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The CasaSmith Vino Rosso 2016 is a 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Sangiovese blend sourced from seven vineyards located in various AVAs inside the Columbia Valley AVA of Washington State. CasaSmith is one of Charles Smith's Wines of Substance line of wines intended to pay tribute to his favorite wines of Italy. You may know Charles Smith from his line of wines that included Kung Fu Girl Reisling and Boom Boom Syrah, he sold those wine to Constellation Brands and is concentrating on the Wines of Substance.The Vino Rosso is a tribute to the Super Tuscan wines of Tuscany in Italy. In the Chianti region, Chianti is made with the Sangiovese grape, the Chianti wines were in decline from their days of massive popularity. There are governing bodies in Italy (DOC and DOCG) that provide strict rules and regulations for the farming of the grapes and the making of the wine.A few winemakers were looking to modernize their wines and experimented with using French grapes, mostly Bordeaux grapes and Syrah) which were not permitted by the governing body. The business was slowing down, so the winemakers, who were very encouraged by the results of their new blends, decided to release them for sale, anyway. Even though the grapes came from DOCG and DOC designated vineyards they had to show Table Wine on the label.Table wine was the lowest classification of Italian wine, usually used for low-cost bulk wine. The Super Tuscans were an immediate hit and are extremely popular to this day. This caused a problem for the DOCG and DOC who were promoting and protecting the quality of Italian wines. Table wine was outselling the highest designated wines, so the created the IGT (now IGP the European Union standardized terms). An IGT wine is a wine that represents the region it is from but does not conform to the rules. So, Super Tuscans were at one time an outlaw wine.This brings us to CasaSmith Vino Rosso 2016 which is an interesting wine. I forgot which vintage of this wine I had purchased and downloaded the 2017 tech notes by mistake. When I corrected my mistake a got the 2016 notes I found the vineyards used in 2016 were completely different than 2017 and 2016 was oak barrel-aged and 2017 was aged in stainless steel vats. They actually change the sourcing and production details based on the conditions of each vintage.That is the sort of thing you see in small boutique wineries, not with wines that are available to purchase from coast to coast. So we have vintage selected vineyards, natural yeast, not commercial yeast used in fermentation and oak barrel aging for 9 months with 35% of the barrels new oak. Even though the Super Tuscan wines were from a Sangiovese region the percentage of Sangiovese could vary with each producer or occasionally no Sangiovese was used. A 70% Cabernet Sauvignon to 30% Sangiovese blend is in keeping with the original. The alcohol content is 13.5%. CasaSmith Vino Rosso 2016 Tasting NotesThe color is a deep, dark, barely see-through black cherry red. The nose is rich and ripe, there is blackberry, exotic spice, cinnamon, plum, bacon frying in the pan (no maple), raspberry, sour cherry, and pepper. This is a chewy Red blend with a nice mix of light and dark flavors. It tastes of a stew of tart cherry, sweet blueberry, and extracted blackberry, followed by interesting spice, and tobacco. The mid-palate adds orange zest. a salty sensation, and dusty chocolate powder. The tannins have a slight edge, you can feel them but do not bite. The acidity is really good, it brings a solid bright edge to the wine. The finish is softer than expected but sticks around.The Summary The CasaSmith Vino Rosso 2016 is a Super Washington.  This is a well-made, very tasty wine. Give the wine time to open, don't just pop the top and pour. If you wait you will be rewarded with a velvety texture and rich, bright flavors. 

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The StoryThe Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2017 is 76% Zinfandel, 21% Petite Sirah, and 3% Mixed Blacks (mixed blacks is the old school way of saying various Red wine grapes) sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA. That actually is the tech notes for the 2016 vintage, about a year ago the brand owners, Constellation sold Ravenswood and about 30 other wine brands to E and J Gallo.I imagine that since they no longer owned the brand they didn't go through the expense of doing marketing materials. Before there was Constellation there was Joel Peterson who founded Ravenswood in the 1970s. It was Joel Peterson who came up with the Vintners Blend which at one time was the largest selling ZInfandel in the US. Even though Peterson no longer owned the brand he was still active in the winemaking for Ravenswood.Gallo only bought the brand, not the winery or the tasting room, so Joel Peterson no longer has a relationship with the Ravenswood brand. I do not know what Gallo's plan is for the Ravenswood brand, but it won't and can't be the same. And that is a bit of the end of an era for me because back in 1994 or 1995 Ravenswood Vintners Blend was the first wine that opened up my palate to the possibilities of wine.Before the Vintners Blend, I never went to a liquor store to specifically purchase a wine. It was the wine that started my wine journey that is still unfolding. So let's get on with discussing the Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2017. Petite Sirah is the secret weapon in many value-priced Zinfandel wines, it adds Red berry flavors, a different spice profile and good acidity to Zinfandel. This ZIn used natural yeast for fermentation.Natural yeast is the yeast that floats in the air and attaches itself to the grape skin, it is seen as a more perfect match than commercial yeast. Though different commercial yeasts can bring out different elements in wine, so it is basically the winemakers' call. The wine was aged in French oak for 9 months with 35% the oak new. All of these are excellent technical notes for a wine that I found for $9.99. The alcohol content is 13.5%. Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is a slightly see-thru cherry red. The nose is a little smokey and spicy, with ripe blackberry, spice, a little toasted vanilla, black pepper, and raspberry. This is a balanced and tasty ZInfandel, slightly rustic, but that's how I like my Zinfandel. It starts with smooth blueberry, blood orange, spice, and black pepper. Followed by blackberry, creamy vanilla, bitter dark chocolate, tart cranberry, and more spice. The tannins are smooth and sweet, the acidity proves a strong backbone. The finish is softer than the body of the wine and does linger on and on.The Summary I am glad to find the Ravenswood Vintners Blend Zinfandel 2017 a delicious well-made wine. It didn't "WOW" me like the first time back in the 90s, but I have sampled a lot of wine since then and am probably much harder to impress. Though the 1994 or 1995 Ravenswood Vintners Blend was a bottle of really good wine, it sort of went the wine version of viral. I remember going to a wine shop looking for it when most of the vintage had been sold and the wine shop had priced what they had left at around $25 when it was about ten bucks originally. Price gouging was good for me at that point because it reinforced the notion that I liked an excellent bottle of wine. Having confidence in your wine selection is important, especially with value-priced wine since wine marketing leaves the impression that a  bottle isn't good enough unless to sell for a certain price. So, thanks to Ravenswood for teaching me that a good bottle of wine does not need to be expensive, and sometimes a value-priced wine can beat the big boys.   

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The StoryThe Inverted Red Blend 2017 is an ALDI $6.99 wine sourced from vineyards in the Central Coast AVA of California. And that is about all I know about this wine. It does not show up on the internet or under COLA name search, except there was an Inverted Red blend out of the Monterey AVA for the 2014 vintage.That version of the Inverted Red blend seems to exist for only one year, does it have any relation to this ALDI Red? I do not know. Again the website for the 2014 Inverted wine was blocked due to a possibly malicious site. That typically occurs when the company goes out of business or shuts down a division and does not terminate the website and unsavory folks move in.So, we have a $6.99 ALDI Red Blend with very nice packaging, it would like right at home at a wine retail shop, ALDI seems to have stepped its game up. The back label is the only information available it says the grapes are estate fruit (possibly a winery from Greenfield, California) and mentions mocha flavors and spice along with cherry and blueberries. So, if I were to guess I would think there is some Zinfandel or Syrah, Petite Sirah, possibly Merlot along with some sort of oak aging and conditioning.You never know, unless they specifically spell it out, if a sub ten dollar Red wine was aged in actual oak barrels or received the flavoring from another method. There is a chemical additive called MOCHA that adds French oak spice and a chocolate/coffee flavor to the wine. I have no idea if something like that was used, but today winemakers have gotten very good at giving inexpensive wine a solid dose of oak flavoring. The tasting/technical notes for these wines almost never explicitly detail which methods are used.Since nobody is spelling out the Inverted Red Blend 2017 details we will have to taste it to gather our information. I am expecting it to be enjoyable, the Central Coast AVA is a great place to source grapes for drink-it-now everyday value-priced wine. And there is not much excuse for a sub-par Red blend since they winemaker gets to pick and choose the grapes that are used. A good winemaker should be able to produce a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts. The alcohol content is 13.5%.Inverted Red Blend 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is an opaque black cherry red with an emphasis on black. The nose is dark and slightly smokey, there is black cherry, plum, and spice, followed by toasty vanilla, and dark chocolate. This is a wine that starts out heavy on the palate then lightens up, sort of like it has 2 sides, is this where the Inverted name comes from? It starts with ripe blueberry and black pepper, then jammy raspberry and spice. The mid-palate offers up dusty chocolate powder, and little cherries in cream, and orange zest. The tannins are in the mix but do not bite, the acidity allows the flavors to unfold. The finish is strong and lengthy.The Summary * I always go into these very inexpensive Red wines expecting one thing and getting another. * I usually expect that oak barrels are not used in the making of these wines, barrels are expensive and they add costs to the wine that I don't see how a $6.99 selling price can recoup. But if oak barrels were not used here then they did an excellent job of creating the allusion. * This is a worthy Red blend that happens to sell for $6.99.

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The StoryThe Nikau Point NZ Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from vineyards in Marlborough on New Zealand's South Island. This wine is a bit of a mystery. When I went online to check for information the company that was listed as the producer and seemed to have information concerning the Nikau Point was blocked as a malicious website.There was a Nikau Point Reserve Sauvignon Blanc that was a single vineyards wine, actually a small section of a single vineyard. But that seems to have disappeared a few years ago. Aldi Australia sold a Nikau Point Syrah a few years ago and Nikau Point wines were available in retail wine shops. This wines producer seems to be in business, so maybe their website was temporarily hijacked, but at one-time Nikau wines looked as if they were mid-priced retail wines, along with being store brands.Though it is odd that a winery used the same brand name on a retail and a store brand wine. There is a story on the internet about the parent company selling five vineyard properties in Hawkes Bay and other locations. So is this $5.99 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc part of a distress sale? They have, in the past, sold this label at Aldi, so creating store brands is not unusual.At any rate, the Nikau Point Sauv Blanc seems to be a young wine, it is a 2019 vintage there could not have been too much additional aging. And that is fine with me, young, bright, juicy Sauvignon Blanc can be delicious. I do not have information on the grape sourcing, purchased grapes, estate grapes, both? The bottle says estate-bottled, which means a winery bottled the wine and since wine bottling lines are usually on the winery property, that information is not very telling.How the Nikau Point NZ Sauvignon Blanc ended up at Trader Joe's and does it have any relationship to the older Nikau Point Reserve label isn't evident. But that is ok since this is a $5.99 Sauv Blanc from one of the most popular Sauvignon Blanc growing regions in the world, seemingly made in the bright, fresh, and juicy style. The alcohol content is 13%.Nikau Point NZ Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a pale, clean, clear, wheat yellow. The nose is not shy when I twisted the top off and poured myself a glass the aromas hit me from several feet away. There is grapefruit, guava, peach, pear, ripe apple, and a grassy sensation. This is a dry, rather tasty Sauvignon Blanc with acidity that is well controlled. It tastes of grapefruit mixed with peach juice, just when it starts to get a little too tart the peach smooths things out. followed by rounded lemon, a slap of lime, a light pear. The mid-palate offers that salty, cashew on-lees thing, along with faint banana, and melon. The acidity is balanced, sub ten dollars White wine can sometimes be on the acidic side, but the Nikau Point is fine. The finish is full and long.The Summary * The Nikau Point NZ Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a very tasty, no-issues value-priced wine. * I do not see a great deal of difference between the Nikau Point and you typical ten or twelve dollar retail store New Zealand Sauv Blanc. * Actually, the acidity on the Nikau Point may be better controlled than your average NZ Sauvignon Blanc. * The more I sip this wine the more I appreciate it. * The base flavors are pleasing, but there are some overtones, flavors above the flavors, that really add a little something to the overall enjoyment.  

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Wind Song Chardonnay 2018 ALDIThe StoryThe Wind Song Chardonnay 2018 ALDI is a $7.99 Aldi exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Margaret River district of Western Australia. Most Australian wines in the under twenty dollar price range come from South Australia or Southeast Australia. Margaret River is on the other side of the country, near the city of Perth and has a very different climate from the rest of the Australian grape growing areas.Margaret River is a cooler grape growing area with some of the lowest rainfall totals in Australia, cool and dry is exactly what grapes need. The wineries around here tend to be low production and boutique. They are getting a reputation in high-end wine circles for Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillion blends (Bordeaux White style) and Chardonnay. Not the region that you would typically find producing $7.99 grocery store brand wines.The statistic I read in several publications is Margaret River produces 2% or 3% of Australian wine production, but 20% of its high-end wines. So in its own way this Western Australian Chardonnay is an anomaly in the same way the occasional twelve dollars Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is when featured at Trader Joe's or Costco.Aldi does not give tasting or technical notes for its wines, but since the climate is more in keeping with Burgundy in France (if not necessarily the soil), this is a Chardonnay that may be produced in the French style as opposed to Eastern Australia or the familiar California Chardonnay. This is one of the things I love by the exclusive brands from the Aldi, Trader Joe's, Costco, etc., there are wines that would not exist at this price range if not for store brands.If the wineries here can easily sell there Chardonnay for $35 or $40 there isn't much incentive to make one for eight bucks. That makes the Wind Song Chardonnay 2018 ALDI an interesting wine well worth trying. Is it the same as the usual more pricey wines from the region? Probably not, it may be made in a more drink-it-now style, which is fine because I am going to drink it, like right now.But  I thoroughly expect the Wind Song to be a somewhat new experience. I have tasted Western Australian wines at Trade Tastings, but never a value-priced one. I am looking forward to what the tasting experience offers. The alcohol content is 13.2%.Wind Song Chardonnay 2018 ALDI Tasting NotesThe color is clean, clear, pale wheat yellow. The nose is not shy, there is lemon curd, green apple, melon, peach, Anjou pear, light spice, a little vanilla, coconut milk, and spring flowers. It has a great nose.  The Wind Song Chardonnay is dry with a firm mouthfeel and rich flavor. It starts with a stew of grapefruit, melon, and very tart apple, followed by dried apricot pieces, and soft spice. The mid-palate shows a touch of cream, a little of that salty, cashew thing, and tangerine. There is good well-balanced acidity, you know the usual, the acidity allows the flavors to unfold and adds enough of sizzle on your palate to get you reaching for another sip. The finish is full and of reasonable length.The Summary * I have found in my years of writing CheapWineFinder.com that I often find very good Chardonnay, but rarely find great Chardonnay. * The Wind Song Margaret River Chardonnay 2018 is a very good Chardonnay and you have to give it extra points for not only being valued priced but being value-priced from a region that does not do value-priced wine. * Finding greatness in sub ten dollar Chardonnay isn't realistic,

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Poppy Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2017The StoryThe Poppy Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is sourced from the Sunny Slope and the San Juan vineyards inside the Paso Robles AVA which is also inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Poppy (which is the state flower of California) is a brand started in 2003 by the Silva Family who has 45 years' experience in the wine trade.I chose to write about this wine for a couple of reasons, first, the Paso Robles AVA is a terrific place to find quality Cabernet Sauvignon. You can find rather pricey bottles there, but they also showcase excellent value-priced drink-it-now, no aging required Cabernet Sauvignon. Paso Robles, along with Lodi and Columbia Valley are great places to look for bang for the buck Cabs.The second reason for this review is the innovative and complex techniques used to produce the Poppy Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a wine that I found for about twelve dollars and my usual explanation of the differences between value-priced wine and more expensive wine is that value wine is made with simpler processes that allow the wines to come together quickly. The faster the wine becomes ready for release and sale the sooner the winery can start to recoup their investment.The Poppy Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 does not follow that example. Before they even get to fermentation they use thermovinification and maceration on the crushed grapes and juice. Thermovinification is a fairly new technique where the crushed grapes are either heated to almost boiling or chilled to fully extract all the color and the desired compounds from the grapes, This process allows you to maximize the desired characteristics of the grapes and minimize the qualities that are not needed.A portion of the Poppy Cab see thermovinification and the rest undergoes maceration which is where the crushed grapes, seeds, and stems are left to stew with the crushed juice (either before fermentation or during fermentation). Maceration takes longer to complete than thermovinification and does not do as complete a job.My point to highlight thermovinification and maceration is not to definitively explain the process, it is way more complicated than I spelled out. The winemaking techniques, even in value-priced wines make a huge difference. You don't need to know exactly how these winemaking tools actually work but if wine X was made with certain techniques and wine Y wasn't, but wine Z was, wine Z may be the wine to choose.The Poppy Cabernet Sauvignon was aged for 18 months in small French oak barrels. Aging wine for a year and a half in French oak is a detail seen consistently in wine selling in the twenty-five dollar plus price range. So we have a wine sourced from 2 named vineyards (most wines in the $12 range do not list the actual vineyard, just the general AVA if you're lucky) in Paso Robles and underwent new and innovative winemaking techniques and was aged in the same manner as expensive wine.I like wines that have websites that provide technical notes into the making of their wines. Way too often the tech notes are some fluffy lifestyle blatherings and almost no useful information to get to know the wine. I don't need too much information, I only semi-understand what all the terms mean. But knowing which of the major, important processes are used gives you insight into what went into the making of the wine, and maybe explain why you like the wine.

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Anna de Codorníu Brut RoséThe StoryThe Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé Cava is a blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay sourced from estate vineyards near the town of Lleida in the Cava D.O. of northeast Spain (near Barcelona). A typical Cava uses the three indigenous grapes, Macabeo, Xarello, and Parelada, but since this is a Rose' and Red grapes skins are needed to get the pink coloration so traditional Champagne grapes are substituted.The Cordorniu company has a great tradition. They are the oldest company in Spain and the 17th oldest company in the world. They have been in business for over 500 years and they are the first winery to produce Cava in 1872. Cava is produced with the same techniques used in Champagne, France. The second fermentation (where the bubbles are formed) occurs inside each bottle. In Champagne second fermentation has to last a minimum of 18 months, with Cava the second fermentation lasts a minimum of 12 months.The Cordorniu family started the winery as early as 1551 and in 1659 Anna de Codorniu married Miquel Raventós. And in 1872 it was Josep Raventós who pioneered Cava, so there is a lot of history and knowledge behind this $11 (on sale) Spanish Bubbly.While the Cava D.O. borders on the Mediterranean Ocean the Codorniu vineyards for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are more inland section. The grapes are always harvested at night when the weather is cooler and the grapes are relaxing. If you want to know where the pink color comes from the skins of the Pinot Noir grapes are left with the crushed grapes juice for 3 to 4 hours. Then the skins are removed and the first fermentation begins.What is the difference between Champagne and Cava? The climate is an obvious difference, Champagne is much farther north in France, the climate there is cool or cold enough that grapes growing to produce still wines (no Bubbles) frequently didn't get ripe enough to be useable. Sparkling wine grapes are picked earlier than still wine grapes, so they suit Champagne's climate. In the Cava region, it is warmer so the growing season is shorter. So the climate makes a difference.Champagne ages their Sparkling wine (second fermentation) much longer, on average than Cava wines typically are aged. The Bubbly with extended aging is the Bubbly that is of the most interest and demands the highest prices. There are Cava's that have very long aging, 3,4 years or more, but they are usually small production wines and not that common. Bubbly aged a shorter period of time tend to be crisp and with a long time can get creamy.The internal pressure from the carbonation (atmospheres) is greater with Champagne wines, it is one of Champagne's unique features. There is typically less pressure inside a Cava bottle, though you may not notice unless you pop the top on a Champagne and a Cava side by side.The 3 traditional Cava White grapes will taste different than Champagne Chardonnay grapes. There is a noticeable flavor difference between the two Sparkling wines. But with the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay used in the Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé Cava, a comparison of flavors is possible. This Cava is 25% less expensive than entry-level Champagne, is Champagne four times better, let's find out.Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé Cava Tasting NotesThe color is a salmon pink and there are plenty of bubbles. The nose is tart cherry, pink lemonade, stone fruit, soft spice, and a touch of crusty bakery bread. This is a dry, crisp Sparkling wine with flavor. It starts with ripe strawberry, lemon/lime (not sweet), tart cherry, and a salty sensation. The mid-palate offers a slap of minerality, dried strawberry bits, and lime. The acidity is really good, it is the type of acidity in the wine that lets the flavors unfold and also gets you reaching for another sip. The finish is fairly full and lengthy.The Summary I said, is Champagne four times better than the Anna de Codorníu Brut Rosé Cava and that was kind of a trick question.

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Meringue Chardonnay Edna Valley 2018The StoryThe Meringue Chardonnay Edna Valley 2018 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from the Edna Valley AVA which is located south of Paso Robles along the Pacific Ocean coast inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Edna Valley may not be the best known AVA in California but it has an excellent reputation for producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines.Single AVA wines rarely sell in regular retail wine shops for under ten bucks or maybe more like under twenty bucks. This is one of the reasons I enjoy Trader Joe's wines. You can explore somewhat off the beaten path growing areas or wines from upscale growing regions and not risk a great deal of money. Most folks wouldn't know to look for Edna Valley Chardonnay, but for $7.99 they can give it a try.Most Trader Joe's exclusive wines don't have much to offer in the way of technical notes, but the Meringue Chardonnay Edna Valley 2018 was featured in this month's Fearless Flyer. Their tasting notes give us some indication of what winemaking techniques were used. What the winemaker did to produce this Chardonnay is very important, since it seems that no 2 Chardonnays are exactly alike. Similarities, yes, alike, no.Processes such as malolactic fermentation and on lees, along with whether they conditioned the wine with oak are extremely important. Did all the Chardonnay undergo malolactic fermentation or just a percentage, did any of the Chard see oak barrel conditioning. New barrels, used barrels, oak chips or no oak? The winemakers can use any of these techniques in any proportion they choose and each decision makes a difference in the flavor of the wine. And we didn't discuss grape selection or other more technical methods, Chardonnay is complicated.Trader Joe's says the Meringue has green apple, lemon and pineapple flavors along with crème brulée and vanilla. All those tastes lead me to think at least partial malolactic fermentation with a good bit of some sort of oak aging. The flavors that come from oak(vanilla) seem to be pronounced, so a decent amount of time in oak barrels or oak staves in stainless steel vats are suggested. The flavors seemed to be rounded rather than tart so a certain percentage of malolactic fermentation probably was used. The crème brulée may have come from "on lees" aging, since the more the lees are stirred the creamier the wine becomes. These are all guesses on my part and made to demonstrate that Chardonnay is complicated, even value-priced Chardonnay.Meringue Chardonnay Edna Valley 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a wheat yellow with an amber tint. The nose is ripe apples and melon, lemon and vanilla, soft spice and orange blossom honey, and light floral edge. This is a Chardonnay dry, with a firm mouthfeel and rich flavors. It tastes of Golden Delicious apple, grapefruit (not too tart), oak spice, a little French vanilla, and nectarine. The mid-palate adds a light halo of pineapple (that was part of the Fearless Flyer tasting notes, so I don't know if getting that flavor is the power of suggestion, but it's faint but it is there), tart blood orange, and just a hint of cream. The acidity is well-balanced, it allows the flavors to unfold and will get you reaching for another sip. The finish is soft but lasts a long time.The Summary It is $7.99, but the Meringue Edna Valley can hold its own with Chardonnay selling for a good five dollars more. It has complexity and flavor that no sub-ten dollar Chardonnay would be expected to have as little as 5 years ago. This is a Chardonnay that punches above its weight class.   

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The StoryThe Revelation Pinot Noir 2018 is a Trader Joe's $7.99 American exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc region of southeastern France. The Languedoc growing area borders the Mediterranean on the east, the Pyrenees Mountains to the west and Spain to the south. This is a Pays d'Oc (IGP) designated wine which is rated a step below AOC wines. Pays d'Oc is wines that are representative of the region but don't follow the AOC wine rules and regulations or are grown in vineyards outside the AOC boundaries.This Pinot Noir is produced by Badet Clément which is a winery founded in the 1990s by two winemakers from the Burgundy region. They produce Estate wines and Brand wines and create 15,000,000 bottles a year. The Révélation does not seem to be a Brand made exclusively for Trader Joe's since the full line of Révélation wines are available in Great Britan and possibly elsewhere. The Languedoc region is the largest growing region in France producing about a third of all French wine. This is the region were everyday French wine is produced. There are several winemaking regions in France with more acclaim, but this is where the affordable wines are produced.Pinot Noir isn't the first wine you think of when you consider Languedoc wines. They grow a wide variety of grapes in the region and most are grapes associated with slightly warmer growing conditions, but the Mediterranean Ocean does offer cooler coastal growing areas. This brand has been in Trader Joe's for several years, we reviewed the 2010 vintage of the Révélation Cabernet-Merlot blend and thought it was a solid bang for the buck wine, in those days the wine sold for $4.99.There aren't any technical notes for the Révélation Pinot Noir 2018, so I don't have any winemaking details. But I will be interested in how this differs from inexpensive California Pinot Noir, which has undergone a large improvement in quality in the last several years. There was a time when value-priced French Pinot Noir would have outdistanced the California value wine, but at this point, I am not so sure. So the tasting will tell. The alcohol content is 13%.The Revelation Pinot Noir Tasting NotesThe color is garnet red. The nose is black cherry, herbs, black pepper, spice, and a little mushroom. This is a balanced Pinot Noir, with a silky side and a little bit rougher edge. It starts with tart cherry and slightly sharp spice, followed by plum and herbs. The mid-palate adds ripe black cherry and orange zest, and a surprise salty sensation, and a slightly rough brush of the tannins. This is not the most complicated Pinot Noir, but it is interesting, the balance of fruit and structure is attractive. The finish is lively and while it does fade it lingers for some time.The Summary* I liked the Revelation Pinot Noir 2018, while California cheap Pinot Noir has made great strides it was fun to match those up to the cheap French stuff.* This is a tasty wine, good fruit, good structure.* The price has increased by three dollars since we first reviewed the 2010 Révélation wine and even with the upcharge it is still a bargain. Check Out The Companion Podcast Below !!!!!!

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The StoryThe J. Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petite Sirah, 5% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 1% Syrah sourced mainly from J. Lohr's 7 Oaks vineyard as well as other estate vineyards in the Paso Robles AVA of the Central Coast AVA in California. J. Lohr is a family-owned winery founded in the Monterey AVA in the early 1970s. In the 1980s they expanded into the Paso Robles AVA (south of Monterey AVA) and have a property in the St. Helena AVA inside of Napa Valley.I have been a fan of J. Lohr wines for some time, not only because they taste great, but how they go about their business. This may be something that appeals to only me, but in writing the Cheap Wine Finder website I come across a plethora of wine company websites and their corresponding wine technical notes. Most wine company websites, while attractive to the eye, say almost nothing. I think the key is being positive, promote an upscale lifestyle but do not say anything that can turn folks off.J. Lohr has an attractive website, just like you would expect, but their technical notes go into terrific detail. They compare the growing season to previous vintages and give details on exactly which procedures were used in winemaking that few wine companies bother to tell. I actually learned more about malolactic fermentation from their tech notes than I knew before I read it. Gleaming actual knowledge form a wine website and technical notes are very rare, trust me, I know all too well.So, what did I learn, well for one there was a heatwave in early September where temperatures hit 115 degrees. This could have been troublesome, but since temps went back to normal and the harvest wasn't until October the vines had plenty of time to de-stress and the vintage turned out well. I also learned a few things about malolactic fermentation. This Cabernet was fermented in stainless steel tanks, but for malolactic 20% was transferred to small oak barrels. Then Viniflora Oenos (dried bacteria) is added to the wine and that process changes the natural tart acid in the wine to rounded acid.Almost all Red wines receive this process, but J. Lohr is the first winery to shed a little light on the subject. This Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in American oak barrels for 12 months, 22% new barrels with the rest used barrels. Another first is the tech notes said the oak came from Missouri and Minnesota. When French oak is used it isn't uncommon to list which French forest the oak came from. American oak is usually mentioned as an afterthought, but not here. I get the impression that J. Lohr is proud of their wines and what went into the making of their wines.I get it that most wine drinkers do not geek out on the tasting and tech notes as I do. It is just that wineries should be more transparent with their winemaking. Lifestyle marketing is fine, but being more open with their processes would probably lead to better wine. So kudos to J. Lohr. The alcohol content is 14%.Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting NotesThe color is ripe black cherry red with a clear halo. The nose is subtle and balanced, blackberry, vanilla, dark chocolate, soft spice, black pepper, lightly herbal, with a faint floral edge. This is a sleek, refined Cabernet Sauvignon with a nice stew of flavors. It starts with a mix of extracted blackberry and sweet blueberry, licorice, vanilla, and pepper. The mid-palate offers milk chocolate, orange zest, ripe raspberry, and a slap of Altoid's spice. The flavors are well-balanced, no one taste overpowers the next. The tannins are sweet and the acidity lets the flavors unfold. Pair this Cabernet Sauvignon with a steak on the grill or drink it on its own. The finish mirrors the body of the wine and has good length.The Summary The J.Lohr Seven Oaks Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 is a very good California Cabernet. This is an interesting Cab, it is mass-produced, they make a fair amount of this wine,

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