2009 Alexander & Fitch Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $7

Another Trader Joe’s exclusive. Alexander & Fitch is one of Bronco Wine Company’s (makers of Two Buck Chuck) labels. The grapes are sourced from Alexander Valley, which is located in the Northeast corner of Sonoma, California. Like almost all other Trader Joe’s wines, there is not much information concerning the making of the Cabernet available. Is it 100% Cabernet Sauvignon?, was it aged in oak? Ah, just drink the wine and don’t ask any questions. 13.2% alcohol.

Deep, dark, rich, burgundy red. Intense red berry nose, a hint of leather and a little alcohol. The flavor is strawberry, plum,  dark chocolate and then some blackberry. Light tannins, along with good fruit. The finish is blackberry, not super long, but tastes good.

A solid cheap bottle of wine. A very drinkable, everyday Cab. The lack of tannins make it a bit soft and lacking in structure, but for an everyday wine that’s not all that bad. The Alexander & Fitch Cabernet would pair well with burgers and steaks cooked on the backyard grill.

Marietta Old Vines Red Lot Number 52

A non vintage red blend sourced from Sonoma and Mendonco Counties in California. The main grape in the blend is Zinfandel, but three times a year a new version of the blend is released, Lot Number 52 is the summer blend. Marietta Cellars is a family owned Winery located in Geyserville in Sonoma. The alcohol content is 13.5%.

The color is dark, inky, black cherry red. The nose is blackberry, cherry and a touch of vanilla. A nice lush mouthfeel, very silky. Good ripe fruit upfront, plum, blueberry, raspberry and then a sharp hit if spice, with each sip, the spice smoothes out. A big strong blueberry finish.

Oh wow,this is the comfort food equivalent in wine. Simple yummy goodness in spades. Luscious ripe fruit, it actually feels good in your mouth. I want to try this with Mom’s Pot Roast. The Marietta Old Vines Red is the kind of wine you want to give to friends, there is no higher praise than that.

Here is a link to the distributors, if you need to see where you can purchase this wine in your area: http://www.mariettacellars.com/distributors/

2007 Temptation Zinfandel

Sourced from the Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma, along with a bit from Solano (east of Napa), California. 91% Zinfandel, 8% Sangiovese and 1% Syrah. Aged for 12 months in American oak, 25% new oak. Alcohol content is 14.2%.

A deep dark, but see-thru red. Black and blueberry, stewed prune and a light curry spice on the nose. Tart black cherry upfront, then some softer flavors such as plum and blueberry. Altoids spice with vanilla kick in the mid-palate. The finish is blackberry and spice, but fades quickly.

The label has a skeleton offering wine to some 15th century plaque victim and any wine with skeletons on the label automatically get extra points. It tastes real good, so that adds points, it does not cost much, so that adds points, the Temptation Zin would pair very well with BBQ, so that adds points. Doing math when you are drinking wine is not recommended, so we will never know how many points the Temptation Zinfandel gets. But, to sum things up, it tastes great, is reasonably priced and has skeletons, two thumbs up.

2007 Cameron Hughes Lot 139 Alexander Valley Meritage

In France, a Negociant is someone who purchases excess wine from local vineyards and sells the excess under their own label. Sometimes they bottled the wine exactly as it came from the barrel, other times they blend grapes from different vineyards to create their own unique wine blend. But where exactly and from whom they purchased the wine is kept in strict confidence. Cameron Hughes is the American version of the French Negociant. By carefully choosing his sources, he can bring wines of outstanding quality to the market at exceptional prices. Of course, he can not disclose exactly who made the wine, only general information, in this case the wine was produced in Alexander Valley in Sonoma, California and the wine came pre-blended and ready for bottling. There is a bottle of wine on some store shelf right now with a different label, but the exact same wine inside and a price tag at least three times more expensive than the Cameron Hughes Lot 139 Meritage.

Fun Fact: In California to be designated a Meritage wine, the blend most consist of a least two Bordeaux grapes. For a red wine blend the Bordeaux grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Carmenere, Gros Verdot and St, Macaire.

The color is strawberry red with black cherry highlights. The nose is plums, a touch of vanilla, light menthol along with black and blueberries. An interesting flavor, chocolate covered cherries, Frango Mints, I am using candy as descriptors, but this is not sweet, the  Lot 139 has the lush, rich candy taste, minus the sugary sweetness, now to make things confusing the oak and the tannins do add a touch of sweetness. The finish is soft red berry, it is light in taste, but it lingers for a reasonably long time.

A medium bodied, tasty red wine blend. Drinks very well, when pairing with food, you will want to stay away from dishes with heavy sauces or strong flavors. But when pairing wine with food, delicious always goes with delicious.

Cameron Hughes Wines can be found at Whole Foods, Costco, Sam’s Club and www.chwine.com

2007 Picket Fence Russian River Valley Chardonnay $9

100% Chardonnay sourced from two vineyards, River East Vineyard and Green Valley Vineyard, in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma, California. Fun Fact: 42% of the grapes grown in the Russian River Valley are Chardonnay, the cool climate provides ideal growing conditions. Partial Malolactic Fermentation and aged in 50% new French oak and 50% used oak barrels. The grapes are hand harvested and the alcohol content is a healthy 14.5%. If you notice, none of these things normally add up to 9 bucks, Pick Fence lists the wine for $19.99 on their website, but Trader Joe’s has it available for $8.99.

The color reminds me of fresh pineapple juice. A pretty nose, lemon, peach, honey suckle, with a hint of apple. The initial flavor is buttery citrus and apple, not tart, more smooth and mellow, then oak spice shows up in the mid palate. A long lemon/lime finish.

I go back and forth on whether I prefer oaked Chardonnay or unoaked Chardonnay, today I am on the unoaked side. The buttery lemon citrus and oak spice of the Picket Fence Chardonnay just does not do it for me. But if you are in the mood for this style of California Chard, this is a steal, Russian River Valley fruit, an award winning Winemaker (Don Van Staaveren) and a $9 price tag is hard to pass up.

2008 Chariot Gypsy Red Wine Blend $5

A Trader Joe’s exculsive, a red wine blend, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese, sourced from vineyards in Napa Valley, Sonoma, San Joachim and Monterey, California. Like most Trader Joe’s wine the internet does not have much information on how the wine was made, but for five bucks, you get what you get.

The color is a dark opaque crimson red with a strawberry halo. The nose is dark fruit, plums, slate dust and light herbs. The taste is red licorice, Frango Mints then a reasonable finish of blueberries and cola. A very drinkable wine for $5. Not the most structured wine, but I’m not complaining. This wine has a lot to offer for this price range.

2008 Rendition Alexander Valley Zinfandel $8

For some reason, there is never a lot of information on the web for Trader Joe’s Wines. The back label says, cellared and bottled by Five Gold Hands, but nothing about who grew the grapes and who made the wine. This is sourced from the Alexander Valley of Sonoma County, California. The wine is unfined and unfiltered so there can be a little sediment left in your glass.

The color is a nice deep red with a lighter red halo.The nose has a ton of jammy dark fruit, a touch of menthol and a bit of white pepper. Nice lush mouth feel, the flavors explode in your mouth. Lots of fruit in the initial taste, raspberries, red twizzlers and a late dose of pepper.  A nice balance of tons of fruit upfront and then the rough and ready Zin peppery spice. The blast of spice kind of takes away some of the focus from the finish, but the finish is tasty, if not super long. A real classic California Zinfandel for not much money. Would pair well with traditional backyard BBQ fare or drink it on it’s own

2007 Dancing Bull Zinfandel $7

A few years back, the Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel (the Rancho part is gone now) was a reliable cheap big, bold, gnarly Zin. A rough but somehow pleasing wine. The Rancho Zabaco name has been spun off to a higher end line of wines and the Dancing Bull has been left to fight the supermarket wine wars. The website for the Dancing Bull Zin has not been updated since the 2005 vintage. Maybe how the wine was made wasn’t all that exciting to talk about.

The color is a nice deep dark burgundy red with pinkish edges. The nose is dark fruit, plums and berries and a bit of alcohol, nothing too interesting. Mouth feel is a little watery. The flavor is almost all fruit, blueberry, raspberry jam with just a hint of vanilla, then the blast of spice that Zin’s are know for. The tannins are a little out of balance, but for seven bucks you don’t often get everything. The finish is a touch on the watery side and fades quickly.

A decent Zinfandel for $7, not especially complicated or nuanced, but the taste has nice bright fruit. I think I preferred the old rough and ready version of this wine. But if your low on cash and your jonesing for Zinfandel, this isn’t a bad choice.

2006 ne-go-ciant Sonoma Syrah – $9

This is another end of the bin special, ne-go-ciant is a Sonoma County Syrah that once sold for $24, it was a private label wine for Sam’s Wine, who was bought out by another Liquor Store last year. Sam’s is gone, the new owners have no use for a Sam’s specific wine, so I have a bargain. Sonoma County fruit in a nine dollar wine is unheard of and even an average $24 wine makes for a killer $9 wine, it’s hard to go wrong. So when you stumble upon these end of bin specials you need to jump on them!

The color is dark shining ruby red. The aroma is cherries, plums, a bit of mushroom earthiness and maybe a hint of smoke. The mouth feel is very full, the flavor immediately fills all areas of your mouth. It tastes of dark fruit, blackberries and  raisins, you can sense the tannins but they don’t jump out, the fruit and the tannins have a nice balance. The finish tastes of chocolate covered raisinettes candy and has good length. This is a really good wine, it has a good nose, excellent taste, nice mid palate, and a long finish, if I wasn’t so cheap I would have bought a case.

Being a cheapwinefinder isn’t just about finding the best wines priced under $20, it’s about finding the best wines in all price ranges for the least amount of money. Check to see if your local wine seller has an e-mail notification system for their sales, if you are quick you may grab some real bargains.

2006 Martin Ray Cabernet Sauvignon – $16

Martin Ray has been around in the Russian River Valley, in form or another, since 1881. This is their entry level Cab, sourced from Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino County grapes and aged for 20 months in French oak.

The color is a see-thru ruby red and the nose is full and fragrant and changes as the wine opens up. The flavor is robust dark fruit, chocolate covered blueberries with a touch of vanilla. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

This is a very inviting Cabernet, it really draws you back to take another sip. It does not have a lush mid palate or a long lingering finish, but I don’t care. The tannins are very balanced, just a touch in the back of your palate. Nothing to get in the way of just great tasting Cabernet Sauvignon. Great Tasting Cali Cab at a really nice price, what’s there not to like?

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