The Substance CH Chardonnay 2020 is a brand in winemakers Charles Smith’s House of Smith family of Washington State wines. Those wines span from fairly expensive 100-point wines to value-priced wines. The CH Chardonnay lists for $17, but I found it for $12.99. The Substance CH Chardonnay 2020 was sourced from three vineyards, 70% Frenchmen…
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The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2021 is a Trader Joe’s limited release exclusive. It is produced for Trader Joe’s by the Miller Family Wine Company which also makes Trader Joe’s Lazy Bones Cabernet Franc, also from Paso Robles grapes. The Miller Family Wine Company also owns the Central Coast Wine Warehouse…
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The Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot Red Blend 2021 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s wine sourced from vineyards in the Lodi AVA. This is the first wine that I can remember where I was not sure what the name was. It could be Rough & Ready or Two Heavy Hitters or it could be all…
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The Dreaming Tree Pinot Noir 2020 is a collaboration between Dave Matthews (yeah, that Dave Matthews) and New Zealand winemaker Sean McKenzie. This is Pinot Noir sourced from multiple locations in France. French wines are typically sourced from one appellation or a sub-appellation, such as Bordeaux or the Médoc. The vineyards used for a particular…
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Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Reserve North Coast Meritage 2020- A Wine Well Worth Drinking!! A Meritage wine is a Bordeaux-style blend produced in California. A Bordeaux-style blend is Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec grapes. This wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. The North Coast AVA…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Meritage 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive Red blend. According to the Fearless Flyer, the blend is Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot, the only Bordeaux-approved grape missing is Malbec. A Meritage Red blend, which rhymes with heritage, is a wine that is based on the…
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Send us Fan Mail Substance Sb Sauvignon Blanc 2021- Heads Up Sauvignon Blanc Lovers!! The Substance Sb has had a change in style. The Black label was a Bordeaux-Style Sauv Blanc fermented and aged in French oak barrels. This is the Yellow Label Sauvignon Blanc which is 90% stainless steel with 10% neutral oak barrel….
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The Substance Sb Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from four vineyards, 43% Caliche Lake Vineyard, 26% Holmason Vineyard, 19% Frenchman Hills Vineyard, and 12% Roza Hills Vineyard all located in the Columbia Valley of Washington. The Substance line of wines is from The House of Smith one of the top producers in the Columbia Valley,…
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The Rebuttel Chardonnay 2021 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive made for them by a winery from Lodi, California, though this wine is a California wine and not AVA designated. You may notice that Rebuttel is misspelled (Rebuttal). The name is a sort of a pun, a butt is an old measurement for wine and…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Outlander Meritage Red 2019- A $9.99 Aldi Bargain From Paso Robles I don't think this wine has anything to do with the time travel Scottish series on Starz. It is a Bordeaux blend from Paso Robles made for Aldi by Coppola and sold for $7.99. Is it good? Oh Yeah! The…
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The Outlander Meritage Red 2019 is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive sourced from vineyards in Paso Robles, California. This wine was produced by Coppola Winery from Sonoma California and was purchased the last year by Delicato Family Vineyards, headquartered in Lodi. A Meritage Red blend is a California wine that uses the approved grapes of the…
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The Daou Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is part of the Discovery series of wine from Daou Vineyards of Paso Robles California. Daou is one of the finest wineries in Paso Robles known for their Bordeaux-inspired wines and they are Cabernet Sauvignon specialists. The Daou Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is made by the same…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Lot 225 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This is a wine produced for Trader Joe’s by Precision Wine Company which makes custom wines and several of its own brands from Napa Valley grapes. The Alexander Valley is about twenty-five miles from the Pacific Coast along…
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The Tilia Malbec 2020 is the first Argentinian-certified sustainably farmed wine. This is a wine that is sourced from various family farm vineyards in the eastern Mendoza Valley and the Uco Valley of Argentina. Since this is not a single estate wine and several privately owned vineyards the coordination to achieve the sustainable certification was…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Oak Knoll Napa Merlot 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The Oak Knoll AVA in Napa is located at the southern end of Napa on the Valley floor. It is just above the Napa side of the Carneros AVA which borders to the south on the San Pablo Bay. Most…
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The Starborough Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from vineyards in the Marlborough region of New Zealand’s South Island. Marlborough is on the northern part of the South Island. Starborough is an E & J Gallo wine brand, the largest family-owned wine company in the world. The Starborough Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is produced by…
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Send us Fan Mail Lazy Bones Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2020- A TJ's Wine Named After Me This is a & buck Trader Joe's exclusive wine that has been available for years, it is a perennial favorite. Cabernet Franc is a Bordeaux blending grape and not often seen as a single varietal wine, especially for…
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The Lazy Bones Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2020 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It has been $6.99 for years we first reviewed the 2013 vintage, here s a link. This Red was produced by the Central Coast Wine Warehouse back then. Today the producer on the back label is Miller Family Wine Company. It…
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The Michael David Freakshow Zinfandel 2019 is 86% Zinfandel, 8% Petite Sirah, and 6% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards in the Lodi AVA. Petite Sirah is often found blended with ZInfandel, it is almost a surprise if no Petite Sirah is added. Petit Verdot is one of the Red grapes approved for wines in Bordeaux….
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The Wente Morning Fog Chardonnay 2020 is the “entry-level” Chardonnay from Wente Vineyards, the oldest continuously operated family-owned winery in America (founded in 1883). They survived World Wars, the Depression, and Prohibition, and their story is of great significance to the entire wine industry. In 1912 Ernest Wente started working on grapevine cutting from a…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Paso Robles Syrah 2019 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Most of these Trader Joe’s Reserve wines are one-offs. Wines that disappear after the run sells out, but this wine, Lot 100, has been offered since the 2013 vintage. The back label says this Syrah was produced by Familia Neuva Vineyards,…
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Send us Fan Mail Trader Joe's Reserve Sonoma Valley Merlot 2020-Don't Look Sideways At This $9.99 Merlot Ok, Merlot is awesome. Just because some guy in a movie about screwed up drunk people said otherwise is no excuse for you not drinking merlot. (see the movie Sideways) Merlot is one of the Great grapes of…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Sonoma Valley Merlot 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes farmed in the Sonoma Valley AVA and produced for TJ’s by William Knuttel Winery. They make their own high-end wine along with custom wine for folks like Trader Joe’s. Tj’s Fearless Flyer mentions William Knittel Winery as one…
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The Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 is an estate-grown, sustainably farmed wine from Kim and Erica Crawford’s New Zealand winery. Yes, that Kim Crawford, from the brand that is almost synonymous with New Zealand wine. The Crawfords sold their brand back in 2004 and stayed with the company for a few years before starting Loveblock….
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The 14 Hands Hot To Trot Red Blend 2018 is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, 19% Syrah, 2% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards through the Columbia Valley AVA in Washington. The name 14 Hands refers to the wild horses that at one time roamed free in the area….
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