The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2020 is a $14.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. I am not sure the difference between a Platinum Reserve, a Diamond Reserve, and the good old Grand Reserve Trader Joe's wines. But they do have a track record of being solid bang-for-the-buck wine. The Santa Lucia Highlands is situated in the foothills on the east … [Read more...]
Meiomi California Pinot Noir NV
The Meiomi California Pinot Noir NV is a very popular wine. In 2015, Constellation Brands purchased the Meiomi brand from Joe Wagner of the Wagner family of Caymus fame for $315,000,000. At the time, Meiomi was selling 600,000 cases of Pinot Noir per year, that is, over 7 million bottles. From what I have read, the purchase did not include any vineyards, and Meiomi used … [Read more...]
Hwy 5 Pinot Noir 2020
The Hwy 5 Pinot Noir 2020 is a $5 Aldi exclusive sourced from vineyards in California. Aldi owns the trademark for the brand name, but E & J Gallo made the wine. Neither Aldi nor Gallo offers any production information concerning this wine. I suspect if they told us the production details, we would not be overly impressed. It is a five-dollar wine; there is a limit to … [Read more...]
Mud House Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
The Mud House Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 is a reasonably priced Pinot Noir from New Zealand. Central Otago is located in the southern part of New Zealand's South Island. Marlborough, where most of the Sauvignon Blanc is produced, is on the northern tip of South Island. This Pinot Noir is sourced from a single estate vineyard, Claim 431 Vineyard, in the Bendigo region of … [Read more...]
Upper Eden Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2019
The Upper Eden Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir 2019 is a $12.99 Trader Joe's exclusive wine made for them by an independent specialty wine brand producer located in the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA of Monterey County in California's Central Coast. The vineyards sit in the highlands or bench lands of the Santa Lucia Mountains with elevations up to 1,200 feet. Some of the … [Read more...]