Just last night I mentioned that the return of the Gypsy and was near and that sighting were beginning to be reported throughout California. Given that I decided to head over to my regular Trader Joe’s (Bay St. in San Francisco) after work tonight and see if I couldn’t track it down for myself. After checking the end caps I wasn’t expecting to find it but there it was sitting on the shelf. So I grabbed a bottle and headed off. I fully intended to taste it in the parking lot (ala 2008) but as I was already late in getting home I had to alter my plans. That said once home (and I got the kids in bed) I immediately popped the cork to see what was in store. And to stay true to the intent here are my first thoughts…

To recap, the blend percentage here (heavy on Zin/Cab) is more similar to the 2007 than the 2008 which was dominated by a Zinfandel – Petite Sirah component. That was immediately on the palate where this one has a lot more acidity than the ’08 which at times came across as overly sweet. Not quite as fruit forward but much more balanced and even for my preference. Not a great wine by any means but a nice $5 table wine for any occasion. I’ll be grabbing some more soon.

Outside of that I thought it was interesting this one was labeled at 13.5% abv. Identical to that of the 2007 and 2008. Now you can be certain this aren’t all the same given the +/- 1.5% leeway that is legal from a labeling perspective. If nothing else curious to compare to the 2009 Rabbit Ridge (for those that made it to the end of the video you’ll know I picked this one up) which clocks in at 14.6%. I grabbed the ’07 and ’08 and was expecting to see the same but nope. 2007 was 15.4% and 2008 14.7%. Now these on the other hand I am guessing are accurate. It just got me to thinking as I read an article earlier this week by Tim Fish entitled What Does It Take to Make an $8 Wine?. Given the incremental cost is getting a new label approved by the TTB it once again shows that Erich Russell and the team from Rabbit Ridge are making the most honest $5 bottle of wine out there to be had. Look forward to giving it a try soon!

Anyhow back to the Gypsy (or the Rabbit Ridge). I’d love to hear your thoughts. Did you find it? Let us know where. Did you try? What did you think?

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With my review of the ’08 vintage still a few days away (I wanted to give it 3 weeks in the bottle first) I thought it would be fun to highlight some of tasting notes that you all from the community have shared over the last few weeks. Many of those mentioned below are long time contributors whose opinions I value. You will see they all are fans to a large extent, that said there have been a few naysayers (two to be exact) but none left any detailed notes to include. My opinion, as it stands, is that this is a juicy, straight forward, enjoyable wine and at this point worth $5. My hope is that with some rest it becomes something more. Now let’s see what you all think…

Mike Kauzer: If you didn’t know, you might think it’s a Pinot. Not at all like the 07. Light, not sweet. Subtle mid palate. I like it …. maybe 3-4 cases, but it’s not the wine I was expecting.

UCLA92: Picked up 2 case last night in Irvine (Woodbury location). Nice wine. As others have stated, it is different than the ‘07. You can almost see your hand through the glass. Nose of red fruit, white pepper and menthol. Fruit forward wine with some pepper and oak. Medium body with some structure. Not sweet like the ‘07. Great everyday wine.

Danny: Wow! Are you kidding me? This winner has a QPR which is off the chart, in a good way. The 2008 Chariot Gypsy is an excellent multi-purpose quaffer that offers enticing aromas of bright, wild, red berries, smokey toast and spice leading to fresh, red fruit flavors with a white pepper core and a zesty finish of orange peel and dark chocolate. Easy, smooth and delightful. My rating, as converted in conformance with Jason’s Wine Blog ratings, is “Bulk Buy.” I think this wine would be great with pizza, burgers, BBQ, steak, lamb, meat stew or by itself. I’m told that the Irvine Trader Joe’s has an allocation of 90 cases and no more. When they’re gone, they’re gone.

Charlie: The 2008 Chariot Gypsy is in at the Clovis CA TJ’s!! Bought a bottle this morning and had a lunchtime tasting with the wife. Another winner from Jim Neal, the 2008 is a solid value at $4.99. A young fruity 13.5 wine that should benefit from more time in the bottle. The missus says it’s less sweet than the 2007 and I have to agree. We aerated ours and it still needed time in the glass to open up. Still, we liked it and plan on buying more tomorrow!

Jerry Klein: YES the 2008 version of Gypsy may be the best yet. At $4.99 this wine drinks like a $12-15 bottle. Agreed it does need more time in the bottle. (Only in 3 weeks b4 release. Did have 12 months ageing b4 release. 72% Zin/Petite sirah; Cab & Sanjo 24% balance 2% each merlot & Syrah. After another six months in the bottle should be even better. !! Hurry and grab this one now!

Jesse Porter: I just poured my first bottle of the ‘08 to a group of friends following a Sauv Blanc tasting. After all that tart acidity, the Gypsy came on really strong and jammy, but once our palates had acclimated to the fruit, it proved a big winner. Doesn’t change in the glass or “open up” as much as previous vintages did, probably because it’s a bit less full in body and intensity, but the flavors are definitely still there. I agree with what’s been said… this is a more versatile wine than the ‘07, if slightly less uninhibited.

joshiemac: Had my first bottle over 2 nights. Not much nose. Softer than the ‘07, showing supple berry fruit and a splash of acidity. Doesn’t have the jamminess of the ‘07, either. Has the mouth feel of a Merlot. Somewhat weak in the mid-palate, but gained more density here on night 2. Drank this right off the truck so I look forward to seeing where it goes in the next few months. Glad I have a case to track its development. Enjoyable right now, if somewhat simple, it could become another QPR superstar with some time in the bottle!

For those that know this blog the introduction above serves aplenty. For those that don’t, the Gypsy is as close as it gets to a Trader Joe’s cult wine. That’s right, a $5 cult wine. What’s that? A cult wine has to be expensive? I disagree, it only has to inspire wide spread passion! And trust me this one does. I’ve written three posts on this wine and those compose my top three commented post, generating almost 200 responses. Over the weekend, the buzz over this one kicked into full gear. RMS first tipped me off after noticing the ’08 vintage mentioned on the Chariot Wines website. Angela, my Trader Joe’s insider, added shortly thereafter that the new vintage is scheduled to appear in the next Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer. At almost the same time Jerry, who tipped me off to the ’07, checked in to let me know he had the scoop that this one will be appearing in stores before the end of February. Since you are all my friends I’ll be more forthcoming, Angela let me know that the next Fearless Flyer is scheduled for February 16th. Given that we can expect to see this bottle in stores within the next two weeks…

So what can we expect from the wine? I think the big question is can they maintain the quality as they expand the production. For the ’07 vintage the demand was so high that I am all but certain they produced two different versions of this wine. I have seen many old Trader Joe’s favorites journey this road to mediocrity which leaves me plenty skeptical. Hopefully my angst is for not. We will know shortly! I’ll look forward to hearing all your thoughts once this one hits the shelves. Until then, here is what the winery has to say about the latest vintage:

“The Chariot Gypsy 2008 is a delicious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel and Sangiovese from great vineyards in the Napa Valley, Sonoma, San Joaquin, and Monterey counties.

Winemakers Jeff Hunsaker, Marco DiGiulio and Nancy Walker describe the wine like this: “The 2008 ‘Gypsy’ displays a dark garnet color with a clear violet edge. It shows mixed fresh berry aromas — raspberry and strawberry, with hints of white pepper and pastry. Very clean and lively with juicy berry fruit, firm acidity and a touch of smooth tannin. Excellent and versatile food wine particularly well suited for pork chops and poultry”.

We think it is the perfect everyday red wine!”