The 2012 Goats do Roam Red is a blend of 46% Syrah/Shiraz, 23% Grenache, 17% Mourvedre, 11% Cinsault and 3% Durif/Petite Sirah sourced from multiple vineyards in South Africa’s Western Cape wine region. The name, Goats do Roam, is a play on the Cotes du Rhone AOC grape growing area in the Rhone Valley in…
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The 2011 Pontificis (translates to Pope) Grenache (50%) Syrah (30%) and Mourvedre (20%), also known as a GSM blend is a Vin du Pays d’Oc wine sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc region of southern France and is a Trader Joe’s $6.99 import exclusive. This blend is produced for Trader Joe’s by Badet Clement and…
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The 2012 Coppola Votre Sante (French for “to your health”) Chateau Red is a blend of Rhone grape varietals, mainly Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre with a few other grapes added in small amount to season the stew, sourced from several California grape growing AVA’s, but primarily from Monterey, the North Coast and Lodi. This blend…
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The 2011 Pennywise Petite Sirah is 86% Petite Sirah, 8% Merlot and 6% Tannat (a blending grape originally from the Northern Rhone in France, it gives the wine a red berry flavor, dark purple color and adds structure) sourced from vineyards in 58% Lodi, 20% Mendocino, 12% Clarksburg and 10% Paso Robles. Pennywise is a…
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The 14 Hands Vineyards Columbia Valley Merlot is 78% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Syrah, 1% Grenache and 1% Cabernet Franc sourced from several vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. 14 Hands refers to the height of the wild mustangs that used to roam the Columbia Valley, the average regular horse is 15…
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I often wonder why Viognier isn’t more popular in the US. It stands well on its own and is often co-fermented with Syrah in the Rhone Valley in France, so it has solid credentials. It has the weight of the ever popular, Chardonnay, but with sooo much more going on. So if you’ve never had…
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The 2009 Whiplash Redemption Red Blend is 65% Syrah, 25% Barbera and 10% Zinfandel sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. Whiplash wines are the value brand for Reata Wines from Napa Valley. The Barbera grape was the 2nd most planted grape in Italy until 1985 when a group of idiotic producers added…
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The 2011 Flying Heart Red is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced by the custom and private label winery, Fior di Sole (they also produce Spiral wines), located in Napa Valley, California. This is a “kitchen sink” blend of Merlot, Petit Sirah, Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay of all things, sourced from…
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The 2010 Triptych Red (a triptych is a 3 panel painting or carving) is a blend of 40% Grenache, 40% Syrah and 20% Petite Sirah sourced from Broken Earth Wineries Estate vineyard, Shimmin Canyon Vineyard, in Paso Robles, located inside San Luis Obispo County which in turn is inside the larger Central Coast AVA and situated…
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Theisn’t your usual bottle of French wine. First, Saint Cosme is the negociant side of Chateau Saint Cosme who produce excellent Estate wines, so these are purchased grapes, mainly from the Southern Rhone Valley. And yes, the grapes are pressed in a Basket Press, which is an old style type of mechanical press, you put…
Read MoreThe HobNob Wicked Red is an unusual blend of Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Pinot Noir sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc in the south of France. There are 3 levels of wine in France, the top level is AOC (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone Valley, etc), the 2nd is IGP (used to be known as Vin…
Read MoreThe 2008 St. Francis Red Splash is a blend of 27% Merlot, 19% Petite Sirah, 17% Syrah, 17% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Zinfandel and the other 14% made up of Cabernet Franc, Alicante Bouschet and mixed blacks (various red grapes, I don’t know why the accounting is so impercise). Some of the 2008 vintage labels say…
Read MoreThe 2009 Paul Jaboulet Parallele 45 Blanc is a White Blend containing 50% Grenache Blanc (one of the main White grapes of the Cotes du Rhone), 20% Marsanne, 20% Viognier and 10% Bourboulenc (a White blending grape from the south of France, gives the wine body and smoky citrus flavors) grown in vineyards in the…
Read MoreThe 2010 Les Truffieres Grignan-Les-Adhemar is a blend of 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah sourced from the newly renamed Grignan-Les-Adhemar AOC in the Rhone Valley, France. Grignan-Les-Adhemar is the northern most AOC in the Southern Rhone region. The Rhone Valley is separated into Northern Rhone (mainly Syrah based Red wines) and the Southern Rhone (Grenache based…
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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 MoreMonastrell is what the Spanish call Mourvedre. I truly didn’t think it could stand up on its own since my previous encounters with Mourvedre were in Rhone blends and a couple mediocre dessert wines. So color me surprised by this $14.99 bold red I picked up at Evolution Wines and Spirits. The skill of the…
Read MoreWe want YOU to help us kick it off at the Launch Party and save 50%! Taste Around Town Chicago is back! Think “Restaurant Week” for WINE! May 14th-25th, we want you and your friends to get out to as many participating Chicago restaurants and wine bars as possible and taste these badass wines: California’s…
Read MoreThe Paul Mas Estates Picoul de Pinet is a single vineyard Estate wine grown near the town of Pinet overlooking a Bay on the Mediterranean in the Languedoc District in the south of France. Picoul is the grape varietal and it is one of the oldest Languedoc grapes (it is also grown in the Rhone Valley),…
Read MoreThe 2008 Razor’s Edge McLaren Vale Shiraz (75%) Grenache (25%) is an Australian take on the wines of the southern Rhone Valley. McLaren Vale has a climate similar to the Mediterranean and Rhone grapes grow well there. The wine was aged in 50%, 2 and 3 year old French oak barrels and the other 50% is aged…
Read MoreThe 2010 Chateau Pesquie Terrasses is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Syrah from vineyards in the Cotes du Ventoux region of the Rhone Valley in France. The Cotes du Ventoux is where the Alps meet the Mediterranean. The wine is unfiltered and unfined, which means all the dead yeast and grape residue are…
Read MoreThe Long Arm Lot 81 Paso Robles Red Blend is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The wine is made by Familia Nueva, which is a label owned by Ancient Peaks Winery and used for their Trader Joe’s wines, which tend to be some of the better TJ’s California wines. This is a non vintage wine…
Read MoreThe 2010 Domaine d’Andezon is a blend of 90% Syrah (40+ year old vines) and 10% Grenache (60+ year old vines) sourced from a co-op located south of Chateauneuf du Pape in the Cote du Rhone region in France. This is a wine put together and imported by Eric Solomon. The wine is aged in…
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 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…
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