The Sunshine Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2011 is a $6.99 exclusive imported (New Zealand) Aldi’s wine. Don’t be afraid, Aldi’s is the parent company of Trader Joe’s. This Sauvignon Blanc is fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks and is made in a lighter, fruit forward style. The alcohol content is 12.5%. The color is a…
Read MoreThe Abancay Mascara Del Sol (translation: Mask of the sun) 70% Tempranillo & 30% Merlot Crianza is sourced from Bodega Abancay Estate vineyards in the Carinena DO of the Aragon Province in Northeast Spain. Crianza is a legal wine term in Spain indicating that the wine was aged for a minimum of 2 years, with at least…
Read MoreThe St Gisbertus Silver Moon Dornfelder Blood Red is a non-vintage $4.99 Aldi’s import exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Rheinhessen region (the largest grape growing area in Germany) located on the left bank of the Rhine River. Dornfelder is a recently created grape (1979, no, it is not a mutant) and it is popular…
Read MoreThe Louise d’ Estre’e Brut Rose’ Sparkling wine is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive. The wine is produced by Marcel Martin, who makes both still and Sparkling wines in the Loire Valley in France. Marcel Martin makes a Brut Rose’ Cremant under his own label (Cremant = Sparkling wine, it can only be called Champagne if…
Read MoreThe Chateau Poyanne Cotes de Bourg Bordeaux 2009 is a Trader Joe’s $5.99 exclusive sourced from Estate grown grapes (The Albert Schweitzer vineyards) in the Côtes de Bourg Appellation about a half hour away from the town of Bordeaux in Southern France. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and while it is…
Read MoreThe entire name of this wine is Oak Valley River Canyon Ridge by Glenn Meadows Creek Russian River Valley Chardonnay, it is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Russian River AVA which is located inside the Sonoma grape growing AVA in Northern California. This Chardonnay is produced for Trader Joe’s…
Read MoreThe 2011 Dearly Beloved I Thee Red is a Trader Joe’s $7.99 exclusive (last years Forever Red sold for $6.99) sourced from Merlot, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah and Cabernet Franc farmed in the Central Coast grape growing AVA of California. The 2009 Dearly Beloved Forever Red was produced by Mendocino Wine Group, who make Parducci Cellars…
Read MoreThe 2011 Caves du Fournalet Cotes du Rhone Red is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s import exclusive. Caves du Fournalet is a Negociant-Eleveur with cellars in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape area of the Southern Rhone Valley in France. A Negociant is someone who buys wine from various producers and then sells it under their own label, a Negociant-Eleveur…
Read MoreThe 2011 Pedigris Pinot Gris is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, 100% Pinot Gris sourced from vineyards in Columbia Valley, Washington. The wine is made for Trader Joe’s by The Ranch Winery (the parent company is Wine Trees), a custom winemaking facility in St. Helena, California. You tell them what you want and at what price,…
Read MoreThe 2010 Trader Joe’s Reserve Knights Valley Meritage is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Knights Valley is an AVA located in the far eastern edge of Sonoma County, California, it is the warmest AVA in Sonoma and features volcanic soil and is well known for producing Red grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. The…
Read MoreThe 2011 Old Moon (Old Vine) Zinfandel is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive that has been around since at least the 2004 vintage. Old Moon Zin is made for TJ’s by Delicato Family Vineyards, the producers of Gnarly Head, Brazin and HandCraft among several others. The term Old Vine does not have a legal definition,…
Read MoreThe 2010 The Original Darkhorse Chardonnay is $7.99 Trader Joe’s wine, but it does not seem to be a TJ’s exclusive and is available on the web for the same price. The Original Darkhorse is one of E & J Gallo’s 58 brands. I have high hopes for this Chardonnay, we posted the Darkhorse Cabernet…
Read MoreThe Sainte-Croix Syrah (50%) Merlot (50%) is a Trader Joe’s $4.99 US exclusive (it is available in Canada for around $12). This wine is produced by Roux Pere & Fils S.A. from grapes grown in the Languedoc region of Southwest France. This Red blend is designated a Vin de Pays D’Oc wine indicating that while this…
Read MoreThe Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Organic Chardonnay is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from certified organic grapes grown in more than one California grape growing AVA. This Chardonnay is produced for Trader Joe’s by ASV Wines a custom winemaking company who own their own vineyards. Neither Trader Joe’s or ASV Wines offer any information…
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The 2010 Babble Red Wine is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes grown in Mendocino County, California. The blend is 36% Petite Sirah, 26% Syrah, 17% Merlot, 10% Carignane, 10% Grenache and 1% Malbec. Babble is produced by DnA Vineyards (owner and winemaker is Dennis Patton), who is a custom winemaker, tell him…
Read MoreThe 2010 Tribunal Sonoma County Red is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive in the US, it is available in Canada and sells for $25 to $28 Canadian. This is a “kitchen sink” blend with the grapes and the percentages changing with each vintage, so if you loved or hated the 2008 or 2009, the 2010…
Read MoreThe 2010 Révélation Chardonnay is a $4.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Languedoc region in the south of France. This wine comes from the Negociant side of Badet, Clement & Cie, who also grow and produce their own wines in Burgundy and the Languedoc. The bottle is labeled “dans nos chais”…
Read MoreThe 2010 The Original Darkhorse Cabernet Sauvignon is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s wine. The wine is produced by E & J Gallo, the largest family owned wine company in the world. Gallo’s wines run the spectrum from Andre’s and jug wine to topnotch, Estate wine. There is a winery in Sonoma and another in Australia…
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The 2011 Acre Russian River Valley Chardonnay is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. There is or at least was an Acre Wine Company that produce wines sourced from the Central Coast (the wines they make list for 3 times as much), and this bottle shares their bottle graphics, a silk screened grape vine, but this…
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The 2010 Picket Fence Pinot Noir is sourced from 2 vineyards, the Green Valley vineyard and the Riverside Vineyard in the Russian River Valley AVA inside of Sonoma, California. The winemaker, Alison Crowe, worked at Chalone and Boony Doon before taking over the winemaking chores at Picket Fence. Picket Fence is owned by Bronco Wines…
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The 2010 Revelation Cabernet Sauvignon (55%), Merlot (45%) is a Trader Joe’s $4.99 exclusive sourced from the Languedoc region in southern France. The wine is produced by Badet, Clement & Co., 4th generation winemakers working in Burgundy and the Languedoc. This wine is “Mis en bouteille dan nos caves,” meaning bottled in our cellars, indicating just…
Read MoreThis is a very smooth, medium bodied, and traditional Tuscan wine. I say traditional because Chianti Classico falls within the original Chianti designation they drew up back in the 1700s. This small sub-region of Chianti has more restrictive wine laws and more traditional winemaking practices than the rest of Chianti. Il Tarocco bears the black…
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The 2011 J W Morris Gewurztraminer is a $3.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. J W Morris is one of Bronco Wines (2 Buck Chuck) multitude of wine labels. Bronco Wines is very focused on keeping production costs down so there is rarely any promotional material available on the making of their wines. I will say this…
Read MoreThe 2010 Earth and Vine Chardonnay is a Trader Joe’s exclusive ($7.99) sourced from sustainably farmed grapevines in Sonoma County, California. The wine was produced for Trader Joe’s by Kunde Family Estates, a family owned and operated winery purchased by them in 1904, the original winery on the site, the Wildwood Vineyards dates back to…
Read MoreThe 2011 Trader Joe’s Vinas Chilenas Merlot is a Trader Joe’s $3.99 exclusive. The wine is produced by Videma from grapes grown in Chile’s Central Valley. Videma’s vineyards are under the control of the Tarapaca Group, which includes noted winemaker Paul Hobbs. The Tarapaca Group instituted the “Ultra Premium Oenological Center,” with the goal to…
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