The Sainte-Croix Syrah (50%) Merlot (50%) is a Trader Joe’s $4.99 US exclusive (it is available in Canada for around $12). This wine is produced by Roux Pere & Fils S.A. from grapes grown in the Languedoc region of Southwest France. This Red blend is designated a Vin de Pays D’Oc wine indicating that while this…
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The 2009 Retorno (translates to repay or return) Garnacha is sourced from old vine vineyards (60+ years old) located in the Calatayud D.O. of the Province of Zaragoza in the Aragon region of Spain. The Retorno is designated as a “young” wine in Spain indicating that it receives little or no oak barrel aging, this…
Read MoreMalbec is one of those varietals that’s always been hit or miss for me. Originally a minor blending grape in Bordeaux, Malbec is truly at its best in Argentina and has put Mendoza on the map. It tends to have spicy and dark fruit flavors – which I love – but often with an inconsistent mouth feel. Sometimes…
Read MoreThe Tussock Jumper Carmenere is the Chilean entry for Tussock Jumper’s 13 wines from around the world. The grapes are sourced from the Colchagua Valley, located in the southern part of the Rapel Valley, which again is part of Chile’s Central Valley. All the valleys are that these wine-growing areas are sandwiched between the Chilean Coastal…
Read MoreThe 2008 Grifone Toscana 1967 is a Trader Joe’s ($5.99) exclusive blend of 85% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Syrah (known as a Super Tuscan blend, usually Bordeaux grapes are blended with the Sangiovese, but Syrah is not a Bordeaux grape) sourced from grapes grown in coastal vineyards in Tuscany, Italy. This blend is classified…
Read MoreThe Chateau Chantal Celebrate Rose‘ Sparkling wine is a Semi-Dry (which actually means the wine is on the sweet side, Brut is the term used for less sweet wines) sourced from grapes grown in Estate vineyards on the Old Mission Peninsula, just north of Traverse City, Michigan. The Old Mission Peninsula is situated on the…
Read MoreThe 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 2009 Concannon Conservancy Crimson & Clover Red Blend is 50% Petite Sirah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Syrah and 10% Zinfandel sourced from vineyards in the Livermore Valley AVA near San Francisco in Northern California. Concannon Vineyards have quite a history, the founder, James Concannon planted the vineyard from Bordeaux grapevine cuttings in 1883, they…
Read MoreA lovely representation of Right Bank Bordeaux by the glass. Essentially declassified St. Emilion grapes, we have a blend of Merlot (70%), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%) and Cabernet Franc (10%). The resulting juice is light in body, elegant in style, and definitively old world in character. At first look we have a delicate garnet hue with…
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…
Read MoreThe Santa Julia [+] Torrontes is 100% Torrontes sourced from the sustainably grown grapes from the Mendoza growing region in Argentina. The grapes are hand picked and the wine is aged in stainless steel vats. This is the classic white wine from Argentina, the perfect summer wine. The alcohol content is a relatively stout 13.8%. The color…
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