Send us Fan Mail Dearly Beloved Lodi Red Blend 2024 This is the now-famous Trader Joe’s Day of the Dead Skull wine. It has been available at Trader Joe’s for about 15 years or more. This is the wine with the silk-screened, flowered skull! Over the years, the grapes have been sourced from Mendocino, the…
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The Dearly Beloved Lodi Red Blend 2024 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s wine. This is a wine that Trader Joe’s has offered since at least 2010. The Story This wine looks to have had several producers over the years; Precept appears to be responsible lately. The grapes have been sourced from Mendocino, the Central Coast,…
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Send us Fan Mail Underwood Oregon Pinot Gris 2023 Ok, Ok, so Oregon Pinot Gris has nothing in common with New Orleans Voodoo culture! Except they are both pretty cool. This is an affordable, tasty Oregon White wine that sips great. Gris is French for grey, and Grigio is Italian for grey, and it refers…
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The Underwood Oregon Pinot Gris 2023 is a wine I found for $12.99. It is a brand from the Union Wine Company. The Story Underwood is their brand that produces very good, affordable wine from all over Oregon, not just the Willamette Valley. The Underwood Oregon Pinot Gris, the 2024 vintage, is sourced from 81%…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Trader Joe’s Reserve Santa Barbara Pinot Noir 2024 This is a value-priced Pinot Noir that I have enjoyed for several vintages. I never knew I liked Santa Barbara Pinot Noir and Chardonnay until Trader Joe’s started offering these wines at value prices. Buying at full price would never have given me…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Santa Barbara Pinot Noir 2024 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s wine, produced and bottled by (that means they made it) Bozzano and Company. The Story Bozzano & Company is a wine company based in the Central Coast AVA of California. They have made many wines for Trader Joe’s. Check out their…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail TraderJoe’s Platinum Reserve Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 Stags Leap District is a very exclusive AVA. Value-priced wines are definitely not the norm. One of the wineries won the Judgment of Paris award for Cabernet Sauvignon in 1976! These wines are the real deal. And now, in 2026, these wines can…
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The TraderJoe’s Platinum Reserve Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a $17.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The Story The back label mentions that this wine was cellared and bottled by Isolated Cellars, Napa. They are the Negociant (according to Google Ai)arm of Navigator Wine, formerly Precept. A negociant is a wine company that purchases surplus wine…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Kirkland Signature Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 This is a Kirkland wine that has been around since 2014; they have a stable supplier from Stags Leap AVA The reason they say Stags Leap District is because Stags Leap Winery has a worldwide reputation, and they do not want to make…
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The Kirkland Signature Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 is a wine currently available at Costco, selling for $19.99. Costco has offered this wine (different vintages in the past), and this is the lowest price in several years. The Story The back label says this Cabernet Sauvignon was cellared and bottled by D C Fynt…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Renwood Amador County Old Vine Zinfandel 2023 This is the $7.99 Costco Renwood Zin. The podcast has a story about Renwood. There have been major changes recently. Renwood, in spite of the changes, is still a remarkable wine. Amador County still makes excellent Zinfandel. This is a bargain; find out why!…
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The Renwood Amador County Old Vine Zinfandel 2023 is selling for $7.99 at Costco and in the $ 15-plus range elsewhere. The Story Amador County wine country is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and this is where the Gold Rush occurred. It is east of Napa and north and east of Lodi….
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Brut Cuvée This is a Bubbly that sells in the $20 range that I found at a sale price of $7.99. I was very happy. This is a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and French Colombard blend made with the Charmat Method. This is not a cookie-cutter Bubbly; it has…
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The Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Brut Cuvée is a wine I found on sale for $8, while the going internet price is closer to $20. The Story Kendall-Jackson is a family-owned wine company in business since 1982, and it has a truly impressive brand portfolio. Click on the link; they have a wine for every price…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Revelation Pays D’Oc Chardonnay 2024 A French IPG wine from a family-owned winery (since 1995). It has a little oak seasoning and maybe some malolactic fermentation. All good things for a $7.99 French Chardonnay. IGP wines are made to be affordable; they are the wines that the average French wine drinker…
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The Revelation Pays D’Oc Chardonnay 2024 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s import wine. The producer was Badet, Clement & Co., which later changed their name to Delaunay Vins and Domaines. The Story Delaunay is a family-owned wine business run by a husband-and-wife team. They are known for their progress and modern wine production. Pays D’Oc…
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Send us Fan Mail Bread & Butter California Pinot Noir 2024 I found this wine at Trader Joe’s for $11.99; it sells elsewhere for $12 to $16. Bread and Butter is a brand from WX Wines. Bread and Butter has a full portfolio of wines. This Pinot Noir is an excellent value-priced Pinot. It is…
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The Bread & Butter California Pinot Noir 2024 is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s selling for $11.99, though it is available elsewhere in the $12 to $16 range. The Story Bread and Butter is a brand from WX Brands whose portfolio includes Chronic Cellars and Trapiche (Argentina). It is a full line of…
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Send us Fan Mail Aldi Specially Selected Uco Valley Malbec 2025 This is a single vineyard from the Belhara Estate Winery. Trader Joe’s has had a couple of Malbec wines from this Estate. The Uco Valley is a high-altitude vineyard region in the Mendoza Valley in Argentina. It is an outstanding region to grow the…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Uco Valley Malbec 2025 is a $6.99 Aldi wine, sourced from a single estate vineyard in the high foothills of the Uco Valley in Argentina. The Story The Aldi Specially Selected Uco Valley Malbec 2025 is a single-vineyard wine produced by the Belhara Estate, selling for $6.99. Trader Joe’s also offers…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay 2024 This is Costco’s $7.39 Chardonnay, down from $7.99 in past vintages. It is good to you and good for you, if I may quote Andy of Mayberry. A sub-$10 Sonoma Chardonnay that has no issues and has plenty of flavor. This is no bare-bones Chardonnay;…
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The Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay 2024 is a $7.39 Costco wine, which is 60 cents cheaper than previous vintages. The Story The Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay 2024 is a wine from Grape and Grain, the private label division of Precept Wine and Spirits. Precept is the largest privately owned wine company in the…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Method California Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 The podcast goes into detail, but this California Cabernet Sauvignon is a 93-point wine and Wine Enthusiast’s Value Wine of the Year 2025. Multiple wine reviewers give the 2023 vintage 93 points. A ten-buck, 93-point wine is a joy. A 2025 Value Wine of the Year…
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The Method California Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a $9.99 wine at Costco, and according to the web is $14 to $20+ elsewhere. The Story The Method brand is a collaboration with Navigator Wine Company (formerly Precept Wine) and Master Sommelier Ian Cauble. The line has two wines: the Method Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and this…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Juvé & Camps Gran Reserva Brut Nature Cava 2022 A vintage-dated Cava is typically only produced in the best vintages. A Gran Reserva Cava undergoes a 2nd fermentation that lasts at least 30 months; here, it lasted 36 months. The grapes are organic. Brut Nature means that no sugar is added;…
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