Category: Chief Winehound
-
Spring is coming, rosé is calling. Trader Joe’s answers…
Fast facts: 2017 Reserve des Chastelles Rosé, Tavel, France ($8.99 @Trader Joe’s; California) It has been an unusually cold and wet winter here in California (I am not looking for any sympathy from those of you that get “real” winter weather, but it’s relative, right?) and thus the past two months of wine recommendation on this…
-
Go. Find. This. Now. $7.99 @ Trader Joe’s
Fast facts: 2013 Puerta de Plata, Catalunya, Spain ($7.99 @Trader Joe’s; California) More often than not, Saturday and Sunday are my wine exploring days at Costco and Trader Joe’s. It’s probably the same for most of you. If you are a long time follower of this blog you may have noticed that our regular schedule…
-
A Perfectly Good Napa Pinot Noir from Trader Joe’s – oh, did I mention it’s under $10?
Fast facts: Trader Joe’s Napa Valley 2016 Pinot Noir, Lot# 178 ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s; California) Several weeks ago, we reviewed a VINTJS Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from Trader Joe’s. This Napa Valley wine from TJs makes for an interesting study in contrasts. Whereas the Oregon Pinot was more Burgundian (or “old world”) in style, this…
-
WS 90 points. Big red. $9.99. Boom!
Fast facts: 2016 Charles Smith Wines Boom Boom Syrah, Washington State ($9.99 @Costco; California) Syrah’s most famous and historic homes are the vineyards of France’s northern Rhone, especially the appellations of Hermitage and Côte-Rôtie (pronounced coat, roa-TEE). In other words, it is the red varietal behind some of the most sought after red wines in the…
-
A RIDICULOUS $2.99 Wine Deal from Trader Joe’s
Fast facts: 2014 La Grande Cote Red Blend, Paso Robles, California ($2.99 @Trader Joe’s; California) Halt the presses! (While we still have presses to halt.) So I know we normally do our featured weekly wine posts on Thursday, but this is such a screaming good wine value that I want all of our readers to…
-
Costco Delivers a Big Red Wine
Fast facts: 2016 Kirkland Signature Old Vine Zinfandel, Sonoma County ($9.99 @Costco; California) In past posts like the one for the Jack London Merlot https://wordpress.com/post/vinopointer.com/339 I have discussed the consumer benefits to certain wine varietals going out of vogue. In addition to Merlot, you could add Syrah and Zinfandel to the current list. For whatever reason,…
-
French Lessons from a Trader Joe’s Pinot
Fast facts: VINTJS Willamette Valley Oregon 2017 Pinot Noir ($8.99 @Trader Joe’s; California) That photo up there is not a great shot of the label, but I do like how well it captured how the wine looks in the glass, and that light, clear and vibrant pale ruby color tells you a lot about what…
-
Real Deal Spanish Steal @ Costco
Fast facts: 2015 Tarima Hill Monastrell, Alicante, Spain $11.69 (@Costco; California) In last week’s post, I confessed my love for the Monastrell grape when reviewing a $6.99 Spanish wine from Trader Joes. You can find the review here: https://wp.me/p9ygim-6N This is a very different, superior rendition of a Spanish Monastrell, which is also known as…
-
Two vegan, organic super Spanish values from Trader Joe’s
Fast facts: 2016 Albero Jumilia, Spain Monastrell ($6.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2017 Albero, Spain Tempranillo ($5.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) I am not sure what caught my eye first, the rather hideous labels, or the price. Or maybe it was the fact that these Spanish red wines were labeled as vegan, organic and GMO free. Let’s…
-
Napa vs. Sonoma Sauv Blanc – A TJ’s Match Up
Fast facts: 2017 VINTJS Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($6.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2017 Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Russian River Valley Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc ($7.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) So maybe a few days ago you resolved to drink “less alcohol”? Well, we’ve got you covered, since compared to the wines we have been featuring leading…