The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2021 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. In January of 2022, Trader Joe’s offered the Platinum Reserve SLH Pinot Noir. That wine sold for $14.99 and if you click on the link you will find that we thought it had too much alcohol and wasn’t…
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The Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s wine and is the same price as it was in 2012 when we first reviewed this brand. In places where there are no Trader Joe’s stores, this wine can sell for $11.99. The back label mentions this wine was “vinted and bottled by” Trader…
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The Z Alexander Brown Uncaged Proprietary Red Blend 2020 is a wine I found for $12 at a local wine shop. It is a collaboration between musician Zac Brown and John Killebrew, the winemaker for Delicato Family Vineyards, the makers of Gnarly Head and Coppola wines. Proprietary Blend indicates that the blend is unique to…
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Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2021-My Kind of $12.99 Zinfandel TJ's wine selection has been stagnant since March, nothing has been added or subtracted. On my most recent visit, there were maybe 1o, maybe more new wines! CWF talks about Dry Creek vs Lodi and what gets our taste buds going with…
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The 19 Crimes Snoop Dogg Cali Red 2021 is a wine I found at a local big box wine shop selling for $11.99. Most 19 Crimes wines feature wine from Australia, but the Snoop Dogg line and the Martha Stewart Chardonnay are sourced from California and this Red is from the Lodi AVA. The blend…
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The Noble Vines 181 Merlot 2020 is $7.99 at Costco, anywhere from $8 to $14 online. Nobles Vines is a Delicato Family Vineyards brand that started in Lodi and expanded to Napa Valley and recently purchased Coppola wines in Sonoma. The 181 in the title refers to the number of the Merlot Clone they planted…
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Get ready to raise your wine glasses as I, Domain Dave, introduce you to a hidden gem from the shelves of Costco: the Kirkland Signature Series Columbia Valley Red Wine 2021. Crafted by esteemed French winemaker Nicole from Long Shadow, this wine is a testament to how affordable wines can rival their pricier counterparts, without…
Read MoreStrap in and prepare for a wine mystery that rivals any detective novel! It’s your affable guide, Domain Dave, and today, I’m taking you on a journey through Costco’s wine aisle to uncover the story behind a puzzling blend – the McLean Vineyard’s Love, a red blend. We’re talking questions without answers, a winery that…
Read MoreReady to toast to the red, white and blue with a wine that's as patriotic as it gets? Then join me, Domain Dave from ChiefWineFighter.com, as we uncork the Federalist Ben Franklin Lodi, a Cabernet Sauvignon 2021. This episode is all about an American classic, from the label that sports an image of a suave…
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The Federalist Ben Franklin Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a wine I found for $10.99 and the prices on the internet range from $10 to $20. This wine is over 90% Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Sirah, and Sangiovese added. This is a brand from Terlato WInes which is the company…
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Ready to indulge in a Chardonnay that might change your mind about this popular varietal? Join us as we sip and savor the Jam Sellers Butter Chardonnay 2021, a fun and unique find at Costco for just $9.99. We’ll dive into the background of Jam and its founders, John and Michelle, while discussing their focus…
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The JaM Cellars Butter Chardonnay 2021 is 100% Chardonnay and is a wine I found at Costco selling for $9.99 and is found on the web for 13 to $17. The JaM in the name stands for John and Michele Truchard. John is a second-generation California winemaker his father owns Truchard Vineyards in Napa. In…
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The Sand Point Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is a wine I found selling for $9.99. The Sand Point brand of wine is part of the Lange Twins Family Winery and Vineyards located in Acampo, California inside the Lodi AVA. The Lange Twins are 5th generation farmers whose families started working the land in the 1870s. The…
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The Rough And Ready Cabernet Franc Vs Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is an $8.99 Trader Joe’s wine, but in places that don’t have a Trader Joe’s this wine sells for $15 to $18. It is a wine made for Trader Joe’s by Bozzano & Co., they have produced other quality wine for TJ’s in the past….
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The Joel Gott California Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from vineyards in Sonoma, Lake County, Lodi, Monterey, and Santa Barbara AVAs. Joel Gott Wines was founded in 1996 and specialized in wine from California, Washington, and California. The Joel Gott California Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is #5 on Wine Spectators’ list of top ten value wines…
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The High Guard Chardonnay 2021 Trader Joe’s is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is produced for them by a family-owned winery located in Napa Valley, though the grapes are from California. A wine produced from grapes grown in California must show California as the place of origin f the grapes are not from one…
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The Purple Moon Chardonnay 2020 Trader Joe’s is a $3.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This wine is one of TJ’s perennial wines we first reviewed the 2011 vintage, it was $3.99 9 years ago. How they keep the price the same after all these years is a small miracle. This wine along with other wines in…
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The Pillars of Hercules Red Blend 2020 is $12.99 at Costco and between $15 and $20 elsewhere. The wine is grown and produced by Giguire Estates which is part of Matchbook wines in the Dunnigan Hills AVA. The Dunnigan Hills AVA is located in California’s Central Valley, it is north of Lodi, northeast of Napa,…
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The Cycles Gladiator Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petite Verdot, and 8% Merlot sourced from vineyards in the 58% Paso Robles AVA and 42% Lodi AVA. This is a Bordeaux blend. Cycles Gladiator is a project from winemaker Adam LaZarre started in 2005. The brand is part of the Wine Hooligans’ stable…
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The Zombie Zin is a non-vintage wine that is 95% Zinfandel and 5% Syrah sourced from vineyards in several locations in California. Zombie is a brand from Chateau Diana a family-owned and operated winery started in 1981 and is located in Sonoma. Zombie Zin may be a brand that was produced to take advantage of…
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The Don’t Mind If I Do Sparkling Wine is a $9.99 ALDI exclusive. ALDI owns the brand name and the still wines in this line are made by a family-owned winery in Monterey, California. The Sparkling wine has been made by a family-owned winery, since 1938, located in Lodi, California. They are the largest Sparkling…
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The Sebastopol Oaks California Chardonnay 2019 is sourced from grapes grown on the Clarksburg and Lodi AVAs with some Paso Robles grapes added in. Sebastopol is a town that is situated inside bother the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River AVAs. The Sebastopol Oaks California Chardonnay 2019 is one of the many wine brands from…
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Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot Red Blend 2021-Another $7.99 Trader Joe's Bargain Petite Sirah vs Petit Verdot? I thought the grapes in a blend were supposed to work together, not fight each other. So, the name is dumb, but the blend is smart. This is Trader Joe's take on Michael and David's Freakshow Petite Petit…
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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 Bogle Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 is sourced from various vineyards in California. Bogle Vineyards, from the Clarksburg AVA, have 1,600 acres of vineyards in California. The Bogle family has been farming in California since the mid-1800s. They started their wine operation in the late 1970s. The Clarksburg AVA is in the river delta from the…
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