smoke, and ripe blackberry. This is a Red blend that starts smooth, then has some rustic edges, the flavors have excellent length, they go on and on. It tastes of blackberry and black licorice (I know for wine tasting descriptors all licorice is black licorice, but I grew up on Twizzlers licorice and the red ones were awesome), chocolate powder, pepper, and spice. The mid-palate shows a slight pull from the tannins (in a Bordeaux blend that is a welcome feature), tart cherry, orange zest, and blueberry. The acidity is well-controlled and the finish is respectably full and lengthy. The Summary
- The Kirkland Napa Valley Red Blend 2016 is a pretty decent Bordeaux Blend, it definitely hits above its price point.
- Balanced, full-flavored, solid structure, it does not hide the tannins and any rough edges are a welcome part of the flavor profile.
- This is an easy to drink wine in the best sense of the term, it has lip-smacking acidity that compels to reach for another sip.
The Story The Kirkland Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc 2018 seems to be a $6.99 Costco exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Marlborough region of New Zealand's South Island. Ti Point Vineyards produced and bottled this Sauv Blanc (that technically means they made at least 75% of the wine) and they are a winery that started on Ti Point in the northern part of the North Island of New Zealand. The North Island wineries are mostly low volume "boutique" producers, but Ti Point has branched out to Marlborough and Hawke's Bay on the South Island. What is odd about this wine is that the label sports Costco's Kirkland logo and the Ti Points logo, it is almost always one or the other. When a store has its own brand of wines there are 2 main models. The contract wine, where the store strikes a deal with a wine producer to create a specific wine at a specific price point and a unique brand name and label is designed. The second is the negociant method where the store negotiates with a winery to buy excess existing wine at a lower price than it would sell at retail. Again a new or different brand and label is created and the identity of the original winery is hidden. But not here, maybe the rules are changed since Costco is a membership club and not strictly a retail store. And maybe Ti Point is trying to establish their brand in the US.
This is a young Sauvignon Blanc meaning it is best consumed in the first year or two of the vintage release. The Ti Point wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel vats and is intended to be bright, lively, fruit-forward east to drink wine. $6.99 is a very good price for a Marlborough Sauv Blanc, most value-priced NZ Sauvignon Blanc are priced at least a buck or 2 higher. The acidity is a mild 12.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a soft creamy yellow. The nose is filled with tropical fruit, pineapple, guava, peach, pear, grapefruit, green apple, and melon, this wine is not aroma challenged. This Sauv Blanc has a very good mouth-feel, a nice balance between ripe citrus and fruit and acidity. It tastes of creamy lemon, grapefruit, a touch of spice, and lime. The mid-palate offers peach, Bosq Pear, a salty sensation, and tart apple. The acidity is good, not quite lip-smacking, but in the pocket. The finish is subtle compared to the bold body of the wine but does linger. The Summary
- At $6.99., you have to ask yourself, "why pay more for an everyday Sauv Blanc." Yes, the taste is subjective, but I think this Sauvignon Blanc will be in the most folks comfort zone. It tastes great and costs little.
The Story The Crusher Petite Sirah is 82% Petite Sirah and then smaller percentages of Syrah, Tempranillo, Malbec, Merlot, and Zinfandel sourced mainly from 2 vineyards, one in the Clarksburg AVA and another in the Lodi AVA, both areas have good growing conditions for Petite Sirah. The Crusher line of wines is one of Don Sebastiani and Sons brand of wines. The Sebastiani family have been in the wine business in Sonoma for over 100 years, with Don Sebastiani and Sons representing the 3rd generation and Don and Sons being the 4th generation. Petite Sirah is a cross between the Syrah grape and an obscure grape called Peloursin created in the mid-1800s by a French Botanist named Durif. The grape never caught on in France but does quite well in the US and Australia. In California, it is used in countless drink-it-now Red blends and is often added to Zinfandel.
Petite Sirah is a rich, spicy, dark-colored, bold wine. With the Crusher, this Red was aged for 10 months in a mix of French, Hungarian, and American oak barrels. French and Hungarian oak is the species, just grown in different areas, American oak is a different species with a wider grain structure and flavor profile. Hungarian oak is less expensive than French oak but offers similar flavors to the wine and is a smart choice for value wine. American oak with its more open grain can give more oak influence in a shorter period of time, which can be useful in wine in this price range (I found it for $9.99 on sale). The alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is just barely see-thru raspberry jam red. The nose is slightly smokey, kind of dark and brooding, there are red berries, baking spice, soft herbs, bitter dark chocolate, and ripe strawberry. This is a rich, jammy Red, but still balanced, I think a delicate hand made this wine. It starts with ripe black cherry, spice, chocolate powder, and a light touch of pepper. The mid-palate shows tart cranberry, a little vanilla, sharp orange zest, a salty sensation, and a late hit of sweet blueberry. The wine has tannins (so many don't nowadays), they are sweet and don't bite, but they are part of the mix. The finish is soft but sticks around awhile. The Summary
- The Crusher Petite Sirah 2016 is a very tasty Red, Wine Enthusiast gave it 90 points and you can find it for around ten bucks.
- France's loss is California's gain, this Petite Sirah is a solid, delicious wine.
The Story The Domaine de La Noblaie Chinon Goutte de Rose' 2018 is a Rose' of Cabernet Franc sourced from 2 Estate hillside vineyards in the Chinon district of the Loire Valley in west-central France. The vineyards have been certified organic since 2005 and Domaine de La Noblaie has been worked by the family for four generations. Chinon is known for Cabernet Franc for Red wine and Chenin Blanc for White wine. This Rose' is imported by European Cellars, a large and well-respected importer. I found this small production Rose' on-sale for $9.99 and while it probably is not available all over the US similar Estate Rose' should be on the shelves of a store near you.
A Rose' is a Red wine with little or no grape skin contact and since the tannins and other chemical components are contained in the skin, flavors that are masked by those elements can be exposed. Most Rose' in this price range is unoaked, so there is little to get in the way of the actual grape juice flavors. Rose', in a sense, is the flip side of Red wine. The grapes used for the Goutte de Rose' are handpicked, they make several passes thru the vineyards to only choose the grapes that are at the ideal ripeness. Natural yeast is used for fermentation meaning that the yeast that floats in the air and sticks to the grape skins is the yeast that starts fermentation. This Rose' is aged for four months in stainless steel tanks and the alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is pink with an orange tint. The nose is fresh, bright, and spicey, dried strawberry, melon, apple, candy spice, and a slight mineral edge. This is a dry Rose', with a solid structure and interesting flavors. It starts with a mix of both sour and ripe red berries, a splash of pepper, a little bit of cream, and spice. The mid-palate offers a salty sensation, between the cream and the salt I would think this Rose' was aged "on-lees" (dead yeast left in the tank with the wine and stirred from time to time), with a finish of soft, but tart cranberry. The acidity is almost lip-smacking (which I like), but not quite. The Summary
- With everybody in the wine business making Rose' nowadays, it is nice to sample a Rose' from a French area that has long been known for Rose'. This is a Rose' with texture and personality.
- Cab Franc is dark and intense as red wine and drinking its flipside is a revelation, it is bright, varied, still intense, but in a very different way. For 10 bucks the Domaine de La Noblaie Chinon Goutte de Rose' 2018 is a delight.
The Story The Caretaker Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2017 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive produced for TJ's by the Central Coast Wine Warehouse. They are a full-service wine company that makes contract wine and brand wine, is a certified sustainable facility and own some of the finest vineyards in the Central Coast AVA. The Santa Maria Valley is the northernmost AVA in the Santa Barbara County AVA of Southern California. Santa Barbara is located about 100 miles north of Los Angeles and would have too hot a climate for growing Pinot Noir except for some luck with geography. Santa Barbara is situated on ground that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, so there is Ocean to the north and Ocean to the south. Santa Maria Valley has full access to the Pacific Ocean breezes which bring cool evenings and morning fog. Santa Barbara is also where the movie "Sideways" (which started a Pinot Noir craze) took place.
The Central Coast Wine Warehouse has been making wine for TJ's for years, CWF reviewed a 2009 vintage of a Caretaker wine and I am sure they made other brands before that. The back label is exceptional for a contract wine (a contract wine is one that is produced specifically for a store or restaurant) it actually shows useable information. Clones are very important to Pinot Noir, and 9 different Pinot clones were used in the making of this wine, the growing season was long, late February to mid-October and French oak was used. Most contract wines offer no information, but here there are technical notes and tasting notes. The alcohol content is 13.9%. The Tasting Notes The color is a see-thru garnet red. The nose is bright cherries, herbs, mushroom, pepper, and spice. This is a fruit-forward Pinot Noir with a velvety mouthfeel. It tastes of cherry (of course), a nice rough edge from herbs, a splash of black pepper, and soft exotic spice. The mid-palate adds raspberry, orange zest, and sour cranberry. The tannins are sweet and the acidity is well balanced. The finish is quite lengthy. The Summary
- The Caretaker Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2017 is a solid value-priced Pinot. Remember when stores such as TJ's contracts a producer to make an exclusive wine, they have price advantages a retail wine does not have. A contract wine reduces the middle-man costs which can lower the price by several dollars.
- The Caretaker is a fruit-forward Pinot, but not Meiomi fruit-forward and has a nice balance between soft smooth fruit and interesting rough edges.
The Story Dave talks about one of his favorite categories of value-priced wines...Bubbly. When folks want to splurge of expensive Bubbles they buy Champagne, that leaves all the other Sparkling wines competing in a more value-oriented price range. Wines from all other the world, that would be glad to charge you more if they could, but no, you only spend top dollar on Champagne. There are Sparkling wines form great growing regions that cost much less than you think and taste far above their selling price.
The Story The Cline Estate Sonoma Coast Syrah 2017 is 100% Syrah sourced from two Cline Estate vineyards in the Petaluma Gap AVA inside the Sonoma Coast Ava that is also located inside the Sonoma County AVA in Northern California. Cline Cellars is a family-owned vineyard and winery founded in 1982 and was one of the original members of the Rhone Rangers. Most California wineries take their inspiration from Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc) or Burgundy (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir). The Rhone Rangers were an organization of winemakers following the lead of the Rhone Valley (Syrah, Grenache, and other French grapes). The Petaluma Gap is located just 25 miles north of San Francisco and is a gap in the coastal mountain range that allows cool Pacific Ocean winds flow into the valleys and hillsides. The winds provide the vineyards the condition for a long, steady growing season.
This Syrah was fermented with natural yeast, that is the yeast that floats naturally in the air and clings to the grape skins, they don't need commercial processed yeast. The wine was aged on medium toast French oak with 40% of the oak new, 60% used oak. I am not using the word "barrel" here since the technical notes do not mention oak barrels, but the wording strongly suggests oak barrels, rather than other methods. This is a wine that lists for $14 and I found on sale for $9.99. This is interesting since one of the main differences between a $10 wine and a $25 dollar wine is the $25 wine more likely uses estate fruit, most of which are sourced from a well regarded AVA and is produced by a family-owned winery rather than a Brand wine. The Cline Estate Sonoma Coast Syrah checks off almost all of the boxes for the more expensive wine, yet is a very affordable price. The alcohol content is 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a deep, dark, opaque purple. The nose is rich, intense, and spicy, there is black pepper, a generous dose of spice, chocolate brownies, blueberry, smoke off the BBQ grill, and orange zest. This Syrah has smooth fruit and plenty of spice to give a smooth/rough contrast. It starts with blueberry, molasses, licorice, black pepper, and spice, this is not a shy Syrah. The mid-palate brings raspberry, a slight and welcome pull from the tannins, a soothing creamy sensation, and a hint of milk chocolate. The acidity is well-balanced, for pairing the usual BBQ, hamburger, pizza thing comes to mind, but this drinks very well. The Summary
- This isn't scientific, more observations from 11 years of doing a value-priced wine review website. hen a value-priced wine uses 100% of a certain grape they are telling you that they are using very good grapes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with adding 5% of this and 10% of that to wine anything to improve the final outcome is much appreciated. But when you see 100% of a single grape varietal, take notice.
- Shiraz/Syrah from Australia was one of the first wines to catch my notice all those long years ago and when Australian Shiraz started to fade I never found a US Syrah to take its place. I wish I knew about Cline Estate Sonoma Coast Syrah 2017 earlier. I think its really good.
The Story Let's Talk About Cheap Wine- Rhone Valley Podcast
Dave talks about the wines of the Southern Rhone Valley in Southeastern France specifically and affordable French wines generally. The Rhone Valley features Red wines that blend Grenache and Syrah together along with a handful of other approved grapes, Mourvedre being the most prominent. While there are expensive wine regions in the Rhone Valley, the regular Rhone VAlley and Rhone Village wines are excellent. If you want to find the best cheap wine learn to love Grenache because there are plenty of Grenache-based value-priced wines in southeast France and northeast Spain that deliver a great of bang for the buck. we talk about finding Rhone wines in your local wine shops and tips for figuring out which wines deliver.
The Story Of The Podcast Dave talks about why Chardonnay is different from other White wine grapes in this price range. Mainly, Chardonnay can be simple or it can be complicated. Chardonnay can go thru varing percentages of several winemaking processes that will greatly affect the overall taste and texture. There is the oak program, or maybe no oak or something inbetween. There is malolactc fermentatation, on lees, and the diiferences in grape selction. No 2 wineries do the exact same process, which makes Chardonnay complicated.
Let's Talk About Cheap Wine Part #2
Dave rambles on in the 2nd edition about what the different categories of wine are. Plus, how to get the most out of Box Wine. We talk about cheap, everyday wine from Spain and making Sangria. How to decipher the Trader Joe's Reserve wines, which are great bargains and which are just interesting (they usually are well worth drinking). And do some research, Google the wines you are interested in buying and check out their websites, what they tell about the wines and what they don't tell are important. Learn how to read between the lines.
Let's Talk About Cheap Wine Part #1 Podcast - Dave talks about what is cheap wine? It is actually or at least was the #3 Google search term for wine. Internet slang, kind of like searching for cheap 4K TVs, or cheap hotel, or cheap airfare.
The Story The Freakshow Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a small amount of Petit Sirah, is sourced from a Michael & David Winery estate vineyard in Lodi AVA of California's Central Valley. Michael and David are the Phillips brothers and their family has farmed in Lodi since the 1850s. Most of the West Coast grape-growing regions are located along the Pacific Coast, from Oregon to California, with Lodi being one of the few exceptions. Lodi is south and east of Napa, with the vineyards located in the river deltas that stem from the San Pablo Bay (the Northern portion of the San Francisco Bay). This unique geographic feature funnels cool air and morning fog into an area that under different conditions would not be suitable to grow wine grapes. That is not to say this is now a cool weather region, the tasting notes indicate it was a great growing vintage because the temperature only went over 100 degrees eight times. It can get hot during the summer if the nights are significantly cooler and the morning fog delays the days soaring temperatures.
This Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in 40% new French oak barrels and 60% neutral barrels for 12 months. A typical wine barrel can be used for 4 or 5 vintages before it no longer passes oak influence and flavors into the wine, at that point, it is considered neutral. It is often a complex math problem for the winemaker to achieve the desired amount of oak for a particular wine, 25% new, 30% one use, 40% 3rd use, and 5% neutral is the sort of thing they do to dial in just the right amount. So, if neutral barrels don't impart any flavor, why use them? A winemaker told me that when they age the wine in stainless steel tanks no air (oxygen) can get to the wine, but with an oak barrel a tiny amount of air can seep in and that small amount of air interacts with the wine. The wine aged in a barrel is slightly different than wine aged in stainless steel and with wine, small differences mean a lot. The alcohol content is 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is garnet red with black highlights. The nose is sweet blueberry, extracted blackberry, light baking spice, black cherry, dark chocolate, menthol, and vanilla. The Cabernet has a soft, but chewy mouthfeel, the rounded flavors are upfront and the tart flavors on the mid-palate. It starts with blackberry, black pepper, licorice, tart cherry, chocolate powder, and plum. The mid-palate adds cranberry, spice (with a little bite), creamy blueberry, orange zest, and cinnamon. The tannins are smooth and the acidity allows all the flavors (and there is a lot of flavors) to unfold. The finish is surprisingly mild and subtle but does last. The Summary
- Yes, Lodi is primarily known for Zinfandel, but I think it provides great value for drink-it-now Cabernet Sauvignon. Yes, it is riper than Napa, Sonoma, and Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon, but Lodi Cabs sure do taste good.
- The Freakshow Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon is a delicious estate-grown Cab at a value price. I found it for $15 on sale and that is a bargain for estate fruit, French oak, and a top-quality winery.
The Story The La Ferme Julien Rose' 2018 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's not very exclusive Rose' blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah sourced from vineyards in France. Not very exclusive since the La Ferme (The Farm) is the same wine as Famille Perin's La Vielle Ferme Rose'. Each wine, La Ferme and La Vielle have their own websites that are exactly the same. The Trader Joe's version sells for $5.99 and a quick check of the web shows the La Vielle offered for $7.99. The TJ's has a goat on the label, the Famille Perin has a couple of chickens, other than that it is the same wine.
This Rose' is designated a Vin de France wine, which used to be Table Wine, the lowest category of wine. But now it isn't that cut and dry, it is more of a designation that allows French wine to compete with California, Spanish, South African, Australian, and other wines. In the US all wines are table wines, there are no quality classifications. In France, they have strict classifications with tight rules that didn't always allow French wines to compete price-wise with wines from different countries. So, Vin de France enables the winemakers to make the wines they need to compete and not have to follow all the rules and regulations.
This Rose' is intended as an everyday drink-it-now wine. It was produced in the Saignée method which is the traditional way they made Rose' before it became popular. With the Saignée method, the grapes are crushed and when the juice takes on the desired color a portion of the juice is sent to its own tank for fermentation and the remaining juice is left to become Red wine. Today, the common way to make Rose' is the Direct Press method. Here the grapes are intended to produce Rose' from the start and after crushing the grapes the skins are removed, at the end of the winemaking process, Red wine is added to the clear juice to give the Rose' uniform color. I can't tell by tasting which method was used and the Direct Press Method is a result of Rose' popularity and the need to produce large quantities. The alcohol content is 13%. The Tasting Notes The color is a clear, pale amber pink. The nose is crisp and lightly floral with notes of red berries, melon, lemon, strawberry, a bit of spice, and white pepper. This is a crisp, bright, delicately fruity Rose', with balanced acidity. It tastes of strawberry, apple, spice, a touch of minerality, and a salty sensation. The mid-palate adds soft cherry and tart cranberry, along with tangerine. The acidity is well balanced, this is a very drinkable Rose'. The Summary
- The price difference shows exactly the kind of discounts that occur when stores contract for wine directly and pay upfront. Trader Joe's sells the wine for a 25% discount from the advertised price for this Rose' in on-line retail wine shops.
- This is a very solid, enjoyable Rose', in a blind tasting with Rose' under $20, I doubt if you could pick the La Ferme Julien Rose' 2018 out as the $5.99 wine.
The Story The Purple Moon Chardonnay is a non-vintage $3.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. There is not going to be much of a story here, I am pretty sure which winery produced this wine, and they are a quality winery. But other than that there isn't much information to go on. They don't spend a great deal of time writing technical notes for 4 bucks non-vintage White wine. The details are not going to "wow" you, the worth of the Purple Moon Chardonnay will be found in the tasting notes. If it does not taste good, a cheap price doesn't mean anything. The alcohol content is 13%. The Tasting Notes The color is a very clear, clean, pale, wheat yellow. The nose is not bad, apple, lemon, soft spice, a little peach, some pear, a hint of lime. The Purple Moon has a decent mouth-feel, not watery, not complicated, but has good flavor. It starts with grapefruit and lemon, followed by tart apple, and pear. The mid-palate shows white pepper, a touch of cream (this $3.99 Chard was aged "on lees"?), dried apricot and a salty, nutty sensation. The acidity is balanced, especially considering the price. The finish is full and lingers. The Summary
- Well, I was expecting nothing from this $3.99, non-vintage Chardonnay and instead, I got a tasty, very usable, very drinkable wine.
- In Europe, in places where they drink wine with every lunch and every dinner, they typically don't spend more for a bottle than the Purple Moon. The Purple Moon Chardonnay would fit into that scenario, with the right menu, this Chardonnay would work well.
- Don't judge it until you drink it. Wine is not priced on how it tastes. Cheap wines can thrill you and pricey wine can disappoint you.
The Story The Federalist Bourbon Barrel-Aged Red Blend 2016 is 76% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Carignane sourced from vineyards in the Mendocino County AVA of Northern California. This blend is aged in American oak casks for 6 months (35% new oak) and then transferred to Bourbon barrels (they do not specify the whiskey brand) for another 6 months. American oak has a more open grain than French oak and can impart more oak seasoning to wine, wine purists say it adds too much oak flavor. They say French oak is more subtle and nuanced and easier to control and is almost always used with wines that are meant to be aged. For drink-it-now wines, American oak, especially wines that are aged in oak for a shorter period of time, can add more flavor in less time.
Which leads us to wine barrels versus bourbon barrels. When wine oak barrels are produced the cooperage flames the inside to toast the interior of the barrel. Different levels of toast impart different flavors according to the winemaker's specification. Bourbon barrels are charred, whiskey has stronger flavors and higher alcohol content and more aggressive flavors are needed to add complementary notes. So lightly toasted American oak is too much for "fine wine drinkers", charred whiskey barrels is about 10 steps too far. Since the barrel previously contained Bourbon, those whiskey flavors have seeped into the oak and they too will be imparted into the wine. The flavor profile for Bourbon Barrel-Aged should have flavors added that are not typically present in regular bottlings. If the winemaker has a delicate hand in putting these elements together this should be an interesting experience. The alcohol is 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is dark, but see-thru garnet reb with black highlights. The nose is more subdued than I expected, toasty vanilla, baking spices, red berries, a touch of smoke, bacon fat, blackberry, there is a lot going on, but the aromas are laid-back. The Bourbon flavors are well integrated with the Red wine flavors, this is a big, bold Red, but not over the top. It tastes of blackberry, mocha coffee, pepper, spice, coconut cream, vanilla, and orange zest. The mid-palate offers tart cranberry, tea, milk chocolate, and exotic, slightly rough spice. There are many flavors to find in this Red blend. Considering all the American oak and the Bourbon influence this still tastes like a Merlot/ Cabernet Sauvignon blend. The finish is large and long. The Summary
- Bourbon Barrel-Aged red wine is an acquired taste, not everyone will enjoy the added flavor. I enjoy it, it is a nice change of pace, a fun experiment. I don't think I would place it in the regular rotation, but it does have a place on my wine schedule.
- There seem to be several Bourbon Barrel wine brands on the market at the moment. My advice is don't go too inexpensive, there are several offerings around or under $10. These wine usually don't have a budget for regular oak wine barrels and get their oak influence by alternative means, which probably indicates they get their bourbon barrel influence by other means (staves, oak chips, flavored oak powder). Stick with wine in a price range that uses decent oak barrels, around $15 is a good start.
The Story The Hopes End Red Wine Blend 2016 is a blend of 42% Shiraz/Syrah, 38% Grenache, 13% Malbec, and 7% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards in South Australia (near Adelaide). Hopes End is one of Trinchero Family Estates line of wines,
The Story The Federalist Mendocino Chardonnay 2017 is like the name says, 100% Chardonnay made from grapes farmed in Mendocino County in Northern California. Mendocino has all of the grape growing advantages of Sonoma, it is directly north of Sonoma, but does not have the name recognition of Sonoma. There are top-notch vineyards and wineries, that fly under the radar of the average wine drinker. One of the reason may be that for a long time Mendocino was the outlaw marijuana capital of California and marijuana is/was more profitable than wine. Just the same, excellent grapes are grown in Mendocino.
The Federalist Mendocino Chardonnay is produced with a nod to old-school California Chardonnays of Napa Valley and Sonoma, rich with creamy oak influence. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged "on lees", with the lees being stirred. The more you stir the lees the more the wine takes on a creamy texture. It is aged in oak 35% new, the rest used barrels, mostly Hungarian and American, with a little French oak. Hungarian oak and French oak are the same species, the forests are a few hundred miles apart. American oak is a different species of oak and while it is used in winemaking, but is more likely used in aging whiskey. The different types of oak impart different flavors into the wine during aging with the Hungarian and French oak adding spice, while the American oak adds vanilla. The alcohol content is a rich 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a clean, clear, golden wheat yellow. The nose is apple, peach, pear, lemon chiffon, sweet vanilla, a whiff of spice, and a little cookie batter. This is a full-flavored Chardonnay, with rich smooth tastes and ample acidity. It starts with a stew of apple, grapefruit, and vanilla cream, followed by peach and butter. The mid-palate offers exotic spice, a little tropical fruit, lime, orange zest, pear, and lemon. The acidity makes its presence known but does not bite. The finish is full and lengthy. The Summary
- The Federalist Mendocino County Chardonnay 2017 is a modern take on old-school Chardonnay. Yes, there is the oak influence, but it is there to add flavor, not dominate the wine.
- This is a Chardonnay with all the production tricks yet is affordable, a check of the web saw prices from above $10 to around $15.
- Chardonnay fads seem to swing between no oak to too much oak, but the Federalist finds a sweet spot in the middle (ok, maybe a little on the oak side), where the oak just adds to the flavor.
The Story The Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors 2016 is a blend of Syrah and old-vine Grenache farmed in estate vineyards in the Roussillon growing area of southeast France, just above the border with Spain.
The Story The Plus and Plus Brut (or +&+ on the label) is a non-vintage blend of 3 indigenous Catalonian grapes, 30% Xarello, 50% Macabeo, and 20% Parellada has grown on the Penedes region of eastern Spain, near Barcelona.
The Story The Sphere Central Coast Chardonnay 2017 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. The Central Coast AVA runs along California coast just north of Los Angeles to San Francisco. The only information we have on this Chardonnay is what is written on t...
The Story The Trader Joe's Reserve Amador County Zinfandel Lot 185 2016 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. Amador County is 100 miles east of San Francisco, as far north as Napa County, but on the other side of Sacramento in the foothills of the Sierr...
The Story The Riondo Prosecco Spago Nero is 100% Glera grape from the DOC portion of the Prosecco region of Veneto in Northern Italy. The Spago Nero differs from the usual Prosecco in that this is Frizzante which refers to the pressure (atmospheres) inside the bottle. A typical Prosecco will have about 3 atmospheres of pressure (Champagne has 6 or 7) and a Frizzante Bubbly will have 1 or 2, in other words, light bubbles. The name Spago Nero translates to a black string. It refers to the original enclosure, which is still available, where the top is tied with a black string, this particular bottle had a screw cap. Bubbly with hefty atmospheres in the bottle need a big cork and cage, Frizzante can get away with a modest cap. The Spago Nero is also the #1 selling Prosecco is Italy.
The Riondo is a medium sweet Bubbly, but with Sparkling wine, solid acidity can balance the sugar so it doesn't seem quite so sweet. Riondo is a huge winery with almost 16,000 acres of vineyards, but they have only been in business for 11 years. As per usual, Prosecco gets its bubbles from the Charmat Method, pressurized stainless steel vats. Not only are the bubbles less fizzy, but the alcohol content is also a rather modest 10.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a pale golden yellow, with plenty of energetic bubbles. The nose is delicate and light, lemon, melon, green apple, light spice, and pear. This is a medium-bodied Bubbly, fruit forward and the acidity does balance the sugar. It tastes of green apple, pear, dried apricot bits, and lemon chiffon. The mid-palate adds a salty, nutty sensation, and juicy peach. The acidity is just below lip-smacking good, but it does an admirable job of keeping the sugar/sweetness balanced. The finish is subtle and lengthy. The Summary
- I can see why the Riondo Prosecco Spago Nero is the #1 Prosecco in Italy, it is super easy to drink. It goes down easy, the light bubbles and the low alcohol can keep you going for a long time without ill effects.
- This is an excellent party Bubbly, where you want your guests to have a nice Bubbly, but you need low alcohol so they can get home safely.
- A light and delicate Bubbly, with enough flavor to keep you interested and asking for more.
The Podcast This is a Quake And Dave Podcast about the Federalist Honest Red Blend 2016 a wine that they first got to sample while at a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. The game didn't work as a welcoming place to do wine reviews,
The Story The Petiole Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2017 is an $8.99 Trader Joe's exclusive, we reviewed 2015 Petiole and that vintage sold for $9.99. The 2015 version had a Fearless Flyer write-up which indicated the Pinot was made by a large Oregon p...
The Story The Belleruche Rose' 2016 is a blend of 50% Grenache, 40% Syrah, and 10% Cinsault sourced from vineyards in the Cotes du Rhone region of France. This Rose' is made by M. Chapoutier Winery, they have been producing wine in the Rhone for over ...
The Story The Capela Santa Margarida Red 2016 is a blend of 40% Aragonez (Tempranillo), 40% Trincadeira (a local varietal) and 20% Alicante Bouschet (a hybrid grape mostly used in blends) farmed in vineyards in the Alentejano region of southern Portug...
The Story The Federalist Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Zinfandel, and 2% Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc farmed in vineyards in the Lodi AVA in California. Lodi is located in California's Central Valley,
The Story Quake & Dave talk about the Band of Roses Rose' 2018, a Rose' that is made from a White grape, Pinot Gris. Pinot Gris can have red grape skins, so, therefore, it can be turned into a Rose' wine. I love Charles Smith Wines online tasting note...
The Story The Simpler Wines Too Canny Rose' is a $2.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes from Australia. That is about all I know about the juice that is in the can, so this will be a story about canned wine. The can 375 ml.
The Story The Tenacity Winemaker's Blend 2016 is made by Two Hands Wines from old vine Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and Mourvedre farmed on vineyards in McLaren Vale, South Australia. Two Hands produced the WInemaker's Blend,
The Podcast Story Quake and Dave drink canned wine, actually not just any can of wine, but Underwood Oregon Bubbly In A Can, "The Bubbles". The grapes come from 78% Willamette Valley and 22% Applegate Valley of Oregon.
The Story The Susana Balbo Crios Torrontés 2017 is sourced from vineyards in 2 regions of Argentina, the Uco Valley in Mendoza (the middle of Argentina) and Cafayate in Salta (Northwest Argentina). Both regions are high up in the foothills (1,
The Story This podcast has Quake and Dave talking about, Wine @ Wrigley Field and a food and wine festival, Chicago Gourmet at Millennium Park. - 1)Terlato and Federalist Wines took us to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field to drink wine.
The Story The Overlake Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is a $4.99 Trader Joe's exclusive, produced by the Nice Wine Company from vineyards in the Lake County AVA of Northern California. There actually was a Nice Wine Company,
The Story The Maison de Joie Brut Sparkling Wine is a non-vintage $11.49 ALDI wine produced in New Mexico from mostly New Mexico vineyards, but also grapes from California and Washington. The name translates to "House of Joy".
The Story The Angeline Reserve Pinot Noir 2017 is produced from vineyards in coastal Mendocino County, along with a smaller portion of grapes from the Russian River AVA and the Carneros AVA. Angelina is a family owned and operated winery and vineyards...
The Story The 90+ Cellars Languedoc Rose' Lot 33 2018 is an AOC designated wine sourced from grapes from several vineyards located in the foothills of the Cevennes Mountains in the Languedoc region of south central France.
The Story The Exquisite Collection Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018 is an $8.49 ALDI import exclusive. Marlborough is located on the Northwest tip of New Zealand's South Island, most of the nationally distributed NZ Sauvignon Blanc com...
The Story The Cachai Chardonnay 2018 is a $3.99 Trader Joe's import exclusive sourced from vineyards in Chile. Normally when you see wine from Chile the label will show the Central Valley or some smaller valley as place of origin,
The Story The TJ's Grand Reserve Sonoma Meritage 2013-Lot 92 is a Trader Joe's limited edition $12.99 Bordeaux Blend comprised of Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon. A 12.99 Sonoma Meritage Red Blend isn't all that unusual,
The Story The Burlwood Extra-Dry Sparkling Wine (ALDI) is a $4.99 non-vintage ALDI exclusive made for them by a winery located in Modesto, California. ALDI does not tell us what grapes are used, at $4.99 there is no money left over for niceties like t...
The Story The Sierra de Viento Garnacha 2016 is sourced from vineyards in the Cariñena region of the Aragon DO in Northeast Spain. Cariñena is an old wine producing region, it was founded by the Romans. Its funny that virtually every wine producing ar...
The Podcast The Prayers of Sinners Red is a blend of 90% Syrah and 10% Merlot sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington. This Red Blend is a companion wine to Prayers of Saints Chardonnay. They share a label concept.
The Story The Moonlight & Roses Coteau d’Aix en Provence Rosé 2018 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's import exclusive sourced from the Aix region of Provence in the south of France. The Coteau d'Aix AOC is located in the northwest side of Provence and is 2nd in...
The Story The Jezebel Oregon Pinot Noir 2017 is a blend of 52% Willamette Valley and 48% Southern Oregon grapes. There are 5 AVAs due south of Willamette Valley. While most of these areas tend to be warmer and dry,
The Podcast The Matanzas Creek Alexander Valley Chardonnay 2018 is one of the Jackson Family Wines stable of labels. Matanzas Creek Winery has produced wine for over 4 decades. The grapes are sourced from Estate vines using Clone 4, Clone 76, 72,
The Story The Giretto Pinot Grigio 2018 is a $5.49 ALDI exclusive sourced from the Dell Venezie region of Northeast Italy. The 2018 version of the Giretto seems to be something of an upgrade. Past vintages of this Pinot Grigio were designated IGP wine...
The Story The Grifone 1967 Toscana 2014 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's wine, sourced from grapes from the Tuscany region of Italy. This wine is also known as a "Super Tuscan", which is Sangiovese blended with French varietal grapes,
The Story The M.Chevallier Brut Cava is a Trader Joe's $5.99 exclusive sourced from vineyards near Barcelona in northeast Spain. The trademark for this Cava is owned by the oldest and 2nd largest Cava producer in Spain. It is also imported by their own wine importation company, so they are not hiding anything. Trader Joe's does not provide technical information for this Cava. So, will go over some details usually found in value-priced Spanish Bubbly. The traditional grapes used in Cava are Macabeo, Xarello, and Parellada. These are the local indigenous Catalonian grapes found in most Cava's, though occasionally Chardonnay is used. Cava is produced with the Traditional Method, the same method used to produce Champagne. I will discuss the Traditional Method, Champagne & Cava, vs. the Charmat Method, Prosecco, in the companion podcast. Most regular, not Reserve Cava's, are not expensive. But a $5.99 Cava, from a leading winery, is an extremely good price. There are not many reasons to not give it a try. A 6 buck Bubbly that is average is still a bargain. The alcohol content is a reasonable 11.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a clear, clean, pale gold, with teeny, tiny bubbles. The nose is slightly floral, citrus notes, a hint of honey, and crisp apple. The M.Chevallier Brut Cava (Trader Joe's) bright, crisp Cava, with solid, but balanced acidity. It tastes of tart grapefruit, green apple, lemon/lime, and Bosc pear. The mid-palate adds a salty, nutty flavor and apricot. The acidity is balanced, which is excellent at this price point. I can think of a few budget Cava's that are acid bombs, they are ok with food, but hard to sip on their own. The finish is subtle, but lingers. The Summary * The M.Chevallier Brut Cava (Trader Joe's) isn't just an everyday Bubbly, at this price it is a twice a day Bubbly. * While not the most detailed and complex Bubbly, it does taste very good. * A $5.99 Cava/ Bubbly that is worth drinking, is something to behold.
The Story The Franciscan Napa & Monterey Chardonnay 2017 is sourced from vineyards in 63% Napa County (mostly Carneros and Southern Napa) and 37% Monterey County (including Arroyo Secco and San Bernabe). These are excellent Chardonnay growing regions where the average Chardonnay is far more expensive than the Franciscan's $14.99 list price. The list price for a wine and the price that you see on a wine shop shelf are rarely the same. Wines in this price range are often discounted. I actually found it in Chicago for $7.99, but that is something I will touch on in the companion podcast. This is a value priced Chardonnay with boutique-like technical details. The Franciscan Napa & Monterey Chardonnay 2017 under went malolactic fermentation and was aged "on lees". Portions of the Chardonnay was fermented with native yeast. That is the yeast that naturally floats in the air and also attached itself to the grape skin. 76% of the wine was fermented in oak barrels, 24% in stainless steel tanks. The barrel fermented portion was aged an additional 7 months in small French and American oak barrels. 30% of the barrels are new, the rest used. They even name the cooperage (the company that made the barrels) in the tasting notes. I can't remember ever seeing that detail in a wine in this price range. The Franciscan Chardonnay 2017 is a wine sourced from top-notch Chardonnay growing areas. Has production techniques that are common in far more expensive Chardonnay. But is priced with the value wines. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is husky melon and lemon, with sweet peach and pear, green apple and lime, spring flowers and a little spice. This is a medium-bodied Chardonnay, full flavored, with nice viscous mouth-feel. It tastes of a mix of peach and lemon, ripe Golden delicious apple, candy spice (not sweet), and Bosc pear. The mid-palate rocks, French vanilla, guava and custard, with a light slap of butterscotch. The acidity is well-balanced, though I think this is more of a sipping wine. Mainly because of the strong and distinct flavors, it may not balance well with all foods. But if you can get inspired and match up the flavors you should be well rewarded. The finish lingers for quite some time. The Summary * The Franciscan Napa & Monterey Chardonnay 2017 is an extremely well priced Chardonnay at its list price, it is a "think about buying a case" wine at the $7.99 price I found it at. * If you are worried about all the oak with barrels being used for both fermentation and aging, don't worry too much. This is "new" California Chardonnay, not the "old school" butter bombs of a decade ago. * This Chardonnay will stack up well with most Chardonnay under $25. Of course, preferring certain wines is subjective, but this is a quality Chardonnay.
The Story The Domaine de la Prébende Beaujolais 2017 is a AOP Beaujolais Villages designated Gamay Red wine. The actual name of this bottling is the Anna Asmaquer Beaujolais Villages 2017, but you will only find this in small print on the back label. Anna is the Great Grandmother of the winemaker, Ghislaine Dupeuble, of Domaine Dupeuble of Beaujolais. The Domaine de la Prébende Beaujolais is from the Kermit Lynch Wine Collection. Kermit Lynch is a very well-respected wine importer and one of the things to remember about import wine is "follow the importer". If you find a wine from that importer that you love there is a good chance you will find others in their collection that speak to you. The Domaine Prébende Beaujolais is a cuvee, not because it is a blend of different grapes, it's 100% Gamay. But because it is a blend of vineyards, the grapes come from 89 year old vines, 79 year old vines, and 39 year old vines. If this were a California wine there would be "old vines" written in large letters on the label, but that is not how they do things in France. This Beaujolais is produced the traditional way, natural yeasts, no added sugar and the wine is unfiltered, meaning there may be some grape sediment in your glass. There are records of Gamay being grown in this region since the 1300s. Beaujolais has a couple of categories to keep in mind. The first is wines simply called Beaujolais, these are wines produced from villages (about 100) thru-out the region. The next category is Beaujolais Villages, these wines are produced from grapes grown near 38 designated villages. And finally the top category, Beaujolais Cru, which are sourced from a vineyard near one of 10 villages. The Domaine Prébende is a Villages wine, but that does not mean the grapes came from all 38 villages, it looks like no more than 3. If a Villages wine comes from grapes grown near only 1 village, they can put the village name on the label. So, you have one grape, Gamay, and only a hand full of classifications to figure out. That makes Beaujolais one of the easier growing areas to get a handle on. The Gamay grape will remind you of Pinot Noir. Beaujolais is located on the southern side of Burgundy, the top Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing district in the world. Champagne is on the north side of Burgundy, they use Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, too. Since Burgundian wines and Champagne are seen as Premium growing regions, Beaujolais and Gamay wines are comparatively under the radar and far more affordable. I found this wine for $12.99 and excellent Beaujolais wines are available for under $25. The Cru Beaujolais tend to be age worthy wines and can get pricey, but the rest are relative bargains. Tasting Notes The color is garnet with black highlights. The nose is ripe red berries and a savory note, a touch of spice, a little pepper, with a light floral edge. The Domaine Prébende Beaujolais has an interesting mix of New World fruit and Old World structure. Yes, it is fruit-forward, but it is still very French. It tastes of tart cherry, a touch of herbs, a slap of black pepper, plums and spice. There is a nice "edge" to this Gamay, that you rarely encounter in $12.99 American wines. This is a versatile food wine, there is enough structure to do well this roasts and grilled meats and would do equally well with Easter ham. This is a wine where the acidity engages your palate, while the finish isn't particularly strong, it doesn't fade. The Summary * When buying European wines follow the Importer. They tend to have "house styles", if you like one there is a good chance you will like others. The actual name of this wine is in small print on the back label. Kermit Lynch's name is on the front label on top.
The Story The King Rabbit Rose' 2018 seems to be a Whole Foods $9.99 exclusive sourced from the Languedoc in southwestern France. The King Rabbit Rose' is made with the Cinsault grape, which is one of the main blending grapes of the region. Cinsault is also one of the grapes featured in the Rose' wines of Provence. This Rose' is designated an IGP wine, which is one step below AOC wines. IGP indicates the wine exhibits the characteristics of the region, but for some reason didn't conform to AOC rules and regulations. The King Rabbit Rose' is one of 10 Rose' wines that Whole Foods is featuring for the spring and summer. All 10 Rose' wines are selling for less than $20, with most closer to $10. For some reason, the only products for sale at Whole Foods that are reasonably priced are the wine. I choose King Rabbit Rose' 2018 for the label. With Easter dinners coming up, this is a wine that will pair with baked ham, and double as decoration. The label shows a bunny, not an Easter Bunny, but close enough for the occasion. I am usually skeptical of wines with labels specifically designed for special occasions. Even young wines can last a year or two, so why offer a wine that can only sell for 1 month? The King Rabbit Rose' is a passable stand-in the Easter Bunny. The alcohol content is 12%. The Tasting Notes The color is on the apricot side of pink. The nose is pretty, there is a real spring-time in a bottle sensation happening. There are aromas of peach, pear, ripe, juicy apple, fresh lime, soft lemon, with a light floral edge. This is a dry, fruit forward, not particularly complex, but tasty Rose'. It tastes of strawberry, a touch of cream, and a slightly harder slap of spice. The mid-palate shows black cherry, a salty sensation, and dried cranberry. The acidity is very good, this is a backyard sipping Rose' and a versatile Rose' with the meal. The finish is mild but does last awhile. The Summary * The King Rabbit Rose' will pair well with an Easter ham, and work nicely as a summer sipper * This is one of those wines that more you sip the better it tastes, it grows on you * When you shop Whole Foods, buy the wine, but avoid the $14 frozen pizzas and the $12 bunch of grapes
The Story The Nick Goldschmidt Fidelity Alexander Valley Railroad Estate Zinfandel 2017 is 88% Zinfandel and 12% Petite Sirah sourced from the Railroad Estate vineyard in Alexander Valley, Sonoma, California.
The Story The Rain Cloud Red Blend 2016 is a $5.99 wine from Trader Joe's. This is a bit of a mystery wine, there is no official information for it on the web. The Rain Cloud Red won a Silver Medal in the Cabernet Sauvignon based Red blend category at the San Fransisco Chronicle Wine Competition, it was the least expensive ($9.99) wine in the category. There was also no mention of this wine being affiliated with Trader Joe's. So, what can we tell from the bottle? The bottle is a heavy, this is no light weight eco-bottle, which you would expect for a $5.99 wine. Light weight bottle means less bottle cost and lower shipping costs since shipping is determined by weight. The label is two colors, which helps with reducing printing costs, but is well done and attractive, the black and gold looks good. It is a 2016 vintage, which gives the Rain Cloud a fair amount of bottle age. A Cabernet Sauvignon based Red wine will need time to come together to reach its peak. It looks like the Rain Cloud Red was given the proper time. The winery listed on the back is a faux-winery, probably created just for this wine. The wine competition tells us that the Rain Cloud Red Blend was not produced to sell for $5.99, but $9.99. How it became a Trader Joe's wine, I don't know. But it is an award-winning (Silver Medal) wine that originally sold for almost ten bucks. The alcohol content is a typical for California, 14.5%. The Tasting Notes The color is an opaque cranberry red with black highlights. The nose is dark berries and spice, with dusty chocolate powder, and a slightly herbal edge. This Red blend has medium+ body and a flavor profile that hits way harder than $5.99. It tastes of ripe black cherry, a slap of exotic, slightly sharp spice, tart cranberry, and chocolate bar chocolate. The mid-palate offers blackberry and cream, and a late hit of black licorice. The tannins are smooth and so is the acidity. This is a smooth wine with an occasion slap of sharp flavors, which gives the wine a little personality. The finish is full and lasts a respectable time. The Summary * This is a killer Red Blend at $5.99. At closer to $10 the Rain Cloud Red Blend will have some competition, but at $5.99 it is a standout. * Don't be afraid of trying very cheap Trader Joe's wines. Five years ago a $5.99 probably was not going to be a pleasant experience. Today, more often than not they deliver way above their price tag. * With very inexpensive wine, the bottle itself will give you clues. Learn how to read what to read what the bottle is telling you. An eco-bottle and a boring label should indicate a wine where they cut corners to reach a price-point. Heavy bottle and an artistic label may mean a wine that somehow fell into the lower price range.
The Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 (Target) is a $9.99 Target exclusive sourced from vineyards in California. Target also offers their California Roots line of $5.00 wines, which I thought were "ok" but not anything special. It is hard to be too critical of a decent five buck wine. Should we expect a wine twice as good for ten dollars? Target doesn't give a great deal of information on The Collection, so lets see what we can figure out from the bottle. The back label shows a winery from Manteca, California (Lodi), the winery name was created just for these particular wines. There is a large and very good, family owned vineyards and winery in Manteca, they have produced custom wines for Trader Joe's and I think, ALDIs. They also produce many retail wine labels on their own that are excellent value wines. I can't be completely sure that they produced The Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2016, but if they did that is a good sign. This is a 2016 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, which gives a wine released in March of 2019 some decent bottle age. Cabernet Sauvignon is a wine that takes some time to come together, you expect some sort of oak conditioning to be well-integrated into the flavor profile and the tannins to reasonably smooth. That takes some aging to complete and The Collection Cab doesn't skimp. The alcohol content is a very California, 14.5%. Tasting Notes The color is a dark, but still see-thru black cherry red. The nose is blackberries, a touch of herbs, a little spice, a little chocolate and a little vanilla. This wine has medium + body, with balanced flavors and decent structure. It tastes of blackberries, French vanilla, tart cranberry, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds a little Altoids spice, raspberry, and a touch of milk chocolate. The tannins do not bite, but provide solid structure, many value-priced Red wines try to hide their tannins, not here. The acidity is balanced, this can be a food wine, steaks on the grill anyone? The finish starts off strong, but is a little short. Summary * The Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 is very competitive with Cabs in the value price category * Exclusive store brands have price advantages over regular retail wines, this $9.99 Cab Sauv is equal to Cabs in the $13 to $14 range * The Collection Cabernet Sauvignon is $9.99 and, yes, it is twice as good as the $5.00 Target California Roots Cab Sauvignon
The d'Arenberg Stump Jump GSM 2014 is a blend of 38% Grenache, 32% Shiraz/Syrah, and 30% Mourvedre sourced from vineyards in the McLaren Vale region of South Australia. McLaren Vale is one of the premier winemaking regions in Australia, it is located near the city of Adelaide, near a bay on land that juts out into the Ocean. Inland Australia can get extremely hot and dry, but the proximity to the Ocean gives McLaren Vale a Mediterranean climate well suited for grape vines. Stump Jump (the name refers to a plow) is d'Arenberg's value priced line of wines. A GSM is one of France's 2 great Red wine blends. The Bordeaux blend, Cabernet Sauvignon plus Merlot, with a couple of other blending grapes is the best known, mainly since this blend is popular with winemakers in Northern California. The GSM blend is mage popular by the wines of the Southern Rhone Valley and especially in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The grapes came from olde bush vines, the grapes were crushed with a basket press, which is the old way the crushing grapes, they now often use huge hydraulic presses, and was fermented in open-top vats. Again, open-top vats are an older method of grape fermentation, it runs the rick of allowing too much oxygen interact with the juice if not done right. But if performed correctly it gives the wine bright juicy flavors and allows the wine to come together in a shorter period of time. Tasting Notes The color is dark, but still see-thru raspberry jam red with black highlights. The nose is jammy berries, with savory aromas and mint, a little tea, a little spice, and a hint of baking fudge brownies. This is a flavorful smooth wine, with a bit of spice on the mid-palate. The current vintage of the Stump Jump GSM is 2016, these wines aren't made to last forever, so drink the 2014 before too long. It tastes of extracted blackberry, tart cranberry, licorice, tea, and herbs. The mid-palate adds a solid dose of spice, including orange zest, soft blueberry, and dusty chocolate powder. The acidity is nicely balanced and the finish vibrates in your mouth for quite some time. Summary * The d'Arenberg Stump Jump GSM is a very solid value priced red. The 3 grapes in the blend bring out the best in each other * If you are getting a little bored with the usual California red blends, try a GSM, it will jump start your palate, tons of flavors, texture and bright acidity * I found Jump Stump GSM on sale for $9.99 and it is a very satisfying, tasty ten buck Red * Here are a couple of links to Stump Jump wines that we have featured in the past: Stump Jump GSM 2011 and the Stump JumpShiraz 2010
The Villa Sandi ilFresco Brut Prosecco is a DOC classified non-vintage Bubbly, 85% Glera, 15% Chardonnay & Pinot Blanc sourced from the Treviso region of Veneto (Venice) in Northeast Italy. Villa Sandi has been a wine estate since 1622, though Prosecco, as we know it today, has only been around for a little over 100 years. The il Fresco in the name translates to "fresh" and that refers to their production technique of refrigerating the crushed juice until it is needed. Then they ferment the juice a first time and then transfer the wine to a huge autoclave (a pressurized tank, it keeps the CO2 gasses released during fermentation from escaping) to ferment the wine a 2nd time (this is where the bubbles are formed), this method is called the Charmat Method. The wine is fermented in the autoclave (a much larger version of the machine that sterilized surgical and tattoo equipment) for 2 months "on lees". On lees indicated the dead yeast is left in the tank with the juice, it will add flavor and structure. By waiting to produce the Bubbly until needed for sale, it is always fresh and lively. As a non-vintage wine, the Villa Sandi Brut Prosecco is blended each year with juice from earlier vintages to insure the final outcome always reflects the "house style". With Sparkling wine, all the producers (in Prosecco and Champagne) use the same grapes, from the same general local, and use the same production methods. The important differences come from the small details, in the vineyard and during the wine production that allows the Bubbly to have its own unique personality. The alcohol content is 11%. The color is a mix of gold and platinum, with loads of highly energetic bubbles. The nose is crisp and clean, slightly yeasty, with aromas of lemons, limes, apples, pear, and a soft floral edge. This is a soft, rounded Bubbly, with an excellent dose of acidity. It starts with crisp Green apple, Meyer lemon, not too tart grapefruit, the "on lees" adds a salty nutty sensation. The mid-palate adds fresh lime and not sweet peach. The flavors are all well-balanced and the acidity will activate your palate. You will find yourself reaching for another sip without actively thinking about. The finish is crisp, clean and fairly lengthy. Summary * Second fermentation lasted 2 months, which is a solid length of time for an entry-level Italian Sparkling wine. The longer the time the better the integration of the bubbles. * The addition of Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc adds contrast to the usual Glera grape Prosecco flavor profile * The House Style, with all Bubbly, is a very important consideration. I used to buy which ever Prosecco was on sale. I think it is time to start thinking about the Prosecco that is "right" for me. The difference between the price of the "sale" Prosecco and what will be my favorite Prosecco isn't that large. So buy your favorite.
The Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Santa Lucia Highland Pinot Noir Lot 80 2017 is 100% Pinot Noir exclusive Trader Joe's $12.99 wine sourced from a vineyard or vineyards from a very high-end exclusive Pinot Noir growing area in Monterey County, California. Here is a Trader Joe's Grand Reserve from Carneros. The Santa Lucia Highlands are located on the eastern foothills of a Coastal Mountain Range just south of the Monterey Bay, south of San Francisco. There was also a 2016 Lot 80 Pinot Noir, so this isn't a one-off wine, but a limited quantity wine, when it sells out that is it until the next vintage, if there is a next vintage. A family owned California winery who produce a popular line of Trader Joe's exclusive affordable wines also own an excellent vineyard in the northern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands, I won't name the winery since I have no information that they have any involvement in the Lot 80 Pinot Noir, but they would be a prime suspect. The back label says it was "vinted and bottled by" Avid Winery, but they do not seem to be an active winery, their website and their Facebook page is dormant). Santa Lucia Highland Pinot Noir usually retails in the $25 to $75 range, so $12.99 is a substantial savings. The Trader Joe's Lot 80 Pinot Noir was aged in 50% French oak and 50% American oak for 5 months, which is a shorter aging period and using a larger % of American oak than the more expensive Pinot Noir (the expensive stuff would only use French oak), but isn't out of line with the lower end of the Santa Lucia Highland Pinots. The alcohol content is 14.6% which is heavy for a Pinot Noir, the Pinot purists have a fit with any wine over 12.5%. The color is very encouraging it looks like expensive Pinot Noir, crystal clear, see-thru garnet red. The nose is solid, cherry, herbs, bacon fat, soft spice, mushroom, hints of mocha and black pepper. This is a Pinot Noir that the flavors build on your palate and it may be a little young, there is an edge to the mid-palate that should calm down with time. It tastes of black cherry mixed with Thanksgiving herbs, exotic spice, sweet strawberry, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds tart cranberry, cold coffee (with cream), sharp tannins, orange zest mixed with soothing, ripe plums. The tannins have a little grip to them and the acidity is solid, there is plenty of length to allow the flavors to unfold. As for the finish, this is a wine that takes hold of your palate and does not want to give it up. Summary * Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Santa Lucia Highland Pinot Noir Lot 80 2017 is a legitimate Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir at an unheard of price * They may have used some production techniques to help facilitate the $12.99 price point, but I would say the grapes are top-notch * This Pinot Noir is probably a little young, it is very drinkable, but if you can put it away for a year or so it may really show well (it is hard to say for sure, since people rarely cellar these types of wine) * Cheapwinefinder says, there are some great Pinot wineries operating in the Santa Lucia Highlands and if you are curious about their wines the Trader Joe's Lot 80 isn't a bad starting point
The Prayers of the Saints Chardonnay 2017 is 100% Chardonnay sourced from vineyards in Washington State. I have noticed that wine that once had Columbia Valley as the place of origin on the label now say Washington State, they must be looking to promote Washington since the Columbia Valley produces 99% of the wine in Washington. Prayers of the Saints Chardonnay (there is also a Prayer of the Sinners Red Blend) is a new label from Chateau Ste Michelle, the largest winery in Washington. This Chardonnay has some interesting features, 7% of the juice is "Black Chardonnay", no, that isn't a type of Chardonnay, it is Chardonnay that became oxidized early in the winemaking process. If you saw the movie "Bottle Shock" you are familiar with its symptoms, the Chardonnay turns a nasty brown color before reverting to the golden Chardonnay hue we all know. In the movie it was accidental, but here, it is intentional. It is a technical process I don't quite understand, but if it occurs early in the process it is beneficial and if the wine oxidizes late in the winemaking you have major problems. The winemakers say it reduces bitterness and adds rich, complex flavor and it is something that you would not expect in a Chardonnay selling in the $10 to $13 range. 76% of the juice was fermented and aged in stainless steel vats and 24% in 53% French oak and 47% American oak barrels, no new barrels, but a mix of 1 and 2 year old barrels. French and American oak are two different species of oak and they have different grain structure and impart different flavors. So these various percentages add up to a very detailed and precise oak flavoring to the wine. I always say no 2 winemakers produce Chardonnay the same way, while there are many similarities from one Chard to another there is always something at least a little different and the Prayer of the Saints may be markedly different. The packaging of the wine also stands out, the label is a mashup of medieval skeletons and Salvador Dali-like painting of praying saints. And here is the labels party trick...the back label says that if you are a saint or a sinner the truth will be revealed in the dark (so be sure the front label is exposed to bright light) because when the lights are cut the label becomes a glow in the dark praying skeleton. So it looks like according to this Chardonnay we are all sinners, they're probably right. The alcohol content is 13.5%, not that sinners worry about such things. The color is wheat yellow with a golden tint. The nose is on the husky side, melon, lemon, peach, pear, French vanilla, baking spice, apple, and flowers. This is a fruit-forward smooth, medium-bodied Chardonnay, with lip smacking acidity (that's a good thing). It tastes of a mix of peach, pear, lime, and lemon curd, ripe green apple, and vanilla cream. The mid-palate offers hint of spice, a salty sensation, and pink lemonade, followed by melon. The acidity allows the Chardonnay to be an appealing sipping wine and also pair well with upscale summer salads and cold seafood, shrimp, oysters, and crab legs. The finish mirrors the body of the wine and hangs around for a respectable length of time. Summary * You saw the Bottle Shock movie now you can kind of taste what they were talking about, two very different Chardonnays, but it isn't everyday, especially in this price range, that you get to experience "Black Chardonnay". * You can choose a wine by the label, wine with skulls and/or skeletons on the label have never let me down and you can add bonus points for glow-in-the-dark skeletons * Washington State wines offer a great deal of taste and quality in the value price wine class * The "Black Chardonnay" adds a hint of sweetness, this is basically a "dry" wine, but there is ripe, sweet fruit around the edges of the flavor profile
The Oxte The Silence Red Blend 2017- Trader Joe's is a Trader Joe's $5.99 import exclusive, a blend of 40% Tempranillo, 25% Syrah, 25% Garnacha (same as Grenache) and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from vineyards in the Cariñena region of Northeast Spain. Oxte is the Spanish word for "shoo" as in shoo fly, to swat something away. The Oxte is produced by Axial Wines, who also make the TJ's LaGranja 360 wines, which are Spain's version of 2 Buck Chuck and to my taste about 3 times better, here is a link to LaGranja 360 Rosado 2016 and LaGranja 360 Verdejo Viura . I am usually impressed by how Axial Wines can produce a quality wine, with quality packaging for such a low price. They distribute over 500,000 cases (12 bottles to a case or over 6,000,000 bottles) of wine a year), I guess at that volume a little profit on each bottle adds up. Trader Joe's exclusive wines rarely have much in the way of technical information available and the Oxte actually has none, so everything we are going to learn about this Red Blend is going to come from the glass. The alcohol content is 14%. The color is a very dark raspberry jam red with black highlights. The nose does not say $5.99, it's sort of dark and brooding, black cherry, cinnamon, black pepper, at this price I doubt if there is any oak, but I think I am getting some vanilla, also licorice, and blackberry. This is a wine with a nice bit of weight on the palate, smooth and easy to drink. It tastes of blackberry and black cherry, plum, black pepper, and some spice lurking around the edges. The mid-palate adds some sweet licorice, raspberry jam (but not too sweet) and herbs. The tannins don't bite and the acidity has the length to let the flavors unfold, which is a high complete for a $5.99 red wine. The finish is full and stays around for a while. Summary * The Oxte The Silence doesn't look or taste like a sub-6 buck Red wine * This is a balanced, silky smooth Red blend, the flavors meld together * Use the Oxte as a "ringer" when blind tasting under $20 Spanish reds, you will surprise everyone * Also try the LaGranja 360 wines, I am not crazy about every wine in the line-up, but 3/4 of them seriously rock for $4 to $6
The Dark Horse Brut Sparkling Wine is a non-vintage Chardonnay based Bubbly sourced from grapes grown in more than one California grape growing/wine-producing AVA. Dark Horse is one of E & J Gallo's (the largest family owned winery in the US) many wine labels, here are links to our posts on Dark Horse Double Down Red and the 2014 Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon . Brut indicates that the Dark Horse is a dry or nor sweet Bubbly and Gallo owns top-notch vineyards thru-out California, so they have many sources for good quality Chardonnay grapes. Gallo and Dark Horse don't give out a great deal on information about the Bubbly, the website is more of a "lifestyle" site with little actual wine technical info. To the point where they don't indicate if this Sparkling wine was made in the Traditional Method (like Champagne) or the Charmat Method (like Prosecco). This isn't scientific but I have found that Bubbly that was made in the Traditional Method have that or Champenois Method (the same thing, this is what they call it in France) featured prominently on the label and Bubbly made in the Charmat Method tend to skip any mention of it. I don't know why, especially in this price range, but if you do either method with skill you can produce some fine tasting Bubbles. The alcohol content is 12%. The color is pale golden yellow is loads of active bubbles. On way you can tell a Champagne from a Prosecco is that the Champagne should have very tiny bubbles, but I find that figuring out whether the bubbles are tiny or very tiny isn't that easy. The nose is crisp and clean and slightly nectar sweet, there are flowers, and peach, apple, pear, soft lemon, and grapefruit. This is a crisp, clean Bubbly with little or no yeasty flavor (so that can indicate Charmat Method, right?). It tastes of crisp apple and pear, dry, with good lip smacking acidity, not a super complicated Bubbly, but a very pleasing flavor. The mid-palate offers a little minerality, a little salty, nutty sensation, and a slap of lemon/lime. Summary * The Dark Horse Brut is a well-made Bubbly, crisp and lean, with good control of the acidity * I have now decided that the bubbles are actually very tiny and not just tiny, but I still would guess the Charmat Method * The lip-smacking acidity and the salty/nutty thing on the mid-palate will having you reaching for your glass again and again * The dry, yet nectar sweet flavor profile is very enticing, a nice yin/yang effect * You should be able to find it selling for between $10 and $15 is the sweet spot for this type of California Bubbly. Too cheap and they tend to rush things and you shouldn't rush Sparkling wine, in this price range is where they take a little extra time to do it right
The Epicuro Nero D'Avola 2017 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's import exclusive sourced from vineyards in Sicily. Nero D'Avola is THE Red grape of Sicily, the Nero translates to dark or black (in the old days Red wine grapes were referred to as "blacks") and D'Avola means "of Avola" which is a coastal town in Sicily. Epicuro is Trader Joe's brand that features interesting affordable wines from Italy and Sicily, I noticed a Primitivo (same grape as Zinfandel) from the Puglia region (the boot heel of Italy) along with several others, all in the same price range). Nero D'Avola is usually a rich, full-bodied wine (something along the lines of Syrah) with ample tannins, which is not the usual profile for a $5.99 wine. Nero D'Avola wines are rarely expensive, you will find plenty retailing for under $20. The alcohol content is a rather mild for a full-bodied wine, 12.5%. The color is dark, barely see-thru magenta red. The nose is sweet strawberry hard candy, black licorice, a little herb, a touch of spice, and black pepper. This is a smooth, medium-bodied wine, with bright fruit and sleek tannins. It starts with cherry (almost cherry cough drops), a brush of herbs, and cranberry. Most of what is happening with this wine happens upfront, but the mid-palate does add some ripe raspberry and interesting spice. The tannins are in the mix, they do not pull or bite, but they let you know that they are there. The acidity is on the mild side, I would think this Nero D'Avola is more of a sipping wine than a food wine, but it will do fine with pizza and burgers. The finish starts out strong, then fades before too long. The Epicuro Nero D'Avola 2017 is a pretty decent $5.99 Red wine. It is good enough to make me think about exploring Nero D'Avola in the $10 and above range, if the Epicuro does this well at 6 bucks, the more expensive stuff may really be something. The more the wine in my glass opens up, the richer and fuller the flavors, I gave the bottle a half hour to come together after I popped the top and I aerated the bottle and it still took additional time to hit its peak. Give the Epicuro Nero D'Avola 2017 enough time and it will offer a very nice budget glass of wine.
The Carpe Diem Anderson Valley Chardonnay 2015 is 100% Chardonnay sourced from vineyards in the Anderson Valley AVA (about 100 miles north of San Francisco) which runs along the Pacific Coast of Mendocino County in Northern California. Carpe Diem is a joint project between the winemakers of Roederer Estate (the Champagne House's California holdings in Mendocino) who handle Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (both sourced in Anderson Valley) and Christian Moueix (Dominus Estate) who handles the Cabernet Sauvignon out of Napa Valley. The Carpe Diem is slightly out of CWF's normal price range of under $20, but this was found as an "end of bin" sale wine and selling for $12.99 ($22.99 list), so this is a cheap wine tip...look for close-outs and end of bin sales, they don't last long, but great bargains can be had. The Carpe Diem is a great change of pace, normally a value wines technical notes has more information about how great your life is going to be because your drinking their wine and little actual wine info. The Carpe Diem Chardonnay is offers a wealth of information, for instance they use natural yeast to start fermentation, that means the yeast floating naturally in the air and clinging to the skin of the grapes is what ferments the grape juice, no commercial yeast added. The use of oak with value-priced wine has become so vague that it has become a guessing game, what does aged "on" oak actually mean? They pour the juice "on" a barrel, over a barrel, under a barrel? I sort of know why they are not explicit, but trying to hide what they are doing is a little fishy. With the Carpe Diem they tell you the name of the cooperage that made the barrels, no did we or didn't we. The barrel regimen is 74% of the Chardonnay was fermented in 15% new barrel, 15% one use barrel, and 70% older barrels, 26% was fermented in stainless steel tanks, all the wine underwent malolactic fermentation. After fermentation the wine was aged an additional 9 months (in both barrel and tank) "on lees". The Chardonnay grape clones were 2 types of Burgundy clones, the main California Chardonnay clone in use today is the Wente clone, created over 100 years ago by Wente Vineyards, it is the clone you think of when drinking California Chardonnay. The Carpe Diem Chardonnay is not going that direction, this will be Burgundian in style. The alcohol content is a not so Burgundian, 14.2%. The color is pale golden yellow. The nose is not your usual 12 buck fruity and bright California Chardonnay, here the nose is complicated, there are distinct barrel aromas, not just the typical vanilla and spice, slightly smokey, the scent isn't just apple, it's a spiced apple pastry, there is Meyer lemon, exotic spice, flowers, the nose is worth the price of the bottle. This is a Chardonnay that you may wish to decant, if you pop the top and pour, you will be missing out on about half the flavor this Chardonnay has to offer. It tastes of crème brûlée and pear, mixed with not so tart ripe apple and melon. The mid-palate adds a little salty cashew, a mix of spice and lime, and lemon. The acidity is really, really good, if you tell a winemaker from Burgundy that their wine has terrific balanced acidity and great length, they are happy, that's exactly what they were going for. The Carpe Diem has balanced acidity and great length. This Chardonnay tastes better with each sip. I have heard that the wines that win gold in wine judging competitions are the wines that are in a different style than the other wines in its category, the similar wines all cancel each other out and the wine that was different stands out from the crowd. I write about value priced wine and in California that means bright, juicy, and fruit forward and the Carpe Diem Anderson Valley Chardonnay 2015 is a major stand-out for me.
The Erath Oregon Pinot Noir 2016 is sourced from vineyards all over Oregon, the Willamette Valley AVA is the one that everyone knows, but there is also the Rogue Valley AVA and the Umpqua Valley AVA. Erath Winery is one of the Chateau Ste Michelle family of wines and this is their "Taste of Oregon" Pinot Noir, they produce several different Pinots including high-end single vineyard Pinot Noir. The stated goal for this wine is "to make the best Pinot Noir in the world for under $20" and they just may have pulled it off since both Wine Advocate and Wine Spectator awarded this sub-$20 Pinot, 90 points. For me giving a wine a point score is essential if you are purchasing a $150+ wine and want to insure you are buying one of the elite wines, for under $20 value priced wines points don't mean as much. But, both those publications have well-respected, talented critics and while their palates may not been in tune with yours or mine, they do know how to identify quality in the vineyard and in the winemaking. So a good score for a value wine does indicate top quality, if the wine appeals to you or not is another story. The 2016 growing season in Oregon was cool and long, just what Pinot Noir grapes need to excel. 20% for this wine was aged in new French oak, they didn't specify if it was oak barrels or other means to impart oak seasoning. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The color is clear, see-thru garnet red. The nose is delicate and complicated, herbs, cherry, mushroom, baking spices, black pepper, raspberry, and a whiff of dark chocolate. This is a light to medium-bodied wine, the flavor profile starts off soft, then builds, very cool. It tastes of ripe cherry, a slap of pepper, some not sweet cola, candy spice, and herbs. The mid-palate shows tart cranberry with cream, orange zest, a quick hit of milk chocolate, and smooth plum. The tannins are sweet, you sense them, but there is no bite. The acidity is solid, you don't get these many flavors unfolding in a sip of wine without well-balanced acidity acting as a backbone. The finish engages you palate and then slowing fades away. The Erath Oregon Pinot Noir 2016 is an excellent Pinot Noir, no need for a "for the price" qualifier. It has flavor galore, it has structure that holds the wine together, but also stays out-of-the-way of you're sipping pleasure. I used to say that the Willamette Valley AVA produced my favorite Pinot Noirs, but I think from now on I will simply say my favorite Pinot Noir comes from Oregon.
The Barons De Rothschild Légende Bordeaux Blanc 2017 is 70% Sauvignon Blanc and 30% Sémillon sourced from Rothschild vineyards in the Entre-Deux-Mers AOC region, a mostly White grape growing area of Bordeaux. If you are new to White Bordeaux wine, the main grape is Sauvignon Blanc that is often blended with Sémillon and occasionally other White grapes. Those of you who are familiar with Sauvignon Blanc thru the White wine of New Zealand should give Bordeaux Blanc a try, there are similarities, but it is definitely a different and worthy take on producing Sauvignon Blanc. There was frost in Bordeaux in late April of 2017 that greatly reduced the size of the crop, but often when there is a smaller yield the vines produce intense and flavorful grapes. Occasionally with grapes seeming misfortune turns out to an advantage for wine drinkers. This is a wine that should be found in the $15 to $20 range, even with its fancy pedigree and AOC status. The Légende is a drink-it-now wine, it's ready to drink and further aging will not produce better results, in fact it should be bright, delicious, alive when consumed young. The Bordeaux Blend was aged, on lees, in stainless steel, no oak barrels were used and the alcohol content is a restrained 12%. The color is pale, wheat yellow. The nose is bold, there is tropical fruit, peaches, pears, lemons and limes, ripe apples, and grapefruit. The addition of Sémillon gives this Sauvignon Blanc a solid, firm mouthfeel, it gives this blend some weight. It tastes of Anjou pear, lemon curd, peach juice, and Golden delicious apple. The mid-palate offers not-so-tart grapefruit, a touch of cream (maybe from the "on-lees"), a hint of spice and a little papaya. The acidity is well-controlled, it drinks very well on its own or pair it with fancy summer salads or cold shrimp. The finish is soft, but lasts for a long time. The Barons De Rothschild Légende Bordeaux Blanc 2017 is a well-made and tasty Bordeaux Blanc. I think that Bordeaux White wine is almost criminally under appreciated by the value-priced wine crowd. Fine examples of Sauvignon Blanc blends are priced almost the same as New Zealand Sauv Blanc and are equally engaging and delicious.Maybe New Zealand wines have easier to remember names, while the French stuff is Domaine this or Chateau that, you remember the Domaine, but forget the family name. Which could be the reason Barons de Rothschild named their wine the Légende, that's a name that is easy to remember. And there is no reason to ever forget a very good wine.
The Francesco Toscana IGT Rosso 2015 is an ALDI $8.99 import exclusive. The ALDI website from Germany says this is a blend of Bordeaux grapes with a little Syrah added in to smooth things out. A Toscana IGT Rosso indicates that this is a Red (Rosso) wine from the whole of Tuscany (Italy) and not an individual sub-growing region and IGT shows that the grapes have the characteristics of Tuscany, but wasn't produced to the DOC or DOCG rules and regulations. The IGT designation (now changed to IGP) came about when wineries in Tuscany choose to add French grape varietals (usually Merlot or Cabernet or Syrah) to their traditional Sangiovese. The DOC/DOCG rules in place did not permit this blend and the resulting bottles were forced to be categorized as Table Wine, the lowest Italian wine class. The problem was that those unapproved blends took off in popularity (they were called Super Tuscan) and they were selling all they could produce. This put the Italian wine authorities in a bad position, how can you promote DOCG/DOC wines as the top of Italian wine when a Table Wine was out selling everyone? So, they split the difference and created the IGT category. Now, anytime an Italian winemaker wants to make a wine that doesn't follow the rules, which happens quite often in the value-priced wine range, they just get it approved as a IGT/IGP and its all good. The Francesco Rosso is a 2015 vintage which shows this Red blend has a good deal of age, both oak barrel? and bottle for an $8.99 Tuscan wine. The alcohol content is 14%. The color is a dark, black cherry red, see-thru, but just barely. The nose is blackberries, vanilla, a little cherry, a little spice and roses, off all things. This is a Red that is smooth upfront and then the structure kicks in, which lets you know this is an Italian wine. It tastes of black cherry and sweet blueberry, dusty chocolate powder, black pepper, and plum. The mid-palate offers raspberry mixed with tart cranberry, some not sweet candy spices, and a slap of vanilla. The tannins make their presence known, they are sweet and don't bite, but you can feel them. The acidity is nicely balanced, this wine drinks well and it is a food wine, of course its Italian. The finish is soft and subtle, but does linger. The Francesco Toscana IGT Rosso 2015 is a solid 9 buck wine, smooth and flavorful, with enough structure to hold it together. In Europe, ALDI is THE bang-for-the-buck wine destination, it doesn't have that reputation in the US, the wine section is too small and haphazardly put together. But, don't sleep on their European wine selections (actually I have found some pretty decent Paso Robles and Sonoma wines at ALDI,too), they have long-term relationships with top-notch wineries thru-out Europe and are well-known for offering outstanding wine on the cheap. That this Tuscan wine with some age to it is selling for $8.99 and is very enjoyable is not unexpected, ALDI's European wine reputation is well-earned. Sip it on a Netflix night or pour a glass with some pasta, this is a well-priced bottle that delivers.
The Trader Joe's Cotillion Pinot Noir 2016 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in 56% Monterey County, 33% Sonoma County, and 11% Santa Barbara County. These 3 counties are very solid Pinot Noir growing region and the bottle could have indicated California as the grape origin, since 2 of the AVA's are in the Central Coast AVA and 1 in the North Coast AVA, but they wanted to "show-off" it's semi-fancy pedigree (especially for the price). This is a TJ's wine that comes back every year, we reviewed the 2013 vintage and as I recall, liked it. The back label indicates some sort of oak aging or conditioning and a 2016 vintage is a fair bit of bottle aging for a ten buck wine. Certain wines take longer to come together and be drinkable for release, they tend to produce $10 wines to find their balance quickly. So a current vintage of 2016 shows the producer didn't rush this bottle to market and that is a good thing for any wine, but especially for Pinot Noir which tends to be delicate and shouldn't be rushed. The alcohol content is 13.8%. The color is a legit, see-thru garnet red, with so many Pinot Noir's having Petite Sirah and other grapes blended in nowadays I am used to seeing deep, dark Pinots, I prefer the real thing. The nose is impressive, smoke, herbs, mushroom, black pepper, cherry, grilled meat, it's the aromas found on the expensive stuff. This is a medium bodied, nicely balanced, old-school Pinot Noir. It tastes of cherry, a little Dr. Pepper (not sweet), a rough contrast of herbs, and creamy vanilla. The mid-palate offers exotic spice, raspberry, black pepper, and a late slap of Altoids spice. The tannins are soft and sweet and the acidity stays in the background, this can be a food wine as well as an excellent sipper. The finish is vibrant and lengthy. The Trader Joe's Cotillion Pinot Noir 2016 is an unexpectedly satisfying California Pinot Noir. It constantly reminded me of Pinots from the expensive, highly touted growing regions, not a best of California TJ's $9.99 Pinot. It is not as delicate and etherial as the best Pinot Noir, but it does drinks very well and in a blind tasting you would never guess the price. Plus it has a label with Victorian-style animals dancing at a party where they are wearing masks of other animals. Wonderful label and a wonderful wine.
Quake & Dave Drink Duckhorn Decoy Red Blend 2016 and talk about Chinese science beakers, bacon fat, and ducks
The 90+ Cellars NZ Sauvignon Blanc Lot 2 2018 is sourced from vines grown in the Awatere Valley of the Marlborough region on the South Island of New Zealand. 90+ Cellars are Negociantes, that means they purchase left-over or surplus wine from Wineries all over the world. This is a centuries old French tradition and it works because negociantes buy surplus wine (an excellent profit source for wineries since their costs are recouped from the original wine, selling the surplus is pure profit) and sell it under their own labels at a significant discount from the origin wine and not directly competing with the original wine. The consumer is able to purchase a successful wine from a leading producer, though the identity must remain hidden for this arraignment to work, at a bargain price. But that doesn't mean folks are not trying to do some detective work to figure out who makes what. Sauvignon Blanc Lot 2 is 90+ Cellars best-selling wine, for good reason, it's a great bang for the buck wine. But here is a story I heard years ago about the producer of this wine, the story goes that once the winery was done sticking their own labels on the bottles and changed the label machine to slap on 90+ labels, they forgot to switch out the corks and all the 90+ Cellars Lot 2 shipped with the original wineries name printed on the cork. Their cover was blown and the whole world now knows that this $17 Sauvignon Blanc is selling for 90+ Cellar prices. I always believed that story, until I got a bottle in my hands and saw it has a screw top, so much for the cork story. There is another Negociant company who was supposed to be selling Screaming Eagle Cab (a super exclusive and expensive Napa Red) for 1/2 the price, that bottling sold out on record time. Was the story true? Maybe, maybe not. But whatever was in the bottle was probably a really good wine at a very nice price, that is how a negociant works. The alcohol content for the Lot 2 is 12.5%. The color is a clean, clear wheat yellow. The nose is bold and beautiful, all tropical fruit, peaches and pears, lemon, apple, grapefruit, and flowers. This is classic New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, not at all shy, with bold, but balanced flavors and lacking some of NZ Sauv Blanc excesses. It tastes of pink lemonade, a splash of pineapple, green apple, and peach. The mid-palate offers ripe, sweet peach, lemon grass and lime. The acidity is excellent, this is one of those lip smacking White wines that I am so fond of. The finish is sleek and long. The 90+ Cellars NZ Sauvignon Blanc Lot 2 2018 is an excellent example of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc selling at a bargain price, I found it on sale for $8.99 and I suspect the original wine sells in the $15 to $17 range. This is a nice wine, good flavor, good acidity, good price. Now, if you need to know who made the wine you drink you can pay more and be sure or you can Google Awatere Valley wines and try to match the tasting notes on the 90+ Cellars website with some likely candidates. Or maybe it is better to not think too hard about it and simply enjoy a terrific glass of wine at a very nice price.
The Charles Smith Eve Chardonnay 2016 is 100% Chardonnay sourced from Washington State. Yes, I know that is a vague description for grape sourcing, but some of my confusion comes from the label. Typically with Washington State wine in this price range (I found it on sale for $8.99) the label shows Columbia Valley as the place of origin. There are 14 AVA's in Washington and 12 are either the Columbia Valley or are located inside the Columbia Valley AVA, so there is a very good chance Columbia Valley will be shown on the label. Charles Smith Wines all show Washington State as place of origin, the largest possible boundary designation. The tasting notes show the grapes came from a single vineyard, the Evergreen vineyard in the Ancient Lakes AVA, inside Columbia Valley. Charles Smith Wines are very upfront on their sourcing, if 8 vineyards are used they will list all 8 vineyards. If a value priced wine is actually a single vineyard wine the producers normally will show that off, but here they went the other direction, show the single vineyard in the tasting notes and be loud and around about Washington State on the label. Or maybe grapes from outside the Columbia Valley are used and just not shown. This is an un-oaked Chardonnay, fermented and aged in stainless steel vats. 20% of the juice underwent malolactic fermentation, that is a process where the tart natural acid is converted to softer more rounded tasting acid. The Eve Chardonnay was aged 6 months "on lees". On lees is important with any wine, but especially Chardonnay, that means the dead yeast and grape residue are left in the vat with the wine and stirred, the more you stir the more the wine takes on a creamy texture and taste, a salty, nutty flavor is also common. Every winemaker produces their Chardonnay different than the next one. The alcohol content is 13.5%. The color is a clean, clear wheat yellow. The nose is lemon, melon, and pear, a little apple, a touch of stone fruit and a floral bouquet. This Chardonnay has a soft, plump mouthfeel, sometimes unoaked Chardonnay can be a little sharp. It tastes of green apple, mixed with peach, lemon curd, and melon. The mid-palate shows the effects of "on lees" with salty cashew, and a little vanilla cream, followed by a late hit of guava. The acidity has me smacking my lips, which is always a very good sign, especially with White wine. You want the acidity to stimulate your palate, not bite or sizzle. The tasting notes indicate that this Chardonnay has the acidity to be cellared and aged. The the finish is rich and lengthy. I like the Charles Smith Eve Chardonnay 2016, I think Washington produces some of the best value priced wine, they tend to be plush and fruit-forward, but always with balance. I have been into Chardonnay with some oak conditioning and aging lately, but this un-oaked Chard hits the spot. It has a terrific mouthfeel, not too smooth, not too tart, a solid mix of flavors and excellent acidity.
Left Bank or Right Bank? What's the difference? Listen is as we tell you all about our UGCB (l'Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux) tasting!
Quake & Dave Find The Perfect Valentine's Day Wine, Sexual Chocolate Red Blend, That Is Both A Hedonistic Delight And A Shout-out To Eddie Murphy's Movie, Coming To America. So If You Make Valentine's Day A Bottle Of Wine And A Movie Night, We Got You Covered !
Quake and Dave Go To A Wine Tasting (oh, how unusual) and discuss their experience and Store Wine Tasting in general. Today we visited the The Wine Cellar of Palatine and Garfield's, also in Palatine, Illinois.
Quake and Dave figure out that when you compare "cheap" wine with other adult beverages cheap wine ain't so cheap!
Quake and Dave start off talking about the Sparkling Wines of the Asti Region in Italy, and the discussion heads off to points unknown
Quake and Dave Talk About A Very Tasty Unoaked Russian River Chardonnay From Folks Who Know How To Do Chardonnay Right
Trader Joe's Brut Champagne..60% Pinot Meunier 40% Pinot Noir... Family Owned Small Production Real-Deal Champagne.... $21.99
Today we try a Bubbly from Mendocino. A 60/40 blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir....... THE SCHARFFENBERGER BRUT EXCELLENCE... A Champagne Style Affordable Sparkling Wine
In this podcast episode, we kick off the holiday season with some of our favorite bubbles, the Gruet Brut NV a drier-style sparkling wine from - wait for it - New Mexico! Can awesome bubbly come from the American Southwest? Listen in to see what we say about it ...
In this podcast episode, we enjoy a beautiful Trader Joe's Grüner Veltliner - from Hungary! A Grüner that's not from Austria? Waaaaa? Listen in to see what we think of the Floriana Grüner Veltliner 2017 G'day mate! (just kidding that's Australia)
In this podcast episode, we reminisce about our travels to California Wine Country, in ... Sipping Sonoma Part 1 Heading to Sonoma County? Listen in and pick up some tips along the way.
In this podcast episode, our California wine country tour continues in Sipping Sonoma Part 2 Where to go? Where to stay? Do you need appointments? Should you tip your tour guide? What about your tasting host? We've got the skinny for you.
In this podcast episode, we search a bottle of Beaujolais for all the Gamay goodness that the Pope of Beaujolais intended. Did we find it? Listen in as we describe ... Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais 2015
In this podcast episode, we start with a clean slate: Clean Slate Riesling 2016 Drink it with your turkey this Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving, Pilgrim!
In this special Halloween podcast episode, we get SCARY. Scary cheap that is! We check out ALDI Outlander Meritage 2016 - another bottle from the surging ALDI's wine program. But does it taste scary? Listen in to find out!
In this podcast episode, it's Halloween! Let's celebrate by visiting a freak show - the Michael & David Winery Freakshow Red Blend 2015, that is!
In this podcast episode, we bring cheap to a whole other level with the Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay 2017 Listen in to see if real cheap is just too cheap.
In this episode, we pop the top on some Mionetto Prosecco DOC made with organically grown grapes! Listen carefully - you can hear the cork POP!
In this episode, we review the Poppy Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands 2014. Listen now to hear what we have to say about it!
In this episode - we dig on some Coppola Zin! Listen in now to see what we thought of it.
- The Mavam Gold Fushion Vulcano 2014 is a Sparkling wine using the Macabeo grape (one of the 3 grapes traditionally used in the production of Cava Sparkling wines) and is produced by Bodegas Vidal Del Saz in the La Mancha DO of central Spain.
The Ca' di Rajo Prosecco Millesimato Extra Dry DOCG is a Sparkling wine produced from the Glera grape grown in an estate vineyard in the Valdobbiadene region near the town of Treviso in the Veneto region of Italy.
- The Lindeman's Bin 80 Cabernet Merlot 2013 is 58% Cabernet Sauvignon and 42% Merlot sourced from multiple vineyards in Southeastern Australia. Southeastern Australia is a huge area encompassing 3 Australian States that have diverse climates an...
- The Pere et Fils Cinsault Syrah Rose 2013 (Pere et Fils translates to father and son) is a blend of 70% Cinsault and 30% Syrah grown in the estate vineyards in the hills of the Languedoc of Laurent Miquel, an 8th generation winemaker.
- The Fortant Hills Reserve Viognier 2012 is sourced from hillside vineyards in the Languedoc comprising three different soil conditions. The Languedoc is located in Southwest France and is the leading wine-producing region in the world,
- The Stellenryck Sauvignon Blanc 2013 is sourced from sustainably farmed vineyards in the Stellenbosch region of the Western Cape of South Africa. Stellenryck is one of Die Bergkelder (The Mountain cellar), a winery/co-op founded in 1968,
- The Torres Verdeo 2013 is 100% Verdejo sourced from vineyards in the Rueda DO of Castilla-La Mancha on the west side of central Spain. The brand is Verdeo and the grape is Verdejo which is slightly confusing.
- The Skinnygirl Sparkling Margarita made with Blue Agave Silver Tequila (when you see Blue Agave on the label that indicates that it is 100% Blue Agave and not mixed with cane sugar and Silver means this is non-aged, young, natural Tequila),
- The Coppola Director's Sonoma County Chardonnay 2012 is sourced from vineyards located in several of Sonoma's 16 sub-AVA's. There are two Director's Chardonnay, this one, sourced from all over Sonoma County and another sourced from a single AV...