Trader Joe’s Wine Shopping
As mentioned, in my twitter feed I pulled in a nice 26 bottle haul, the details are below. Just another example of me backing up my talk with my wallet. The two I noticed as missing were the Chariot Gypsy and the Gravity Hills Syrah. Hoping the Chariot at least offers me one more buying opportunity but looks like I am out of luck. That is why I wanted to make sure I don’t get caught short of the Franc Merlot.
The haul:
12 - 2006 The California Wine Party Franc Merlot ($5, Bulk Buy)
2 - 2007 Chateau des Cleons Muscadet Sevre et Maine “Sur Lie” ($6, Buy It)
1 - 2007 Handley Vineyard Dry Creek Sauvignon Blanc ($6, Buy It)
1 - 2007 Novella Synergy Blanc ($5, Buy It)
1 - 2005 Epicuro Aglianico ($5, Bulk Buy) - review for the ‘05
1 - 2003 Epicuro Salice Salentino Riserva ($5, Buy It) - review for the ‘03
1 - 2006 Chiusa Grande Tommolo Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo ($5, Buy It)
1 - 2006 Rabbit Ridge Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon ($6, 12th bottle) review for the previous version of the NV (I call this the ‘07)
2 - 2003 Raimat Tempranillo ($6, TBD)
1 - 2007 Condesa de Sarabella Viura ($5, TBD)
1 - 2005 Capolan Sonoma Merlot ($4, TBD)
1 - 2005 Trellis Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon ($4, TBD)
1 - 2005 Trellis Sonoma Chardonnay ($4, TBD)
Stay tuned for details on these soon!
*photo by Matthew Oliphant
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October 29th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Thanks for your comment, and recommendations on my blog! I know NOTHING about wine, so it’s great to learn of your site! Thanks!
November 6th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
Just wanted to say your wine blog blows mine out of the water, though I aspire to be as consistent/detailed as you. I’m finally back to the blog after too long of an absence. Just realizing I need the wineblog to counteract the dissertation. In my quest for drinking/dissertating am very sad that I can’t find any more of the California Wine Party and am kicking myself for not buying more. Keep up the great work!
November 11th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Hi Jason,
Great blog. Have you tried a wine aerator? If so, what do you think?
http://www.amazon.com/Vinturi-1053-Essential-Wine-Aerator/dp/B000UPOJ5W/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1226416940&sr=8-1
November 12th, 2008 at 12:54 am
Wow–this is great! I’m totally going to print out this list–I’m doing my Trader Joe’s shopping trip on Saturday. Thanks for stopping by our blog!
November 12th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
Guess what? Trader Joe’s in Federal Way, WA got in more Chariot Gypsy!!! I had a bottle loved it, went back, gone?!?!?!? Eeek.. They said no more…. I went back a week later? They had gotten in a new shipment!!! I bought 2 cases, one for me and one for a friend. Though instead of being corked, it was screw top. Same label, same berry tastes.. Go figure?!
November 13th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Jason,
As a fellow San Franciscan and self-proclaimed wine novice, this blog is a great treat. Which TJ’s do you typically go to, or which do you think is best for wine purchasing? I normally find myself at the North Beach TJ’s…
Thanks!
Milby
November 14th, 2008 at 1:01 am
@Carrie Link, @buonaserah and @TavoLini thanks for the compliments, look forward to hearing your thoughts on these wines as you try them. Carrie, I am no expert but always feel free to ask any questions you might have. Chances are I’ll have an opinion and be able to point you to an answer…
@Mike Haven’t tried the aerator, you? What do you think? Seems like a much better deal than the Wine Wand.
@Kelly lucky! Wish you could have grabbed an extra case for me! I’ll be on the lookout for the screwtop…
@Milby love the NB store cuz parking is always easy. I am usually on 9th and Brannon but pace the city for the right wine. I think that is the best place to find the newest offerings in Trader Joe’s Wines. As for where to get them after everyone else is out, well don’t really want to share that secret ;) just kidding, on Camino Alto in South San Francisco.
November 14th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Jason,
I can’t beleive you don’t like or haven’t recommended from Wa state the 2007 .St. Michelle riesling @ $5.99 for your top ten. Very drinkable and top 5 contender, in my opinion. In any case, it’s very available at the three TJ’s here in Irvine (Culver, Sand Canyon and UC Irvine) in Southern Calif
November 14th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
My T.J. in Southern California just rec’d many cases of Chariot Gypsy 2006 this week. Upon Jason’s glowing reviews of the 2005, I was lucky enough to grab a case of the 2005 a few weeks ago. Delicious! Bought one bottle of the 06 last nite, but have not tried it yet.
Jason, thank you for this blog and your reviews. I, like you, love the California Wine Party Franc.
I noticed 2 new offerings and wanted to know if you had tried them yet and had any opinion.. Clay Station 2006 Zinfandel at $4 and Brancott 2007 SB from New Zealand at $9? My favorite SB is still Kim Crawford, but it’s expensive for my taste ($15 at TJ, $13 at Costco)
November 17th, 2008 at 11:30 am
Hi everyone,
Tried the Clay Station Zin a few days ago. It started out nice, but the end was not so good. Their Viognier is much, much better.
Try the Rendition Zin & Peitie Syrah ($9) a little more $$, but definitely worth it. Haven’t had the Brancott yet.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:25 am
Tried the Clay Station Viognier-whew! for me, it has a dominating, but disagreeable gasoline flavor that just didn’t dissipate or settle down. Can’t say I enjoyed it.
Also, I’m still looking here for any review of the 2006 (not the 2005) Chariot Gypsy.
Any review would be appreciated. Thanks
November 21st, 2008 at 9:32 pm
@Danny Next time I stop at TJ’s the St. Michelle Riesling is on the list….
@Dip Danny is dying to know about the ‘06 any thoughts? We haven’t seen it up here yet. Angela, have you seen it at your store? Haven’t tried the Clay Station Zin, at $4 I will, despite Angela’s opinion, for the price seems it is worth a try… Haven’t tried the Brancott either. Will grab both. In the meantime I recommend the King Shag which is my current favorite New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc…
@Angela thanks for helping everyone else out in my absence, very much appreciated. I am going to keep my eye out for the Rendition… Where is your store located, sorry I am a curious cat!
@Danny x2 – Had the Clay Station tonight, better than the Bear’s Lair, think I might prefer the Honeymoon but the Clay Station is worth $4…. As for the ’06 Gypsy, see my reply here…
November 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 am
Hiya! Alameda is my locale. Usual schedule: Tuesdays, most Wednesdays (after 6:00 pm), Thursdays & Sundays after 4:00 pm.
Wow, gasoline was nowhere near my bottle. I guess I’ll just have to get another bottle and do a re-taste. Yes, the Honey Moon is lovely and I like it a litte better than the Bear’s Lair. I still need to try the Smoking Loon and the other one that starts with a “C”. (Castoro?) I LOVE Viognier! Kerner too, but I seriously doubt I’ll ever see one at work.
BTW, the St. Michelle SB ($6) was quite popular amongst the Crew last week and the TJ’s Reserve Pinot Noir ($13) which just came in is lovely. Definitely worthy of all the fuss our new Captain was making over it.
I’ll be doing a Pinot Tasting for the Crew soon that might include this one as well as the German one ($7) and a few others. The Estancia ($13) we had the other day was nice, but I think I like the Reserve better. Might need to do a side-by-side to compare. I’ll definitely report back.
November 24th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
The Finnish Wine Lady at my Trader Joe’s recommended Chateau Meric 2006, with advice to decant at least an hour before. (I think it was $8) We did, but the wine was just plain too young, in my opinion. I’m not great at predicting what will be good. Love to know what you think. . .
November 25th, 2008 at 8:28 am
accessed this shopping list at trader joe’s last night and picked up some california wine party. for $4.99, that stuff is really good…i had a $50 bottle of wine the night before that was crap in comparison. thanks for letting me keep accessing your thoughts while i’m in the shopping mode.
November 28th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
@Angela Alameda, if I am ever in your ‘hood I will stop by and say hi! Thanks for the tip on the Ste. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc, sounds like I should give a few of those wines some attention. As for the Pinot’s if I am feeling spendy perhaps I’ll grab a bottle of the TJ’s reserve. Think I tried that German one (can’t find a record to prove it though) and remember the results being poor… Can’t wait to hear more on the Pinot side-by-side.
@Sparkleball_Lady I will give the Chateau Meric a go sometime in the near future and get back to you.
@rj Glad to hear it, especially given our impending swap so I can try out that $50 bottle. Assuming it is the same one we were talking about here…
November 28th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
i left a reply on the 2006 chariot gypsy on your other thread, but to reiterate, I liked it a lot. Not quite as much as the 2005, tho.
I opened the Clay Station Zin a couple of days ago and did not like it at first. Had a glass, but it tasted bitter. As I said on my other thread, I am very much a novice and cannot discern flavors as well as many of you, but I’m learning! :) I put the cork back in and put it into the fridge and just pulled it out again and poured a glass about 30 mins ago. Surprisingly, I am liking it much better today than I did when I first opened it! Chilling it seems to have mellowed it, but it still has a slightly unpleasant aftertaste to me. Probably will not buy it again.
By the way, I do love the King Shag Sauv. Blanc as well as the Kono SV.
November 30th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Glad to hear good things about the newest offering from Epicurio. Did you pick up the Vermentino as well? Can’t wait to try both or heck, all four side by side. I’ll update y’all by the end of next week about the Pinots and Ports & Sweets will be next after that.
December 1st, 2008 at 10:32 pm
@Angela took me a bit to piece things together but if you are in Alameda and like Viognier run on over to Rosenblum and grab a bottle of this Kathy’s Cuvee, easily my favorite!
@dip thanks for the notes on the Clay Station, just slid way down, and likely off, my shopping list. Who am I trying to kid> This will still end up in my cart. It’s been like 8 years since Trader Joe’s had this Pepperwood Zin for $4 that was to me, as least from a nostalgia perspective, the best value bottle ever. Seems like a snowball’s chance this is the next coming but guessing I am dumb enough to try anyway…
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:33 pm
We buy the 2005 Epicuro Aglianico and the 2003 Epicuro Salice Salentino Riserva as our house wines, they are both great values in times like this. Just bought the new Rendition Zin, I like it, very upfront and in your face, and when you like ZIns, you usually appreciate that. But I can’t find any informaion on Rendition on Google. For a very cheap white I like the Kono Baru Riesling from Australia, $3.99. And there is the Casillero de Diablo from Chile that is rather good value at 6.99.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Yeah Jason, Thanks for the heads-up about the Rosenblum Viognier.
I’ll put it on my Yule Wish List.
Pinot Noir Report:
We had the Rex Goliath, Castle Rock, TJ’s Grand Reserve, Robert Mondavi (regular release), Robert Mondavi: Carneros and the German from Rheingau. Unfortunately, the lower-priced bottles were OK, but nothing to write home about.
The two Crew Favorites were the TJ’s Grand Reserve ($13) which had a pleasant, lighter, cherry-type finish, which had changed a little from the last time we tasted it (I’ll be serving it with the holiday ham) and the Rober Mondavi:Carneros ($22) which was Sexy Good! Smoky, super silky smooth and delicious, a definite buy in the Splurge or Gift Category.
December 8th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
any word on these two new shipments?
1) another “limited” buy, Kono Baru Shiraz $2.99
2) 2008 Holiday Vintage Ale
December 9th, 2008 at 11:32 am
I concur with Angela on the German Rheingau pinot noir–it’s nothing special–a strawberry jam bomb lacking acidity/no ummmpfffhh-very one dimensional and no depth. Worst, some kind of sickly/sweet chemical manipulation seemed to have been used in production and that didn’t work for me, either. recommend you stay away from that one
December 9th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
@dip: I believe both of those are already available and in our store at least.
Where are you located? Let me know and I’ll check on your region.
@Danny: Yeah, the only thing I might use the Rheingau for would be maybe a friuty cocktail with sparkling wine and perhaps pomegranate. Better to save the $$ and spend it on a nicer Pinot.
December 9th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Sorry, Angela, yes, they are available in my store (Woodland Hills, CA); I was just wondering if anyone had tried them yet and could recommend them. After I posted that, I did find a review written by Jason about the Kono Baru Shiraz (”skip it”). Nevertheless, I’ll buy one of each and try for myself.
Thanks!
December 9th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
@Ulla The Renedition is on my shopping list (though a bit pricey, I’m spoiled I know), think I saw it highlighted here. I’ve had the Kono Baru Riesling and loved that it was blogger ready but wasn’t a fan. The Casillero del Diablo Carmenere is my old reliable. Love it. Thought the raised the price of the latest vintage by $1 to $7.99
@Angela Feel like I should give you the Kathy’s Cuvee for your contributions here. Thanks for the Pinot report. Trader Joe’s had this Castle Rock Monterrey County offering for a while which was a stand-out. The others I’ve tried have been averaged. I am going to grab a bottle of the TJ’s Grand Reserve. Pricey but not so much so that I should be missing out on it if its a winner!
@Danny wasn’t tempted by the Rheingau but will make sure to steer clear.
@dip Thanks for the independent streak. You may love the Kono Baru Shiraz. Always good to remind everyone these are just my opinions!
Thanks everyone for all the comments!
December 10th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Hey Jason,
Oh, twist my arm and make me drink Viognier! : )
Plenty of good eats in Alameda, come on over.
@Danny: Haven’t gotten to either of those yet, but the Holiday Ale is eagerly awaited ever year by the beer guys on the crew. This one looks to be dark & chewy. I’ll ask around and get back to ya.
December 13th, 2008 at 10:27 am
A buddy brought a bottle of the TJ Grand Reserve Pinot Noir (2007) to our very low stakes poker game last night. He was kind enough to share a little with me. One sip of the wine from this bottle uncorked/opened on the spot told me told I had just saved $14. It may have been a bad bottle or it may not have opened up or it may just have been a bad match with my taste buds. However, I’m steering clear of it. My tastes in pinot noir seem to resonate well with pinot noir sourced from Sonoma Coast and New Zealand.(Some French, too, but all the French ones seem to cost too much for me). The quest continues.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:49 pm
Hi Jason,
I work in the wine section at TJ’s in Ventura. Here’s a hot tip on the Castle Rock Mendecino Pinot….The 2007 is REALLY good! It’s a little tricky to find though, because we seem to keep getting half with the old lable, and half with the new more classic looking label, simpler with gold lettering. I’ll chime in if I come across anything else. These two customers the other day were literally hooping and hollering over a “Vino Verde” that we have for $3.99??? I don’t know anything about it, but I will get the name and get back to you!
December 15th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
@Angela I certainly owe you a bottle, we’ll figure out the logistics soon as my brother-in-law in Germany wants me to ship him a half case of the same…
@Danny Interesting to here your take on the Pinot. I ended up grabbing a bottle on my last visit. Not going to get to it until after the holidays (unless I see it at TJ’s in Milwaukee). Yours is the first negative thought I’ve heard on it. Stay tuned!
@Diane Love Mendocino Pinot but had the ‘06 Castle Rock and wasn’t a fan. That said I am game for trying the ‘07. Should I be looking for one label over the other? Also on the Vinho Verde the brand is Espiral and I had a similar reaction buying 3 bottles on sight without tasting it…
December 16th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Hi Jason,
Yes, look for the “new” label. Much simpler with gold lettering. I really didn’t like the ‘06 either. I liked their ‘06 California Cuvee more. But, I do really like the ‘07 Mendocino. Did you end up tasting the Espiral Vinho Verde? I am going to get a bottle at work tomorrow because I am just so curious!
December 16th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
@Diane the Vinho Verde is at home in the fridge. Never did get to it. It will have to wait until after the holidays…
December 31st, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I just stumbled across your blog and love it! I LOVE the Vinho Verde, but I can’t find it anymore. Do any of you Trader Joes people know if it will be back? I asked at my local TJs today, but the guy had no idea what I was talking about. I really want to get more of this wine!
January 4th, 2009 at 9:16 am
@Lauren Not sure where you are located but we seem to still have the Vinho Verde in stock in the Bay Area, saw it in San Rafael the other day….
January 4th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Ask at the office for someone to look in the Alcohol Order Guide for you.
Tell them to look under “Imports” as it’s from Portugal .
Some stores carry this one while others don’t. Hence the “???”
If it’s available through your local store, tell them how many you’d like and try to Special Order it. If that doesn’t work, come to Alameda.
Last I looked (Wednesday) it’s on the top shelf on the Imports section, first bay as you go towards the back, far right-hand side next to the German wines. (Tall green bottle)
Please don’t dally as unusual varietal wines tend to have a very short shelf life if they don’t sell well.