Jason’s Wine Blog

Price: $2.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Bercut & Vandervoort

What They Said:

Per the bottle Round and velvety with a bouquet of ripe fruit flavors, this dry red wine perfectly compliments a variety of meat dishes, pastas and cheese. Produced in France by a family with a long tradition of exceptions winemaking, Fleur de Maison offers recognized quality and affordability. A great everyday wine to always keep on hand. To be served at room temperature or slightly chilled.

What I Think:

When I saw this one on the shelf I had it confused with the La Maison from George Duboeuf (of Beaujolais fame, almost that time!) in my head, so at $3 it seemed worth a shot. As I searched for information I quickly realized my mistake. Surprisingly I was able to track down the importer and thought I had info but alas a 404 error. I emailed to see if they could share any notes on this wine but have yet to hear back.

Hopefully you saw my twitter feed on this one. When I find bad wines bad my first option is to try and ignore them… Don’t write tasting notes, don’t try to figure out what is wrong. Keep sipping and hope it gets better. Option one failed. I almost dumped it which (almost) never happens (this would be the 2nd time in like 500 bottles). That said I did open something else. I put a cork in this but wasn’t holding out much hope for another try tomorrow which is bad wine option #2. Alas, no luck which left me with only option #3, drink it when you are already drunk. Given the two youngsters in my household I didn’t see being able to put that into practice anytime soon so down the drain it went. If you have to have a bottle under $3 stick to the Two Buck Chuck, hear the Shiraz is the best now. If you can afford a fiver check the latest Top 10 list for recommendations. But please, keep this $3 in your pocket.

Rating: Avoid It

*photo by j. botter

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per Zhadi’s Den “The label shows a woman in a red head scarf astride a chariot, very much in the vein of a Major Arcana tarot card. The back only says it was bottled by Jim Neal wines in St. Helena, California. Nothing about varietals. I have no idea what grapes were used in the making of this wine (although its rich, spicy characteristics lead me to suspect a zinfandel or syrah in the blend). The price tag? $4.99. The placard in the store said One Time Buy. When it’s gone, it’s gone. So I had to try it. We took it to the SinC meeting and cracked it open aong with an inexpensive Spanish cava. The cava was okay. The Chariot?

…Drooool…”

What I Think:

Wow, this Jim Neal guy (found on the back of the bottle) is a tough one to track down. But after spending some quality time with my friends at Google (your welcome!) I was able to get to the bottom of this one. I was able to track down both the site for the winery which is terribly out of date and in desperate need of my SEO (Search Engine Optimization) services and his first love which happens to be Verjus which I need to look into further (Jessie any pointers…). Fortunately for all of us, his wines are much more approachable than the brand behind them. As mentioned above I was tipped off to this one by Zhadi’s Den and immediately picked up three bottles. Those are now all empty and I am here to sing this wines accolades as well…

In a word “winner, winner”. The nose seemed almost typical California with rich, dark, musty fruit notes. On the palate it seemed very familiar; silky smooth and bold with heavy mint overtones. Then it struck me, this wine had a resounding resemblance to one of my favorites, the Rosenblum San Francisco Bay Petite Sirah. Despite Dana’s report that it is a blend of “Sangiovese, Petite Syrah, Syrah, and Cab” I am guessing this is 60-70% Petite Sirah minimum….And the remaining is likely Syrah (or at least mostly…) The finish was a lasting mix of dark fruits and dry, tingling tannins, extremely pleasant. Get yourself some now as I am heading out to clear out the bay area stores soon…

In the times of this economy I can unequivocally tell you this wine and the Franc Merlot are easily the best $5 bottles of wine I have seen at Trader Joe’s in some time. If you are used to spending $15 or more a bottle and stumbled across this site looking for ways to cut back your budget start here and start fast!

Rating: Bulk Buy

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per corkd.com “Recent find at Trader Joe’s. The nose has an intriguing mix of earth, fruit and herbs (rosemary? basil?). Good tannin & some fennel. The taste has some luscious blackberry and an herby finish. Different, and I really like it. Much more interesting than the typical $5 wine.”

What I Think:

As I mentioned here this one is a winner. I backed up that sentiment again ranking the Franc Merlot #2 in my Top 10 list of Trader Joe’s Wines and even more so when I cleaned the last case off of the shelf at my local TJ’s last weekend. All that said I am a sucker for Cabernet Franc and this one is heavy in that department (70% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot and 4% Petite Sirah). Given a varietal bottling of Cabernet Franc can rarely be found for less than $10 and we have a potential steal on our hands already!

On pouring this one in the glass you find a great nose full of spice and peppers. Slightly green but in a pleasant way. You can tell it is heavy on the Cabernet Franc as the characteristics shine through. That said the fruit is a little more robust here. It is smooth up front before cherries burst through the peppery undertones. The soft tannins stay in the background and the chewy, cherry flavors linger on leading to a long dry finish. One word of caution put it away if your dessert comes with chocolate. That said buy a case for every other occasion! This is the best $5 red I’ve had at Trader Joe’s in quite some time.

Rating: Bulk Buy

Price: $2.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the winery “This secret blend of Syrah, Mouvedre, Grenache, Carignan, and Clone X is blended in the tradition of the French Rhone wines. Clone X, the secret ingredient, was smuggled from outer space in the hyperbolic chamber of one of the forward thinking grays.”

Also from TJ’s Fearless Flyer, “It’s a Rhone Style Red that’s made for us by Hahn Winery. It features vibrant pepper and spice with bright red fruit and well balanced acidity.”

What I Think:

A ton of intrigue here starting with one of the most curious web sites I have ever seen for a wine. Take a look for yourself! The Rhone blend is certainly interesting, never seen anything like it, it even includes some Durif which I had to look up to determine was equal to Petite Sirah. Certain this was a Trader Joe’s exclusive given the Fearless Flyer selection (why isn’t this on the web so I can link to it!) I was surprised to learn this was not a TJ’s only bottling. A quick web search showed this pricing out in the $8-$9 range here and here. How can TJ’s possibly sell this at $3…and how could anyone pay triple that… Mysteries upon mysteries!

With the wine open would they continue? They certainly would as this wine was concocted in the lab. Not an ounce of vineyard or terroir here, this wine tastes manufactured. That said, as much as I want to hold that against it, I can’t bring myself to do so. This is a big, overtop the wine. Guessing that even those that don’t care for wine might like something like this. It showed loads of fruit up front with pepper and spice intermingling towards the mid-palate leading to a pleasant finish. While not great, this is a magnificent one to have around the house to open after everyone has had a glass or two! At $3 it is hard to go wrong…

Also some more coverage in the blogsphere from justagrape.com, Wine Tastings and World Wine Weblog.

Rating: Buy It

Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per wine.com “Jean Pierre and Francois Perrin have taken particular care that this Cotes du Rhone meets their stringent standards of excellence. As proprietors of Chateau de Beaucastel in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, the Perrin family has demonstrated exceptionally high standards for nearly a century.

The Rouge originates from a significant portion of the Perrin’s own vineyards, including those at Château Grand Prebois. Produced from 60% Grenache, 20% Syrah and 20% Mourvèdre, some of which are flash-heated using the same methods as those at Château de Beaucastel, the fruit is rich and jammy with peppery spice, concentration and intensity.”

What I Think:

This one was also written up on quaffability which encouraged me to finally give it a go after looking at it luke-warmly for so long…We have a typical Rhone GSM blend here (60/20/20) with light fruit on the nose followed by loads of spice and pepper. On the palate you get some cherry and blackberry before the spice takes over midway and merges into woody/barrel flavors for a finish. The last Rhone I’ve had from TJ’s was this Les Moirets from the same vintage. Which do I prefer? Not sure but both are nice. Next time I hit the store I’ll grab them both for a side by side tasting. Then I can definitively select a winner! Anyone out there have an opinion on which is better?

Rating: Buy It

Price: $3.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by L. Watson Inc.

What They Said:

Per Purple Liquid on the 2003: “The wine is produced by Damianitza, a winery established in 1940 and located in the Struma river valley in Southwest Bulgaria. The Struma river valley is a warm and dry region with hilly terrains of volcanic origin, maybe one of the best wine regions in the country. The 2003 No Man’s Land Silver Label is a blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. It had a dark color and a mix of herbal and dark fruit scents on the nose. On the palate, it was medium-bodied and bone dry (we were afraid it would be sweet). The wine worked nicely with our grilled lamb chops and tasted better served slightly chilled.”

What I Think:

This is my second experience with wine from Bulgaria. The first one was interesting but not worth repeating. But when I saw this Bordeaux type blend (69% Merlot, 31% Cab) I decided to grab it. While this was again interesting I am now convinced that in Bulgaria when they say dry they mean dry! This wine showed some nice fruit and some cloves on the nose but they quickly disappeared on the palate and left me smacking my tongue… 0-2. Wonder what will happen next time I see one!

Rating: Skip It

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

What They Said:

Per quaffability “I am happy to report that I agree with other readers who have tried the 2005 — it’s a worthy successor to the 2004, which received one of this blog’s highest scores.

The nose is spice box, cigar box, cherries, plums, wet dirt. It’s juicy in the mouth, without being too ripe. The finish is long with fruit and a little oak.

This is another great $5.99 Rhone.”

What I Think:

I’m going to keep my notes brief. I was turned on to this wine in my pre-blogging days by the ’04 write up on quaffability. Based on the new ’05 write up and my history I grabbed a bottle. I wasn’t disappointed. Great Grenache flavors! Big fruit on a drier, sage backbone. A clear winner. Though this is a rare case where the audience has made me reconsider. Comments are riddled to the point where it seems that 1 out of 2 bottles may be bad. The good news is that you can apparently return these to Trader Joe’s. As for me I’ll be buying more of this is small amounts until the first bottle fails. I like it, don’t get me wrong. Just not enough to make one trip to buy it and another to return it.

Rating: Buy It

Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the winery “Rich and Velvety with incredibly deep cherry and blackberry fruit. Substantial concentration long and turning spicy on the finish. Not to heavy; smooth and appealing now. But will only get better with age.”

What I Think:

This one appealed to me as it was from an unheard of, at least for me, region of Oregon and I am always anxious to try something new. After the first sip I find it a study in contrast; both fruity and dry at the same time. The wine has some staying power and lingers on nicely. Still can’t put my finger on this one after two bottles. Perhaps I’ll try a third. If you’re up for something new give it a go. Otherwise stick to TJ’s Top 10 Wines of January 2008 which this did not make.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by D’Aquino Italian Imports

What They Said:

Per snooth.com “A great value, I’d be happy to drink this on a regular basis. It’s a blend of 80% negroamaro and 20% malvasia nera, with mineral and berry notes. It is dry, and light-bodied for a red wine. Some may find this a little watery, but it has a flavorful finish. No heavy alcohol fumes or need to breathe first, like so many wines at this price point.”

What I Think:

After trying their Aglianico I was willing to try the rest of their offerings. Like the previous bottle and the Nero d’ Avola I’ve previously enjoyed this wine was also from southern Italy. This one was a blend of 80% Negroamaro, 20% Malvasia Nera which immediately sends me to Wikipedia as I have heard of neither. Negroamaro is grown almost exclusively in Puglia which is also the home of Primitivo (a relative of Zinfandel) which I have much enjoyed. All signs seem to be pointing in this ones favor.

On opening my interest is piqued. The nose was full of earth and herbs. On the palate more of the same, very earthy and robust with hints of cherries. The finish was long and flavorful, with fruit tailing off to a woody, smoky ending. Another keeper from southern Italy which has clearly put itself on my map.

Rating: Buy It

Price: $3.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the bottle “This delicously affordable red table wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petite Verdot, from the Central Coast of California. This wine pairs nicely with grilled steaks or lamb chops, but is a great compliment to any fine meal.”

What I Think:

This red blend from the central coast was opened as a second bottle following pizza and Aglianico then finished the following day after carne asada and Carinena tinto.  After night one I wasn’t disappointed nor was I impressed, perfectly quaffable. Night two it showed me more. Given that this seems like a nice 12th bottle to me. Next time I’ll make it the main event with dinner and see if it can flourish.

Rating: 12th Bottle