South Carolina Wine Joe

Chenin Blanc grapes originate in the Loire Valley in north central France and Viognier grapes originate in the Rhone Valley of southern France.  Therefore you will never find the two grapes blended together in a bottle of French wine.  In the new world, we are not bound by the same traditions and regulations and in the early 1990's, Pine Ridge Vineyards experimented with the unusual combination and created one of the most popular wines.  There are now other wineries combining these two grapes but Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier remains the most popular and highest rated version.  Robert Parker has rated previous releases of this wine at 90 points. The 2016 Chenin Blanc + Viognier is a blend of 80% Chenin Blanc from the Clarksburg region of California and 20% Viognier from Lodi California.  The wine is aged without oak to create a crisp, vibrant wine with 12.5% alcohol. I tasted melon, pineapple, peach and minerality in this wine.  I also sensed a little fizz on my tongue.  Y

Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone is back at Costco.  Because I always like this wine, I have written about several previous vintages on this blog.  In the past I have written about the Cotes du Rhone region, about the winemaker Patrick Lesec, and about the meaning of the villages classification of a cotes du Rhone wine.  Those posts are available in the blog archives on this page.  I write today, not to relay new information as much as to alert you that the wine is back at Costco. This wine is again a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mouvedre and it has 14% alcohol.  There are ripe fruit flavors and oak that does not overpower the fruit. This is one of the most consistently good wines at Costco and it is the benchmark I use to judge all other Cotes du Rhone wines. SC Wine Joe rating = 89 points

Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is located within Monterrey County.  The vineyards are on terraces in the Santa Lucia Mountains above the Salinas River Valley where cool morning fog and breezes from Monterrey Bay are followed by warm afternoons.  This creates a climate that is well suited to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Trader Joe's Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands is a very dark purple-black color.  Flavors noted are cherry, black cherry, raspberry and cola.  There are dusty tannins finishing with a lot of oak.  The wine has 14.5% alcohol. I found this to be a great Pinot Noir starting with rich fruit and finishing with a little bite, making it suitable for pairing with a variety of foods from grilled chicken to prime rib.  It is one of the best Pinot Noirs that I have tried this year. SC Wine Joe rating = 90 points

Costco has been adding a few old world wines to the Kirkland Signature label.  I recently found the Kirkland Signature Ribera Del Duerro Gran Reserve 2011 and quickly added it to my haul. Ribera Del Duero actually means "banks of the Duero" and the region is in a plateau in northern Spain along the Duero River.  This region, which is subject to very hot summers and very cold, dry winters, is noted for Tempranillo grapes, also locally known as Tinto Fino.   Along with the soil conditions, the weather stresses the grapevines, but the surviving grapes produce wonderful wine.  The juice from the Tempranillo grapes is often blended with lesser amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec to achieve the winemakers desired flavor. Ribera Del Duero wines are rated as Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva to designate the levels of aging.  This Kirkland Signature Ribero Del Duero is labeled as a Gran Reserva, the highest rating, which signifies that it must be aged a minimum of 5