Category: wines under $25
-
A Whole Lotta Napa Cab for under $20
Fast Facts: 2022 Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Suscol Vineyard, Napa Valley, California ($17.99 @Costco in California – Item #1491800) We have reviewed multiple vintages of this wine (a perennial favorite) but think this may be the best vintage yet. It has always been good, with high QPR, but the 2022 has raised the bar.…
-
Our Wine of the Week is a Perfect Shoulder Season Pour
Fast facts: 2023 Kirkland Signature Châteauneuf-du-Pape ($18.99 @ Costco, California – Item #777662) With a few notable exceptions, the best wines in the Kirkland Signature portfolio are imports – especially those that clock in above the $10 price point. There are reasons for this. One is that in the US, some 90% of the…
-
What’s New Under the Tuscan Sun at Trader Joe’s? We Have the Answer!
Fast facts: 2023 Terre del Casone Toscana, Italy ($7.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) For years, our love affair with OG Casone was monogamous. Then along came the “line extensions” (that’s a term I learned some 40+ years ago in my college Marketing classes) including a Vermentino and, more recently, this Tuscan red blend. Hence, Casone…
-
Old School Pinot Noir at a New School Price
Fast facts: 2023 Valle de Inez Pinot Noir, San Luis Obispo, CA ($9.99* @ Costco, California – Item #1374624) *Net price after $8 in store discount Long time readers may recognize this wine as we have featured it previously and suggested pairing it with your Thanksgiving feasts. The search for “legit” Pinot Noir for…
-
Chardonnay Lovers Take Note!
Fast facts: 2023 Lustrous Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California ($8.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) I spent enough years – heck, decades – in the wine trade to say with some certainty that you shouldn’t go looking for the Lustrous Winery should you be so lucky to find yourself in the Sonoma Valley. That…
-
Putting the M in Mmmm
Fast Facts: 2022 M Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California ($14.99* @Costco in California, Item #1748329) *net price after $5 in store discount This is a fantastic Paso Robles Cab from one of our favorite Central Coast wineries, McPrice Myers. Long time reader/friend Moshe C turned us on to this winery and their bottlings…
-
From a Familar WoW Winery, a Pinot with Off the Charts QPR
Fast facts: 2023 Motif Pinot Noir, Monterey County, California ($4.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) Finding a decent Pinot Noir under $10 is challenging enough, so when we saw this $4.99 Motif Monterey Pinot Noir 2023 at Trader Joe’s, we weren’t sure what to expect. But there were some factors that suggested that this wine might…
-
Love at First Sniff – a 90+ Point Costco Red Wine Find for Under $15
Fast Facts: 2020 Clos de los Siete Red Blend, Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina ($14.99 @Costco in California, Item #227843) See that subject line about “love at first sniff”? That is one we used almost exactly two years ago when we were surprised to encounter this wine at Trader Joe’s. Well, it’s almost the…
-
There’s a New Casone in Town at TJs
Fast facts: 2023 Terre Del Casone Vermentino, Toscana, Italy ($7.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) The Casone name might be a familiar one to long time readers. That’s because we love the ultra high QPR of their Super Tuscan which has been our Wine of the Week on several occassions. Thus, we took notice when we…
-
Beyond “The Usual Suspects” in New Zealand
Fast facts: 2021 Elephant Hill Le Phant Rouge (Red Blend), Hawkes Bay, New Zealand ($13.97 @Costco, California, Item# 1888961) Well this was a nice surprise…92 points and 1/3 off of retail prices elsewhere? When wine consumers think of New Zealand wines, their minds usually go first to Sauvignon Blanc (the country’s most…