Send us Fan Mail Compass Bridge Sonoma Chardonnay 2024 Wine has changed; California has changed! Just because last year’s wine had perfect conditions does not mean this year’s wine has the same. Trader Joe’s, in the past, may have had five to ten new wines a month. Those times are gone. Each vintage needs to…
Read MoreThe Compass Bridge Sonoma Chardonnay 2024 is a $9 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It appears to be produced by Delicato/Coppola Wines. The Story The back label reads ” Vinted and bottled by Compas Bridge,” Manteca and Geyserville, California. Manteca (Lodi AVA) is the home of Delicato Family Vineyards, and Geyserville is the home of Coppola Wines….
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Renwood Amador County Old Vine Zinfandel 2023 This is the $7.99 Costco Renwood Zin. The podcast has a story about Renwood. There have been major changes recently. Renwood, in spite of the changes, is still a remarkable wine. Amador County still makes excellent Zinfandel. This is a bargain; find out why!…
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The Renwood Amador County Old Vine Zinfandel 2023 is selling for $7.99 at Costco and in the $ 15-plus range elsewhere. The Story Amador County wine country is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and this is where the Gold Rush occurred. It is east of Napa and north and east of Lodi….
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Sauvigio Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Grigio 2025 This is a 50-50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Produced for Trader Joe’s, an entity of Delicato Family Vineyards/Coppola Wine. It does not exactly taste like a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio. But it is tasty and easy to like. Seven dollars buys…
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The Sauvigio Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Grigio 2025 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is produced for them by an entity of Delicato Family Vineyards/Coppola Wines. The Story Delicato Family Vineyards just celebrated its 100th anniversary in the Lodi AVA, and they recently purchased Coppola Wines out of Sonoma. The Sauvigio Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Grigio 2025 has…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Blanc 2024 Bordeaux Blanc is Sauvignon Blanc blended with some Semillon. These wines can be aged for 20 years and cost a small fortune. This Costco wine isn’t one of those, and for most people might be better. This is possible the cheapest amazing Bordeaux wine! This may…
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The Compass Bridge Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2023. is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced from vineyards in the Sonoma AVA. The Story The Compass Bridge Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is made by Coppola wines which is a part pf Delicato Family Wines from Lodi. I checked the California Wine Cola Registry and Coppola was the…
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Send us Fan Mail Tazmin Breeze Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 This is a amazing five buck wine. You expect nothing nothing, but get a Sauv Blanc that competes with wines at twice the price. The podcast talks about why this happens, but also praises the producer for making a quality wine. Cheap good wine is…
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The Tazmin Breeze Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is a Trader Joe’s $4.99 import exclusive, The Story The Tazmin Breeze Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024 is imported by an entity of Delicato Family Wines of Lodi, California. They have many brands including Stoneleigh Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. There is no indication if there is any relationship or connection…
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Send us Fan Mail Hess Select California Chardonnay 2024 This is a Chardonnay sourced from all over California. 30% of the juice was both fermented and aged in French oak barrels. Hess has been around since the late 70s, so they have great contacts for purchasing grapes. All that combines to produce an excellent value-priced…
Read MoreSend us Fan Mail Josh Reserve Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel 2021 Bourbon barrels are charred. Wine Barrels are toasted. Bourbon barrel flavors can overpower wine, unless handled properly. The bourbon flavors here are handled in textbook fashion! Barrel flavors are not everything in wine. But they do add texture and flavor. These wines are fun to…
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The Josh Reserve Bourbon Barrel Zinfandel 2021 is a wine that lists for $21.99, but I found it on sale for $9.99. The Story The Josh reserve wines are the top-tier wines and are part of the bourbon barrel-aged series. Joseph Carr created the Josh brand in 2006 in honor of his father. I have…
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The Trader Joe’s Brut California Sparkling Wine is an $8.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is produced by Rack and Riddle who make most of TJ’s California Bubbly. The Story The Trader Joe’s Brut California Sparkling Wine is not a Reserve or Grand Reserve wine, but a plain old Trader Joe’s wine. We already have North…
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Send us Fan Mail Honey Moon Viognier 2024 Viognier is a Northern Rhone Valley (France) blending grape. It has a very fragrant scent and excellent natural acidity. It can help both Red and White wines that need a little boost. But when you put a chill on it, it makes a seriously good summer wine….
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The Honey Moon Viognier 2024 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive; it has kept the $5.99 price since at least the 2019 vintage. The Story The Honey Moon Viognier 2024 is produced for Trader Joe’s by some faction of Delicato Family Wines, which also makes Gnarly Head and recently purchased Coppola Wines. They make the…
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The Chasing Rain Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a wine that has been selling for $20, but I found it for $10. It is produced by winemaker Joshua Maloney. The Story The Chasing Rain Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a wine that has sold for between $20 and $25 and was considered a…
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The Sonoma Grove Zinfandel 2022 is a wine I found at Trader Joe’s, selling for $7.99. It is wine from the Navigator Wine Collection, which, up until recently, was known as Precision Wine Company. They have made many wines for Costco and Trader Joe’s. The Story The label says the grapes are sourced from Sonoma…
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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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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 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…
Read MoreSend 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 MoreSend 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…
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 Curious about kosher wines but don’t know where to begin? Join Domain Dave as he uncorks the Twin Suns Lodi Mevushal Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, a $10 Trader Joe’s find that offers fascinating insights into the intersection of wine and religious tradition. This episode goes beyond typical tasting notes to explore how…
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