Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Reserve Chalone Pinot Noir 2020- The Best Ten Dollar Pinot Noir #2 Chalone is a 300-acre AVA 1,300 to 2,300 feet up in the Monterey coastal mountains. The soil is closer to Burgundy, France than California and the climate is all it's own. Pinot Noir from the Chalone AVA…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Chalone Pinot Noir 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The interesting part of the last sentence was the reference to the Chalone AVA. The Chalone AVA is perched about 1,200 to 2,300 upon a plateau in the Monterey coastal mountains. There are only 300 acres of vines planted with only…
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Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Reserve Sonoma Valley Merlot 2020-Don't Look Sideways At This $9.99 Merlot Ok, Merlot is awesome. Just because some guy in a movie about screwed up drunk people said otherwise is no excuse for you not drinking merlot. (see the movie Sideways) Merlot is one of the Great grapes of…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Sonoma Valley Merlot 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes farmed in the Sonoma Valley AVA and produced for TJ’s by William Knuttel Winery. They make their own high-end wine along with custom wine for folks like Trader Joe’s. Tj’s Fearless Flyer mentions William Knittel Winery as one…
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Send us Fan Mail Don Rodolfo Mendoza Pinot Noir 2019-The Best $10 Pinot Noir? A value-priced Pinot Noir from the Lujan de Cuyo region of Mendoza in Argentina. The leading wine reviewer gave this ten buck Pinot 90 points. There isn't anything about this wine that would suggest it is an excellent wine, but it…
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The Don Rodolfo Mendoza Pinot Noir 2019 is a wine sourced mainly from the Lujan de Cuyo Valley inside the greater Mendoza region of Argentina. The Don Rodolfo Winery was founded in 1870. The Lujan de Cuyo Valley is located in western-central Mendoza and the vineyards are situated 3,300 to 5,000 feet. Lujan de Cuyo…
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Send us Fan Mail Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020-Love NZ Sauvignon Blanc? Kim Crawford is synonymous with New Zealand wine. The only problem is he sold the company in 2004. Loveblock is his new (newish) project with his wife Erica. This Sauvignon Blanc is delicious! For all the details check out http://www.cheapwinefinder.com or listen to…
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The Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is an estate-grown, sustainably farmed wine from Kim and Erica Crawford’s New Zealand winery. Yes, that Kim Crawford, from the brand that is almost synonymous with New Zealand wine. The Crawfords sold their brand back in 2004 and stayed with the company for a few years before starting Loveblock….
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Send us Fan Mail The Chocolate Cellar Red-Aldi $8 Valentine's Day Chocolate Red Wine Eight bucks at Aldi's. Smells like an ice cream sundae. Tastes like a chocolate bar. What else could you ask for? Check out http://www.cheapwinefinder.com and listen to the podcast for all the details. Check us out at http://www.cheapwinefinder.com or email us…
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The Chocolate Cellar Red sells for $7.99 at Aldi but is available on the web at other wine outlets. This is a non-vintage Red wine (they do not mention the grape or grapes used) with added chocolate flavors. Aldi seems to be the go-to location for flavored wines. They have a wine-based chocolate drink from…
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Send us Fan Mail Curious Beasts Chardonnay 2019-Never had a Skeleton Label Wine I Didn't Like I went to the local Supermarket looking for a wine with hearts on the label and love in the name and could not find a single wine. So, I bought the wine with Day of The Dead Skeletons on…
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The Curious Beasts Chardonnay 2019 is a supermarket wine, it is made for Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel/Osco, and a host of other stores in the chain. It is produced exclusively for them the same way Trader Joe’s, Aldi’s, and Costco have their wines made for them. The Curious Beasts brand has been around for several years…
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Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2020-$12.99…Worth Buying? Most 2020 vintage Carneros Pinots sell in the $20 to $40 range. This TJ's Pinot Noir has been sourced from a steady Carneros supplier for 12 years. There are no bad vineyards in Carneros and therefore there are no bad wines Trader…
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2020 s a $12.99 TJ’s exclusive. The 2020 vintage is the 12th edition of this Pinot Noir, here is a link to a CWF review of the 1st edition, it was ten bucks then. Every Carneros Grand Reserve is Lot #23, so it seems all 12 vintages…
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Send us Fan Mail Mon Frére Chardonnay 2018-Au Contraire Mon Frère Peppy LaPew, Bart Simpson, Bill Murray in Caddyshack? The name comes from somewhere, but I think it actually comes from how the Chardonnay is a blend of California and Burgundian winemaking techniques. Talk about the best of both worlds. If you like your Chardonnay…
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The Mon Fére Chardonnay 2018 is a brand and winery from Taub Family Selections, which are mainly importers but have their own vineyards and wineries. They have a very extensive portfolio of wines. This Chardonnay is sourced from grapes grown in Mendocino, Monterey, and Lodi. That is a textbook example of why the Chardonnay shows…
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Send us Fan Mail Stormchaser Wild Ride Red 2019- Aldi's Excellent $8 Columbia Valley Red Blend Trader Joe's wines get all the press, but Aldi's main portfolio of wines is hard to beat. The Stormchaser Red blend has been around since the 2018 vintage, but I somehow missed it. This is an excellent Red wine…
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The Stormchaser Wild Ride Red 2019 is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive farmed from grapes grown in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington. It seems to be produced for Aldi by the largest privately owned wine company in Washington. I checked the California Wine COLA website for the lister producer. They do not show this wine…
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Send us Fan Mail Marengo Mauro Nas-Cetta 2020-Explore the White Wines of Italy There are hundreds of different White wine grapes in Italy. Every Village has its grape that they drink with pride. All the grapes are different, they have a wine history that goes back thousands of years. They must be doing something right….
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The Marengo Mauro Nas-Cetta 2020 is a White wine from the Langhe district near the town of Novello in the Piedmont area of northwest Italy. Marengo Mauro is a family-owned and operated winery, every member of the family has a duty. One manages the vineyards, another does the graphics and packaging, another oversees the winemaking,…
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Send us Fan Mail Union and Branch Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2019-Aldi's $14.99 Cabernet Sauvignon Why is this wine more expensive than the typical Aldi wine? I am not sure. Is it worth $14.99? Yes, it rocks for 15 bucks. So, what is the deal here? Read http://www.cheapwinefinder.com and listen to the podcast for all…
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The Union and Branch Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 are a $14.99 Aldi wine exclusive produced for them by a large family-owned wine estate located in the Monterey AVA of California. The $14.99 price point is a stretch for Aldi wine. They have an excellent $19.99 Champagne that they release every year for the holidays,…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Paso Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon 2020-TJ's Tasty $8 Paso Robles Cab According to the leading wine experts Paso Robles produces some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon wines in America. It stands to reason that if Paso makes great expensive Cabs, it easily can produce killer inexpensive Cabernet Sauvignon. That is Logic 101,…
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The Paso Dragon Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes farmed in the Paso Robles AVA inside the larger Central Coast AVA. The Paso Dragon name comes from Lake Nacimiento, which shoreline does resemble a dragon. Check out the label for an artistic representation. I found a website that exports…
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Send us Fan Mail Vinas Chilenas Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2021- Trader Joe's $4.49 Wine From Chile This is a Trader Joe's wine that has been a favorite for over a decade. The price is the same after more than ten years. The best Sauvignon Blanc you ever had? No. The best $4.49 Sauv Blanc? Oh,…
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