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July 29, 2019 La Ferme Julien Rosé 2018
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The StoryThe La Ferme Julien Rose' 2018 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's not very exclusive Rose' blend of Cinsault, Grenache and Syrah sourced from vineyards in France. Not very exclusive since the La Ferme (The Farm) is the same wine as Famille Perin's La Vielle Ferme Rose'. Each wine, La Ferme and La Vielle have their own websites that are exactly the same. The Trader Joe's version sells for $5.99 and a quick check of the web shows the La Vielle offered for $7.99. The TJ's has a goat on the label, the Famille Perin has a couple of chickens, other than that it is the same wine.This Rose' is designated a Vin de France wine, which used to be Table Wine, the lowest category of wine. But now it isn't that cut and dry, it is more of a designation that allows French wine to compete with California, Spanish, South African, Australian, and other wines. In the US all wines are table wines, there are no quality classifications. In France, they have strict classifications with tight rules that didn't always allow French wines to compete price-wise with wines from different countries. So, Vin de France enables the winemakers to make the wines they need to compete and not have to follow all the rules and regulations.This Rose' is intended as an everyday drink-it-now wine. It was produced in the Saignée method which is the traditional way they made Rose' before it became popular. With the Saignée method, the grapes are crushed and when the juice takes on the desired color a portion of the juice is sent to its own tank for fermentation and the remaining juice is left to become Red wine. Today, the common way to make Rose' is the Direct Press method. Here the grapes are intended to produce Rose' from the start and after crushing the grapes the skins are removed, at the end of the winemaking process, Red wine is added to the clear juice to give the Rose' uniform color. I can't tell by tasting which method was used and the Direct Press Method is a result of Rose' popularity and the need to produce large quantities. The alcohol content is 13%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a clear, pale amber pink. The nose is crisp and lightly floral with notes of red berries, melon, lemon, strawberry, a bit of spice, and white pepper. This is a crisp, bright, delicately fruity Rose', with balanced acidity. It tastes of strawberry, apple, spice, a touch of minerality, and a salty sensation. The mid-palate adds soft cherry and tart cranberry, along with tangerine. The acidity is well balanced, this is a very drinkable Rose'.The Summary * The price difference shows exactly the kind of discounts that occur when stores contract for wine directly and pay upfront. Trader Joe's sells the wine for a 25% discount from the advertised price for this Rose' in on-line retail wine shops. * This is a very solid, enjoyable Rose', in a blind tasting with Rose' under $20, I doubt if you could pick the La Ferme Julien Rose' 2018 out as the $5.99 wine.
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5 min
July 26, 2019 Purple Moon Chardonnay
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The StoryThe Purple Moon Chardonnay is a non-vintage $3.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. There is not going to be much of a story here, I am pretty sure which winery produced this wine, and they are a quality winery. But other than that there isn't much information to go on. They don't spend a great deal of time writing technical notes for 4 bucks non-vintage White wine. The details are not going to "wow" you, the worth of the Purple Moon Chardonnay will be found in the tasting notes. If it does not taste good, a cheap price doesn't mean anything. The alcohol content is 13%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a very clear, clean, pale, wheat yellow. The nose is not bad, apple, lemon, soft spice, a little peach, some pear, a hint of lime. The Purple Moon has a decent mouth-feel, not watery, not complicated, but has good flavor. It starts with grapefruit and lemon, followed by tart apple, and pear. The mid-palate shows white pepper, a touch of cream (this $3.99 Chard was aged "on lees"?), dried apricot and a salty, nutty sensation. The acidity is balanced, especially considering the price. The finish is full and lingers.The Summary * Well, I was expecting nothing from this $3.99, non-vintage Chardonnay and instead, I got a tasty, very usable, very drinkable wine. * In Europe, in places where they drink wine with every lunch and every dinner, they typically don't spend more for a bottle than the Purple Moon. The Purple Moon Chardonnay would fit into that scenario, with the right menu, this Chardonnay would work well. * Don't judge it until you drink it. Wine is not priced on how it tastes. Cheap wines can thrill you and pricey wine can disappoint you.
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8 min
July 23, 2019 Federalist Bourbon Barrel-Aged Red Blend
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The StoryThe Federalist Bourbon Barrel-Aged Red Blend 2016 is 76% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 4% Carignane sourced from vineyards in the Mendocino County AVA of Northern California. This blend is aged in American oak casks for 6 months (35% new oak) and then transferred to Bourbon barrels (they do not specify the whiskey brand) for another 6 months. American oak has a more open grain than French oak and can impart more oak seasoning to wine, wine purists say it adds too much oak flavor. They say French oak is more subtle and nuanced and easier to control and is almost always used with wines that are meant to be aged. For drink-it-now wines, American oak, especially wines that are aged in oak for a shorter period of time, can add more flavor in less time.Which leads us to wine barrels versus bourbon barrels. When wine oak barrels are produced the cooperage flames the inside to toast the interior of the barrel. Different levels of toast impart different flavors according to the winemaker's specification. Bourbon barrels are charred, whiskey has stronger flavors and higher alcohol content and more aggressive flavors are needed to add complementary notes. So lightly toasted American oak is too much for "fine wine drinkers", charred whiskey barrels is about 10 steps too far. Since the barrel previously contained Bourbon, those whiskey flavors have seeped into the oak and they too will be imparted into the wine. The flavor profile for Bourbon Barrel-Aged should have flavors added that are not typically present in regular bottlings. If the winemaker has a delicate hand in putting these elements together this should be an interesting experience. The alcohol is 14.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is dark, but see-thru garnet reb with black highlights. The nose is more subdued than I expected, toasty vanilla, baking spices, red berries, a touch of smoke, bacon fat, blackberry, there is a lot going on, but the aromas are laid-back. The Bourbon flavors are well integrated with the Red wine flavors, this is a big, bold Red, but not over the top. It tastes of blackberry, mocha coffee, pepper, spice, coconut cream, vanilla, and orange zest. The mid-palate offers tart cranberry, tea, milk chocolate, and exotic, slightly rough spice. There are many flavors to find in this Red blend. Considering all the American oak and the Bourbon influence this still tastes like a Merlot/ Cabernet Sauvignon blend. The finish is large and long.The Summary * Bourbon Barrel-Aged red wine is an acquired taste, not everyone will enjoy the added flavor. I enjoy it, it is a nice change of pace, a fun experiment. I don't think I would place it in the regular rotation, but it does have a place on my wine schedule. * There seem to be several Bourbon Barrel wine brands on the market at the moment. My advice is don't go too inexpensive, there are several offerings around or under $10. These wine usually don't have a budget for regular oak wine barrels and get their oak influence by alternative means, which probably indicates they get their bourbon barrel influence by other means (staves, oak chips, flavored oak powder). Stick with wine in a price range that uses decent oak barrels, around $15 is a good start.
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10 min
July 20, 2019 Hopes End Red Wine Blend 2016
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The Story The Hopes End Red Wine Blend 2016 is a blend of 42% Shiraz/Syrah, 38% Grenache, 13% Malbec, and 7% Petit Verdot sourced from vineyards in South Australia (near Adelaide). Hopes End is one of Trinchero Family Estates line of wines,
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8 min
July 16, 2019 Federalist Mendocino Chardonnay 2017
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The StoryThe Federalist Mendocino Chardonnay 2017 is like the name says, 100% Chardonnay made from grapes farmed in Mendocino County in Northern California. Mendocino has all of the grape growing advantages of Sonoma, it is directly north of Sonoma, but does not have the name recognition of Sonoma. There are top-notch vineyards and wineries, that fly under the radar of the average wine drinker. One of the reason may be that for a long time Mendocino was the outlaw marijuana capital of California and marijuana is/was more profitable than wine. Just the same, excellent grapes are grown in Mendocino.The Federalist Mendocino Chardonnay is produced with a nod to old-school California Chardonnays of Napa Valley and Sonoma, rich with creamy oak influence. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged "on lees", with the lees being stirred. The more you stir the lees the more the wine takes on a creamy texture. It is aged in oak 35% new, the rest used barrels, mostly Hungarian and American, with a little French oak. Hungarian oak and French oak are the same species, the forests are a few hundred miles apart. American oak is a different species of oak and while it is used in winemaking, but is more likely used in aging whiskey. The different types of oak impart different flavors into the wine during aging with the Hungarian and French oak adding spice, while the American oak adds vanilla. The alcohol content is a rich 14.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a clean, clear, golden wheat yellow. The nose is apple, peach, pear, lemon chiffon, sweet vanilla, a whiff of spice, and a little cookie batter. This is a full-flavored Chardonnay, with rich smooth tastes and ample acidity. It starts with a stew of apple, grapefruit, and vanilla cream, followed by peach and butter. The mid-palate offers exotic spice, a little tropical fruit, lime, orange zest, pear, and lemon. The acidity makes its presence known but does not bite. The finish is full and lengthy.The Summary * The Federalist Mendocino County Chardonnay 2017 is a modern take on old-school Chardonnay. Yes, there is the oak influence, but it is there to add flavor, not dominate the wine. * This is a Chardonnay with all the production tricks yet is affordable, a check of the web saw prices from above $10 to around $15. * Chardonnay fads seem to swing between no oak to too much oak, but the Federalist finds a sweet spot in the middle (ok, maybe a little on the oak side), where the oak just adds to the flavor.
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8 min
July 13, 2019 Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors 2016
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The Story The Domaine Lafage Bastide Miraflors 2016 is a blend of Syrah and old-vine Grenache farmed in estate vineyards in the Roussillon growing area of southeast France, just above the border with Spain.
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12 min
July 11, 2019 Plus and Plus Cava Brut
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The Story The Plus and Plus Brut (or +&+ on the label) is a non-vintage blend of 3 indigenous Catalonian grapes, 30% Xarello, 50% Macabeo, and 20% Parellada has grown on the Penedes region of eastern Spain, near Barcelona.
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9 min
July 09, 2019 Sphere Central Coast Chardonnay 2017
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The Story The Sphere Central Coast Chardonnay 2017 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. The Central Coast AVA runs along California coast just north of Los Angeles to San Francisco. The only information we have on this Chardonnay is what is written on t...
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9 min
July 05, 2019 TJ’s Reserve Amador County Zinfandel
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The Story The Trader Joe's Reserve Amador County Zinfandel Lot 185 2016 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. Amador County is 100 miles east of San Francisco, as far north as Napa County, but on the other side of Sacramento in the foothills of the Sierr...
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9 min
July 02, 2019 Riondo Prosecco Spago Nero
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The StoryThe Riondo Prosecco Spago Nero is 100% Glera grape from the DOC portion of the Prosecco region of Veneto in Northern Italy. The Spago Nero differs from the usual Prosecco in that this is Frizzante which refers to the pressure (atmospheres) inside the bottle. A typical Prosecco will have about 3 atmospheres of pressure (Champagne has 6 or 7) and a Frizzante Bubbly will have 1 or 2, in other words, light bubbles. The name Spago Nero translates to a black string. It refers to the original enclosure, which is still available, where the top is tied with a black string, this particular bottle had a screw cap. Bubbly with hefty atmospheres in the bottle need a big cork and cage, Frizzante can get away with a modest cap. The Spago Nero is also the #1 selling Prosecco is Italy.The Riondo is a medium sweet Bubbly, but with Sparkling wine, solid acidity can balance the sugar so it doesn't seem quite so sweet. Riondo is a huge winery with almost 16,000 acres of vineyards, but they have only been in business for 11 years. As per usual, Prosecco gets its bubbles from the Charmat Method, pressurized stainless steel vats. Not only are the bubbles less fizzy, but the alcohol content is also a rather modest 10.5%.The Tasting NotesThe color is a pale golden yellow, with plenty of energetic bubbles. The nose is delicate and light, lemon, melon, green apple, light spice, and pear. This is a medium-bodied Bubbly, fruit forward and the acidity does balance the sugar. It tastes of green apple, pear, dried apricot bits, and lemon chiffon. The mid-palate adds a salty, nutty sensation, and juicy peach. The acidity is just below lip-smacking good, but it does an admirable job of keeping the sugar/sweetness balanced. The finish is subtle and lengthy.The Summary * I can see why the Riondo Prosecco Spago Nero is the #1 Prosecco in Italy, it is super easy to drink. It goes down easy, the light bubbles and the low alcohol can keep you going for a long time without ill effects. * This is an excellent party Bubbly, where you want your guests to have a nice Bubbly, but you need low alcohol so they can get home safely. * A light and delicate Bubbly, with enough flavor to keep you interested and asking for more.
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8 min

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