Send us a text What sets a $14.50 bottle of Chardonnay apart from the rest? Join us as we unravel the secrets behind the Fess Parker Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2023, a hidden gem available at Costco. We’ll walk you through its fascinating origins, rooted in the Hollywood legacy of Fess Parker, the iconic TV star…
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The Fess Parker Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2023 sells for $14.49 at Costco which is about two bucks cheaper than most internet wine shops. Santa Barbara is at the southern end of the Central Coast AVA, about 100 miles north of Los Angeles. The Fess Parker winery was founded in 1988. In the late 1950s and…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Willamette Pinot Gris 2022 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This wine was “produced and bottled by” D W Hinman Cellars. Produced and bottled by means they made the wine, vinted and bottled by (often seen on Trader Joe’s Reserve wine) does not mean much. D W Hinman Cellars is Doyle…
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The Malene By Chamisal Vineyards Rosé 2023 is a wine selling for $12.99 at Costco and a check of the web found it listed for $15 to $22 with most prices on the higher end. Chamisal Vineyards was founded 51 years ago in the Central Coast AVA San Luis Obispo. They own multiple vineyards and…
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The Rosa Dell’Olmo Langhe Nebbiolo 2021 is an $8.99 Trader Joe’s imported wine sourced from the Piedmont region of Italy. This is a DOC-designated wine. Rosa Dell’Olmo is a winery or brand owned by Vite Colte a state-of-the-art winery founded in 2000 and situated in the heart of the Barolo region in Piedmont Italy. Barolo…
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The Dashwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine I found on sale for $9.99 at a local shop. Dashwood is a label that is part of the Foley Wine Family and has an impressive portfolio, that includes wines from California, New Zealand, the Pacific Northwest, Argentina, and France. The Dashwood Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023…
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The Jawbreaker California Chardonnay is a wine I found for $12.59, the producer is Chateau Diana from Sonoma, California. This is a non-vintage wine, but the tasting notes say “sourced from some prized California vineyards, almost exclusively from the warm Central Valley”. The Central Valley includes Clarksburg, Lodi AVA, and many smaller, boutique locations. Where…
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The Seven Hills Columbia Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine that sells for $12.99 at Costco and between $15 to $20 elsewhere. This is not a brand wine, typical in the value-price range, but a wine from a winery. The Seven Hills Winery was founded in the 1980s and was one of the first…
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The Evolution Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2022 is a brand of Sokol Blosser Winery (family-owned and operated) that began growing grapes and producing wine in the Willamette Valley of Oregon in 1971. This Pinot Noir is comprised of grapes from various locations in the valley. Willamette Valley Pinot Noir can get pricey, especially with estate…
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The Seaglass Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine I found selling for $9.99. This wine has been sourced from the Santa Barbara County AVA, but lately, the vineyard selection has expanded to other parts of the Central Coast. The Los Alamos Vineyard (20 miles from the Pacific) remains a constant through the vintages….
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The Claude Manciat Bourgogne Chardonnay 2022 is $12.69 at Costco and $17 to $23 elsewhere. Bourgogne is what we call Burgundy, the home of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Claude Manciat is a family-owned winery founded in the 1890s, and today has 55 acres of vineyards around the region. This small winery does not have a…
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The Claire Patelin Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive produced from grapes grown in the Cote De Gascogne in southwest France. It was made for Trader Joe’s by LGI Wines a custom wine brand producer from France. Gascony is south of Bordeaux in the foothills of the Pyrenean mountains to the…
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The Field Recordings Freddo Paso Robles Sangiovese 2022 is a wine that lists $25, but I found it on sale for $16 (Binny’s). It is a blend of 79% Sangiovese, 16% Dolcetto, and 5% Valdiguié. Dolcetto is a grape from the Piedmont in Italy used to make sweet wines. Valdiguié is a grape from the…
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The Starpointe Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2022 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s wine produced for them by DNA Cellars from grapes grown in the Yakima Valley of Washington. DNA Cellars is located in the Russian River AVA of Sonoma County, they produce their labels and an extensive list of private labels, such as Trader Joe’s or…
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The Kate Arnold Columbia Valley Riesling 2022 is a wine I found in Chicago selling for $11.99, a quick check of the web saw prices from $10 to $15. Kate Arnold Wines is a family-owned winery located in Kelseyville, Ca. in Lake County. Kate and Jean Arnold are co-owners, they feature a Sauvignon from the…
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The Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot sourced from several Northern and Central California AVAs. decoy is a second label from Duckhorn Vineyards, founded by Dan and Margret Duckhorn in Napa in 1976, and has been an elite winery ever since. This is very intentionally sourced wine the AVAs include…
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The Vignobles Lacheteau Touraine Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive. Vignobles Lacheteteau oversees several Chateaus and Domaines, has 1,270 acres of vines, and is part of the CGF Wine Group. Touraine is an AOP and a large district in the Loire Valley of France. Chinon is the best-known village inside Touraine….
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Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2020-Every Day Wine Done right! This is a Chardonnay I found at my local wine shop selling for $6.99 but it had a $3 off coupon. This Chardonnay does not have cheap production techniques. It has warm-weather grapes combined with cool-weather grapes. It has 57% oak barrel fermented and…
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The Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Chardonnay 2020 is 100% Chardonnay sourced from vineyards in several AVAs in the Columbia Valley of Washington. Chateau Ste Michelle was founded in 1967 when it was known as St Michelle Vintners. They are the largest winery in the Columbia Valley with 3,500 acres of vines planted. The back…
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The Whispering Angel Rosé 2023 is a wine from Provence in the south of France, I found it on a Mother’s Day/Spring sale for $13, but a check on the web says it sells for $12 to $20. This is one of the many Rosé brands from Chateau D’ESCLANS in the Cotes de Provence AOC,…
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The Porto 6 Vinho Tinto 2021 (Vinho Tinto translates to Red Wine) is a Trader Joe’s $5.99 import exclusive sourced from vineyards in Lisboa Portugal. Lisboa is a region along the northern Atlantic coast near Lisbon. It is a large wine region with several sub-regions inside. Porto 6 Vinho Tinto 2021 is produced by Vidigal…
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The Juggernaut Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a wine brand from Bogle Family Vineyards of Clarksburg, California. It is a wine I found for $14.99 at a local wine shop. The Sonoma Coast AVA is the most westward AVA in California and runs to Mendocino. It features rugged Coastal Mountain valleys and is a cool climate…
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The Sunshine Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive. The grapes are sourced from Estate vineyards in the Wairau Valley of New Zealand’s South Island. The Wairau Valley is the Northernmost grape-growing region in Marlborough and follows a river that runs the island’s width. The back label mentions Estate vineyards but does…
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Along with a PODCAST interview with Kono winemaker Bruce Taylor talking about New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and much more. The Kono Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a wine I found at a local wine shop selling for $13.99. Kono is Mauri owned. The Wakatū Incorporation comprises 250 Mauri families who descended from the original land…
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The Kidia Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a $5.99 wine, at Trader Joe’s it sells for $5.99, it seems to be a $10 wine elsewhere. It is an Estate wine produced by Vina del Pedregal (VDP), a family-owned winery located in Loncomilla Valley in the Maule Valley of Chile. They were founded in 1825 with…
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