The 2010 Babble Red Wine is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes grown in Mendocino County, California. The blend is 36% Petite Sirah, 26% Syrah, 17% Merlot, 10% Carignane, 10% Grenache and 1% Malbec. Babble is produced by DnA Vineyards (owner and winemaker is Dennis Patton), who is a custom winemaker, tell him…
Read MoreMost Argentinean Malbecs you see the wine shop shelves these days come from the Mendoza Province in Eastern Argentina in the foothills of the Andes. I went to a Wines of Argentina Trade Show a couple of years ago and out of the 25 wineries represented 23 had been founded in the last 14 years….
Read MoreThe 2010 Hacienda Del Plata Zagal Malbec is sourced from a single Estate vineyard, Las Marias Vineyard, located near the town of Chacras de Coria in the Lujan de Cuyo district of Mendoza, Argentina. Hacienda Del Playa is a small, family owned and operated winery and the New York Times named their 2004 Malbec as…
Read MoreMalbec is one of those varietals that’s always been hit or miss for me. Originally a minor blending grape in Bordeaux, Malbec is truly at its best in Argentina and has put Mendoza on the map. It tends to have spicy and dark fruit flavors – which I love – but often with an inconsistent mouth feel. Sometimes…
Read MoreThe 2010 Peirano Estate Vineyard Malbec is 100% Malbec sourced from a single, family owned Estate vineyard located in the Lodi AVA on the northern edge of California’s Central Valley. This is Peirano Estates 3rd Malbec bottling and the Malbec grapevines are 6 years old. It takes grapevines 2 or 3 years to mature to…
Read MoreThe 2008 Vicious Red is a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Zinfandel, 19% Petite Sirah and 5% Malbec sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. Made by Sobon Family Estates, a top notch, mainly Zinfandel producer out of Amador County in the Sierra Foothills around two hours away from the San Francisco…
Read MoreThe 2009 House Red Wine is a blend of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 4% Syrah and 2% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards in the Columbia Valley in Washington State. This blend was originally put together by Charles Smith of Kung Fu Girl Riesling and Velvet Devil Merlot fame (among many other wines)….
Read MoreThe Tussock Jumper Malbec is sourced from grapes grown in the Mendoza growing region of Argentina. The Mendoza region is in the foothills of the Andes and is the highest (in altitude) wine growing area in the world. The high altitude gives the grapevines intense exposure to sunlight. The Tussock Jumper Malbec is the Argentinian…
Read MoreThe Chateau Labrande Cahors is 75% Malbec, 20% Merlot and 5% Tannat sourced from the Lot region of the Cahors AOC in Southwest France. In Cahors, the Malbec grape is known as Auxerrois and the Malbec grapes grown in Argentina, while taken from France, are smaller in overall size and grow in smaller clusters. The…
Read MoreThe 2010 Dr Jebediah Drinkwell’s Meritage is a Trader Joe’s ($6.99) exclusive label made for them by the Central Coast Wine Warehouse (a custom wine producer) from grapes grown in Paso Robles, California. They have been making this wine for several years and the blend from 2010 is 44% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Franc, 9% Malbec,…
Read MoreThe Lost Vineyards of Argentina Malbec is a non vintage wine sourced from several growing areas in Argentina, the back label says it is produced by little known (lost) wineries. The Lost Vineyard of the World Wines seem to be direct competition to Trader Joe’s wines, they have inexpensive wines from Portugal, Argentina, Spain and…
Read MoreThe 2008 Milbrandt Vineyards Traditions Merlot is 78% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec and 1% Barbera sourced from several of their Estate vineyards in the Wahluke Slope sub-AVA in the Columbia Valley in Washington State. Milbrandt has 12 vineyards in the Columbia Valley and if you have had a wine produced in Columbia Valley…
Read MoreThe 2010 Don Miguel Gascon Malbec is sourced from grapes grown in the Uco Valley and the Lujan de Cuyo regions of Mendoza, Argentina. The winery has been producing wine sine the 1880s and first made single varietal Malbec in 1940. The wine is distributed in the US by E & J Gallo so the…
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