Send us Fan Mail Kirkland Signature Carneros Pinot Noir 2024 This wine has been available at Costco for several vintages. Carneros Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are seldom inexpensive, except if they are for Costco or Trader Joe’s. Carneros wines get pricey. There are no “bad” vineyards in Carneros; virtually all of them have expensive wines….
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The Kirkland Signature Carneros Pinot Noir 2024 is an $8.99 Costco perennial wine. Here is a link to our review of the 2021 vintage. The Story The Carneros AVA is at the southern end of the Napa Valley and just north of the San Pablo Bay. Carneros is situated in both Sonoma and Napa. The…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2024 The Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2024 has a long history. Originally a wine from Charles Smith, but he sold the brand off 6 or 7 years ago. Since then, it has been sold 2 more times. Is it still the same? The podcast explains most of…
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The Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2024 is a wine sourced from Washington State and should be found for around $12.00. The Story The Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2024 was a brand that originated with Charles Smith; his name is still on the bottle, but the brand is now owned by Ackley Brands. Charles Smith has…
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Send us Fan Mail Foggy Veil Paso Robles Grenache 2023 This is a wine from the Miller Family Vineyards, which includes the Central Coast Wine Services. The Miler Family owns some of the elite vineyards in the Central Coast AVA. They also, though, their various companies produced some of Trader Joe’s best exclusive wines. This…
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The Foggy Veil Paso Robles Grenache 2023 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. A Check of the California Wine Cola Registry shows Miller Family Wines as the Producer. The Story The Miller Family have been farming in California since the 1940s and have had vineyards since the 1970s. They own some of the most highly…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Sea Dream Mediterranée White 2025 This is a wine from Emma Bertrand of the French Gérard Bertrand Wine Company. She is in her early 20s and makes a tasty White wine. The Sea Dream is a blend od 50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Chardonnay, and 20% Sauvignon Blanc al from the Mediterranée…
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The Sea Dream Mediterranée White 2025 is a sub-$10 Costco import exclusive. It is a wine from the 20 something daughter of Gérard Bertrand. The Story Gérard Bertrand is who has owned a large wine company centered in the South of France, since 1975. They own 17 Estates and are leaders in bio-dynamic wine. Emma…
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Send us Fan Mail Kirkland Signature Chablis 2023 Chablis is 100% Chardonnay, no oak, but malolactic fermentation. This is an AOC wine which is typically $20 plus, at Costco it’s $14.99, which is bargain price. The winemaker is from one of the top wineries in Chablis and the grapes come from some of the best…
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The Kirkland Signature Chablis 2023 is a wine I fond at Costco selling for $14.99. The winemaker is Pierre Brissy of Maison Brocard. The Story The back label only mentions Pierre Brissy and not Maison Brocard, Brissy is the winemaker for Brocard. Domaine Brocard is a leader in Burgundy in organic and biodynamic farming and…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail 90+ Cellars Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 Check out the podcast for a description of 90+ Cellars business mode;, it is an important part of the story. 90+ Cellars do not create their own wines they buy wine from existing wineries. There fore all of 90+Cellars wines are good wines and…
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The 90+ Cellars Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a wine I found for 13.99 at a supermarket, the list price is 17.99. The Story 90+ Cellars started with an interesting concept. They went to wineries that had a wine that had recently earned 90 points or more and asked if they had any wine…
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Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma County Brut This is a Bubbly from Trader Joe’s in the wrong time of the year. Sparkling wine traditionally is popular in November and December, the Holidays! The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma County Brut and Rosé dropped in June. Withe all the turmoil in the…
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma County Brut is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Made for them, like most of Trader Joe’s Sparkling wines by Rack and Riddle. The Story Rack and Riddle is a huge custom Sparkling wine facility. They have several locations in California, this one is located in Healdsburg, Sonoma. There are…
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The Hess Select California Chardonnay 2024 is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s, selling for $10.99. A quick check of the web shows it at a $12 nationwide average. The Story The Hess Select California Chardonnay 2024 is an entry-level wine from Hess Perrson Estates. Donald Hess started the winery in the late 1970s…
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Send us Fan Mail André Brunel Cuvée Bécassonne Cotes-Du-Rhone 2025 This is a White wine from a well respected Chateauneuf-du-Pape producer who produce fabulous Red wines. They have been in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region since the 1700s, they are legit! This wine comes from a single Estate vineyard just outside of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape growing area, but…
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The André Brunel Cuvée Bécassonne Cotes-Du-Rhone 2025 is a White wine I found selling for $12.99, it is sourced from a vineyard just outside the Chateaunuef-du-Pape region of the Southern Rhone Valley in France. The Story The Brunel family have been a fixture in the Chareaunuef-du-Pape region since the 1700s. The blend is 40% Roussanne,…
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Send us Fan Mail Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Blanc 2024 Bordeaux Blanc is Sauvignon Blanc blended with some Semillon. These wines can be aged for 20 years and cost a small fortune. This Costco wine isn’t one of those, and for most people might be better. This is possible the cheapest amazing Bordeaux wine! This may…
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The Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Blanc 2024 is priced at Costco at $6.99 and it received 91 points from America’s leading wine critic. The Story The Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Blanc 2024 is produced for Costco by Chåteau Petit-Freylon. They are located in the Entre-deux-Mers region of Bordeaux. It is an area known for White wines. This wine…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Gruet Blanc de Noirs Blanc de Blanc translates to White from Black. For some reason French farmers thought the blue/purple Pinot Noir Grapes were black. This Bubbly is 82% Pinot Noir and 18% Chardonnay.’ The Gruet story is long and involved so listen to the podcast for an understanding of the…
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The Gruet Blanc de Noirs is an American Sparkling wine I found selling for about $16. The reason it is an American wine is the grapes are sourced from Washington, California and New Mexico. The Story Gilbert Gruet who owned a winery in Champagne, France started a Sparkling wine winery in New Mexico in 1984….
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Send us Fan Mail Firesteed Oregon Pinot Noir 2024 This value Oregon Pinot Noir has been around since 1992. This Brand has been bought and sold several times, but it still tastes good. It is Oregon Pinot Noir, not just Williamette Valley Pinot, but it drinks well. It is Old School in style, which is…
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The Firesteed Oregon Pinot Noir 2024 Is selling for $11.99 at Trader Joe’s, while it typically sells for $15 and up on the internet. The Story The Firesteed brand has been in existence since 1992 and has been sold to several different wine groups over the years. It went from a winery wine to a…
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Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma County Brut Rosé This is another of Trader Joe’s many Grand Reserve, Diamond Reserve, Platinum Reserve, North Coast, Carneros, Napa, and Sonoma Sparkling wines. The have many variations on a theme. Most of those were released near the holidays, the time when Bubbly rules the season….
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma County Brut Rosé is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, produced for them by Rack and Riddle, a huge Sparkling wine producer with several location in California. The Story Trader Joe’s Reserve line of Sparkling wines, have multiple veriations of Northern California Bubbly. There is Diamond Reserve, Platinum Reserve, and…
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