The Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay 2014 is 100% Chardonnay sourced from multiple vineyards throughout the Columbia Valley in Washington State. Chateau Ste Michelle is the largest winery in Washington, their 2nd label Columbia Crest won the Wine Spectator Wine of the Year for a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (sold for $40), another label, 14 Hands makes one…
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The Meiomi Pinot Noir 2014 is composed of 100% Pinot Noir grapes from 48% Monterey County, 27% Sonoma County and 25% Santa Barbara County. Meiomi (translates to “coast” in the language of the local native people) is a brand started by Joe Wagner, part of the Wagner Family who are well-known for Caymus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon….
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The Vin du Sud Collection Domaine de Courtal Fitou 2013 is part of a 4-pack of 375ml (half bottles) featuring 3 Red wines and 1 White wine from different growing areas inside the Languedoc region of southwest France. The Languedoc is the region where the everyday wines or the more affordable wines are produced. Fitou AOP…
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This is something a little different. It is a 4 bottle sampler pack of wine from the Languedoc. The bottles are 375ml, which equals a half bottle or 2 full glasses. There is one White wine, a Muscat from the Minervois AOC and 3 Red blends, one from Fitou AOC, another simply from the Languedoc…
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The Valreas Cotes du Rhone Villages Cuvee Prestige 2014 is a $6.49 Trader Joe’s import exclusive, produced by a Co-Op Winery from grapes grown around the village of Valreas. Valreas is known as “the enclave of the Pope“, because in 1317 the Pope stopped by during his travels and enjoyed the local wine. A Co-Op is…
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The Fort Cellars North Coast Merlot 2012 is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, produced by DNA Vineyards who also make Babble and Benefactor wines for TJ’s. The North Coast AVA consists of Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Mendocino County, Lake County, Marin County and Solano County, this AVA runs for 100 miles up the Pacific Coast and…
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The Indaba Chenin Blanc 2015 is sourced from several vineyards in the Swartland, Paarl and Stellenbosch growing regions in the Western Cape area of South Africa. Chenin Blanc is the most planted grape in South Africa and has become “the wine of South Africa.” Originally, Chenin Blanc was a well known grape from the Loire Valley in…
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The Postulate The Second Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive box wine sourced from vineyards in California. The box holds 1 1/2 liters of wine (a regular wine bottle hold 750 ml), so this box is the equivalent of 2 bottles of wine or 4 bucks a bottle. The first thing you need…
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The Sea Pearl Pinot Noir 2013 is sourced from vineyards in the Marlborough growing area of New Zealand’s South Island. Marlborough is located at the northeast tip of South Island and has the Pacific Ocean to it’s north and east and mountain ranges to the west and south. It has a very sunny, but cool climate,…
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The Poppy Chardonnay 2013 is sourced from the Poppy estate Highland Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA inside the Monterey AVA, which is part of the larger Central Coast AVA. The Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is located in the foothills east of the coastal Santa Lucia Range and on the western side of the Salinas…
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The Peirano Heritage Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from 50 year old vines grown in Peirano Estate vineyards in Lodi, California. Peirano Estate Vineyards is family owned and was founded in 1895. Lodi is a little south and east of Napa Valley, it is an inland AVA and has a Mediterranean…
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The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Paso Robles Zinfandel 2013 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from 3 sections of a single vineyard in Paso Robles, California. A different Zinfandel clone was grown in each section, so this Zin is a blend of three Zinfandel variants. The back label says this wine was “vinted and…
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The Granite Coast Vineyards Red Blend 2013 is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, estate grown and produced in Monterey, California. Granite Coast Vineyards seems to be a brand name and not an actual vineyard and winery, so if you want to know which estate grew the grapes and made the wine, look up wineries in…
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The Beso de Vino Old Vine Garnacha 2014 (translates to kiss of wine) is sourced from 40 year old vines grown near the town of Aguarón in the Carinena DO of the Aragon Province in northeast Spain. This is a wine that you should be able to find for ten dollars or less, but it…
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The IL Nespoli Sangiovese 2012 is 100% Sangiovese sourced from Poderi dal Nespoli 1929 (name refers to the year the winery was founded) family owned estate vineyards located near the village of Nespoli in the Romagna region of Emilia-Romagna in north-central Italy. Emilia-Romagna is the part of Italy where Ferrari, Maserati and most of the…
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The Dark Horse Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 is 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with a 10% of a mix of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot sourced mainly from vineyards in the Lodi AVA, along with grapes from the Sacramento Delta and the San Joaquin Valley. These are inland growing regions that receive cooling breezes coming in from the…
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The Crystal Creek Cellars Chardonnay 2014 is a $7.99 ALDI exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington State. In checking around the internet, it seems that Crystal Creek is produced for ALDI by a reputable wine company located in the Northwest. For years, I have read that ALDI wines routinely win awards…
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The Alias Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 is 93% Cabernet Sauvignon and 7% Syrah sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. Alias Wines started off as a side project for a group of 8 young California winemakers, they called themselves the Gang of 8. They all had friends and contacts with growers and wineries…
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The Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages 2014 is produced from the Gamay grape sourced from long-term contract growers in the Beaujolais-Villages AOC and from Louis Jadot Beaujolais Cru vineyards near the village of Régnié. Gamay is a cousin of the Pinot Noir grape and has been grown in the region since the 1300s. In France, wine is categorized by…
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The Bouchaine Carneros Pinot Noir 2011 is a Trader Joe’s $9.99 exclusive, just the 2011 vintage, the other vintages are available elsewhere at the regular price (list price is $35). The 2011 Bouchaine Pinot Noir comes from their Estate vineyard (and 3 other Carneros growers) on the Napa side of the Carneros AVA (Carneros is…
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The Trader Joe’s Sonoma County Brut Rosé is a $9.99 blend of 84% Pinot Noir and 16% Pinot Meunier produced for TJ’s by Rack and Riddle, a custom Sparkling Wine facility located in Sonoma, California. Pinot Meunier is a grape that is routinely used in Champagne, but does not get star billing like the other…
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The Kamiak Rock Lake Red 2012 is a blend of 53% Syrah, 44% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington. Kamiak is the entry-level label for Gordon Estates, a family owned winery founded in 1980. Gordon Estate is known for estate grown and produced wines made under…
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The Cycle Buff Beauty Shiraz Malbec 2013 is 90% Shiraz, sourced from 2 vineyards in McLaren Vale and 1 in Clare Valley and 10% Malbec sourced from a single vineyard in Clare Valley, both a part of the South Australia growing region. Shiraz (Shiraz and Syrah are two different names for the same grape) and…
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The VINTJS Paso Robles Syrah 2013 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Trader Joe’s uses the VINTJS label when they are offered a one time only deal on a limited amount of wine. Here, they indicate this Syrah came from a family owned winery in Paso Robles and if they told you which vineyard the…
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The Rodney Strong Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2013 is sourced from both estate and contracted vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA, Russian River AVA and the Dry Creek AVA, all inside Sonoma County in northern California. Rodney Strong Vineyards (Rodney Strong was a professional dancer, he danced ballet and on Broadway. He said he didn’t think…
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