Jason’s Wine Blog

Many months have come and gone and with the holiday season upon us now seems an optimal time to revisit my Top 10 Trader Joe’s Wines. Perhaps you can use it to pick out some economically sensible gifts for the winos on your shopping list. Let’s get to it…the ground rules; wines listed all have to have been either purchased or available during the month to which the post refers. The rankings from the previous Top 10 will be provided in parenthesis and those that have fallen out of the rankings will also be noted. Now for the main event!

1. 2006 Dynamic Red Table Wine - $9 (Previous Rank: 4) – Wow this is good, somehow missed the depth here initially. Fantastic bottle for the price. Grabbed a case, you should too while you can, that is if you can make your mortgage payment…

2. 2006 The California Wine Party Franc Merlot - $5 (Previous Rank: 1) – Debate season is over but I am still enjoying this one like it is October… My most purchased Christmas gift…

3. 2003 Alderbrook Old Vine Zinfandel - $8 (Previous Rank: NR) – This one had fallen out of the ranking as it was unavailable. I lamented I should have grabbed more. Well it reappeared and I grabbed a case! (review not yet posted, stay tuned…)

4. 2006 Chiusa Grande Tommolo Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo – Thanks to @oenanist for putting this one of my radar. I have been enjoying it regularly and it is my new favorite in the Italian section.

5. 2007 King Shag Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - $7 (Previous Rank: 5) It’s winter, but this is still good with salmon…

6. 2004 Santino Sierra Foothills Zinfandel – A nice, easy drinking Zin. For $4, sign me up! Better yet this one is from the Sierra Foothills which @Megan recommends and I need to explore more.

7. 2007 Novella Synergy Blanc - $6 (Previous Rank: 7) –This has a little more pairing versatility than Sauvignon Blanc and is still the “other” white wine of choice.

8. 2006 Geyser Peak California Sauvignon Blanc - $8 (Previous Rank: 3) – This one is suffering a bit as it is best had on its own, in shorts, watching the sunset. Did I mention it snowed in San Francisco this morning? (link is for 2006)

9. 2006 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Carmenere - $8 (Previous Rank: 8) – The weather is getting colder and this is getting better. At least from a pairing perspective. Goes great with chili!

10. 2005 Epicuro Aglianico - $5 (Previous Rank: 6) All the Epicuro offerings are well worth the money. You won’t be disappointed if you chose this, the Salice Salentino or the Nero d’ Avola. Get’em all!

Falling – these have seen their stock fall over the last month…

• 2005 Santa Ynez Valley Winery Cabernet Franc - $9 (Previous Rank: 9) – My latest bottle was nice, but hey this is Trader Joe’s wine we are talking about. For $9, nice doesn’t cut it. (link is for 2005)

• 2007 Chateau des Cleons Muscadet Sevre et Maine “Sur Lie” - $6 (Previous Rank: 10) – A nice, light refreshing wine has a hard time getting opened during the winter. This one needs frequent flyer tickets to the southern hemisphere.

Gone – sadly these appear to no longer be available…
• 2005 Chariot Gypsy - $5 (Previous Rank: 2) – Rumors of the ’06 abound with sighting in SoCal and Fresno, nothing in the Bay Area yet…

Let me know what you think. Did I miss any? Feel something is overrated? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Cheers,
Jason

Sometimes I try new things because I think you might enjoy them. I promise you a hundred new posts about my twitter activity was not among those things. The offending “feature” has been disabled. Still think there is value there as I mention many wines with cursory thoughts before I post them so I’ll search for another answer. Let me know if you are aware of any tools that may help…

Now back to our regularly featured programming…

• Back from Trader Joe’s in Milwaukee. All wines cost at least a $1 more. Different selection to, too long to describe here. Maybe a post… #
• Long travel week ended in WI. Snowed in, once it thaws anxious to hit Trader Joe’s in Milwaukee to check out wine prices and selection… #
• Cheapest Pinot by the glass last night $22. That’s like 5 bottles of wine at Trader Joe’s… #
• Finally, the Top 10 Wines of November 2008. Perhaps a budget Christmas shopping list for winos… http://tinyurl.com/tjs-top-10-wines-nov08 #
• Fifth, 03 Alderbrook Old Vine Zinfandel (tjs, $8) Get it if you see it. Easily passes for a $20 bottle. See why–> http://tinyurl.com/like20 #
• Fourth,TJ’s Captain’s Catch ($6) Catch is same producer makes this & the TBD red for a buck less. Lots of fruit but of the manufactured type #
• Third, 06 Terrenal Malbec (tjs, $4). The Cab is better. This seems manufactured. Missing the fruit and smokiness one expects from Malbec #
• Second, 2006 Newman’s Own Chard. Appears to be connected to Joel Gott via Three Thieves. For $10 nice fruit, not too much barrel butter… #
• First, the 2004 Giacomo Borgogno Barbera d’Alba (K&L, $7). Tight, sour and forgettable. Hope the other 3 bottles I have show better! #
• everyone ready for some rapid fire updates? I 5 bottles open and am leaving for the holidays tomorrow so time to record my last thoughts… #
• 8 for 8, the Pancake Cellars Big Day White (tjs, $5) has been posted. 12th bottle. http://tinyurl.com/pancake-cellars #

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per corkd.com courtesy of bjwdad; “The nose has scents of pear, lychee and spice. And Gewürztraminer dominates the taste, even at only 12% of the stated blend. This wine is DELICIOUS, and one of the best whites I’ve ever experienced!! Outstanding value, to say the least.”

What I Think:

This label was hard to resist. Again the blend looked intriguing and as I grabbed the bottle to give it a read I got the idea that this was made by the same outfit behind my beloved Franc Merlot. At that point it was just a matter of resisting the urge to put more than one bottle in the cart. I am still trying to validate that these were indeed products of the same winemaker. The Pancake Cellars was made by Central Coast Wine and the Franc Merlot by the Central Coast Wine Warehouse. I was able to track down an email address from the latter and asked for confirmation. I’ll let you know what (if) I hear back.

Now for what was in the bottle. This one was a blend of 60% Sauvignon Blanc, 27% Chardonnay, 12% Gewurztraminer and 1% Pinot Blanc. On the nose it was clean, with light notes of white fruit and minerals. On the tongue it was well balanced. The sauvignon blanc leads while the chardonnay holds through the mid-palate and lingers through the finish. In the finish just a hint of the gewürztraminer sweetness shows itself, from the above review I was expecting much more. All in all, my initial inclination is that this wine isn’t all that distinguishable. That could be taken as a negative but the plus side is that this blend will pair nicely with virtually any food. I prefer the Synergy but perhaps a side by side tasting is in order. Yeah, that works. I’ll grab a bottle and check back in with a second opinion. For now this seems like a 12th bottle.

Rating: 12th Bottle

I think most of you know I do a lot of experimenting here with different tools, layouts and widgets. When I stumbled upon an article on Mashable with these easy instructions to add text-to-speech capabilities with Odiogo I had to give it a try. It was indeed as easy as they made it out to be and you can now subscribe to this blog via podcast by clicking here. I am not a podcast consumer. In the office I have even been accused of a bias against the format though I now consider myself vindicated. So please let me know if anyone gives this a try and what your thoughts are on the experience.

If there is anything you’d like to see on the site let me know. I’ll see what I can do…

Price: $8.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per Ceago Vinegarden well not much about the wine but they did have this to say about biodynamic farming; “Our Vineyards are grown and certified Biodynamic by Demeter which adheres to the DYNAMIC farming methods established in the early 1920s by Rudolf Steiner. The Biodynamic Tower on our property is where, during cycles of the year, homeopathic teas are prepared to enhance and regulate plant growth and soil fertility which brings forward the unique qualities that this wine demonstrates. This is our commitment to you…think DYNAMIC!”

I’ll shoot the winery an email and see if they have any thoughts they want to share on the wine itself…

What I Think:

Another wine I have long enjoyed and yet to post. Being easily intrigued by new labels I was quickly drawn to this offering. Interesting label, from Mendocino, seemingly tasty blend and made with care for the environment. A lot to like, and despite the high $9 price point (anyway for me, especially at Trader Joe’s) in the cart it went. Upon getting home looked up Ceago Vinegarden who is behind the label and found that Jim Fetzer, who sold his eponymous label in 1992, is behind the offering which they are selling exclusively at Trader Joe’s. Reason #1,001 I love Trader Joe’s wine. The cheapest bottle Ceago Vinegardens sells on their site, $18. These grapes are biodynamic so you know they are coming from the same place and grown with the same care. Yes, I know the best of the bunch are used elsewhere but still you get the idea. These are high quality grapes. And I get to drink them for half the cost!

Onto the main event; the blend here is 55% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose immediately impresses with a blend of earthy tones and fruit aromas. On the tongue you take notice immediately as the fruit packs a punch, not that it is overpowering but there is a richness and warmth to it that grabs your attention. Towards the middle of the palate a nice earthy structure emerges and the fruit become chewy. A nice tanginess develops which leads to a lasting dry, earthy, lip smacking finish. The finish lingers on with light tannins tickling your throat and a hint of mint. I wouldn’t have thought the Merlot characteristics to be so subdued given it is the predominant grape in the blend. The Cab twins strike a nice balance and the overall result is impressive. I was surprised by the negative sentiments I found over on Cellar Tracker. This one is a winner in my book.

Hopefully TJ’s gets the sister offering from Lake County soon. I am already drooling thinking back to one of my all time favorite finds this Beringer Zin. Yes it is pricey but well worth it. If you see either of these grab them on sight. If your budget allows don’t be afraid to buy in quantity.

Rating: Buy It

Over at Good Grape they recently had a post discussing, more or less, the merits of using cheatsheets.  I use one all the time; the Wine Aroma Wheel (pictured above).  This has served me very well and I would recommend it to anyone out there, especially you all that are new to wine. In this post we learn of many more tools such as the following:

• Vinograhy Wine Aroma Card
• Wine Aroma Dictionary
• De Long Tasting Note Form

Above all, the most important thing to remember  is “know what you don’t know”.  For me that is a lot.  I love wine and learn everyday but am continually trying to grow my vocabulary.  With that in mind I am going to give each of these tools a try and see if any of them help me in my pursuit of knowledge.  Either way, count on hearing back from me on this experiment shortly.

Price: $3.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Mt. Global LLC

What They Said:

hmmm, not much of an authorative description to be found. I emailed the importer and will update it I hear back… For now let me reference what Wikipedia has to say about Pinotage which is the following: “Pinotage is a red wine grape that is South Africa’s signature variety. It was bred there in 1925 as a cross between Pinot noir and Cinsaut. It typically produces deep red varietal wines with smoky, bramble and earthy flavors, sometimes with notes of bananas and tropical fruit, but has been criticized for sometimes smelling of acetone.”

What I Think:

On the nose you initially get light tannin followed by sour notes before everything goes dark. A bit of Jekyll and Hyde. On the palate I find dark fruit, tobacco, but most of all smoky. The smokiness remains with me throughout this entire wine experience; literally from beginning to end. A nice dry finish is also part of the equation.

When drinking Pinotage it is difficult to articulate what you are experiencing.  This would typically reflect the fact that you are drinking a unique offering.  The majority of the time this alone would be enought for me to recommend for all to give it a try. Here I see a trap. It would be better for me to recommend something that truly reflects this varietal than something that may turn you off to it forever. That said; let me explain my approach to new varietals at TJ’s. I give them a whirl, if I remotely like them I try to find a bottle between the $10-$20 price point that I can use as a baseline and move from there. That allows me two things. 1) I get a better idea of what the varietal is really about (as much as you can via two bottles) and 2) can compare quality versus cost on that spectrum.

With that in mind, if you grab this one make sure you grab a more expensive sidekick as well; perhpas this Warwick Estate. As for the Zarafa it should be a piece of the overall equation. Which Pinotage would you pair up with it?

Rating: 12th Bottle

btw, just noticed this is my first 2008!

Price: $5.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Latitude Wines

What They Said:

Per the bottle “Tempranillo Barrica is made by Spain’s Oldest Estate Bottled Winery. Spain’s finest, proudly made with hand selected certified organically grown grapes. Albero Tempranillo Barrica is perfect when enjoying with friends or in giving the gift of wine.” <– thanks for all the helpful information :)

What I Think:

Reading the bottle I find two bits of information for me to start my investigation. The first is to Iranzo Vineyards. Checking the site there is no mention of this offering there. As we learned from the Terrenal Mendoza Cab it could be the case that they are relabeling one of the offerings we see here as the Albero that landed in Trader Joe’s. That is pure speculation of course. The second clue is to Latitude Wines. If anyone from either of these companies is listening I have some advice. Please, I repeat please, never post your web address somewhere (like the bottle!) when you have nothing for me to see on the other end!

Ok, got that off my chest. Now let’s move on to the main event, the wine. As you can see from above the world, nor the winery, has much to say about this one. My friend @oenanist does. He tipped me off to this one via comments and posted a review on cork’d as well. What did I think? On the nose I sensed dark fruit with hints of spice (and possibly some green vegetal) aromas. Sage? Or maybe it was floral, violets? On the palate a nice dose of cherries greeted me that turned a bit sour towards the mid-palate. That was followed by a nice dry finish on the back of the throat that tickled with light tannins. This was night 5, hardly remember day 1 but it seems a lot smoother. Compared to a typical light, juicy Tempranillo this one seems a bit heavier in the mouth and darker in fruit. My verdict, drinkable but not all that memorable. I’d stick with the Raimat over this one but that is just my opinion. Let me know what you think…

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per No Merlot on the ‘03 “The Santino Zin is sturdy and full of rich raspberries and blackberries, plums, and spice aromas. The mouth is flush with berry fruit that hook up with almonds, cinnamon and pepper that finishes with slight tartness but shows some sense of harmonic convergence. Nice Zin for the price. Matches well with spicy and hearty foods.” (editors note: they also give great back story on how Santino became part of Renwood)

What I Think:

Per my database here this is my fourth bottle of the Santino Zin and I have yet to post, shame on me. Why not? Let’s blame it on research. The Santino site only mentions the ’06, so I emailed them to check in on the ’04. Never heard back. Then, from the above, I learned of the internal dysfunction that led to Santino becoming part of Renwood, a very well respected winery from the region. Regardless Matt Kramer of the Wine Spectator had this to say of the winery in his recent book ”One of the leading wineries in the Sierra Foothills.” Couple all of this with my curiosity of the region, they grow a ton of off the beaten path grapes (Italian mostly) and people whose opinion I respect such as Megan, of Wine Clubbie being such huge fans of the area, and I have been thrilled to see this time and time again as I visit Trader Joe’s…

On to the main event. This wine is simple but a winner. On the nose a mix of red fruit and wood. In the mouth you get dark forward fruit with a dry, tannic herbal mid-palate (think sage) that leads to a slightly sour note reminiscent of raspberries. The finish is chewy, lingering and peppery. This wine falls in line with what I think of as typical from this region; particularly the finish. All in all, well balanced and worth the money. Another wine that fits this profile is the TJ’s Growers Reserve Zin. Same price, just as nice; but fruitier…

As for the Santino, I am going to get some more. After I do so everyone else should feel free to do the same.

Rating: Buy It