The Ugly Sweater Red Blend 2021 Edition is $8.49 at Trader Joe's. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petite Sirah sourced from vineyards in Lodi, California. It is a non-vintage wine; Christmas 2022 may have a different grape blend. The information on the bottle is confusing; the back label says it is Red Table Wine, all California wine is … [Read more...]
Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel 2019
The Seghesio Sonoma County Zinfandel 2019 is a blend of 55% estate fruit, from Sonoma Valley, the Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley, and Dry Creek, along with 45% grapes from long term contracted vineyards. This is Seghesio's "entry-level" Zinfandel bottling, though it is hard to call any wine that has received 90 points plus eleven years in a row "entry-level'. The … [Read more...]
Grifone Primitivo 2020
The Grifone Primitivo 2020 is a $4.99 Trader Joe's import exclusive sourced from vineyards in Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot. The Primitivo grape and the Zinfandel grape are two separate clones of a grape from Croatia named Crljenak Kasteljanski. That grape is extremely obscure, so, amazingly, it found its way to Italy and California, where it thrives. To put different … [Read more...]
Trader Joe’s Reserve Dry Creek Zinfandel 2020
The Trader Joe's Reserve Dry Creek Zinfandel 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. TJ's sells many versions of these Reserve wines every year. They are wines sourced from vineyards in high-end AVAs that sell at a bargain price. You never get much information on the wine, so just how exclusive these vineyards are never known. The 2020 vintage in the Dry Creek AVA of … [Read more...]
Cocobon Roasted Oak Red Blend
The Cocobon Roasted Oak Red Blend is a non-vintage blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, and Petite Sirah sourced from vineyards in several California grape growing AVAs. This wine is available at Trader Joe's for $6.99, and it is also available at retail wine shops for a similar price. Cocobon is a brand from The Wine Group, which also sells Benzinger, Cupcake, Concannon, Franzia, … [Read more...]
