The 2010 California 37 Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the band Train’s line of wines, though you would not know it by looking at the label unless you happen to know their 2012 album was named California 37. California 37 is one of Under Dog Wines many labels, which also include Cupcake, flipflop, Big House,…
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The 2011 Babble Mendocino County Red is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive blend of ZInfandel, Petit Sirah, Syrah and Carignane (one of the main Red grapes of the Languedoc) produced for them by DnA Vineyards. DnA Vineyards is Dennis Patton and Andrea Silverstein, Dennis Patton has been making wine in and out of Mendocino County for…
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The 2012 L’Ecole No. 41 Columbia Valley Chenin Blanc is sourced from four 30 year old + vineyards in the Yakima Valley AVA inside the larger Columbia Valley AVA in Washington State. L’Ecole No.41 was founded in 1983 and is the 3rd oldest winery in the Walla Walla AVA, though this bottling is from their more…
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The 2012 Kung Fu Girl Riesling is sourced from the sustainably farmed Evergreen Vineyards (one of Milbrandt’s vineyards, if you enjoy wine from the Columbia Valley in Washington State, you will find Milbrandt’s grapes in many of the wines) in the brand new Ancient Lakes AVA inside the larger Columbia Valley AVA. The Kung Fu Girl…
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The 2010 Maryhill Winery Chardonnay is sourced from 5 contracted vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Washington State. The bulk of the grapes come from Milbrandt Vineyards, it seems like every time you find a wine from Columbia Valley that isn’t produced by Chateau Ste Michelle or Columbia Crest, at least a portion of the…
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The 2010 BV Coastal Estates Red Blend is produced from Zinfandel grown in the Lodi AVA, Barbera and Merlot from adjacent vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA and the Petite Sirah from the Lake County AVA. BV stands for Beaulieu Vineyards which was founded in the Rutherford AVA of Napa Valley in 1900, though BV…
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The 2012 Le Petit du Chateau de La Garde Bordeaux Cuvee Natural is 100% Merlot sourced from their certified Organic Estate vineyard in the Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux. This is one of those Natural wines you may have heard about, organic grapes, no Sulfites added, produced with natural and chemical free methods, sort of like all…
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The 2012 Pizzolato Moscato Dolce (sweet) is sourced from organic Estate vineyards near the town of Treviso in the Veneto region of Italy, not far from the area that produces the Glera grape used in Prosecco. This Sparkling wine uses indigenous yeasts to induce fermentation, thats the yeast that is floating in the air and…
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The 2010 Matchbook Old Head (refers to used oak barrels) Chardonnay is sourced 98% from the Matchbook Vineyards (sustainably farmed) in the Dunnigan Hills AVA and 2% from the Dutton Ranch Mill Station Vineyard in the Russian River Valley AVA. The grapes are picked at night, because the they are juicier when the weather is…
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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 2012 Grifone Primitivo is a $3.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive, sourced from old vine vineyards in Puglia (the heel of boot) of Italy. Primitivo from Puglia and Zinfandel from California are the exact same grape, just different names and different soil and growing conditions, so they won’t taste exactly the same. The Primitivo/Zinfandel grape…
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The 2012 Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc is a Trader Joe’s exclusive, $5.99 in the Midwest, sourced from vineyards located in the Monterey AVA inside the larger Central Coast AVA of California. The Bay Moon brand is part of the Trader Moon line of wines, that are produced for Trader Joe’s by the Delicato Family Vineyards,…
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The Just Peachy Refreshing Bubbly is a Sparkling wine (the label refers to it as a Wine Product) infused with natural peach flavors. The White wine base is produced from the Airen grape sourced in vineyards in Provence in the south of France. While you might not have experienced the Airen grape before, it is…
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The 2010 Stump Jump Shiraz (Stump Jump is the name of a plow that is used on rough terrain) is sourced from multiply vineyards in the McLaren Vale grape growing region of Australia. This is d’Arenberg’s entry level Shiraz and is basically made from many leftover parcels of wines from their more expensive Shiraz labels,…
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The 2010 O.P.P. Other Peoples Pinot Noir (Andre Mack of Mouton Noir is a negociant, he does not grow grapes, he buys them, so these grapes were other peoples Pinot grapes) is sourced from 3 vineyards in different areas of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. 40% of the grapes came from the Roserock Vineyard in…
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The 2012 Black Mountain Fat Cat Cabernet Sauvignon is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive produced for them (this is the 30th anniversary edition) by Bronco Wines (2 Buck Chuck). Trader Joe’s started in 1967 and Bronco in 1973. Black Mountain is one of Bronco Wines 60+ wine labels and the reason they can produce so…
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The 2011 Love Drunk Rose’ is a blend of 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir sourced from the Hyland Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA in Yamhill County, inside the larger Willamette Valley of Oregon. Love Drunk Rose’ is part of a line of wines produced by Mouton Noir Wines. Mouton Noir is a project put…
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The 2011 LaGranja (the Farm) 360 Tempranillo/Garnacha is a revisit, we showcased the 2009 LaGranja 360 back in November of 2010. The LaGranja 360 line of wines sold in America exclusively by Trader Joe’s, $4.99 for the 50% Tempranillo/50% Garnacha, others in the line sell for $3.99. This wine is produced for Axial Vinos, a large Spanish exporter of…
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The Frontera Pinot Noir is 100% Pinot Noir non vintage wine sourced from vineyards in the Southern Region of Chile. Most Chilean wines you see on the store shelves are sourced from Chile’s Central Valley. The Southern Region sees more rainfall and has a cooler growing season, which is just the conditions Pinot Noir vines need to thrive….
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The 2011 Epica Chardonnay is 100% Chardonnay sourced from Vina San Pedro’s sustainably farmed vineyards in the Casablanca and Curico Valley’s in the Central Valley of Chile. Epica is one of Vina San Pedro’s value lines of wine, Vina San Pedro was named New World Winery of the Year for 2011 by Wine Enthusiast. The 2011 vintage in Chile was unusually cool allowing the grapes to develop and ripen slowly and fully. This Chardonnay is produced with minimal manipulation, allowing the true flavors of the fruit…
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The 2010 Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz (75%) Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) is sourced from vineyards all over Australia, but mainly the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra on the Limestone Coast. Penfolds was founded in 1844 and are known for The Grange, a blend that sells for $500 for a new vintage and increasing more as…
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The 2010 Climber Sauvignon Blanc is 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 12% Riesling, 7% Viognier and 1% Muscat Blanc sourced from organic and sustainable vineyards (though this is not a certified organic wine) in Mendocino and other Central Coast AVA’s. In California, if one grape varietal comprises 75% of the grapes used in the bottle, they can…
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The 2011 Blue Fin Pinot Noir is a $3.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive made for them by Bronco Wines (2 Buck Chuck) at their Napa Valley facility. The Pinot Noir grapes are sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. Pinot Noir grapes are very finicky and require very specific weather conditions, a long, cool growing…
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The 2010 Gnarly Head Authentic Red is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Syrah sourced from the vineyards of long term contract growers in Lodi, California. The 2010 vintage provided a long, cool growing season, which is ideal for developing complex. fully ripe grapes. The Zinfandel portion of the blend was…
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The 2011 Gnarly Head Authentic White is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Colombard, Muscat and Viognier sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. Whenever you see the word, California, on the front label of a wine bottle, that means the grapes were grown in more than one AVA, such as Napa or…
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