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The Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019 is actually named Esprit des Lieux Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019, but the label shows the grape origin in bold letters on top of the label and the name in small print on the bottom.The Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019 is a $10.99 Trader Joe's import wine. I found this wine online selling at a couple of online wine shops from New York State for between $14 and $17.Esprit des Lieux translates to Spirit of Place. Macon is a district in Burgundy that specializes in Chardonnay wine. There is a pecking order for wines from this region, the base designation is Macon AOC and these are wines sourced from the entire region.Then there are Macon-Villages AOC which are sourced from vineyards surrounding all or some of the approved towns. Then come Macon and a single designated village AOC. Here the town is Verze, there are only so many approved single villages, so these are fairly exclusive wines. There are only 130 acres of Chardonnay vines.So this Trader Joe's eleven bucks French special has a decent pedigree. This Chardonnay is a product of a commune or a coop. In France, these coops are not held in the same high regard as wine from an Estate or Chateau. But for a value-priced drink-it-now wine a coop is more than good enough.Trader Joe's is ALDI North in Europe and both ALDI North and ALDI South (the US ALDI) have major reputations as the place to go for wine bargains. Both ALDI's have terrific sourcing for good value European wine.I do not have any details on the production techniques for the Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019, most of the Chardonnay I drink comes from California or Washington. Burgundy is ground zero for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and while most other wine regions try to copy their style this should be a unique and French Chardonnay.I would not expect much oak aging, maybe used barrels or neutral oak. I expect this to be more crisp and clean than buttery. The alcohol content is 13%.Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear and shiny golden yellow. The nose is pretty, there is peach, pear, apple, lemon, a touch of vanilla cream (maybe there is some oak conditioning), banana, and coconut milk.This is a very balanced Chardonnay, long and lean, with solid acidity and good flavor. It starts with peach, tart green apple, Meyer lemon, lime, and pear. The mid-palate offers a little tropical fruit, a creamy sensation, and slightly sour pink grapefruit.The flavor profile reminds me of Sauvignon Blanc a little, it is definitely a Chardonnay but there are interesting tropical scents and flavors. The acidity is spot on giving this Chardonnay excellent length.The SummaryThe Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019 is a well-made tasty Chardonnay. It going on my Recommended list.If you are heading to Trader Joe's for some last-minute Thanksgiving supplies and need a really good wine for your table, give the Macon Verze Chardonnay 2019 some serious consideration.Or just drink it on Tuesday, it is good.

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The Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016 is a blend of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc sourced from contract vineyards in the Saint-Emilion region of the Right Bank of Bordeaux in western France.The Legende brand is Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) line of Bordeaux regional wines. The wines (except for one) are not sourcing grapes from Rothschild estate vineyards, but from growing in some elite growing areas. This makes Legende wines more affordable.Saint-Emilion is on the Right Bank of the Dordogne River, along with Pomerol are the premier Merlot regions. The Right Bank features Merlot-based blends with Cabernet Franc and sometimes Cabernet Sauvignon.The Left Bank will have Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blends along with smaller amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. Bordeaux wines come at all price points from thousands of dollars for Grand Cru wines to ten bucks for standard blends.The top growing regions, such as Saint-Emilion tend to fetch higher prices with Cru wines at the top end. The Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016 showed, with a quick check of the web, to be selling around twenty-five dollars. There was a wide range of prices on either side of $25.It is not uncommon for the average American wine drinker to have limited knowledge of French wines. Bordeaux wines are very location and producer oriented, the who and the where are extremely important. When your knowledge of French wine is limited to reading an article in Wine Spectator while in your Dentist waiting room, who and where can be a mystery.That is where the Legende brand and Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) come in. They have been producing wine in Bordeaux at a high level for a couple of hundred years. You could do worse than choosing them as a starting point.The Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016, even though it is a wine from a premier region, is a drink-it-now wine, not meant to be cellared. The current vintage is 2016 and that shows this blend went through a fairly complex production process.The simpler the process the sooner the wine is available for sale. So a wine that needed four years to achieve its balance got the full winemaking treatment.The Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016 is 95% Merlot (their website shows the bland to be 85% Merlot and 14% Cabernet Franc, but the back label gives the (95%/5% blend) which by California wine rules would be labeled Merlot and not a blend.Merlot has a softer more rounded feel while Cabernet Franc is tighter and more intense while also adding a different flavor. So the Cab Franc gives the Merlot a little boost.Merlot, for me, especially in the usual value price range is a blending grape. It does not make for bad wine, but it is not memorable. I have had excellent Merlot that was not from France but not often. Merlot from Bordeaux changes all that. Merlot from Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion is outstanding.The Legende was aged for 12 months with only 40% of the wine in French oak barrels. They did not specify how the other 60% was aged, but since the wine was fermented in stainless steel vats these were probably used. The alcohol content is a balanced 13.5%.Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016 Tasting NotesThe color is shiny black cherry red. The nose is blackberry, licorice, light herbs, lightly spiced, a little black pepper, and plum. This is a soft, smooth flavorful wine with an edge from the Cabernet Franc and the tannins.It starts with ripe, intense blackberry and licorice, this wine is both soft and smooth and sleek and intense. The Merlot and the Cab Franc show themselves well. There are additional flavors of blueberry, black pepper, raspberry, and dark chocolate, but not sweet.The tannins are there, you can sense them, but they do not interfere with the flavors. The acidity is seamless and balanced.The SummaryThe Legende Saint-Emilion Bordeaux 2016 is a Grand Cru producer's version of an affordable drink-it-now wine.

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The Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 is a $9.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in San Luis Obispo County inside the Paso Robles AVA which is inside the Central Coast AVA of California. Liberte has been a Trader Joe's brand for some time, I think we first reviewed these wines with the 2009 vintage.The vineyards in San Luis Obispo are located close to the Pacific Ocean allowing the region to have one of the coolest climates in California. The vineyards for the Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 are located 14 miles from the coast.Paso Robles AVA is known for winemakers not following the Old World wine traditions. Other California wine regions use Bordeaux or Burgundy as an ideal, but in Paso, if someone has a new idea or technique they are not afraid to give it a try.San Luis Obispo (SLO) is home to an enclave of young winemakers making wines aimed at younger serious wine drinkers. There are many interesting wineries and wine brands from SLO that are worth seeking out. How Liberte, like a Trader Joe's wine, fits into all that I am not sure, but I do know this is a good area for wine.The back of the label says this wine was vinted and bottled by Familia Nueva Vineyards. As I remember Familia Nueva was an independent winery in the past. I could no longer find their website, but Liberte has a site, there is a link in paragraph number 2.One of the things that I enjoy about Trader Joe's wine is that is easy to find single sub-AVA wines at a price that is far less expensive than retail wine shops. A $9.99 Pinot Noir typically has California as its place of origin, not a fancy sub-AVA like SLO.There is not much in the way of technical information on the Liberte wine website (they also produce a Cabernet Sauvignon which is one of the specialties of Paso Robles). They do mention vanilla which may indicate that they used some American oak to age the Pinot Noir.The biggest clue concerning the production of the Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 is the vintage. The 2017 vintage is the current year available, if this was made to be a young, drink-it-now wine the vintage could be 2019. That would be a Pinot that was made to come together quickly and be ready for sale.A 2017 vintage indicates that they produced this wine in a way that more complex, which is not typically the case for wine selling for ten bucks. Pinot Noir from a fancy sub-AVA does not sell for ten bucks. But the Liberte wines do sell for that and have for ten years.The packaging for the Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 is eye-catching, the label is very art nouveau, I think and the label is embossed. The cork is a real cork, not a composite or other material, you do not know how rare that is in value-priced wine. The packaging goes beyond the norms for ten buck wine. The alcohol content is a healthy 14.3%.Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 Tasting NotesThe color is a see-thru garnet red with black highlights. The nose is ripe cherry, herbs, spice, black pepper, tea, raspberry, it is a pretty decent Pinot Noir nose.This is a soft, smooth Pinot Noir that is rough around the edges and on the first sip maybe can use another year of age. It tastes of ripe cherry, sharp spice, sweet plum, and light herbs. The mid-palate offers strawberry in cream (not sweet), orange zest, tart cranberry, and tea. The acidity lets the flavors do their thing but otherwise does not interfere. The tannins are sweet and provide a bit of structure.The SummaryThe Liberte Pinot Noir 2017 is pretty good for a $9.99 Pinot Noir, it tastes good and has a solid structure.This Pinot Noir will work well for the typical Thanksgiving menu, it will not overpower the mild turkey flavor, the herbal elements match well with stuffing, the harvest fruit flavors are seasonal and the acidity will help clean the palate. All that for $9.99.

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The Giusti Asolo Extra Brut Prosecco is made from the Glera grape from Giusti estate vineyards in the Asolo DOCG region of Veneto about one hour north of Venice.Ermenegildo Giusti was born into a family from the region who had a history of making wine. As a young man, he left Italy and moved to Canada, and established a hugely successful construction business. In 20014 he moved back to Veneto and purchased a 5-acre vineyard. Today they have a beautiful facility with multiple vineyards.Most of the Prosecco region is designated as DOC wines. Italy has strict rules and regulations and a strong governing body to endorse them. While most of Prosecco is ranked DOC the Valdobbiadene region which is located in a hilly section near the center of Prosecco is designated as DOCG.Then there is the Asolo DOCG area that is located in the foothills of the Dolomites. While there has been wine produced there for a long time it came by its DOCG designation fairly recently.The DOC rating indicates strong rules and regulations pertaining to vineyard practices and winemaking. The G in DOCG stands for Guaranteed. It adds more stringent rules and oversite. It does not mean you are guaranteed to like the wine, only that the strictest quality standards were followed.Giusti Asolo Extra Brut Prosecco like all Prosecco is made with the Charmat Method. That is the process where the bubbles and incorporated into the wine. Champagne uses the Traditional Method which is a technique perfected in the 16th century. Charmat was invented in the Kate 19th century.A quick explanation of the Charmat Method is the grapes are fermented the first, more or less like all wine is fermented. Champagne Houses and Prosecco have their secrets that make their wines unique. With the Charmat Method the wine that has been fermented once is transferred to huge pressurized vats.A measured amount of yeast and sugar is added to the wine. The wine is then allowed to ferment a second time, but this time in a sealed vat that has been pressurized. In Champagne where the 2nd fermentation is performed in a completely different manner, the second fermentation lasts a year and a half and often longer.In Prosecco, the 2nd fermentation lasts from several weeks to several months. each producer uses their own methods for determining the proper amount of pressure coupled with the right length of time. Technology has knocked about 75% of the time it takes to put bubbles into wine.The Giusti Asolo Extra Brut Prosecco is a dry Sparkling wine. The three major classifications for dry Bubbly are Brut, then Extra Brut, and finally Nature which has no added sugar and is bone dry.If you think you know Prosecco and Prosecco DOSG there is a good chance you may not have tried Asolo DOCG Prosecco. Prosecco is the largest selling Sparkling wine in the world in terms of gallons, but Champagne is the largest in terms of dollars. Prosecco is far more affordable than Champagne. The alcohol content is a reasonable 11.5%.Giusti Asolo Extra Brut Prosecco Tasting NotesThe color is almost clear with just a hint of gold, with a flurry of energetic bubbles. The nose is crisp and clean, there is citrus, green apple, melon, a little minerality, and peach.This is not the flavor profile for the typical Prosecco, it is very dry with unique flavors. It tastes like a stew of Anjou pear, dried peach, lemon chiffon (not sweet), green apple, and lime.The mid-palate shows grapefruit, a slight creamy sensation, that salty, nutty "on lees" thing, and just a hint of candy spice. The acidity is very well controlled. It allows the flavors and texture to be bright and alive, but never bites or goes to far.The SummaryThe Giusti Asolo Extra Brut Prosecco is a Bubbly well worth tasting.It is easy to get into a rut with Prosecco, some of the ones readily available in the supermarket, while very tasting, can be indistinguishable from the next brand.I am not complaining,

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The Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 is a $12.99 ALDI exclusive. The Sonoma Coast AVA is located between Coastal Mountain ranges on the Pacific Coast of Sonoma County.ALDI typically owns the trademark for the brands of wine they sell, so it is difficult to find out who exactly is responsible for the production of the wine. But, Geyserville, California is the location where the Pinot Noir was vinted and bottled. A quick Google search will offer a few possible candidates.We featured the Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Chardonnay awhile back and thought highly of that wine, so I have high hopes for this Pinot Noir. The Sonoma Coast is an excellent location for growing the Pinot Noir grape. The Pacific Ocean allows for a long cool growing season and the mountain foothills and the secured valleys offer a wide range of growing conditions.I put a link in the first paragraph to the Sonoma County Wine Association to include more in-depth information. The list of wineries in this appellation is impressive.The Sonoma Coast Ava is a fairly small area, there are only around 2,000 acres of vineyards. There are individual wineries that have mo more acreage than that. So, these are boutique vineyards and wineries.These grapes do not often end up in $12.99 grocery store wine (unless you are talking Aldi, Trader Joe's, or Costco). The Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 on the surface seems to be a bargain. A typical wine shop Sonoma Coast Pinot often starts at $20 to $25.As an Aldi wine, there is no information on the production techniques used in the making of the wine. The packaging is good, it has a composite cork but that is typical in this price range. The label is attractive with several shades of grey along with gold and red foil depicting vineyards, ocean, and mountains.Private store brands have improved their packaging in recent years to the point that you usually can not tell them apart from retail brands. So, let's head to the tasting section to see if the Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 is a worthy addition to your Thanksgiving table. The alcohol content is 13.9%.Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a clear see-thru garnet red with black highlights. The nose is ripe cherry, herbs, dried fall leaves, spice, a little smoke, and tea. This is a rounded silky Pinot upfront with some spikes notes on the mid-palate.It tastes of ripe black cherry, a touch of cream, Altoid's spice, and raspberry jam, but not sweet. The mid-palate adds herbs, black pepper, orange zest, and cranberry.This is a Pinot Noir with a little body to it, it is not one of those new full-bodied pinots that are currently popular. And it is not one of those light, ethereal Pinot Noirs, either. It is somewhere in the middle. The acidity is well-balanced, it does its job and stays out of the way.The SummaryThe Peaks and Tides Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2018 is a solid $12.99 Pinot Noir.It has good, reasonably complex flavors, and excellent silky, smooth texture.A Pinot Noir is often recommended for Thanksgiving because a medium to light-bodied Pinot Noir will not overpower the delicate taste of turkey and it's harvest fruit flavors will match many of the supporting dishes.With Covid-19, soon to be Covid-20 refusing to go away, being able to pick up a solid wine where you do your grocery shopping is a luxury.Aldi does not have extensive Pinot Noir wines available, but both wines I saw today at my ALDI would do a fine job for the Holidays.

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The El Castilla Syrah 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from grapes from Spain. The front label has almost no pertinent information on the origin of this Syrah.The label says Vino de Espana or Wine of Spain for the origin and the back label only mentions the bottler and not the producer. The bottler is a number and not a name so that does not help much.European wines are subject to all sorts of regulations concerning how the grapes are grown and how the wine is made, but the El Castilla Syrah 2019 seems to have somehow slipt through the cracks.This wine seems to be popular in Denmark and Singapore and a Danish wine shop mentioned online that a commune produced this Syrah. Do not be scared a commune has nothing to do with communism, it is a group of small farmers with vineyards that form a union to reproduce wine.These small individual farms do not have the acreage or money to start a winery, but together they have the grapes and capital to compete in the world of wine. Wine from communes tend to be affordably priced and Trader Joe's does sell wine from other co-ops.For a wine with no known winery or place of origin, the El Castilla Syrah 2019 has very nice packaging. The label is the colors white, black, and gold foil in an artsy design that is attractive. The bottle weighs a ton. It has a punt (the indentation on the bottom of the wine bottle) that is as substantial as a $50 bottle of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.This wine has to be shipped to the United States from Spain, so why the extra weight which also means more expensive shipping? This is not a wine that anyone would put in a wine cellar for ten years. This is a buy it, take it home and drink it wine.This is a very curious wine, with zero expected information and packaging that goes beyond its $6.99 price tag. I do not know if this means anything, but in Singapore, the El Castilla Syrah 2019 sells for $26. The Singapore dollar is .74 of a US dollar. But then again I think everything thing more expensive in Singapore.Normally I would not buy a wine that has this little information available, I would figure that if they told me what was up I would not buy it. So I would believe them and not buy them. But I have come to trust Trader Joe's, they are a German company with strong European wine connections. Even if one of their selections is not my cup of tea or bottle of wine I am typically glad I gave it a try.So on to the tasting portion where we will find the true story of this wine. The alcohol content is 14.5%.El Castilla Syrah 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is see-thru raspberry jam with black highlights. The nose is brooding and interesting, there is ripe cherry, smoke from the BBQ, black pepper, spice, bitter dark chocolate, and baking spice. Very good aromas for a $6.99 wine.This is a medium-bodied Syrah, fruit-forward with interesting sub-flavors. It tastes of blackberry, sleek licorice, and chocolate all swirled together, but not sweet. those flavors are followed by plum, vanilla, and orange zest.The tannins are soft and sweet, but they are not completely missing as in most $6.99 Red wines. They are lurking in the background giving this wine a much-appreciated texture.This is a soft, smooth, easy-to-drink Syrah. With a $65 Syrah, you ask more than that from wine, but at $6.99 the El Castilla Syrah 2019 gets the job done.The SummaryIt looks like my trust in Trader Joe's was rewarded the El Castilla Syrah 2019 is a wine well worth drinking.

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The Pontificis VRM White 2018 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Languedoc region of southeastern France. The VRM stands for the grape blend, 45% Viognier, 40% Roussanne, and 15% Marsanne.The name of this wine and the blend are basically a shout-out to the White wines of the Southern Rhone Valley. The Rhone Valley is famous for its blends, the GSM which is Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre, along with this White blend.In the 1300s the Pope left Rome and set up shop in southern France. Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the most famous wine of the Rhone Valley and it translates to the house (or fort) of the new Pope. The Pope and his people had a heavy thirst for wine and they kick-started the wine industry in the region that continues to this day.The Pontificis VRM White 2018 is produced by Badet Clement a large wine company centered in Burgundy that makes its own wines as well as brand wines. They seem to make several other Trader Joe's wines and possibly some ALDI wines. They produce 16,000,000 bottles a year, so they are a fairly large player.The Pontificis is not from the Rhone Valley, it is a Vin De Pays D'Oc wine indicating that it is sourced from grapes grown in the Languedoc region. The Vin de Pays designation is one step below the AOC category of wines. It means the wine is representative of the grapes of the region but was not subjected to all the AOC rules and regulations.The typical French White wine will be leaner, and sleeker than the typical California White wine. French wines made specifically for export will often incorporate a slightly more rounded style to appeal to American palates. They do give any information about the conditions during the vintage year of details of the production methods. But as a 2018 vintage, it would seem that the wine took a little extra time to come together. The usual $7.99 White wine is made to have 2019 as the current vintage. A 2018 vintage shows there may have been a more complex production. The alcohol content is 13%.Pontificis VRM White 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a fairly dark wheat yellow, it reminds me of a Chardonnay that has a good deal of oak barrel aging. The nose is crisp and clean, it reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc, though not as bold. There is peach, pear, lemon, tropical fruit, a little honey, and spring flowers.Drink this wine with a chill on it, not too cold you do not what to mask the flavors. The Pontificis VRM White 2018 is both sleek and firm and rounded and juicy, the flavors compete on your palate.It starts with green apple and pear, Meyer lemon, melon, and peach. The mid-palate has a slightly harder edge with dried citrus (nothing too juicy here), a touch of cream (did they stir the lees?), and tangerine.The acidity is nice, not quite lip-smacking good, but this is French, that is not their style. But the acidity allows the flavors to roll out and will get you reaching for another sip.The SummaryThere is a reason why this classic wine blend endure. You do not need a high-end expensive example to enjoy the pleasures of a Viognier, Pontificis VRM White 2018Roussanne, And Marsanne blend. The most eight dollar Trader Joe's get the job done.The Pontificis would work well as a Thanksgiving wine, the harvest flavors will pair well with many dishes and the acidity is cut through the more indulgent offerings.Trader Joe's has been selling the Pomtificis GSM and VSM for many years and they have been reliably good affordable and tasty wines.

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The Etienne Doue Brut Champagne is a blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir from a Grower/Producer (look for an RM somewhere on the label) sourced from estate vineyards near the town of Montgueux in the Aube section of Champagne in France.Étienne Doué is the father-daughter team of Étienne and Virginie. A Grower/Producer in Champagne is someone outside of the large established Champagne Houses, such as Dom Perignon or Moet Chandon to name a couple of the more famous Houses.A Grower/Producer may sell some of his grapes to the big guys but hold enough back to produce their own Bubbly. Etienne Doue goes a step further and is also Vigernon Independents which indicates they only grow, produce and sell their own wines. This is a small production, boutique Champagne..So you ask, why is Cheapwinefinder writing and talking (check out the companion podcast) about boutique Champagne? Well, because Grower/Producer and Vigernon Independent Champagne is often less expensive when compared to Bubbly from the big-name producers.I found these Bubbles for $31 and this is before Champagne goes on sale around the December Holidays. It may not exactly be cheap, but it is definitely a bargain. The big Champagne Houses do a masterful job of marketing. Their Bubbly is synonymous with luxury and prestige.These small Champagne producers can not compete with name recognition, but they can offer excellent, small-batch Bubbly at prices that beat the mass-produced Bubbly. It is not uncommon for the "entry-level" Champagne offerings from the famous brands to have yearly production runs of 1,000,000 bottles and use 100 or more vineyards.I am not complaining about those mass-produced bubblies, I would gladly drink any one of them. But the Etienne Doue Brut Champagne a level is exclusivity at a fair price that the big brands can not touch. If you are a cheap wine finder who loves Bubbly then look for the RM on the label for Grower/Producer.The Etienne Doue Brut Champagne (the actual name is Cuvée Selection, they also have a Reserve Selection) uses fairly straight-forward production methods. The first fermentation occurs in stainless steel vats as does the first aging period. Both the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir underwent Malolactic Fermentation.After first fermentation and aging the wine was lightly filtered, but not fined. That is a process where leftover yeast and grape residue are removed from the wine. Anytime you remove anything from the wine you also remove some flavor, producers try to remove just enough.The second fermentation, this is where the bubbles are formed occurs in each and every bottle. Wine from the 1st fermentation is bottled, then a measured amount of yeast and sugar is added. The wine is left for at least 18 months. The dead yeast is then removed, the bottle is topped off and the wine is brought up to the desired sweetness level. In this case, it is a Brut wine, meaning not sweet. The alcohol content is a balanced 12%.Etienne Doue Brut Champagne Tasting NotesThe color is a mix of platinum and gold and the bubbles are plentiful and energetic. First a word of caution, Champagne is known for having the most pressure inside the bottle (measured in atmospheres), that is how you can open a bottle with a saber. Give the glass near the neck a good whack at the bottle top will explode. You need to be careful opening most Sparkling wine, but be especially careful with Champagne, the cork blew off on its own while I was disposing of the wire cage. Do not put your face over the bottle or open under an expensive chandelier.The is yeasty with apple, Meyer lemon, a whiff of honey, peach, citrus, and flowers. This is a wonderfully balanced Champagne, the fruit flavors, the citrus, and the acidity dance on your tongue. This is a delicious Bubbly.It starts with a mix of tart apple and dried apricot, then lemon with a touch of grapefruit. The mid-palate adds a little bakery bread,

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Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Not 2019 Lot #96The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 is a $14.99 Trader Joe's exclusive from vineyard(s) in the Santa Rita Hills AVA. Which is found inside the Santa Barbara County AVA in the southern section of California's Central Coast AVA.Santa Barbara County is situated one hundred miles north of Los Angeles in Southern California. It would be too hot for premium grape production, except the section where the vineyards are located jute out into the Pacific Ocean. There is an ocean to the north, south, and west, and those cool to cold ocean breezes allow Sanat Barbara to be a cooler growing region than much of Northern California.Santa Rita Hills is about 12 miles inland from the water near the coastal mountains and has very chalky soil that is unique to the region. This is a top-notch Pinot Noir AVA. I do not know if you keep up with the current hot, trends expensive wines, but Sea Smoke is from the Santa Rita Hills.So, the grapes seem to have impeccable credentials, so what is this Platinum Reserve wine all about. It is made by Bozzano and Company who make custom wine, lots of store brands, here is a link. It is a good business model if you are looking to start a wine business.There is a trend for wine shops, supermarkets, and restaurant chains to have their own unique wine produced especially for their business. These companies contract for a certain type of wine, in a set quantity, and at a particular price range. They pay upfront, the selling of the wine is solely up to the purchasing company. The deal is neat and clean and as long as the wine company delivers a good product the relationship can last for years.The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 is another entry in Trader Joe's current push to promote their wines in the $14.99 price range. The Fearless Flyer says the Platinum wines are equal to wine selling for twice and much and beyond.A quick check of Santa Rita Hills prices shows wines from twenty five dollars to over one hundred bucks. But is $14.99 a good price for a sort of young (2019 vintage) no-name Pinot Noir? There are $50 2019 Santa Rita Hills Pinots on the market, but most current vintages have a year or two more bottle age.A $14.99 wine is a fairly typical price in your local wine shop or even supermarket, but to is pushing the price envelope for Trader Joe's wine. That is why I think this Pinot Noir may well be a legitimate bargain. If TJ's is trying to get it's customers acclimated to going above the $9.99 price level they need to make it worth our while.They have gotten so good at offering fun, highly drinkable wines for bargain prices it will take some incentive to jump up in class. The Fearless Flyer mentions that this Pinot Noir has Cabernet Sauvignon-like qualities. The alcohol content is 14.4% which is stiff for a Pinot, so this Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 may be on the ripe side.The bolder style of California Pinot Noir is popular and while I prefer the more classic style, I am always up for a wine that tastes good, so on to the tasting portion.Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is clear, clean, see-thru garnet red. The nose is ripe cherry and spice, along with a touch of vanilla, light molasses, and a floral edge. Not exactly classic Pinot Noir, but pleasing.I am not sure I get what the Fearless Flyer was talking about with a Cabernet-like Pinot Noir, but I do notice the 14.4% alcohol content. A higher alcohol rating does not bother me, but there is more body than a classic California Pinot Noir.It tastes of black cherry, black pepper, sharp spice. and ripe plum. The mid-palate brings on a touch of cream, tart cranberry, and a little Dr. Pepper (not sweet).The Tannins are sweet, but part of the flavor profile. In value-price wine the tannins are often reduced,

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The Amancaya Reserve Red Blend 2017 is a mix of 72% Malbec and 28% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from estate and contracted vineyards in the foothills of the Andes in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The grapevines are all 30 plus years old are situated between 2,600 and 4,600 feet in altitude.Amancaya is a joint project between Domaines Baron de Rothschild (Lafite) of Bordeaux fame and Nicolas Catena (Argentina) known as Bodega Caro. Both wine establishments have roots that go back to the 1800s are synonymous with quality wine.As a side story that is also related to this wine, Malbec was one of the main grape used in Bordeaux blends in the 1800s. In France, there was a wave of pest and disease attacks in the vineyards, whole vintages of certain grapes were wiped out. It got so bad that French winemakers went to Rioja in Spain to secure wine to replace the lost French wine.At some point the Bordeaux estates stopped planting Malbec, there were just too many disastrous years. The Malbec grape from the 1800s died out in France, they thought it was lost forever. That is until DNA tests showed that the Argentinean Malbec vines had originally come from Bordeaux.So the grapes for the Amancaya Reserve Red Blend 2017, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon, were always intended to be blended together. Malbec has grown in Bordeaux again but is typically a small part of the blend.The grapes are grown in Mendoza, Argentina, and are situated high enough in the mountains that they are above the line where pests and plant diseases exist. The vineyards get intense sunlight at moderate temperatures to go along with cool nights. The climate is very well suited to grow grapes.The Malbec had a shorter growing season than the Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a rather traditionally produced Red blend, which is probably to be expected with two wine houses with a long history as Lafite and Catena.This Red Blend was aged in %0% French oak barrels and 50% concrete vats. If you think concrete is an odd choice for aging wine there are some significant advantages. The concrete walls of the vats are thick enough to insulate the container. Aging wine loves steady temperature and humidity and the thick-walled concrete vats achieve that at a far better level than a stainless steel tank or even an oak barrel. The alcohol content is 14%.Amancaya Reserve Red Blend 2017 Tasting NotesThe color a nearly opaque black cherdryred. The nose is dark and smokey, there is cherry and raspberry, spice, dark chocolate, vanilla, pepper, and a light herbal edge.This Blend has a soft yet firm mouthfeel with smooth balanced flavors. It starts with blackberry, licorice, and chocolate, followed by soft spice, black pepper and plum.The mid-palate adds blueberry with cream, some harder edged spice, a salty sensation, and orange zest. This is a wine with a very pleasing character, loaded with flavor and very balanced.The tannins stay out of the way and the acidity will have you smacking your lips and reaching for your glass, this is one of those wines that you do not need to be a top-notch wine expert to figure out that it is a very well-made Red blend.The Amancaya Reserve Red Blend 2017 SummaryThis is a wine that is very easy to drink and easy to appreciate. It is not a simple wine, it has complexity, but every flavor, every texture has its place and purpose.The Amancaya gets 90 plus point every vintage by all the major wine reviews magazines. Sometimes I do not know what they are talking about, but I "got" this one.I almost forgot this little tidbit. The Amancaya is an indigenous flower that only grows in the Andes foothills. It is very rare, the winemaker said he has never actually seen the flower. So, this wine is named after one of the rare beauties of the Andes.

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