Tag: wine reviews
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Three Perfectly Good Wines, Each Just $4.99!
Fast facts: 2016 Maison Barboulot Cabernet-Syrah $4.99 (@Trader Joe’s; California) 2016 Sterling Chardonnay, California $4.99 (@Costco; California) 2017 Maison Barboulot Marsanne-Viognier $4.99 (@Trader Joe’s; California) I have to admit that I was avoiding tasting these three wines because more often than not, wines priced below $5 are a bit of a crap shoot, the operative…
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Two red, hot wine deals from Costco
Fast facts: 2017 Kirkland Signature Mendoza, Argentina Malbec ($6.99 @Costco; California) 2016 Kirkland Signature Columbia Valley, Washingon State Cabernet Sauvignon ($8.99@Costco; California) See that 91 prominently displayed on the foil of that Kirkland Signature (KS) Malbec? That was awarded by the esteemed James Suckling. I am not a slave to others reviews and point systems,…
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CB+V = Delicious
Fast facts: 2017 Mbali Chenin Blanc/Viognier (South Africa) $4.99 (@Trader Joe’s; California) 2016 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier (California) $10.99 (@Trader Joe’s; California) Rodney Dangerfield made a career out of the line “I don’t get no respect.” The double negative notwithstanding, he could have been talking about the white grape Chenin Blanc. In her…
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Begging for a Brawl – A Costco Pinot Noir Face-Off
Fast facts: 2016 Goyette Sonoma County Pinot Noir ($9.99 @Costco; California) 2016 Kirkland Signature Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Noir ($9.99@Costco; California) Finding Pinot Noir under $10 from a desirable appellation is no small feat these days. So when I came upon one from Napa and one from Sonoma at my friendly neighborhood Costco – both…
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Two Insanely Good Spanish Wine Deals at Trader Joes
Fast facts: 2016 La Granja 360 Verdejo Viura $3.49 (@Trader Joe’s; California) 2017 La Granja 360 Tempranillo $3.99 (@Trader Joe’s; California) I am not going to wax all poetic about these two Spanish bottlings from TJs. These are simple, but solid, wines. Both are fresh, bright, tasty and incredible values for your wine dollar. They…
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A Food-Friendly Summer Weight Red Wine from TJs
Fast facts: 2016 Trader Joe’s Reserve GSM Lot 171 $9.99 (@Trader Joe’s; California) As a general rule, American wine consumers are very focused on wines crafted from single varieties. Hence, most of the wines sold in the USA are labeled as varietal wines. Although, a wine labelled as Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon may only be…
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Giving Merlot a GOOD name
Fast facts: 2014 Franciscan Napa Valley Merlot $8.99 (@Costco; California) So often, plumbing the shelves, bins and pallets of mega wine retailers for extreme value wines yields brands/labels we’ve never heard of. This recent wine find from Costco is an exception… Speaking of exceptions, there were several clues that suggested that this bottle could be,…
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A Pair of Organic Wines from Bonterra, and Trader Joes
Fast facts: 2016 Bonterra Mendocino County Chardonnay $9.99 (@Trader Joe’s; California) 2016 Bonterra Tri County Sauvignon Blanc $9.99 (@Trader Joe’s; California) It’s not news that it’s hot just about everywhere in North America now. So heavy wines, as a general rule, are out. Lighter, brighter wines (especially white wines served well chilled) are in…at least…
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A Costco Sauvignon Blanc Smackdown!
Fast facts: 2017 Kirkland Marlborough (New Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc $6.99 (@Costco; California) 2016 Matua Marlborough (New Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc $7.99 (@Costco; California) You may have deduced from my posts that I am a bigger fan of red wines. That said, when we are drinking white wines at our house, it is more often than not…
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Steal this Chard
Fast facts: 2016 Kirkland Sonoma County Chardonnay ($6.99 @Costco, California) Let me address something right out of the gate… I recognize that we review no small number of Kirkland branded wines here. And I know that some of us, myself included, are reluctant to bring them out at social occasions for fear of appearing unsophisticated,…