The Quarter Cut Bourbon Barrel Red Blend 2022 is a $9.99 Aldi exclusive. A check of the California Wine Cola Registry, the organization that approves wine labels, shows that this wine was produced by Vinå Concha y Toro, which makes wine in Chile and Argentina, and their California subsidiary Bonterr Organic Estates/Fetzer. The Story The…
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The La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2023 is a wine I found selling for 14.99 at Costco, a quick check of the web saw prices ranging from a low of $11 to $23. La Crema’s original name was La Crema Viñera, which translates to “best of the vine.” The Story La Crema’s estate vineyard is…
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The Lazy Bones Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2023 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. It is made for Trader Joe’s by the Miller Family Wine Company, who have been producing wine for Trader Joe’s for years. The Story The Miller family has been making wine sold at Trader Joe’s for at least 15 years, in…
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I found the Lustrous Russian River Chardonnay 2023 at Trader Joe’s, selling for $8.99. Precision Wine Company, which makes private-label and retail wine shop wines, appears to have produced it for Trader Joe’s. Their wines can be found at Costco and Trader Joe’s. The Story Precision Wine Company produces 22 separate labels along with Trader…
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The 19 Crimes Revolutionary Red Limited Edition is a wine released near St. Pat’s Day, which I found selling for under $10. It looks like this wine was first released in March 2024, but this version has a different label, so it seems to be new and not a 2024 leftover. 19 Crimes is a…
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The Pinot Project 2022 is a wine I found at a local wine shop selling for $11.89. This is a project from famed wine importer Michael Skurnik. They focus exclusively on Pinot wine, Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio (one from Italy and one from Washington, and a Rosé of Pinot Noir). The Story The Pinot Project…
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The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Yountville Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 is a $17.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Like the title says the vineyards for this wine are located in the Yountville AVA of Napa Valley. The Story In 1835, George Yount planted grapes here, making Yountville the first wine region in Napa. Yountville is part of the…
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The Specially Selected Single Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a $9.99 Aldi exclusive. Their Specially Selected brand showcases wine from the greatest growing regions in the world. The Story The single estate in the wine name is from Lismore Wines, which specializes in wine from Marlborough and Hawkes Bay in New Zealand. Lismore Wines…
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I found the Locations NZ Sauvignon Blanc Release #12 selling for $16.99. Dave Phinney created the Locations line of wines; if anyone is a “Rock Star” winemaker, it’s Dave. The Story Dave Phinney is the man behind the massively successful The Prisoner line of wines. The Prisoner sold for about $50, and those wines flew…
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The Gambler’s Ghost North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a wine I found at Costco selling for $8.99, a check on the web found it sells for between $15 and $25 elsewhere. This wine was made by Fioe di Sole winery of Napa. The Story Fior di Sole is a family-owned and operated winery. They…
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The Field Recordings Chenin 2024 is a wine I found at a local wine shop selling for $14.99. This Chenin land was sourced from three vineyards in the Central Coast AVA that were planted in the 1970s. The Story Field Recordings is a project by winemaker Andrew Jones. He was a Feldman who traveled the…
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Call me Domaine Dave. The Folly Of The Beast Pinot Noir 2022 is a Herman Melville/Moby Dick inspired wine sourced from fruit grown in California’s Central Coast AVA. I found it at a local wine store selling for $14.99. The Story Ryan Zotovich is the head winemaker for ABG Wines. He has worked for Palmina,…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Adelaida District Paso Robles Zinfandel 2023 is an exclusive $9.99 wine from the Beckett Family, Paso Robles, California. The back label says that the Beckett Family produced and bottled this Zinfandel, which means they made the wine. Typically, these Trader Joe’s Reserve wines will say “bottled and cellared by,” which usually…
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The Mark Hill California Pinot Noir 2022 is a wine I found at Aldi selling for $7.99; it looks like an Aldi exclusive. This is a wine wine produced for Aldi by Trinchero Family Wine Estates. The Story The Mark Hill California Pinot Noir 2022 has a label very similar in color and shape to…
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