(the cheap REDS we’re diggin’ on lately)
The Matias Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a bit of a mystery wine, their website is gone, and their trail leads to more than one place. They seem to have two vintages of this Cabernet Sauvignon, a 2019 vintage and this 2021. The 2019 was one of the best in recent years and the…
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The Anna de Codorniu Cava Brut Rosé is a Sparkling wine I found on sale selling for $8.99. Anna de Codorniu is the oldest winery in Spain, founded in 1551. Today they are part of the Raventos family of wines. Raventos started growing grapes in 1497 and 1872 producing the first Traditional Method Cava. The…
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The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Maule Valley Carmenere 2021 is a $7.99 exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Maule Valley in the south-central portion of the Central Valley in Chile. The back label says this wine was vinted and bottled by TerrAral Wines and here is a link to their website, they seem to own…
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The Piper Sonoma Brut is a non-vintage Champagne-style Sparkling wine I found selling for $17 (lists for 21.99). It is a blend of 56% Chardonnay, 37% Pinot Noir, 7% Pinot Blanc, and 6% a blend of aged Reserve wine. The aged Reserve wine is from their higher-tier sparkling wine. Piper Sonoma was. founded in 1980…
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The Kirkland Signature Gigondas 2021 is a $13.99 Costco exclusive produced for them by Guillaume Gonnet a winemaker who owns vineyards in the Chateauneuf Du Pape region of the Southern Rhone Valley in France. Guillaume Gonnet produces wine from all the different sections of the Southern Rhone. The Northern Rhone specializes in expensive Syrah wines,…
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The Rose & Finch California Red Wine 2021 is a $3.49 Trader Joe’s exclusive made for them by Fior di Sole a family-owned Napa wine company that makes its own brands, produces custom brands, bottles wine, you name it they can probably do it. A quick check of their brand’s page shows several wines I…
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The Chandon California Brut is a wine that lists for $26, but I found it on sale in December of 2023 for $15, there are great prices on Sparkling Wine during the Holidays. Chandon is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton who also owns Moet Chandon, Dom Perignon, Krug, and many more. Chandon was…
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I think the Trading Post by Trader Joe’s Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 is a $19.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. I say I think because I can’t find a single mention of this wine on the internet. I do not recall another “by Trader Joe’s” wine before, typically the wines in this price range are Patinum…
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The Peirano Estate Illusion Red Blend 2021 blends Old Vine Zinfandel, Merlot, Petite Sirah, and Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from estate vineyards in the Lodi AVA. Peirano Estate is a family-owned vineyard and winery, the family has grown grapes since the 1880s. Lance Randolph (4th generation) and his daughter Alexis Randolph (5th generation) make the wine….
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The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Sonoma County Brut Sparkling Wine-2023 Edition is a $14.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive featuring a blend of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and a little bit of Pinot Meunier which is a classic Champagne blend. This Sparkling wine was “produced and bottled by” (that means they made this Bubbly) Rack and Riddle of…
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The Skull Red Wine 2021 is organic and blends 60% Zinfandel, 30% Petite Sirah, and 10% Mission sourced from Mendocino and Santa Barbara vineyards. This brand is from Patrick Cappiello (who owns Monte Rio Cellars) and Pax Mahle (Pax Wines). Patrick Cappiello is an ex-skate punk, hence the Skull imagery, and an award-winning Sommelier who…
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2022 Lot 124 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Unlike most Trader Joe’s Reserve wines, we know who produced this Pinot Noir. The back label says this wine was: Produced and Bottled” by DW Hinman Cellars. Doyle Hinman planted his first grapes in 1972 and by…
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The Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2021 is a $14.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. There was a 2020 Vintage TJ’s Platinum Reserve Carneros Pinot which also sold for $14.99. This seems to be a reoccurring Thanksgiving wine. The Carneros AVA is located on the San Pablo Bay, east of Oakland, and about half of…
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The Trader Joe’s Reserve Santa Ynez Valley GSM 2022 is a Trader Joe’s $9.99 exclusive. The blend is 47% Mourvedre, 34% Syrah, and 19% Grenache, so it is an MSG blend. The Santa Ynez Valley is located in southern Santa Barbara County, between 2 mountain ranges. The western part of the valley gets cool Pacific…
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The Cameron Hughes Russian River Pinot Noir 2018 Lot 947 is a Nogociant wine, you should be able to find it for around $19. A negociant is a French wine company that goes to wineries and makes a deal to buy excess wine. It is all very hush-hush, nobody is to know who the winery…
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The Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2021 is a $12.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. In January of 2022, Trader Joe’s offered the Platinum Reserve SLH Pinot Noir. That wine sold for $14.99 and if you click on the link you will find that we thought it had too much alcohol and wasn’t…
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The VINTJS Redwood Valley Zinfandel 2021 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Trader Joe’s seems to have taken a break from the VINTJS house brand. We last reviewed a VINTJS wine for the 2019 vintage, which was a $6.99 wine. The last VINTJS wine we reviewed was a 2019 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir which you…
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The Prayers Of Sinners Washington Red Blend 2020 is a wine I found selling for $9.99. It is one of Chateau Ste. Michelle’s family of wines. They are the largest winery in Washington accounting for half of all the wines produced. This series has two wines: the Prayers of the Sinners (Red blend) and Prayers…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 is a $14.99 Aldi exclusive. The back label says Isolated Cellars bottled this wine, which is the least important factor for wine drinkers. There is no mention of exactly who produced the wine and exactly where the grapes are grown, Napa Valley is a large growing…
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The Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Red Blend 2021 is a $10.99 Costco exclusive. Costco often names the producer of their Signature wines, but not here. This is a Bordeaux Blend with 62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. Carmenere is the other Bordeaux-approved Red grape, but it is…
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The Dearly Beloved I Thee Red Lodi 2021 sells for $7.99 at Trader Joe’s stores and seems to sell for as high as $14 in places that TJ’s does not cover. This is a wine that returns to Trader Joe’s vintage after vintage. We typically review the latest version of this Red Blend at this…
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The Shannon Ranch Big Horn Red Blend 2020 sells for $5.99 at Trader Joe’s and has sold for around $15 at wine shops previously. This is a wine produced by the Shannon Family of Wines a sustainably farmed, family-owned winery located in the Lake County AVA of Northern California. As of 2023 Shannon wines are…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Fleurs D’Eau Sparkling Brut Rosé is a $10.99 Aldi exclusive, it has been available at European Aldi stores for several months and has been well received. Basic information such as where exactly the grapes came from (location is significant for French wine), which grapes were used, and which Sparkling wine method…
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The Aldi Specially Selected Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021 is a $9.99 Aldi exclusive and is a line of 10 wines sourced from different growing regions worldwide. This looks like Aldi’s answer to Trader Joe’s Reserve line of wines. Artificial Intelligence says: The Barossa Valley, located in South Australia, has a rich and storied wine history….
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The Z Alexander Brown Uncaged Proprietary Red Blend 2020 is a wine I found for $12 at a local wine shop. It is a collaboration between musician Zac Brown and John Killebrew, the winemaker for Delicato Family Vineyards, the makers of Gnarly Head and Coppola wines. Proprietary Blend indicates that the blend is unique to…
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