Jason’s Wine Blog

Price: $3.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Don Sebastiani & Sons

What They Said:

Per the winery “This exceptional Shiraz from down under expresses the deep concentration typical of the famous Barossa Valley. The color is inky purple with intense blue fruit such as wild huckleberry and ripe crushed blueberry. The palate has a supple entry while the silky texture is backed by big grape tannins wrapped around boysenberry extract and finishing with a touch of brown sugar and vanillin.

This wine is an exceptional sipper. The generous profile will stand up to braised beef shortribs on a port wine sauce with a parsnip puree or complimentary to grilled wild Salmon fillets, served with heirloom tomato salsa over a bed of arugula.

Most of Australia’s wine is produced in the south-eastern region of the country, an area which, like California, boasts considerable geographic and climatic diversity. Flavors born in the high altitude vineyards of the Adelaide hills, the cool coastal climate of Tasmania, and the deep granitic soils of the Strathbogie Ranges contribute to the distinct characters that gives these wines an international appeal.”

What I Think:

As mentioned when I tried their Riesling some time back these wines were made for blogging. That one wasn’t a hit but the easy to find tasting notes and podcasts have kept these wines top of mind for me. Kudos to Sebastiani & Son’s and the Three Loose Screws label for helping out those of us that are publicizing their products.

Now on to the main event, like the Riesling, this wine was quaffable but seemingly made for the masses as there was little memorable about it. As mentioned via twitter here and here, this wine is marginal stoking thoughts of melted cherry cough drops. That was my initial thought which slowly unwound itself to being medicinal then to herbal and then to the green peppers. I got the tannins but missed the fruit described above. I prefer the Cartwheel so if you have had neither grab that one. If you weren’t happy with the Cartwheel at $4 give this one a try. Maybe it will work for you.

Rating: Skip It

Price: $6.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Americal Beverage Group

What They Said:

Per 2guysuncorked and I’ll go with Ted on this one…”This is probably the best sauvignon blanc I’ve had that is under $10. On the nose it’s bursting with citrus and fruity notes and it finishes with crisp acidity, that lingers just a bit as it reveals a slightly grassy finish. It would go great with some spicy food dishes, and it even holds up well to some spicy mango chicken I made to go with it.”

What I Think:

As many of you know I am a big fan of Sauvignon Blanc, especially from New Zealand. This one is completely typical of the Kiwi offering and in this case it is a good thing. It had the nice pale color, a nose of grapefruit and grassy aromas. On the palate you are greeted with a crisp flavorless start leading to floral and mineral undertones followed by a tangy and tingly lemon finish. Gooseberry is omnipresent throughout. We had this one with a salmon salad which was a perfect pairing. Thinking this is better than the Kono (and cheaper). Better than the Geyser Peak? Not sure but who cares, this Sauvignon Blanc trio at Trader Joe’s is one of the best deals going. Pick any of the three and you can’t go wrong. Better yet, get them all and let me know which is your favorite.

Rating: Buy It

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: $3.99 @ Trader Joe’s imported by Wine World Estates

What They Said:

Per Saratoga Wine Exchange “This is an elegant yet full-bodied Shiraz. It is not overdone like some other Shiraz producers have been doing lately. Ripe black cherry fruit combined with a gorgeous mouthfeel makes this an amazing Australian wine loaded with flavor.”

What I Think:

I found the brief blurb above from the Saratoga Wine Exchange. Good thing, because the winery didn’t even want to mention this one. A little sleuthing turned this nugget up, Cartwheel is a new stand-alone brand range from Beringer Blass. They come in two quality/price tiers: Western Australia and Margaret River respectively. I followed up with their contact us form to try and get some information on this offering but they couldn’t provide anything beyond “Cartwheel Wine is a part of the Foster’s portfolio. Please click onto the link below where you will be re directed to the website. Any information that we are able to disclose, can be found here”. Interesting… I also found a mention that this may have been bottled by the importer here in the US which I believe would be unique…

Now on to the wine, it actually says it is from South Eastern Australia, this doesn’t appear to be a designation that is recognized. Guess they mean the eastern part of the state of Victoria. Anyhow, Trader Joe’s was actually stocking the GSM version of this wine as well, though that disappeared in a hurry. On popping the top I am quickly reminded of the Chasing Clouds, that said the white pepper is readily apparent over a nice layer of initial fruit that fades just a bit too fast! Still, a decent bang for the buck and better than my early impressions of the Kono Baru.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $5.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the winery “This minimally oaked Cabernet Sauvignon presents fruit forward aromas and flavors of slight cherry and blueberry throughout the wine; it balances out with fruit, soft oak, and hints of coca on the lingering finish.”-Ray Einberger, Winemaker

What I Think:

If you check back to the 2004 version of this wine, which I was a huge fan of, you will find that Winemaker Ray had the same exact thing to say about that vintage. How can that be Ray? Given that the 2004 was labeled as being from the Columbia Valley and the 2005 vintage has been downgraded to the more generic Washington area. Nothing changes? Or perhaps just some lazy people in the web group that decided to reuse the same content? Hopefully you aren’t doing this to bamboozle the consumers… I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt there.

But as for the wine, things have certainly changed….The nose still shows dark fruit but there is certainly some more oak present. Early on this is showing green notes and is quite disappointing. Day 2 you can see it start to change as these flavors are fading. Perhaps it needs some more time in the bottle? Or is it the change in appellation? Either way it is not the same. And Ray, if you want to debate that, that is a debate I am willing to have…

Oh yeah, the verdict…for now pass on it. I’ll grab another bottle in a few months and let you know if things have changed.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $3.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per The Wineauxs “Tropical fruit on the nose – papaya and pineapple mostly. Feels a bit viscous in the mouth, some spicy notes, and a bit of fruit – quite dry over all actually. This is interesting as the finish is huge while the palate is somewhat muted….lots of spice and tropical fruit – papaya and maybe even some guava with lingering vanilla bean and at the very end some strong lime notes coming through. An insanely long finish for almost any wine, let alone one under five bones. This is a tough bottles to complain about…dirt cheap and surprisingly complex. I like my Viognier with more melon on the flavor profile but hey – four bucks? I’m sold.”

What I Think:

Google couldn’t help me find much here but Deb sure did. This turns out to be another offering from Bronco Wine Company which maintains no official web presence of their own. Guessing that is largely because their association with a label could often be considered detrimental… Anyhow having a little fun looking around I discovered a few interesting facts courtesy of Wikipedia. Fred Franzia is the nephew of Ernest Gallo and Bronco is the 4th largest producer of wine in the US. Massive! The Wikipedia page also has a list of their brands with Bears’ Lair accounted for.

With the weather as it has been whites have been on the menu often. Given my lack of appreciation for Chardonnay and the fact that I don’t find sweetness all that refreshing we have been drinking Sauvignon Blanc like it was going out of style. Having enjoyed some Viognier in the past I picked up this bottle, as well as the Honeymoon, as I was strolling through the Trader Joe’s Wine section. With a taco salad on the table it seemed like an opportune time to give it a try. To the eye the wine was golden, yellow and the nose showed hints of tropical fruits. Full and viscous is the best way to describe the first sip. The palate is crisp with notes of citrus before giving way to a nice creamy finish. This is a nice offering though subdued throughout. I am use to Viognier being much more expressive. At this price point guessing I shouldn’t be picky. That said I hope the Honeymoon is better. If that is true, won’t be buying this one again.

Rating: 12th Bottle

Price: $3.99 @ Trader Joe’s

What They Said:

Per the winery well nothing…Please don’t click on the link unless you want to see the “Coming Soon” sign….not exactly blogger friendly. Shame on you Kenwood, are you listening, shame on you.

What I Think:

I’ve had many forgettable roses from Trader Joe’s this summer. Given the weather though I intend to keep on trying. So when this one hit the shelf (at a mere $4) I decided to give it a go. Initial searches once home showed a lot of confusion…what grapes were in this wine, depends where you look. Ratings ranged from 82-90 and there was not much overlap in the adjectives used to describe this wine. This coupled with the fact that I had to data mine Google to find any results left me not knowing what to expect.

Upon opening this I was pleased. Had some nice cherry and strawberry notes and overall was simple and light…perfect for an afternoon barbeque. The finish is crisp and dry with hints of flowers. One write-up described this wine as “featureless” which sounds less than endearing but in this case serves as a backhanded compliment. This wine is refreshing and offers just enough complexity to enjoy while not taxing your mind on a hot day. It may not be for you but I am going to grab another bottle.

Rating: Buy It

If you arrived here and are interested in the latest top 10 list, follow this link now!

Hard to believe it has been so long since we have last done this. With my laundry list of quick Trader Joe’s Wine reviews published I am finally ready to tackle this after a long absence. Many of those posted below have yet to be reviewed individually, look for these soon. As always, the rankings from the last post are provided in parenthesis and I will provide some details on those that have fallen out of the rankings. Let’s get to it…

1. 2007 Geyser Peak California Sauvignon Blanc - $8 (Previous Rank: 1) – link is for 2006 but the ’07 is not missing a beat. The best white at TJ’s, hands down!

2. 2006 The California Wine Party Franc Merlot - $5 (Previous Rank: NR) – A perfect wine for the election season. A blend of Cab Franc and Merlot, grab it fast it seems to be disappearing already. I’ll grab a case if I can find it.

3. 2003 Alderbrook Old Vine Zinfandel - $8 (Previous Rank: NR) – $20 on wine.com and you can taste complexity. I’m looking for more

4. 2006 Santa Ynez Valley Winery Cabernet Franc - $9 (Previous Rank: NR) – link is for 2005 (which was #2 on my Top 10 list for 2007) but not sensing much fall off with the ’06. High quality as well.

5. 2007 Kono Sauvignon Blanc - $8 (Previous Rank: 5) – If my notes serve me correctly we just went from the ’05 to the 2007. This isn’t the Geyser Peak but it is sure a nice change of pace. Especially if you prefer Citrus on the palate.

6. 2006 Dynamic Red Table Wine- $9 (Previous Rank: NR) – An excellent wine, a Cab Franc, Cabernet, Merlot blend and from Mendocino to boot. Just not sure I can justify an additional four dollars beyond the “Franc Merlot”

7. NV Novella Chardonnay- $6 (Previous Rank: NR) –This one replaced the Callaway as the house Chardonnay.

8. 2007 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Carmenere - $8 (Previous Rank: 6) – Now the ’07 which also added a $1 to the price tag. That said, it seems as dependable as always.

9. 2005 Epicuro Aglianico - $5 (Previous Rank: 2) Still drinking nice with easy fruit up front. Time to get another case as the first two have more or less disappeared…

10. 2007 King Shag Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc- $7 (Previous Rank: NR) A buck cheaper than the Kono and just as good. A little more zing and a little less citrus.

Out…
2006 Michel Leon Gewurztraminer - $7 (Previous Rank: 9) – Still good, just haven’t been preferring the sweeter wines lately.

2006 Callaway California Chardonnay - $5 (Previous Rank: 10) – Taken out of the equation by the Novella Synergy

2005 Columbia Crest Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon - $6 (Previous Rank: 7) – now the ’05 rather than the 2004. Vintage shift also saw appellation switch to Washington from Columbia Valley. Seems a bit greener but settled it with time. Worth revisiting in a few months.

2005 Gravity Hills Base Camp Syrah - $5 (Previous Rank: 8) – Still better than most, just a plethora of options.

Gone
2005 XS Red California Cabernet Sauvignon - $4 (Previous Rank: 3) – Disappeared all too fast. Had a case, would like a few more…

2003 Red Flyer California Red - $3 (Previous Rank: 4) – A nice blend of many grapes. Many imitators at Trader Joe’s today. Just few that can do it this well.

Let me know if you have any others that I may be missing. or if you have any thoughts let me know as well.

Cheers,

Jason

For those of you that just can’t get updates fast enough I have decided to add a twitter feed to my arsenal…for those interested you can follow it via the sidebar or directly via twitter.

For those of you growing impatient, the Top 10 post is being written now, should be posted tomorrow latest…In the meantime maybe I should get on Facebook as well…

This is like one of those cleansing diets I keep hearing about. You do lots of bad stuff, then all at once you try to atone for it. With that I offer you these succinct reviews of 25 Trader Joe’s Wines that have backed up in my queue.  You’ll see more ranked “Buy It” than I would have imagined and get an idea of how bad a wine must be to land it the “Avoid It” category.  All that and plenty of grammatical errors too…

Stay tuned for the latest Top 10 list which is next. I hope to publish that over the weekend. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Jason

Bulk Buy (2)
2006 The California Wine Party Franc Merlot - $4.99 – A perfect wine for the election season. A blend of Cab Franc and Merlot, grab it fast it seems to be disappearing already…

2007 Geyser Peak California Sauvignon Blanc - $7.99 – A new vintage but still the real deal.

Buy It (11)
2006 Dynamic Red Table Wine - $8.99 – An excellent wine, a Cab Franc, Cabernet, Merlot blend. Just not sure I can justify an additional four dollars beyond the “Franc Merlot”

2006 Santa Ynez Valley Winery Cabernet Franc - $8.99 – The 2005 version of this wine was #2 on my Top 10 list for 2007. Not sensing much fall off here.

2007 Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo Carmenere - $7.99 – A main stay vintage after vintage, the only thing that changed this time was the fancy award label and the $1 they added to the price tag…

2003 Alderbrook Old Vine Zinfandel - $7.99 –The $20 price tag on wine.com was enough to get me enamored, initially the wine delivered, showing the signs of complexity you expect of old vines. That said I was wanting/waiting for more. Perhaps the second bottle I grabbed will deliver…

2005 Beauzeaux Red Wine- $3.99 – A blend, by Beaulieu, this reminded me somewhat of the Red Flyer that peaked at #4 on the June top 10 list. Not quite that good but had the potential to be a worthy replace but, alas, it appears to have sold out. Not to mention $13.99 on wine.com…

NV Novella Chardonnay - $5.99 – This link sent me off looking for this one. The first time I grabbed the wrong label but since I haven’t missed. This one replaced the Callaway as the house Chardonnay.

2007 Kono Sauvignon Blanc - $7.99 – This one has always had a tough draw with the Geyser Peak dominating the stage but still provides me vivid reminders of my honeymoon in New Zealand. Oh by the way, it’s damn good to0.

2007 King Shag Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - $6.99 – A buck cheaper than the Kono and just as good. A little more zing and a little less citrus.

2007 Castoro Cellars Muscat Canelli- $4.99 – A nice substitute for Riesling or Gewurtz with Indian or Thai.

2006 Santa Ynez Valley Winery Gewurztraminer - $6.99 – Like the Cab Franc from the same level, impossible to find any info on this is the public space. My favorite TJ’s Gewurtz from the US. If you must know I prefer those of the Alsace. TJ’s has brought through the Marcel Hugg and the Michel Leon.

2007 Gaetano D’Aquino Orvieto Classico - $4.99 – Always love the chance to try a new varietal, this one from Italy didn’t disappoint. A nice delicate , straight forward profile. Perfect on its own or with seafood.

12th Bottle (7)
2005 Cartwheel Shiraz - $3.99 – This isn’t bad, perhaps even a notch better than the Chasing Clouds which briefly crashed the top 10. More interesting was the GSM by the same label that was gone as soon as it arrived…

2005 Barnwood Long Shadow Petite Sirah - $5.99 – I was thrilled to see a Santa Barbara label at TJ’s. The first bottle was nice but the amount of sediment threw me for a loop. By the time I went to look for a second bottle it was gone baby gone…

2005 Syrahtica California Syrah - $3.99 – My second offering from the X Winery this Syrah had many redeeming qualities. It is also had a few that reminded you this was mass produced in the lab rather than made in the field.

2007 Condesa de Sarabella Garnacha- $3.99 – I grabbed this when I was fiending for a Spanish wine and it hit the spot. Not great but have another bottle in the rack now…

2007 Trader Joe’s Growers Reserve Paso Robles Zinfandel- $4.99 – I am not a fan of buying the TJ’s label but desperate for a nice drinking Zin under $5 I gave it a whirl. I’d rate it as slight better than the TBD Zinfandel which was a pure quaffer. This one showed a bit more complexity.

2006 Honey Moon Viognier- $4.99 – Viognier is the perfect summer wine to have with a meaty salad. Had this one with a chicken cobb.

2006 Martin & Weyrich Matador Rose- $3.99 – Made from Tempranillo this wine is bone dry which matches well with hot weather. Unfortunately TJ’s went dry before I could restock.

Skip it (5)
2006 Panilonco Carmenere- $3.99 – I love the Concha y Toro mentioned above and tried the ’05 of this offering and gave it another go. I said it here first…If try the ’07 someone take away my wallet.

2006 Gaetano D’Aquino Montepulciano d’ Abruzzo - $3.99 – I barely remember this one, that can’t be good. That said, guessing some would argue that at this price point if it doesn’t make you spit it out you have a winner…

2006 Callaway California Sauvignon Blanc - $4.99 – Love the Chard so thought I would give this one a go. Mistake! With so much quality Sauvignon Blanc, see above, no need to be messing around here.

2006 Tres Pinos Tierra Rioja Paso Robles Red Wine- $4.99 – Another blend ala the Red Flyer and Beauzeaux, this one is obviously not as good as it can still be found in the stores.

2007 Josefina Syrah Rose - $4.99 – My first use of twitter as a wine review source here. I didn’t feel as strongly as this person though I won’t be buying it again…

Avoid It (0)
As you can see I am loathe to use this category. Do you think I should use it more?

Still reading!  Get to drinking…