Jason’s Wine Blog

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the winery “The aromas of this wine are reminiscent of baked apples. The smooth mouthfeel brings forward fruit flavors of apples, pineapple and lemon peel, which are highlighted by toasty oak and vanilla characteristics that lead to a silky finish. Our Coastal Chardonnay is a wonderful companion to a wide variety of foods. Try it with stuffed pork chops, lemon herb chicken, pasta Alfredo or sea scallops prepared in just about any fashion.”

What I Think:

I grabbed this one because I read positive coverage about it somewhere in the websphere but can’t find it now for the life of me. On the nose I could tell this one has some potential as I could actually smell something besides just barrel. On the palate the wine was nice and crisp with barely a hint of that buttery, barrel taste that is so typical of California Chardonnay. As for the fruit the majority seemed to be apples that settled nicely on top of a tangy, minerally backbone that lead to a toasty finish. As you may know I am not a huge Chard fan (but keep trying to be) so it is nice to be pleasantly surprised. A perfect companion for the crab cakes that were on the table and a bottle that will be sure to find its way to my house again!

Rating: Buy It

Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Plume Ridge Wine Negotiants

What They Said:

Per Hawks Head Wines “The Laugel family have been producing wine here since 1889 when Alsace was part of Germany. With classic rose petal and lychee aromas this elegant white has good varietal character and lovely complexity. Grapefruit and citrus notes keep it refreshing and the finish is long and balanced with good integrated acidity. This is a lovely example of this Alsace speciality, drinking well now but will keep to 2009. (Drink now to 2011)”

What I Think:

Another Gewurztraminer from the Alsace. As you can see from my write up on the Marcel Hugg. This was even before my recent return visit to Fleur de Lys where I had the Trimbach once again. Amazingly enough, they have this same Trimbach at Trader Joe’s. If you feel like dropping a $20 spot on that one stop reading here.

Now back to this wine. Hard to find a write up here, awfully common for wines for Trader Joe’s wines I find. I was able to track down something from a UK retailer selling this at £8 (about $16) which makes this one at $7 seem quite the steal already. On the nose you get light floral and citrus notes. On the palate the profile is almost custard like and at first I thought it was sweet. Later I realized it was more from a texture perspective than on the palate. The fruit, mostly lemon, faded quickly and led to a nice tight mineral finish. We had this as an aperitif before dinner with cheese and it worked perfectly. Not as good as the Marcel Hugg but good enough to buy until I find something 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: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per corkd.com “LOTS of juicy cherry in the nose, along with noticeable alcohol that more breathing helps to dissipate. Hint of pepper. The taste is thick & very juicy, w/ cherry & grape dominating. It’s heartier than the 2005. At 14% it should last awhile, too, so I’m going back for a couple more bottles. Good stuff!”

What I Think:

As you may know I have been on the hunt for a good TJ’s Zinfandel for some time. After seeing this in the Fearless Flyer and on an end cap promotional placement I thought I would give it a go. It is made by the Trader Moon Wine Co. which I would presume is an exclusive Trader Joe’s operation as they are responsible for anything with a moon in it at TJ’s. Honey Moon, Purple Moon, Tuscan Moon, etc.

So the “Old Vines” designation likely raised my hopes a bit too much here as I was hoping for varietal characteristics at a minimum in this $5 bottling. Instead I felt like I found half-concocted over the top fruit flavors. A ton of cherry which is not typical of a Zin and a bit of plum and spice as well. That said at this price point I would take it over the Cline or the Ravenswood, but if I want a sure thing I’ll grab the Rocking Horse.

All in all, sometimes I know I expect too much and this may be one of them. I’ll likely grab it again at some point to make sure my initial inclinations were correct. If I do, you’ll be the first to hear.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $5.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the winery “This fruit-forward wine accents classic Gewürztraminer characteristics of lychee, dried apricots and hints of rose petal. Subtle spicy-sweet fruit flavors linger through a refreshing, juicy finish” - Best Buys: Whites, Excellent - Wine Press NW

What I Think:

So there I am standing in the wine section at Trader Joe’s.  It’s busy. My wife is in the checkout line, getting closer to the front. And I can’t decide whether to grab the JW Morris , the Santa Ynez or this. With time running out I decided to try something new.

The other night with curry on the menu I decided it was time to see what this one was all about. On the nose you get wafts of sweetness along with dried floral and fruit aromas. These flavors follow through on the palate but I found the sweetness a little overpowering. The next night I had it as an aperitif with some cheese which seemed to better suit this bottle. For those newer to this varietal this may be a nice introduction. As I prefer a drier style I wish I would have grabbed the Santa Ynez.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $3.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Santini Fine Wines

What They Said:

Per corkd.com, via my fellow amateurs as no professional input is available: “Aficionados of dry Chianti may stop reading now, assuming any actually are. Which I doubt. Anyway, this inexpensive Trader Joe’s offering most likely won’t win any awards, but it certainly is a pleasant, easily-drinkable wine. I served it with a pleasant, easily-eatable meal, which was a pleasant and easily-enjoyable experience for my family. The nose has some blackberry and pepper, maybe a little anise, which went well with the fennel in the meal. The taste is at first grapey and slightly fruity-sweet; the finish more tannic and peppery. I like it a lot, but if you read my other reviews, you’ll find that I tend to like nearly EVERYTHING.”

What I Think:

After enjoying a few bottles of the Toscana I thought I would give this Chianti a go to see if it could match the performance. Alas, no was the answer. It wasn’t all that far off. At the end of the day this wine ending up coming off as thin or better said short on fruit. Not bad, but not worth trying unless you love Chianti. Otherwise grab the Toscana or try one of these Epicuro offerings.

Rating: Skip It

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by International Import-Export

What They Said:

Per snooth.com “Good acidity balances perfectly the touch of off-dry that this wine presents. Some floral notes, good minerality. Good long finish. Paired well with curry, would work with any spicy foods.”

What I Think:

To give you an idea straight off the bat, the snooth write up had a comment of someone who could only remember that they paid under $20. Promising! Coupled with my experience with the 2005 and many others from my pre-blogging days I was happy to be pulling the cork on this one as I was preparing Thai Basil Chicken for dinner.

It didn’t disappoint. On the nose I found a mostly floral bouquet with some lighter fruits lingering in the background. On the palate something tries to show early but is swept up in sweetness before it can express itself. Just when it appears doomed to be a overly sweet effort a nice crisp, acidic backbone saves the day showing mineral characteristics and leading to a pleasant finish. Therefore I gave it a “Buy It” rating but wanted to also provide a disclaimer that I will never have more than one bottle of this in my house. And I’ll be happy to have it whenever spicy Asian food is on the menu. Unless you are a Riesling purist I imagine there are few out there that wouldn’t enjoy this effort. I challenge you all to try a bottle and report back with your thoughts.

Rating: Buy It

Price: $2.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Classic Wines of California

What They Said:

Per Tom & Melody “This Barrio La Boca Malbec 2006 is a pearly, opalescent purple in the glass and a fresh and spicy nose reminiscent of cherries and cured meats. It is a dry and tannic, yet quite fruity. The wine has a sharp mouth feel with a smooth finish on the palate. The taste is plums, vanilla, and cherries. The finish is chocolate-covered cherries.”

What I Think:

Enjoying the Pascual Toso a little too much I decided to save the rest for another day and pop this one. Expectations were low as I grabbed the Cabernet Sauvignon from the same label a few weeks back.  I grabbed this one just to ensure I was doing my due diligence for my readers.  After all Argentina is known for value Malbec’s.  Maybe this could be the super value.

And survey says….No! Not much to like here. Nothing but acid on the nose and the same follows on the palate. The next night I tried it with some food and it was a bit better. Oddly on night three it started to show something, not much…but something. Certainly not enough to buy another bottle but just enough to miss the dreaded “Avoid It” label.

Rating: Skip It

Price: $8.99 @ K&L Wines imported by TGIC Importers

What They Said:

Per K&L Wines ”91 points and the #1 wine on the “Top 100 Best Buys of 2007″ from Wine Enthusiast: “A year or two ago when Paul Hobbs began consulting for Toso things changed for the better. This is the rare Best Buy that can swim with the big fish and give them a run for the money. Pop the cork and enjoy lusty dark aromas of Turkish tobacco and berry compote. In the mouth, there’s a riot of fruit flavors to ponder followed by a smooth, lusty finish.” (12/1/2007) 90 points and a “Best Buy” in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. (no tasting note given, Dec. 2007) That’s right we can actually offer you a #1 wine from someone’s list. Those end of the year best lists are so frustrating for us. We usually have our stock answer, “Sorry, it sold out months ago.” But not this time, this time we can say, “How much would you like?” And I couldn’t think of a better wine to give to any customer looking for sheer value. This Malbec is attached to Paul Hobbs and it shows. His trademark velvety texture and boisterous fruit flavors are all on display here. The solid tannins keep everything held together while the sappy boysenberry fruit, clove spice and vanilla laced finish are sure to please. (Bryan Brick, K&L)”

What I Think:

I had been meaning to grab this one for a while. Ever since K&L sent out an email proclaiming this the “Best Red Available under $10” it has been hard to come by. Couple that with being ranked the “#1 wine on the “Top 100 Best Buys of 2007″ from Wine Enthusiast and you can imagine it is getting difficult. The third feather in the cap was Paul Hobbs involvement who made this “Cocodrilo” that I just had to grab a case of. And I still haven’t mentioned a price tag of single digits ($9). And uh, oh yah, it is a single vineyard offering. It’s been a struggle but recently a friend of mine scored me a bottle and it was worth the wait!

Loads of dark fruit and smoke on the nose, on the palate the fruit delivers with hints of vanilla and barrel spice making the finish as velvety as can be. The combination makes this a hands down winner. To be fair, value wines are plentiful coming out of Argentina. I’ve had offerings from Alamos and Terrazas de los Andes that blow the quality to price ratio straight out of the water. That said those two were enjoyable based on the forwardness of their fruit and didn’t display near the complexity of this one. Wonder if I can find anymore! I’ll sure be looking…

Rating: Bulk Buy

Price: $4.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Palm Bay Imports

What They Said:

Per wine.com on the 2006 Santa Rita 120 Cabernet Sauvignon: “Surprisingly powerful and rich in fruit for its price, this offers black currant and cassis over youthfully rustic tannins. Give it some pork.” -Wines & Spirits “Value Picks”

What I Think:

The Wine & Spirits write up perked my hopes on this one. That said quaffability didn’t say much about this but one word can be pretty powerful!

With my expectations significantly lower I popped the cork. The nose is full of nice medium fruit with a bit of dust and spice. Not unlike the Carmenere without the smokiness. On the palate plums prevail before fading to a finish that is attempting to be velvet like with just a hint of tannin. All in all, a perfect quaffer. At this price point I prefer it to the Chalk Creek, you may not. If you prefer fruit this Chalk Creek should be your choice but if you prefer something a bit more diverse give this one a go.

Rating: 12th Bottle