Fast Facts: 2018 Château Bouscassé, Madiran, France ($14.99 @ Costco, California – Item #1053420) With the exception of their ubiquitous Kirkland Signature Wines, the “wine sets” at Costco stores throughout the U.S. tend to differ based upon the region they are in. One of the more noticeable differences is that here on the west … Read moreA Big Brooding 95 Point Red to Satisfy Cab Lovers
Fast facts: 2021 Upper Eden Pinot Noir, Santa Lucia Highlands, California ($12.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) It’s hard to believe it’s been four years since we recommended the 2018 vintage of this wine for your Thanksgiving table. When we spied it again this year at Trader Joe’s in the run-up to Turkey Day, we … Read moreOne Last TJs Wine Pick for your Thanksgiving Table
Fast facts: 2021 Valle de Inez Pinot Noir, San Luis Obispo, CA ($9.99* @ Costco, California – Item #1374624) *Net price after $10 in store discount It’s hard to believe, but we will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday here in the United States in two short weeks. Then we’re on the slippery slope to … Read moreT Minus 14 Days to T Day – We Have Some Wine for That!
Fast Facts: 2021 Merlot, Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Lot #123, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara County, California ($12.99 @Trader Joe’s in California) I was really excited to get this wine home and try it. The reason was it had three things going against it. Conversely, this meant this was a wine that had promise … Read moreOur WoW! A Trader Joe’s Triple Threat Delivers the Goods
Fast Facts: 2022 Italo Cescon, Pinot Grigio, Veneto, Italy ($12.99 @Costco in California – Item #717775) Since 1957, Italo Cescon has been producing wines in the beautiful region of Veneto, Italy. Today, the family continues to cultivate in the same region to bring that same joy and great taste to the table. The Cescon … Read moreThink You Don’t Like Pinot Grigio? Think Again!
Fast Facts: 2022 Pinot Noir, Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Lot #124, Willamette Valley, Oregon ($12.99 @Trader Joe’s in California) Thirsty Thursday has rolled around again, and it is time for another Wine of the Week (WoW!). Let’s get started… In a post a few weeks ago, we were railing about how mediocre most Pinot … Read moreA Whole Lotta Pinot for $12.99 – Introducing TJ’s Lotta #124
Fast Facts: 2020 Kirkland Signature Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, France ($17.99 @Costco in California – Item #1494198) We were excited to find this new (to us) Bordeaux wine under the Kirkland Signature label last week at our local Costco. I was eager to get it home, rest it and – taste it. Not only because it … Read moreA KS Bordeaux that Doesn’t Know its Right (Bank) from its Left?
Fast Facts: 2020 Ego Bodegas Goru Verde Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain ($7.99 @Costco in California – Item #1258623) Let’s start with the basics. Monastrell is a grape variety. It’s a deeply bold, smoky red wine found in abundance in Central Spain and Southern France (where it’s known as Mourvèdre) and where it is the “M” … Read moreNever Heard of Monastrell? Maybe You Have.
Fast Facts: 2022 Cabernet Franc, Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve, Paso Robles, California ($7.99 @Trader Joe’s in California) …and let’s be frank: you just don’t see many bottlings of straight up Cabernet Franc – unless you are standing in a Winery Tasting Room. Cab Sauv? Sure. Cab Franc. Not so much… So that is what … Read moreTrader Joe’s Sez: “Let’s Be Franc”
Fast Facts: 2021 Kirkland Signature Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California ($12.99 @Costco in California – Item #789895) In her encyclopedic The Oxford Companion to Wine, author Jancis Robinson refers to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley as a “high quality California wine region and AVA west of Healdsburg along that portion of river that meanders through … Read moreKirkland Signature RRV Chardonnay – Bingo!