Send us Fan Mail Aldi Specially Selected Douro Doc Reserva Red 2022 Douro is the region in Northern Portugal that is famous for making Port. This Aldi wine is made for them by Van Zellar, who are the oldest family Port Producer in Portugal (1620). This is a Field blend, which means multiple grapes are…
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The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2023 is a $14.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Not to be mistaken for the Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir, which has been a Trader Joe’s staple for 15 years. We reviewed the 2021 Platinum Caneros Pinot Noir. This is the 9th year for this offering. The…
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Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2023 Carneros is the Pinot Noir growing region of Napa. Carneros is also famous for Chardonnay; multiple AVAs in Napa grow killer Chardonnay. It is not typical for quality Carneros Pinot Noir to sell for $14.99. But then again, Trader Joe's is not your…
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The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Napa Valley Brut Rosé is a $14.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is produced and bottled by Rack and Riddle, located in Healdsburg, California. The Story The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Napa Valley Rosé Brut is made entirely from 100% Pinot Noir. If this wine were not a Rosé, it would…
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Send us Fan Mail This is a Pinot Noir Bubbly from Napa, probably Carneros grapes. At $14.99, it is a reasonably priced Sparkling wine that can hold its own against Bubbly selling for much more. It is well-made, tastes great, and is affordable. What more do you want from an excellent Sparkling wine? Champagne prices…
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The Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found on sale for $15.99; it typically sells for $20 or more. The Sonoma-Cutrer winery is part of the Duckhorn family of wines. The Story The Sonoma-Cutrer Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2023 is their “entry-level” Chardonnay. It is 100% Chardonnay sourced from 4 sustainably farmed estate…
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Send us Fan Mail This Chardonnay started as a restaurant-only wine, but its popularity caused the winery to offer it to retail wine shops. It quickly became the #1 wine in its price point. The reason is that it is an excellent half-California, half-Burgundian Chardonnay. Balance with flavor. Not that French Chardonnay does not taste…
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The Wittenberg Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s wine. It was produced and bottled by Northwest Collective, which is an entity of Precept Wine and Spirits. The Story Precept Wine and Spirits is the largest wine company in the Northwest with 4,000 acres of vines, multiple wineries, and 25+ brands. They routinely…
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Send us Fan Mail This is a $9.99 Cabernet Sauvignon from a single vineyard in the Yakima Valley of the Columbia Valley. The vineyard is under the control of the wine company that is responsible for this wine. Not exactly an estate wine, but close. It tastes like a legit West Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, not…
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The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Napa Valley Blanc De Blancs is a $14.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It was produced and bottled by Rack and Riddle of Healdsburg, California. The Story Rack and Riddle is a large custom Sparkling wine producer serving California. They produce both the Traditional Method (think Champagne) and the Charmat Method (Prosecco)….
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Send us Fan Mail I don't need to beat around the bush; this Bubbly hits well above its price range. Trader Joe's also has a Napa Valley Rosé, which is mostly Pinot Noir instead of Chardonnay, and I do like Pinot Noir Bubbly. Until I try that Bubbly, this is the reigning KING of 2025…
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The Elliot Cooper California Chardonnay is a non-vintage $10 Aldi exclusive. Aldi owns the brand name, but a subsidiary of Trinchero Family Wine and Spirits produced the wine. The Story Aldi tends to own the brand names in case the need to change the producer arises. A popular product can continue and have several producers…
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Send us Fan Mail Elliot Cooper sounds like the guy who was in your gym class. It is a non-vintage wine that does not sound too promising. But it is actually a very good California Chardonnay. It drinks well, is versatile, and did I say it drinks well? Non-vintage wine from Aldi, and you expect…
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The Freakshow Lodi Chardonnay 2021 is a wine I found at a local grocery store for $15. This wine is from Michael David Winery of Lodi, California. The Story Michael and David are brothers, and Phillips is the family name. They are fifth-generation grape growers. The family has farmed the land since the 1860s and…
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Send us Fan Mail Bought a bottle of Chardonnay from a local grocer. It was 5 years old and not stored properly. It should never have been on a store shelf. This does not happen often, but it has occurred often enough that you must always check, never assume it is a current vintage. Check…
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The Lapis Luna North Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2024 s a wine I found at Trader Joe’s selling for $10.99. It is not a Trader Joe’s exclusive and a quick check of the internet found it selling in the $10 to $14 range. The Story Lapis Luna is Latin for the Stone and Moon. It is…
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Send us Fan Mail Doamine Dave was first drawn to ths wine by the label. It's a copper engraving from 1624 that has been colorized, Lapis Luna translates in Latin to the Stone and Moon. The label is an angel tether to a rock reaching for the moon. Not you typical wine label. As for…
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The Willia Creek Willamette Chardonnay 2023 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s wine. The Willia Creek Cellars trademark is held by Precept Wine & Spirits. The Story The back label shows this Chardonnay was ” produced and bottled by” Willia Creek Cellars of Dundee, Oregon. Produced and bottled by indicates the aforementioned winery may not have…
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Send us Fan Mail A $12.99 Chardonnay from Willamette Valley that actually overdelivers? We pop the cork on Willa Creek 2023 and trace the bigger story behind Oregon’s quiet Chardonnay comeback. For years the region leaned on California clones that struggled to ripen in cooler sites, yielding lean, austere wines. The switch to Dijon clones—and…
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The Florility French Organic Pinot Noir 2024 is a $7.99 Aldi import exclusive. It is produced for Aldi by the Ethicdrinks company of France. The Story The Ethicdrinks company is certified organic, carbon neutral, sustainable, and vegan-friendly. They have a line of wines that allow you to plant a tree with every purchase, another that…
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Send us Fan Mail A $7.99 French Pinot Noir that’s organic, carbon neutral, and made by a B-Corp shouldn’t be this easy to drink—and yet here we are. We pull the cork on Florility French Organic Pinot Noir 2024 from Aldi and get honest about what’s in the glass, what’s on the label, and what…
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The Intermingle California Dark Red Blend 2023 is a $6.99 Aldi exclusive. The Story The Intermingle brand is produced for Aldi by a division of Sutter Home Family Vineyards. Sutter Home was founded in 1890, and the original owners operated the winery until the onset of Prohibition. In 1948, the winery and vineyards were acquired…
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Send us Fan Mail Expecting a brooding beast from a “dark red blend”? We pop Intermingle California Dark Red 2023 from Aldi and find something better: a calm, balanced, mid-weight red that drinks clean, pairs easily, and costs just $6.99. We walk through the blend—Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petite Sirah—exploring how inky color can still…
Read MoreThe Dearly Beloved I Thee Red 2023 is a $7.99 exclusive at Trader Joe’s. This wine has been produced since at least the 2009 vintage, with several different producers involved. It was a Central Coast AVA for most of its existence, but the last few vintages have been from the Lodi AVA. The Story Over…
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Send us Fan Mail A skull on the label and real structure in the glass—this $7.99 Trader Joe’s classic surprised us in the best way. We uncork Dearly Beloved I The Red 2023 and follow the clues: who makes it now, why the blend works, and how Lodi’s delta breezes turn a hot inland zone…
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