Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel 2013

The Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Old Vine Zinfandel has been one of my favorite wines since I began shopping for wine at Costco. They begin selling it in January or February each year and I keep buying it until their supply runs out. I also notice many other customers loading their carts with this wine. The only exception was two years ago when I was less enthusiastic about the 2011 version.

I read my description of the 2012 vintage and I could just copy it to this review. The wine has flavors of blackberry, blueberry, black licorice and a hint of mocha. Even though the alcohol content is 15.3%, the fruit and alcohol seem very balanced. There is enough oak to stand up to a beef roast or grilled pork.

The wine again is only $9.99 and I really like it!

SC Wine Joe rating = 90 points

Comments

Parcelica Grande 2018

It has been a little over 3 months since I last posted on this blog. I have taken that time to enjoy old favorites as well as wines bought directly from wineries. I needed a break from trying a lot of unfamiliar wines so that I might have something new to write about. However, now I am planning a live video post for the OlliLife newsletter at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Furman University about value wines from lesser known wine regions and this will require Wine Jane and I to do a lot of research. Well, someone has to do it! There are few places that have as much affordable quality wine as Spain. The best known wines from Spain come from areas like Rioja in the northern part of Spain. However, even greater values can be found further south in the areas bordering the Mediterranean Sea. One such area is Yecla, about 50 miles inland from the sea. In the past seven years, I have posted about four wines from Yeccla. All have been blends of the traditional Spanish g

Dragon Vine, a novel by Steven Laine

It has been a year since I have posted to the South Carolina Wine Blog. However, I was provided with an advance copy of the latest novel by Steven Laine entitled Dragon Vine for my review. Mr. Laine writes novels with a wine focused theme and I reviewed Mr. Laine's previous novel Root Cause in 2019, which I greatly enjoyed. The synopsis of Dragon Vine is as follows: When his father dies in a wildfire, Carmine Cooper takes over the family winery in the middle of harvest, putting his dreams of becoming an architect on hold. He soon finds himself fighting with a vengeful neighbor, blackmailed by a local gang, harassed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities, and the target of an ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives) investigation. Carmine’s only hope to solve his problems and finish his first solo vintage successfully rests in identifying an unknown grape variety his father grew and made into wine for a quarter century with links to an a

Furman University OlliLife March 2021

Today, March 18, 2021, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Furman University will interact with its members by Zoom in a live version of the OlliLife newsletter. For the past few years, we have posted a short wine blog in the newsletter and during the past year we have participated in the live zoom versions. Today, Wine Jane and I will discuss some world regions with excellent values in wine. Todays presentation will also be available for viewing next week on the Olli @Furman YouTube channel. The three recommended wines mentioned on todays "OlliLife Live" are: Parcelica Grande 2018 Yecla Spain 70% Monastrell, 15% Granacha, 15% Merlot $11.99 Total Wine Phebus Torrontes 2020 Mendozza Argentina $10.99 Total Wine Famiglia Castellani Chianti Classico Reserva 2015 Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy Red Blend $13.99 Costco

South Carolina Wine Joe

Search This Blog