Fast facts: 2021 Trader Joe’s Reserve Lot #236 Syrah, Santa Barbara, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) Here in Southern California, enthusiastic wine drinkers know Santa Barbara County quite well as it is in our backyard. We are familiar with the fact that it is a richly diverse wine region capable of producing world class … Read moreA Good Place to Start Getting to Know the Wines of Santa Barbara
Fast facts: 2021 Richebois Côtes du Rhône Village, France ($7.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) Coat do roan villahj. (That is how it’s pronounced.) While you’d be forgiven for thinking that wines labeled simply Côtes du Rhône are synonymous with Côtes du Rhône Village, there is actually a distinct step up in quality in the latter. … Read moreGoats do Roam…
Fast facts: 2018 Gerard Bertrand Saint Chinian Heritage An 1877, Languedoc, France ($9.99 @ Costco, California – Item #661141) We have highlighted a number of Grenache, Syrah Mourvedre (GSM) blends here on these pages. This particular bottling is just missing Grenache in the cuvee. But it is no less delcious. To paraphrase George Orwell’s book … Read moreGSM-G= This Tasty 90 Point Wine from Costco!
Fast facts: 2019 Casa Ermelinda Freitas Vinhas da Fonte Reserva, Peninsula de Setúbal, Portugal ($7.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) Anyone who has spent much time in the European Union in the past several decades can appreciate the vastly improved infrastructure of member countries. But beyond the the more conspicuous investment in bridges, tunnels and … Read moreA $7.99 Mouthful of Red Wine Goodness – Perfect for Late Summer Grilling!
Fast facts: 2019 Familia Nueva Vineyards Liberté Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California ($9.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) This post was supposed to be a dual between two Cabernet Sauvignons from Paso Robles. Both are from Trader Joe’s. Both were $9.99. It was a match made in vino heaven. Only one problem: the other wine … Read moreYummy Paso Cab – Just $9.99 at Trader Joe’s
Fast facts: 2019 Syrah, Columbia Valley, Washington ($5.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) Before we start waxing about the grape, the vinification, the history…let’s say this: this is a great bottle of wine for $5.99! I entered the wine business – at least as a professional, hehe – in the early nineties. It … Read moreA Whole Lot of Red Wine Goodness for $5.99 from Trader Joe’s
Fast facts: 2019 Kirkland Signature Gigondas, Gigondas, France ($14.99 @ Costco, California – Item # 1134102) I am blaming the warping of time on Covid, but when I recently spied this in my local Costco my first thought was: “didn’t we just review the 2018 vintage?” The answer was no, we reviewed it some … Read moreGee, Gigondas! That’s French for High QPR!
Fast Facts: 2019 Kirkland Signature Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France ($22.99 @Costco in California – Item #777662) 2020 Kirkland Signature Côtes Du Rhône Villages ($6.99 @Costco in California – Item #887774) And, just like that, we find ourselves on the other side of the Thanksgiving holiday and on the slippery slide down towards the December holidays and … Read moreTwo Red Wines from Costco, and the Opposite Ends of the Rhone Price Spectrum
Fast facts: 2018 Zaca Mesa Viognier, Santa Ynez Valley, California ($12.99 @ Costco, California – Item #27950) Being less than an hour away, Santa Barbara County (which includes the Santa Ynez Valley AVA) is our “local” wine region. So we were pretty excited to find this 90 point (Galloni and Wine Enthusiast) 2018 Zaca … Read moreA Yummy 90-point Wine Surprise from Costco
Fast facts: 2018 Trader Joe’s Reserve Shiraz, Lot 214, Barossa, Australia ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2018 Trader Joe’s Reserve Syrah, , Lot 209, Paso Robles, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) A Little Preamble: The Syrah grape is responsible for some of the most sought after bottlings in the world. In the Rhone Valley of … Read moreTwo Stunning Syrah/Shiraz from Trader Joe’s