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The StoryThe Moon X Black Pinot Noir 2017 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's wine, but I don't think it is a TJ's exclusive a website from New York sells it online for $9.99. The 2016 vintage of the Moon X Black Pinot was the #1 page on CheapWineFinder for about a year and a half, a lot of folks like this wine. The Black in the name is a hint, this isn't your typical Pinot Noir. It is Trader Joe's version of the extremely popular Meiomi Pinot Noir. Pinot purists hated Meiomi, but everyone else seems to love it, the founder sold the company for a 1/3 of a billion dollars, it looks like ignoring the purists is lucrative. There is isn't a technical sheet available for Moon X and at this part of the story I have not yet tasted the wine, but I would imagine that this isn't 100% Pinot Noir. There needs to be 75% of a single varietal to put the name on the front label, so the Moon X could have a good amount of other grapes involved. Which it would also have in common with Meiomi. The back label mentioned lightly toasted oak which can add vanilla, chocolate, and spice, but to discover more we will have to pour ourselves a glass. The alcohol content is 13.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is more purple than black. The nose isn't very Pinot-like, but it isn't bad, There is red berries, black pepper, dark chocolate, a touch of herbs, ripe black cherry, and a savory note. This is a soft, smooth Red wine, slightly jammy, with a dash of spice. It tastes of blackberry, cherry, plum, creamy vanilla, soft spice, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds raspberry, chocolate, tart cranberry, and some orange zest. The tannins are sweet and don't interfere, and the acidity is such that I think this is more of a sipping wine than a food wine (the 2016 vintage had a bit more structure), though burgers, pizza, steak burritos would do well. The finish is soft and faes before long.The Summary * If you are looking for a solid $6.99 Pinot Noir, this ain't it. If you want a well priced soft smooth tasty Red blend, then give it a try. * It isn't over-the-top rich and jammy, it is fairly balanced. * You may want to audition the Moon X for the Holiday party season. This really isn't a Meiomo Pinot Noir competitor but at almost 1/3 the price and with some similarities it may be smart to keep a couple of bottles on hand.

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The StoryThe Lindenman's Bin 65 Chardonnay 2018 is one of CheapWineFinder's perennial favorites it is an amazingly inexpensive Chardonnay (this time we found it on sale for $2.99, Binny's Chicago) that delivers year after year. Sourced from multiple vineyards in Southeast Australia, Lindeman's is no longer an operating winery, it is a brand. A large production, very inexpensive Brand wine does not sound like a promising proposition, but in this case, it works. The Bin 65 Chardonnay brand is been around since 1985 and in its time has received accolades from Wine Spectator and Robert Parker. This is the little Chardonnay that could.The Bin 65 Chardonnay is a young wine and is made to be bright and full of citrus and fruit, but they did use French oak for seasoning. I doubt if they used actual oak barrels, the tasting notes didn't mention barrels which is usually a solid clue, but they just make too much of this Chard to use barrels. A French oak barrel can cost $1,000, I don't see how they can buy enough barrels to age this wine and still be able to sell for the price they do. As I said, I found it for $2.99, but it regularly sells for 5 or 6 bucks. The technotes don't say, but I think it is aged "on lees" since it has a creamy flavor on the mid-palate that often comes from "on lees" (aged with the dead yeast left in the tank and then stirred at regular intervals). In the past, it wasn't ever the greatest Chardonnay in the world, but at its price point, it was or is King. The alcohol content is 13.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a clean, clear pale wheat yellow. The nose is green apple, lemon, a little vanilla, a touch of peach, a little pear, with a slap of melon. This is a dry Chardonnay (sometimes very inexpensive wines are on the sweet side to give it the illusion of having more flavor) with balanced acidity. It tastes of a mix of grapefruit and pear, green apple, lime, lemon curd, and light spice. The mid-palate adds that salty sensation from "on lees", faint banana (of all things), kiwi, and a hint of cream. The acidity is very good, the kind that gets you to reach for another sip, but does not bite. The finish is fairly full and long.The Summary * I don't want to oversell the Bin 65 Chard, but if you ask someone who just had a taste what they would guess the price is, they would never say $2.99 or even $5 or $6, it tastes and has the body of a Chardonnay in the 10 or 12 buck range. * The 2018 vintage has more citrus notes than the last couple of vintages which were more on the ripe and juicy fruit side. The leaner more focused 2018 vintage has a touch of elegance. * The Lindeman's Bin 65 Chardonnay would make a great Holiday party wine, a wine that tastes great and costs little, what more could you ask for?

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The StoryThe Time Waits For No One Monastrell 2017 is 100% Monastrell (Mourvedre in France) produced by Finca Bacara (Finca translates to farm or vineyard) in the Jumilla DO of southeastern Spain. This wine is designated a DOP wine which is Spain's highest wine category and Monastrell is the #1 Red grape in Jumilla accounting for over 80% of the grapes grown. Jumilla is located on the plains between the mountains to the west and the Mediterranean Ocean to the east. And they have a wine history that goes back to the ancient Greeks, which is enough of the wine travelogue stuff and gets us to why this Monastrell is on this website...it has a skull and crossbones on the label. I can't decide if the bones are a pirate flag or if they are the universal symbol for poison, which would be an odd choice for something you are about to drink. But, it is October, Halloween is coming and we are on the look-out for appropriate Halloween party wines.Monastrell is the same as Mourvedre which is the M in the GSM blends of the Rhone Valley in France. It is typically a blending grape, but in Jumilla it is King. In doing a bit of research it seems that Monastrell has been grown in the area for about 1,500 years. The Time Waits For No One was aged in American oak barrels for 6 months. I found this bottle at Costco selling for $9.99 and prices on the web are all over the place, a range of $12 to $19, so grab it at Costco, if you can. The alcohol content is a sturdy 15%.The Tasting NotesThe color is dark, barely see-thru raspberry jelly red. The nose is earthy and slightly raisiny, there is exotic spice, vanilla, fudge chocolate, blackberry, and prune. This is a wine with a soft, beguiling mouth-feel upfront and gets rougher and more complex as the flavors play out. It tastes of blackberry, raisin, and plum, along with oak spice. The mid-palate shows some dusty tannins, a light sprinkle of Nestles Quik powder, and pomegranate. The acidity is balanced and the finish is full, if not particularly long-lasting.The Summary * The Time Waits For No One Monastrell is definitely not the same old, same old. Decanter gave this wine 95 points and Wine Spectator gave an earlier vintage 81 points and I get it, if you like this Monastrell you will really, really love it and if you don't you will hate it. And I think that is a sign of good wine, it isn't simple and easy. * This is a wine that tastes like Jumilla, Spain, not France, not Italy, not California, sometimes with New World wines the influences kind of blend together, but not here. * Take time to let this Monastrell breathe, as it opens up the flavors become richer and opulent.

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The StoryThe Kirkland Asolo Prosecco DOCG Extra Dry is a $6.99 Costco import exclusive sourced from grapes farmed around the town of Asolo in the center of the Prosecco region in Veneto, Italy. In California, the wine grape growing regions comprise of unique territories known as AVA's, such as Paso Robles, Sonoma, Dry Creek, etc., these boundaries are all location-based there are no government mandates on which grapes can be grown, how they are to be farmed, and how the wine is produced. In Italy, the government uses DOC and DOCG to designate territories, but also provide strict regulations on many aspects of the grape growing and winemaking, with the DOCG (G stands for guaranteed) being the strictest level. These rules and regulations are put in place to ensure quality or with DOCG guarantee quality. That does not mean that a DOCG wine will taste better than a DOC wine, that is up to the winemaker and your personal preferences. But to my way of thinking the actual quality levels are up to the individual wineries because it is possible to make top-quality wine in all Italian levels of wine, DOCG, DOC, IGT, and table wine. Most of the Prosecco region is designated as DOC, there is a very hilly section in the middle of the area that is deemed to be the absolute best place for growing the Glera grape, in the case of the Kirkland bubbles in the hills around the town of Asolo. This hilly section is rated as DOCG. Now, here is a bit about how Prosecco is made, first most Prosecco in the value price range is non-vintage, meaning that several vintages are blended together to maintain a recognizable "House Style", which is very important for Prosecco brands to create an identity. The Glera grapes (the exclusive grape of Prosecco) are kind of an empty canvas, you almost never see a Glera still wine (non-Bubbly) because it does not make a particularly interesting still wine. The Glera grapes are fermented the 1st time, each Prosecco House has its own winemaking tricks at this stage and when they decide the wine is ready it is transferred to huge pressurized tanks. These tanks are large autoclaves and are basically huge versions of the autoclaves used to sterilize surgical equipment and tattoo needles. Sugar and yeast are added to the vats and a 2nd fermentation begins. CO2 is released as a by-product of fermentation, but since the sealed vat is under pressure the CO2 has nowhere to go but back into the wine. This second fermentation can last a few weeks or a few months, the longer time allows the CO2 to better acclimate itself to the wine and become fine Bubbly. The alcohol content with the Kirkland Prosecco is 11%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a platinum yellow with a decent supply of tiny bubbles. The nose is lemon, green apple, melon, and grapefruit, with a hint of ripe juicy peach and a floral edge. This Prosecco has balanced flavors, solid acidity, and a nice dash of minerality. It starts with tart lemon, peach, Bosc pear, and melon. The mid-palate offers a juicy apple, a salty sensation, and not sweet lemon hard candy. The acidity is very persistent, it is not quite a lip-smacking acidity, but it is part of the flavor profile. The finish is strong and long.The Summary * This is an extremely solid Prosecco at an amazing price, $6.99. * There are only so many Prosecco producers from the Asolo region, with a little bit of sleuthing you can probably figure out who made it, but I would imagine all the producers from this area are first rate. * Keep the Kirkland Prosecco in mind for the Holiday party season, it is a steal at less than $7. * This is an extra-dry Bubbly which means slightly sweet, but remember solid acidity balances the sweetness, so the sensation is more nectar sweet than sugar sweet. 

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The StoryThe Violet House Central Coast Red Blend 2017 is an $8.99 ALDI exclusive wine. And that is about all I know about this wine, there is no mention on the web and ALDI doesn't say a thing. The back label says this is a non-traditional blend and a 2017 vintage is decent age for an $8.99 Red wine. But I have to admit, I bought this bottle for the label, there are furry antler people coming out of the snow in the woods near a cabin on the lake, along with a violet-colored sky, which is probably where the name came from. It turns out the drawing on the label is from John Kenn Mortensen who has a book of illustrations, Sticky Monsters. It is somewhat odd for a store brand contract wine to have a label created by a noted artist or illustrator since the whole idea behind contract wines is to keep the costs down. I love the label, I thought it would be a great wine for Halloween parties, it's creepy and spooky without being too threatening. I have found that wines that have really good labels have good wine inside the bottle, the theory being if they don't care about what is stuck to the outside of a bottle, they didn't care about what is inside the bottle and vice versa. If that theory works on an $8.99 ALDI wine it might move from wine theory to wine law. The alcohol content is 13.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is barely see-thru, shiny cherry red. The nose is blackberry, a little chocolate, soft spice, slightly herbal, with a floral edge. This is a medium-bodied red, smooth upfront, slightly rougher on the mid-palate. It tastes of a stew of blackberry, blueberry, and Snickers Chocolate (not sweet), along with sweet spice. The mid-palate offers raspberry, molasses (again not sweet), a salty sensation, and a mix of black pepper and cranberry. I have no idea about what grapes went into this Red blend, but it is good tasting. The finish is soft, not particularly intense, but it does linger.The Summary * Buy it for the label, drink it because it's tasty. * It is way better than the typical Halloween themed wine, though I don't think the Violet House Red Blend is actually intended as solely a Halloween wine. * This is not the same old, same old Red Blend, it is hard to be unique in the value-priced Red category, but the Violet House pulls it off.

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The StoryThe Federalist Dry Creek Zinfandel 2016 is 98% Zinfandel and 2% Carignane primarily sourced from Orsi vineyards in the southern end of Dry Creek Valley about a mile from the Russian River. The Zinfandel grapes came from 6 separate blocks of the vineyard and were fermented separately. The 6 lots were then blended and then aged in oak barrels for 16 months, 20% new oak the rest used barrels. Dry Creek Valley has a climate that is similar to the Bordeaux region in France. It has the classic wine grape growing conditions, warm, but not too hot days, a wide differential between daytime and nighttime temperatures, along with morning fog that limits the amount of time the heat of the sun gets to interact with the grapes. The grapes thrive in the heat up then cool down cycle. Dry Creek is the home of upscale Sonoma Zinfandel and the Federalist sells (according to a search of the web) between $17 and $25. Dry Creek is known for an elegant, balanced style of Zinfandel, a more subdued style than those found in Lodi if you are more familiar with those value-priced ZIns. Estate grown Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley can sell in the $30 to $50 range, so while the grapes didn't come from Terlato's estate they came from a very high-end vineyard at a relatively reasonable price. The alcohol content is a ripe 15.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a fairly see-thru raspberry jelly red. The nose is delicious, meaty and smokey, with baking spices, chocolate, ripe red berries, black pepper, spicy and lightly herbal. This is a large, but well-balanced Zinfandel, ripe, fresh fruit, with enough of a rough edge to keep things interesting. It tastes of blackberry, licorice, plum, and soft spice. The mid-palate adds chocolate powder, a slight tug from the tannins, orange zest, and late slap of vanilla. This is a wine that engages your palate, you will sensations on the back of your palate, the roof of your mouth, it packs a punch. The finish is soft but lasts.The Summary * The Federalist Dry Creek Zinfandel 2016 is a very solid Zin, a nice combination of elegance and rustic, which is how I like my Zins. * With all the under $15, Lodi Zinfandel on the wine shop shelves a $25 Zin might sound expensive. But Lodi and Dry Creek are different enough to not really compete against each other.

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The StoryThe Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2018 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. And this is an unexpected Chardonnay, the Fearless Flyer didn't have much of anything interesting to say and the front label is the usual Tj's exclusive label. But the back label tells that these grapes came from a single Family-owned estate vineyard, the Stony Point Vineyard owned by the James Family Cellars. The James Family Cellars are a Pinot Noir producer, their website does not show any current vintage of Chardonnay, but they have grown grapes for Schramsburg Winery of Napa, maybe the best Champagne-style Sparkling wine producer in America. So, these are not grapes usually associated with $6.99 Chardonnay.The back label also mentioned this Chardonnay was aged in French oak, again something that is not typically found for under 7 bucks. When I grabbed this bottle I figure it was a Chard produced along the lines of your usual 10 buck Chardonnay, but the single-vineyard estate, Russian River AVA, French oak details have me confused. Is this a regular drink-it-now value-priced White wine, with fancier grapes than normal or is this something else. The alcohol content is a rather precise 13.71%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a very pale wheat yellow. The nose is melon, lemon, and apple, along with pineapple, peach, and pear. This is not your typical $6.99 Chardonnay, there is some weight on the body with a solid mix of tart citrus and sweet fruit flavors, the oak is subdued. It starts with creamy lemon, mixed with green apple, followed by grapefruit, and juicy peach. The mid-palate has a salty cashew sensation, along with a touch of vanilla and a late slap of tropical fruit. The acidity is excellent, it allows the flavors to unfold while adding enough lip-smacking acidity to get you to take the next sip. The finish is full and long.The Summary * This summary is short and to the point. If you want a single vineyard estate Russian River AVA, French oak-aged Chardonnay for $6.99, then this is it. Buy it. These wines don't come around that often.

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The StoryThe Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Atlas Peak Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 Lot 89 is a $14.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes, like the title says, farmed in the Atlas Peak AVA of Napa Valley in Northern California. Atlas Peak is a unique region inside Napa since it is the highest elevation growing region. When it comes to Northern California vineyards you usually hear the same story, warm to hot afternoons, with much cooler evening followed by cooling morning fog. But Atlas Peak is so high up in the mountains there is no fog, yes there is warm but cooler than the typical Napa sub-AVA afternoon temps and cool evenings, but instead of the morning fog, they get intense sunlight. All this adds up to optimal Cabernet Sauvignon growing conditions that produce wines not typically found in the $14.99 price range.As a Trader Joe's contract exclusive wine, there isn't too much beyond the write-up in the Fearless Flyer about the particulars of the making of this Cab. At first, I thought a 2017 vintage maybe a little bit of an early release for an Atlas Peak Cab. But since I found $50 and $60 2017 Atlas Peak Cabernets on the internet, that stifled that idea. While the typical Atlas Peak Cab has more age when released, 2017 seems to be perfectly fine for a ready-now Red wine. So, is this a legit $25 to $35 Cab selling for TJ's prices or is this a typical drink-it-now Cabernet Sauvignon but with Atlas Peak grapes, something you never ever see in this price range. Either way, it is well worth giving this wine a try. The alcohol content is 14.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is barely see-thru black cherry red. The nose is ripe and juicy, blackberry, herbs, black pepper, spice, a touch of vanilla, chocolate powder, yup, it's a Cabernet Sauvignon. Be sure you give this Cabernet plenty of time to open up because there is plenty of spice and black pepper on hand and it needs all the fruit on hand to balance. That detail right there is something you do not ever find in typical $15 drink-it-now Reds. Once the ripe fruit shows up this is a completely different wine. There is very detailed fruit and spice, the flavors are on-point, blackberry, sharp spice, black pepper, bitter chocolate. The mid-palate adds creamy vanilla, orange zest, tart cranberry mixed with sweet blueberry. The tannins are more dusty than sweet (the way value-priced wine is made nowadays the tannins are rarely worth mentioning, here they are definitely on the menu). The acidity allows the ample flavors to unfold, while not getting in the way. The finish is subtle but lasts.The Summary * This is NOT your typical ten dollars, well $15, drink-it-now Cabernet Sauvignon. There are flavors and textures that do not show up in value wine. * If you are looking for an entry into the world of Napa Cabs Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Atlas Peak Cab Lot 89 is about as inexpensive and easy an entry as you will find. This wine is an actual bargain.

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The StoryThe Kirkland Napa Valley Red Blend 2016 is a $10.99 Costco exclusive, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. That mix of grapes is a Bordeaux Blend and in California is referred to as a Meritage Blend. There is a Meritage organization that promotes and helps develop these grapes and wineries using the Meritage name on the label pay a license fee and comply with a set of rules and regulations. Since this is a value-priced wine it makes sense that they would skip the licensing. Costco names the winemaker on the back label, Glen Hugo. He makes his own wines and is part of the winemaking team for Vintage Wine Estates. The winery shown on the label is DC Flynt MW Selections who are responsible for many Kirkland wines both import and domestic.Most contract wines don't spend money on things like fancy labels and tasting and technical notes, which is fine with me, it keeps costs down. But some of the information needed to make a knowledgable wine selection is missing. You have to make do with a low price and what you can glean from what info is available. And with Kirkland Napa Red I would say the fact that this is a 2016 vintage is a good sign. While this isn't exactly scientific a Red blend made to sell for around ten bucks is most likely a 2017 vintage, they make the wine to come together as quick as possible so they can sell it sooner. A Red blend that lists in the twenty dollar range usually will have an extra year of aging. The rule of thumb and there are variables so this isn't exact are 1-year aging in barrel needs 1-year aging in bottle. The extra time adds to the price and the wine is produced to take advantage of the additional aging. So it seems this $10.99 Bordeaux-style blend has production techniques closer to a $20 Red. The alcohol content is a very California 14.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a see-thru cherry jelly red with black highlights. The nose is dark berries, baking spice, nutmeg, chocolate, vanilla, a hint of smoke, and ripe blackberry. This is a Red blend that starts smooth, then has some rustic edges, the flavors have excellent length, they go on and on. It tastes of blackberry and black licorice (I know for wine tasting descriptors all licorice is black licorice, but I grew up on Twizzlers licorice and the red ones were awesome), chocolate powder, pepper, and spice. The mid-palate shows a slight pull from the tannins (in a Bordeaux blend that is a welcome feature), tart cherry, orange zest, and blueberry. The acidity is well-controlled and the finish is respectably full and lengthy.The Summary * The Kirkland Napa Valley Red Blend 2016 is a pretty decent Bordeaux Blend, it definitely hits above its price point. *  Balanced, full-flavored, solid structure, it does not hide the tannins and any rough edges are a welcome part of the flavor profile. * This is an easy to drink wine in the best sense of the term, it has lip-smacking acidity that compels to reach for another sip.

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The StoryThe Kirkland Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc 2018 seems to be a $6.99 Costco exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Marlborough region of New Zealand's South Island. Ti Point Vineyards produced and bottled this Sauv Blanc (that technically means they made at least 75% of the wine) and they are a winery that started on Ti Point in the northern part of the North Island of New Zealand. The North Island wineries are mostly low volume "boutique" producers, but Ti Point has branched out to Marlborough and Hawke's Bay on the South Island. What is odd about this wine is that the label sports Costco's Kirkland logo and the Ti Points logo, it is almost always one or the other. When a store has its own brand of wines there are 2 main models. The contract wine, where the store strikes a deal with a wine producer to create a specific wine at a specific price point and a unique brand name and label is designed. The second is the negociant method where the store negotiates with a winery to buy excess existing wine at a lower price than it would sell at retail. Again a new or different brand and label is created and the identity of the original winery is hidden. But not here, maybe the rules are changed since Costco is a membership club and not strictly a retail store. And maybe Ti Point is trying to establish their brand in the US.This is a young Sauvignon Blanc meaning it is best consumed in the first year or two of the vintage release. The Ti Point wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel vats and is intended to be bright, lively, fruit-forward east to drink wine. $6.99 is a very good price for a Marlborough Sauv Blanc, most value-priced NZ Sauvignon Blanc are priced at least a buck or 2 higher. The acidity is a mild 12.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a soft creamy yellow. The nose is filled with tropical fruit, pineapple, guava, peach, pear, grapefruit, green apple, and melon, this wine is not aroma challenged. This Sauv Blanc has a very good mouth-feel, a nice balance between ripe citrus and fruit and acidity. It tastes of creamy lemon, grapefruit, a touch of spice, and lime. The mid-palate offers peach, Bosq Pear, a salty sensation, and tart apple. The acidity is good, not quite lip-smacking, but in the pocket. The finish is subtle compared to the bold body of the wine but does linger.The Summary * At $6.99., you have to ask yourself, "why pay more for an everyday Sauv Blanc." Yes, the taste is subjective, but I think this Sauvignon Blanc will be in the most folks comfort zone. It tastes great and costs little.  

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