(the cheap REDS we’re diggin’ on lately)
The Belcreme de Lys Pinot Noir 2013 is Pinot Noir, with a little bit of Syrah added in, sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. Belcreme de Lys is one of Diageo Chateau & Estate Wine many wine brands. Their portfolio runs from Moet & Chandon to Blossom Hill White Zinfandel….
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The Natura Pinot Noir 2013 is 100% Pinot Noir sourced from certified organic vineyards in the Colchagua Valley in the southern half of the Rapel Valley inside Chile’s Central Valley. The Colchagua Valley is a little cooler than the rest of the Rapel Valley and the western side of the valley sees climate influence from…
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The Bodegas Ontanon Reserva 2005 is 95% Tempranillo and 5% Graciano grown in Estate vineyards (Tempranillo in the La Pasada vineyard and the Graciano in the La Montesa vineyard) in the southern Rioja region of Spain. The Graciano grape is primarily grown in Rioja as a blending grape, it adds color and aging properties. Bodegas…
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The Natura Rose’ 2014 is 85% Syrah and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from certified organic and sustainably farmed vineyards in the Rapel Valley inside Chile’s Central Valley growing area. Natura is one of Emiliana Organic Vineyards line of organic and bio-dynamic wines. Emiliana is a family owned winery and vineyards who went organic back in…
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The WiseAss Red Blend 2014 is 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 10% Bonarda sourced from vineyards in the Maipu Valley (some of the Cabernet grapes came from the Uco Valley) of the Mendoza region in Argentina. The Bonarda grape is widely grown in Argentina and was originally from the Piedmont region of Italy. The…
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The Natura Syrah 2013 is 100% Syrah and 100% organic sourced from vineyards in the Rapel Valley inside the Central Valley of Chile. The Rapel Valley growing area is includes the Cachapoal Valley and the Colchagua Valley and is one of the larger grape producing regions in Chile.. The Natura label is the everyday wine…
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The Altovinum Evodia 2013 is 100% Garnacha sourced from vineyards in the Calatayud DO of the Aragon region of northeast Spain. This region is to Garnacha what Lodi in California is to Zinfandel, which is the home of a myriad of old vine grapes farmed in an area that does not always get the respect…
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The Château Pesquié Terrasses Rouge 2013 is 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah (along with small amounts of Carignan, Cinsault and Mourvedre) sourced from several sections of the Château Pesquié estate vineyards in the Ventoux AOC of the southern Rhone Valley in France. You may know the Ventoux region from the rugged mountainous sections of the…
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The Fort Ross Sea Slopes Pinot Noir 2012 is sourced from the Fort Ross Vineyard in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA located about an hour and half north and west of San Francisco on the Sonoma Coast of California. Fort Ross-Seaview received AVA designation in 2011 and is situated on coastal ridges near the Pacific Ocean,…
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The Underwood Oregon Pinot Noir Can is sourced from multiple vineyards, 60% from the Umpqua Valley and 40% the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The can looks to be a regulation soft drink can, the lip on top is a little steeper than on a can of Coca-Cola, but otherwise seems to be identical. The Pinot…
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The Zagarrón Velada Crianza Tempranillo 2011 is sourced from Bodegas Zagarrón vineyards in the La Mancha DO of Central Spain. Bodegas Zagarrón, founded in 1948, is a co-op of 780 grape growers with vineyards covering over 12,250 acres of land. La Mancha is the largest grape growing region in the world in terms of acreage. …
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The La Vidaubanaise Vin de Pays Maures Rose’ 2014 is a blend of Carignan, Grenache, Cinsault and Mourvedre sourced from vineyards north of Cannes and near the foothills of the Alps in Provence in southeast France. La Vidaubanaise is a wine co-op founded in 1912, they are a group of independent vineyards (about 130 in…
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The Domaine Dozon Chinon Rose’ 2014 is 100% Cabernet Franc sourced from a sustainably farmed vineyard on the hillside above the Vienne River in the Chinon AOC of the Loire Valley in France. Cabernet Franc is one of the grapes approved for Bordeaux Red blends. But, in the Chinon AOC, Cabernet Franc is not only…
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The Poker D Tempranillos 2010 is a blend of 4 different Tempranillo clones farmed in vineyards in the Campo de Calatrava region of Castilla-La Mancha in Spain. This is a Vinas de la Tierra de Castilla wine, which is the Spanish equivalent to the IGT wines from Italy and the Vin de Pays wines from…
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The Principe de Viana Garnacha 2012 is sourced from 3 vineyards located in the Navarra DO in Northern Spain near the border with France. The vines are at least 60 years old and Bodegas Principe de Viana was founded in 1983, though wine has been produced in the area since the 200 AD. This Garnacha…
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The Coppola Director’s Cut Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2012 is 80% Zinfandel and 20% Petite Sirah sourced from vineyards with 40 to 80 year vines located in the Dry Creek Valley AVA inside Sonoma County in Northern California. Dry Creek Valley is 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean which gives the region cool evenings and…
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The Avalon CAB California Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Syrah, 7% Zinfandel and 4% Merlot sourced from vineyards located in Napa Valley (the largest % of the grapes come from Napa), Lodi, Paso Robles and Monterey County in Northern California. This Cab was aged for 8 months in French and American oak…
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The Sainte Croix La Bergerie Syrah Merlot 2012 is a blend of 50% Syrah and 50% Merlot sourced from vineyards (probably from purchased grapes or juice) in southern France on the Languedoc and Roussillon border. Domaine Sainte-Croix is owned and operated by an English husband and wife wine-making team, they are in the process of…
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The Lazy Bones Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2013 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, vinted for them by the Central Coast Wine Warehouse. They are a custom label facility and own or control some of the finest vineyards in the Central Coast AVA. Central Coast Wine Warehouse has a long history of producing wines for…
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The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Monterey Merlot 2012 is a $5.99 TJ’s exclusive and believe it or not, it is estate grown, produced and bottled by someone. The back of the bottle says Blue Canyon Wine Company, Greenfield, Ca., they are a front company and not an actual winery. There are 175 vineyards in Monterey,…
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The Cooper’s Hawk Romance Red is a sweet, non-vintage wine. The bottle shows American as the place of origin for the grapes, they source grapes from California, Washington, Oregon and Michigan. When you see American on the label that means that grapes grown in more than one state were used. Cooper’s Hawk is a winery and restaurant…
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The Villabella Vigna Morlongo Bardolino Classico DOC 2013 is a blend of 55% Corvina, 30% Rondinella and 15% Corvinone grown in an estate vineyard on a hillside near Lake Garda in Verona, Italy. Those are local grapes, traditionally used in the production of Bardolino, it seems every Italian town has indigenous local grapes that are only…
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I was never much of a fan of blind wine tasting, I figured it was simply an easy way to make a complete fool out of myself. I just knew that at some point I would mistake a Malbec for a Riesling and anyway I want to enjoy a glass of wine, not turn it…
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The Bodegas Dehesa de Luna 2012 is a blend of mainly Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah with additional indigenous grapes sourced from 2 Estate vineyards (sustainably farmed) in the Castilla-LaMancha region (near Madrid), in the middle of Spain. This is classified a Vinos de la Tierra de Castilla wine, which is roughly equivalent to the Vin de Pays…
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The Josh Cellars Legacy Red 2012 is a blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah sourced from vineyards thru-out California, but mainly in the Central Coast, Lodi, Sonoma and Napa. Josh Cellars is the second line of wines from Joseph Carr Wines and is named in tribute to Joseph Carr’s dad, also a Joseph,…
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