The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2023 is a $14.99 wine available exclusively at Trader Joe’s. The Dundee Hills AVA is a sub-AVA within the Willamette Valley AVA. The Story The back label indicates that this wine was “vinted and bottled by Cultavin Cellars.” Vinted and bottled by means that they bottled…
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The Markham Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a wine I found on sale, priced at $13.99; it is typically priced above $20. Markham Vineyards is a historic wine property dating back to the 1800s. The Story Bruce Markham founded the current winery in 1977, and it quickly became known as a premier producer of…
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The Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Rutherford Meritage 2022 is an exclusive, $19.99 offering available only at Trader Joe’s. This wine was produced and bottled by (that means they made it) 1542 ACE, which is a label from Miura Vineyards, a project from a Master Sommelier, Emmanuel Kemiji. The Story Miura and 1542 ACE typically deal…
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The Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a $5.99 exclusive to Trader Joe’s. This certified organic wine is produced by ASV Vines on the Central Coast of California. The Story There is a wine truism: nobody goes through the time, effort, and expense to certify a less-than-top vineyard to organic specification. Young…
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The Bacchus Ginger’s Cuvee Pinot Noir 2023 is a wine I found at a local wine retailer selling for $12.99. It is a wine label from David Gordon, the Sommelier at Tribeca Grill (owned by Robert De Niro) since 1990. The Story David Gordon has had an outstanding career, he is one of 3 Americans…
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The Le Monde Sparkling Pinot Nero Rosé is a Bubbly I found selling for under $10 on sale, though it typically sells for around $15. The Le Monde is an estate wine located in the Friuli region of northeast Italy. Slovenia is to the east, and Austria is to the north. The Story Le Monde…
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The Super Happy Sauvignon Blanc 2023 appears to be a Trader Joe’s exclusive, priced at $9.99. This wine is made from grapes grown in the Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara. The Story The Super Happy Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is produced by Field Recordings, a well-regarded winery from Paso Robles. Field Recordings is Andrew Jones, who…
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The Bouchard Ainé & Fils Chardonnay 2024 is a wine I discovered at Costco, priced at $9.99. It is available elsewhere in the $12 range. The Story Bouchard Ainé & Fils is a renowned winery with roots dating back to the early 1800s. They specialize in the wines of Burgundy, France, which are mainly Chardonnay…
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The Raorao Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for $5.99. It is sourced from vineyards in the Marlborough district in the northern part of New Zealand’s South Island, which accounts for 2/3rds of New Zealand’s wine output. The Story The story is that there isn’t much of a story. The Raorao…
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The Cune Cava Brut is a non-vintage traditional-method sparkling wine from the Penedès region of northeastern Spain. Cune is a label from the CVNE winery, which was founded in 1879. The Story CVNE is an acronym for Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España, which translates to Wine Company of Northern Spain. A mixup caused their…
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The Devil’s Corner Tasmania Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found selling for $16.99 at a local wine shop. The grapes were farmed in vineyards in the Tamar Valley of Tasmania. The Story Tasmania is an Australian state located south of Melbourne, an island in its own right. The Tamar Valley is a river valley…
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The Copilot Carneros Napa Pinot Noir 2023 is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for $7.99. Trader Joe’s also offers a $7.99 Copilot Carneros Chardonnay with the same origin story. For information on the folks who are involved with that wine, check out that review. The Story The Carneros AVA is located in both Sonoma and…
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The Tarongino Frizzante with Valencia Oranges is priced at $12.99 at Trader Joe’s. This is a wine produced in Spain, and a quick internet search reveals that Trader Joe’s may hold the US distribution rights. The Story The Tarongino Frizzante with Valencia Oranges is a Bubbly infused with 100% Valencia orange juice from an orchard…
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The Copilot Carneros Chardonnay 2023 is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for $7.99. A little internet sleuthing found that this wine was produced by some component of Fior di Sole, a family-owned and operated wine company headquartered in Napa. The Story Trader Joe’s has recently offered bargain wines from Carneros vineyards. Last month, they featured…
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The Kirkland Signature Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a $9.99 Costco wine exclusive. The Alexander Valley AVA is in the northern section of the Russian River Valley. The Story The Alexander Valley is in northern Sonoma County, one of the warmer locations in Sonoma, but it has cool nights. That temperature difference allows grapes’…
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The Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva 2022 is a $8.99 Costco exclusive. This wine recurs each vintage. In the past, the back label mentioned the Cafaggio estate as the producer. The 2022 vintage makes no mention of Cafaggio and seems to have a different producer who does not wish to be identified. If this is…
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The Lapis Luna Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a wine I found selling at Trader Joe’s for $10.99. It isn’t a Trader Joe’s exclusive; it is available elsewhere for $10 to $16. Lapis Luna is a brand from a joint venture of WarrRoom Ventures and Total Beverages Solutions. The Story Other brands under WarRoom Ventures…
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I found the Doris & Leopold Grüner Veltliner 2023 wine at Trader Joe’s for $5.99. This wine is produced by Sutter Winery in Austria. The Story The Sutter Winery has been around for 100s of years, and wine has been grown and produced here (Hohenwarth, Austria) since 1150. Doris and Leopold are the proprietors of…
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The Federalist Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a wine I found on sale, selling for $9.99. The Federalist is a brand of wine from Terlato, a family-owned wine group with over 50 years of experience. The Story Terlato has a huge portfolio of wines and spirits from all over the world. They are the company…
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The Story The Elouan Oregon Pinot Noir 2022 Tasting Notes The Summary Look for the link to the entertaining companion podcast! The Elouan Oregon Pinot Noir 2022 is a wine I found on sale at a local wine shop, selling for $12.99. This brand is from Joe Wagner, the family behind the Caymus brand of…
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The evoluna Mendocino Chardonnay 2023 is available at Trader Joe’s for $9.99. This is an organic wine brand from the Boisset Collection. The Story The Boisset Collection is Jean-Charles Boisset’s wine company, which features wine and spirits from both France and California. The evoluna brand seems to be a discontinued line of wines. The brand…
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The Story The Specially Selected Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2024 Tasting Notes The Summary Look For The Link To The Companion Podcast The Specially Selected Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a $11.99 Aldi exclusive. The Story The Specially Selected line of wines is an Aldi brand that offers affordable wines from the best wine…
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The Casone Toscana Vermentino 2023 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive to the coastal regions of Tuscany in north-central Italy. Vermentino is the white wine grape of Tuscany, while Sangiovese is the main Red Grape. The Story The Casone Toscana Vermentino 2023 is bottled by Castellani S.p.A., Famiglia Castellani, a Tuscan winery started in…
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The Cambalala South African Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a $5.99 Aldi exclusive sourced from grapes grown in South Africa’s Western Cape growing region. The Story The story is that there is almost no story to tell. Aldi owns the Cambalala name, which completely masks the producer of this wine. Most of the vineyards and sub-regions…
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The Duvergey Taboureau Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2023 is a Trader Joe’s $11.99 exclusive, sourced from grapes farmed in the Burgundy region of France. The Story Maison Duvergey Taboureau was a wine estate founded in 1868 in Burgundy. When the founders passed away, Jaques Prieur acquired the estate in 1925. This estate continues to this day….
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