(and the cheap WHITES we’re diggin’ on lately)
The 2009 Antano Viura is 100% Viura (also called Macabeo, which along with Xarel-lo and Parellada is the 3 grapes that go into Spanish Cava) sourced from old vine vineyards grown near the town of Labastida in Rioja, Spain. The alcohol content is 12.5%. The color is pale sunshine yellow. The nose is apricot and…
Read MoreThe 2008 Cave Springs Riesling is 100% Riesling sourced from, 57% 20 Mile Bench, 20% Beamsville Bench, 17% Lincoln Lakeshore and 6% Creek Shores sub-appellations of the Niagara Peninsula VQA (Vintners Quality Alliance) near Lake Ontario in Canada. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks and the alcohol content is 11%. The…
Read MoreIf you were a cool breeze (my nickname in high school), you’d love blowing through the “Templeton Gap” – a series of mountain passes near Paso Robles – just to get to the rolling hills of Cass Vineyards. Your job is to cool their 100% estate-grown Rhone varietals so they can ripen into majesty. In…
Read MoreThe 2009 Seven Hills Viognier is 100% Viognier sourced from a single vineyard, Talcott Vineyards, which is located in the recently established Wahluke Slope AVA, which in turn is located inside the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State. A reasonably small production wine, only 960 cases produced. The wine is aged in new French oak…
Read MoreThe 2010 Benefactor Cellars South Eastern Australia Chardonnay is a Trader Joe’s exclusive selling for $4.99. This is a Negociant wine, which means this is an unnamed Wineries excess wine is purchased and re-labeled by a 3rd party. That is a very common practice through out the wine world and if the Negociant has ties with…
Read MoreThe Monchhof Estate Riesling is 100% Riesling grown from vineyards near Urzig, Germany. The Monchhof (translates to “Monks House”) Winery was started on a charter from the Pope in 1177, there is a stone Roman wine press on the site that dates back to Roman times. The current Estate buildings and wine cellar were completed…
Read MoreThe 2009 Gordon Brothers Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from a 100 acre, certified organically grown Estate Vineyards located in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. A small production wine, only 940 cases made. The wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks and different yeasts were used in each individual vat, the various yeast impose…
Read MoreA Trader Joe’s $4.99 wine, the Le Grotte Reggiano Lambrusco Russo Dulce (translates to sweet red) is a Sparkling wine sourced from the Lambrusco grape grown in the Reggiano nell’Emilia DOC of the Emilia-Romagna growing region in Italy. Lambrusco is both the name of the grape and the type of wine and this region has…
Read MoreWe reviewed the 2010 vintage of the Trader Joe’s Vinas Chilenas Sauvignon Blanc Reserva and thought it was a steal at $3.99. At that price, the winemaker can’t spend too much money on the wine making process, so these Trader Joe’s 4 buck specials are only as good as the grapes that are used and…
Read MoreThe Spanish White Guerrilla Verdejo is 100% Verdejo grown in a single vineyard located in the Valles de Sadacia growing area, which is a white wine only DO (Denominacion de Origen) located inside the Rioja district, in Spain. The Verdejo grape has been grown mainly in the Rueda region for 1,000 years and is a very hearty,…
Read MoreA Trader Joe’s exclusive, a $4.49, Sparkling Wine imported from somewhere in France. The term Blanc de Blancs normally indicates that the Bubbly was made from Chardonnay grapes, but the back label only mentions “white grapes,” which in France could also mean Chenin Blanc (Cremant de Loire) or Mauzac (Blanquette de Limoux) grapes. A Brut…
Read MoreTheir Merlot is an awesome value and has been selling out everywhere. Now here’s their Pinot Grigio and it’s just as wonderful a deal as the Merlot. Hints of lemon grass and apricot with a small amount of acidity. Not watery like other examples out there at the same price. Easy drinking and yummy. This…
Read MoreI love this wine! Usually unoaked Chardonnay is not my thing, but this is as good as any I’ve had! It explodes with fresh crisp fruit, mango, pineapple, melon and even a little banana flavors with citrus notes too. It finishes with more mango and apple flavors. It has so many different fruit flavors that…
Read MoreThe 2009 Domaine de Gournier is 100% Estate grown Chardonnay located in the hills overlooking the town of Nimes in the Rhone Valley, but outside the borders of the Costieres de Nimes AOC. Since this was not grown inside a AOC designated growing area, the wine is referred to as a Vin de Pays des Cevennes (translates…
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