The 2010 Dr Jebediah Drinkwell’s Meritage is a Trader Joe’s ($6.99) exclusive label made for them by the Central Coast Wine Warehouse (a custom wine producer) from grapes grown in Paso Robles, California. They have been making this wine for several years and the blend from 2010 is 44% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Franc, 9% Malbec,…
Read MoreThe 2010 Brander Sauvignon Blanc is 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from the San Ynez AVA in Santa Barbara County and San Ynez both part of the larger Central Coast AVA. This Sauvignon Blanc uses grapes from Brander’s estate vineyards along with grapes grown from other vineyards in the Los Olivos sub region of San Ynez….
Read MoreThe Shakedown Red Blend is 75% Mourvedre, 15% Grenache and 10% Viognier sourced from the Central Coast Vineyard Team, a group of 300 local farmers growing grapes with sustainable farming practices. The grapes for the Shakedown Red come from the Paso Robles AVA of the Central Coast. Viognier is a White wine grape and is used…
Read MoreA by Acacia is the entry level label for Acacia Vineyards, a top notch producer of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Carneros AVA of Napa Valley. The A by Acacia Red Blend is 85% Syrah, 10% Merlot, 2% Grenache, 2% Petite Sirah and 1% Zinfandel, the grapes were sourced from vineyards in several AVA’s…
Read MoreFirst thing you need to know about Trader Joe’s Pancake Cellars Big Day White is that there is no Pancake Cellars. Pancake Cellars is one of the many labels produced by Central Coast Wine Warehouse a contract wine producer, they make 50+ labels, many of which are first class wines. We reviewed the 2009 Pancake…
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The Josephine Pays D’Oc Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southwest France located between the Mediterranean Ocean and the Pyrenees and the Black Mountains. It is a region known for single-varietal wines, though blends are also allowed. The Josephine Pays D’Oc Cabernet Sauvignon…
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The Violet House Monterey Red Blend 2019 is a $7.99 ALDI wine made by a family-owned winery in Monterey that makes most of the Monterey AVA wines for ALDI and Trader Joe’s. We reviewed the 2017 vintage of the blend exactly two years ago, and that version sold for $8.99 and featured a spooky/odd illustration…
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The Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a wine sourced from vineyards in the Central Valley of Chile. The Central Valley is an Intermediate Depression between the Andes Mountains and the Coastal Mountain Range. The Santa Rita Winery was founded in 1880, and their 120 brand of wines (which has been around for 50…
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The Pichilemu Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s import wine. The wine is made by Viña Marchigue, a family-owned winery located in the Colchagua Valley in Chile. The winery also owns vineyards in the Curico Valley, located near the middle of the Central Valley in Chile. The Curico Valley is in between the…
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The Los Vascos Cromas Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, and 5% Carménère sourced from Estate vineyards of Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) Colchagua Valley vineyard and winery in central Chile. This Estate was founded in 1988 and was the first French wine project in modern Chile. Barons de Rothschild…
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The StoryThe Petit Bourgeois Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is an IGP Valle de Loire wine (the back label calls this a “table wine” which is a designation below IGP). It is the entry-level Sauvignon Blanc from Famille Bourgeois and winemaking family that has been producing wine in the Loire Valley for ten generations. They specialize…
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The Story The Petit Bourgeois Loire Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is an IGP Valle de Loire wine (the back label calls this a “table wine” which is a designation below IGP). It is the entry-level Sauvignon Blanc from Famille Bourgeois and winemaking family that has been producing wine in the Loire Valley for ten generations. They…
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The Story The Flora and Stone Gewürztraminer is a non-vintage dated $4.99 ALDI exclusive wine sourced from vineyards in Monterey County AVA in the Central Coast AVA of California. Normally, $4.99, non-vintage, and a store brand would be a cause for concern, but I did a little digging and there is more to this wine than…
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The StoryThe Freakshow Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a small amount of Petit Sirah, is sourced from a Michael & David Winery estate vineyard in Lodi AVA of California's Central Valley. Michael and David are the Phillips brothers and their family has farmed in Lodi since the 1850s. Most of the West Coast grape-growing regions…
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The Story The Freakshow Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon, along with a small amount of Petit Sirah, is sourced from a Michael & David Winery estate vineyard in Lodi AVA of California’s Central Valley. Michael and David are the Phillips brothers and their family has farmed in Lodi since the 1850s. Most of the West Coast grape-growing…
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The Story The Hopes End Red Wine Blend 2016 is a blend of 42% Shiraz/Syrah, 38% Grenache, 13% Malbec, and 7% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards in South Australia (near Adelaide). Hopes End is one of Trinchero Family Estates line of wines, other brands include, Joel Gott, Menage a Trois, Folie s Deux, Charles &…
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The Death Metal Red Vol.1 2016 is a private label wine blend found at Whole Foods for $8.99 and sourced from vineyards in the Castilla-LaMancha growing area of central Spain. This wine does not exist on the internet, that’s not uncommon for private label wines since part of the reason for their existence is to remove…
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The Guild of Fermentation Fanatics Coonawarra Shiraz 2016 is a $8.99 ALDI import wine sourced from the Coonawarra region of the Limestone Coast district in southern central South Australia. The Guild of Fermentation Fanatics are the winemakers for Kingston Wine Estates of Australia who banded together to produce their own wine brand. This Shiraz (Shiraz and…
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The Vinas Chilenas Sauvignon Blanc 2015 is a $4.49 Trader Joe’s exclusive brand sourced from grapes grown in Chile’s Central Valley. The Central Valley lies in between the Chilean Coastal Mountain Range and the Andes Mountains, it is a warm area with intense sunlight and a long growing season. This is a young wine, meaning…
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The Tin Roof Merlot 2012 is a taste of California Merlot with grapes sourced from the Central Coast, the North Coast and Lodi AVA’s. Tin Roof’s website has not been updated in a while (the last Merlot vintage shown is 2009), but they have made wine for over 30 years and have a pretty good…
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The Natura Sauvignon Blanc 2014 is 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from certified organic vineyards in the Casablanca Valley of the Aconcagua Region in Chile. You must remember this about the Casablanca Valley, this is a cool coastal growing region with morning fog and Pacific Ocean breezes. Much of the Chilean wine you see on store…
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The 2012 Natura Cabernet Sauvignon is 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Merlot sourced from certified organic and sustainably farmed vineyards in the Rapel Valley in the northern half of Chile’s Central Valley. The Natura label is one of Emiliana Organic Vineyards line of 100% organic, sustainable frown and sometimes bio-dynamic wines. The Rapel Valley…
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The 2012 Novas Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from certified organic vineyards in the San Antonio Valley DO of Chile. Novas means “birth of a star” and is one of Emiliana Vineyards line of 100% sustainably farmed, organically grown wines. Many of the wines from Chile in this price range (lists for $16, but…
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The 2012 Bonny Doon Albarino is sourced from two vineyards, 73% from the Kristy Vineyard in the Salinas Valley and 27% from the Jespersen Vineyard in the Edna Valley, both located inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Albarino is a grape that is usually found in northwest Spain and Portugal and is becoming increasingly…
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