trader joe's top 10



about jason

focused on finding those wines that deliver great value to the wallet and the palate

the rating system

two tiered — one on the value end and another for those that I am expecting quite a bit more from...

2007 MacMurray Central Coast Pinot Noir

Price: $13.99 @ Trader Joe’s
What They Said:
90 points Wine Enthusiast: Currently hard and tart in acids and tannins, but loaded with sweet, ripe fruit, this Pinot is silky enough to drink now, which most consumers probably will. But if you give it until sometime in 2010, the cherries, cola, sandalwood and spices will mesh and [...]

2005 Cameron Hughes Lot 112 Napa Valley Merlot

Price: $12.00 @ Friend/Gift
What They Said:
Cameron Confidential: Lot 112 Napa County Merlot represents exceptional value. Sourced from the un-appellated Coombsville and Jamieson Canyon regions (which is why it has the Napa County designation), this wines has the beautiful, supple structure and classic fruit profile of great Napa Merlot (which requires a few minutes of swirling [...]

2007 Rootstock Zinfandel

Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s
What They Said:
My initial Google search returned nothing. The back of the bottle noted that this one is made by DnA Vineyareds which I recognized from two previous offerings; Trader Joe’s Captain’s Catch and the TBD Zinfandel. The DnA Vineyards site hardly exists hasn’t been updated in ages. [...]

2008 Sebastopol Hills Pinot Noir

Price: $9.99 @ Trader Joe’s
What They Said:
Nada, the bottle said absolutely nothing. So the detective work began and I think I found my new best friend. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) COLA (Certificate of Label Approval) registry where a search returned these results. This led me to the Owl [...]

2008 Il Valore Sangiovese

Price: $2.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Americal Beverage Group
What They Said:
Per the bottle “This 100% Sangiovese wine from the Puglia region is smooth and fruity with a touch of red berries.”
What I Think:
I had this one a while

2006 Windbreak Pinot Noir

Price: $9.99 @ Trader Joe’s
What They Said:
Per San Antonio Winery “Windbreak is handcrafted at Orcutt Road Cellars in the Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo. Both clonal selections are fermented separately in small, open-top tanks. The cap is “punched down” in order to delicately extract color without creating excessive tannins. After aging in French [...]

2007 Tablas Creek Côtes de Tablas

Price: $21.99 @ K&L Wines
What They Said:
Per K&L Wines “93 points Robert Parker: “The 2007 Côtes de Tablas is a sensational wine as well as a great bargain. The fact that it is finished with a screw cap may give some consumers the wrong impression, but this is a serious, mouthfilling red. A [...]

2006 Summers Napa Valley Charbono

Price: $21.00 @ Mill Valley Market
What They Said:
Per Jon Bonné “Just 85 acres of Charbono are planted in California. Its fans are few but devoted, including Calistoga’s Summers family. Their estate vineyard produces the most Charbono in the state, including the fruit for this lively effort, aged in 50 percent new American oak, with [...]

2007 Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s
What They Said:
Per Trader Joe’s Holiday Guide “This is a Rhône style red wine that could only come from Paso Robles. Why? The nutrient-dense, limestone-rich soils produce grapes of great character. And the variety of climate conditions within the region create distinctive flavor profiles that are unquestionably Rhône-esque, but with [...]

2007 Fife Sonoma County Zinfandel

Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s
What They Said:
Per