South Carolina Wine Joe

My supply of the Kirkland Cotes du Rhone Villages is nearly depleted, so I needed to find a replacement.  The Costco wine folks wisely waited until now to sell Famille Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve 2015 for $9.49 at my local warehouse.  Had they been selling it a few weeks ago, I would have passed it up for the Kirkland Cotes du Rhone Villages selling for $6.99.  I have no objection to the price of Famille Perrin, but I just love the Kirkland. I last reviewed the 2013 vintage of Famille Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve and I do not believe there is much difference.  I found the 2015 wine to be medium bodied and fruity with licorice and mineral tones.  The wine is a little tart and acidic and possibly has more tannins than 2 years ago.  This is still a nice everyday wine that will pair with barbecue or other casual foods. SC Wine Joe rating = 88 points

Our local Costco has had Bocelli Sangiovese for several weeks and actually included it in their pre-Thanksgiving wine sale.  There are just a few bottles left that they are selling for $11.79 and since I have enjoyed this in the past, I grabbed a couple of bottles before it is gone. The last vintage of this wine that I reviewed was the 2012.  That wine was medium bodied with flavors of ripe cherry and a long, dry finish.  I believe that description still holds but with a little more dark cherry and oak than I described in March 2015.  I really like Sangiovese and I really enjoy this wine. SC Wine Joe rating = 89 points                                               Even the nutcrackers like wine at our house!

I previously reviewed Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir from both 2013 and 2014 and I believe this 2016 vintage warrants a new taste.  The producer (DC Flynt), the winemaker (Anthony Austen) and the price ($12.99) are the same but the wine is not the same. The wine is again a darker than average color for Pinot Noir.  I taste cherry, dark cherry and some rasperry but what is improved this year is a softer, less intrusive oak flavor.  This is now a wine that can be enjoyed with a wider selection of foods and  I even enjoyed it prior to dinner without food.   We all taste wine differently, but this is a wine that I really enjoyed. SC Wine Joe rating = 90 points

The second Platinum Reserve wine featured in Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer is the Cabernet Sauvignon Yountville Napa Valley 2016.  Since this wine is from the same producer and from the same sub-AVA as the previously reviewed Platinum Reserve Meritage, you might expect them to be similar in quality.  However, there is a very important difference.  The grapes for the Meritage were harvested in 2013 and the grapes for this wine are from 2016.  That means that the wine was aged in oak for just a few months.  The Flyer says that the aging was in a 50/50 mix of one-year old French and American oak barrels but it is very unusual for a Cabernet Sauvignon from a prestigious region to be aged for this short length of time. I like flavors of vanilla and smoke in Cabernet Sauvignon.  Those flavors come from the oak barrels and in this wine are so dominant that I did not adequately taste the fruit flavors.  The wine is just a little out of balance.  It is certainly a value to buy Cabernet Sauv

Trader Joe's is currently selling three Platinum Reserve wines from Yountville, Napa Valley - Meritage, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.  All are selling for the usual Platinum Reserve price of $14.99 and the current Fearless Flyer features the Meritage and the Cabernet Sauvignon. From the label, we know that this Meritage is made from grapes picked four years ago in 2013 which was an outstanding vintage in Napa Valley for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes.  We also know that the alcohol content is shown as an above average 14.9%.  We know that the Meritage is made from Bordeaux grapes but we do not know the blend.  (The Fearless Flyer mentions only Cabernet Franc and Merlot but I think that is not correct.  I am sure there is ample Cabernet Sauvignon in this wine.) Yountville is in the southern portion of Napa Valley where the cool air and fog from San Pablo Bay begins to dissipate.  The milder temperatures lead to red wines with a softer profile than other portions of Na

We have been tasting several bottles of Prosecco from Costco, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods for a project I have been working on.  I limited our tasting to Prosecco costing less than $13 and found Cecilia Baretta Prosecco Superior at Trader Joe's to be above the others in taste and quality. The designated Prosecco region of northern Italy includes nine provinces extending from Venice eastward to the border with Slovenia.  Wine from this region is primarily made with the Glera grape.  Most of the Prosecco from this region that is exported to the United States is sparkling wine and it has become a lower priced substitute for Champagne. There are several interesting facts about the wine that can be learned from the front label.  Prosecco Conegliano Valdobbiadene Superiore can only be made in the Treviso province of Veneto.  Brut is the designation for the driest Prosecco. This is a dry, crisp and aromatic sparkling wine.  There is great flavor with notes of tropical fruit and

Our Thanksgiving wine this year was Erath Pinot Noir Oregon 2015 which we purchased at Costco for $12.99.  Erath is one of the oldest Oregon wineries located in the Dundee Hills area.  Erath's Oregon Pinot Noir is their fruit forward wine meant for everyday drinking.  It is their most popular and least expensive Pinot Noir but they also produce a Wilhamette Valley Pinot as well as a number of single vineyard Pinots. While this wine is definitely a fruit forward wine with flavors of cherry, raspberry and black cherry, it also has undertones of darker fruit and oak which pair well with a variety of foods.  I enjoyed this wine and believe it to be equal to some much more expensive wines. SC Joe rating = 89 points

Trader Joe's recently had a 2014 Grand Reserve Merlot from Oakville in Napa Valley which was terrific.  At some point, The Oakville Merlot sold out and was replaced on the same shelf space with this 2016 Napa Valley Merlot.  A buyer would need to be alert to recognize the change, but the 2016 Napa Valley Merlot is not equal to the Oakville Merlot. Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Merlot Napa Valley is a black cherry, blackberry flavored Merlot with moderate tannins.   On the first sip, the flavor is quite pleasant but as you continue drinking, you realize that there is no depth or complexity.  Since the grapes for this wine were only harvested about one year ago, the wine had limited aging and that may explain the problem.  The wine has 13.8% alcohol. I recognized that that the wine I was buying was not the Oakville Merlot but I gave it a chance because it was a TJ Grand Reserve wine.  I think many readers will be disappointed with this wine and I do not plan to buy it again. S

Lidl has a section of their wine department for unique wines that are not part of their regular collection.  These wines are available for a limited time and when they are sold, they will not be restocked.  One wine that caught my eye last week was "The Blend 2014" by Balnaves of Coonawarra Australia.  This Bordeaux blend was priced at $17.99 and the signage said that the wine was rated at 94 points.   The rater was not identified but I have since found out that it was James Halliday from Australia.  I do not often have the opportunity to taste 94 points wine in my price range, so I bought a bottle. Coonawarra is a cool climate grape growing region in southeast Australia which is known for premium dry red table wines.  The average summertime (December, January and February) temperature is 72 degrees F. and the soil is red "terra rossa". Balnaves makes their wines from grapes grown on their own vineyards.  Winemaker Pete Bissell varies the blend of grapes for thi

Costco is having their annual pre-Thanksgiving wine sale featuring 14 wines selling at reduced prices.  Several of the wines are well known, widely available wines.  Here at the SC Wine Joe house, we have been working our way through bottles of some of the other wines.  The red wines we tried thus far have not been interesting and we actually poured one (Nanna's Shortcake Zin) down the drain.  The one wine that has been a highlight for me is the Schug Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2015.  It has been a few years since I last tasted this Chardonnay and my preferences in Chaardonnay have evolved somewhat since then. The Sonoma Coast AVA is a large portion of the Sonoma County wine grape growing area.  It includes the entire Sonoma County Pacific coast and extends east as much as 30 miles.  This area includes the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Valley, Los Carneros and more.  The area generally has a cooler climate and more rainfall than the remainder of Sonoma County.  The Schug website stat

Every year, Costco produces the Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Meritage.  The 2014 version is now available and is made from 47% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot and 4% Malbec. The wine has 14.5% alcohol. I have liked this wine better in the past.  Even after an hour, the oak overwhelms the black cherry flavors.  Costco sells the wine for $10.99, which is a very good price for a Napa Valley Meritage, but I will reiterate what I said last year.  It is well worth the additional $2 to buy the currently available Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Napa Valley Meritage. SC Wine Joe rating = 88 points

The third red wine we tried from the Lidl French Wine Fair was the Pierre LaTour Pomerol.  Pomerol is a wine region in the right bank portion of Bordeaux.  Wines from this region are predominantly Merlot blended with lesser amounts of Cabernet Franc.  The grapes for this wine were harvested in 2014 which was a very good vintage. If you drink more than one wine variety on an occasion, the first wine has a big impact on the perceived taste of the second wine.  Wineries order their wine tasting flights so that the first wine enhances the perception of the second.  The opposite happened at our house with this wine when we finished our Chateauneuf du Pape and opened the Pomerol.  If I had written this blog that night, it would not have been complimentary.  Fortunately, we tried it again on a new day.. This Pomerol is a medium bodied dry wine with flavors of plum and earth and medium tannins.  The flavor expands into the tart finish.  This is a good representation of a wine style that is

Chateauneuf du Pape can be quite expensive. Our local Total Wines store stocks bottles that range in price from $30 to $100 but you can pay more than that at independent wine shops.  The lowest priced Chateauneuf du Pape that I previously found was Costco's Kirkland Signature for $18 but now Lidl has one for $16.99 in their "French Wine Fair".  In fact, I was able to buy it last week for 20% off that price but the promotion has since expired. There are over 100 wineries in the Chateauneuf du Pape region and as in every region, the quality varies greatly.  There is no brand name or winery shown on the label for this wine and furthermore, there is no information about the grapes incorporated into the wine.  Since there is no winery or brand name, you cannot find any information online.  We can assume that Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre are blended resulting in a stated alcohol content of 14%. What we really care about is how the wine tastes.  This wine improved greatly af

Lidl is having their French Wine Fair.  They have stocked  a collection of 16 French wines from various French wine regions.   These wines are not part of their regular collection and will be available for a limited time. The first wine that we tried from this collection is Terroir des Dentelles Vacqueyras.  Vacqueyras is a wine region in the southern Rhone Valley.  It is located adjacent to the more famous Chateauneuf du Pape region.  Red wine from Vacqueyras is made from the same grapes as in Chateauneuf du Pape - Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre but the wine is usually less prestigious and much less expensive. Terroir des Dentelles is 80% Grenache, 15% Syrah, and 5% Mouvedre with 14% alcohol.  I found the wine to be medium to full bodied with rich flavors of cherry, black cherry and a hint of mocha.  The wine has a long, enjoyable finish with a little spice and oak.  I really enjoyed this wine and it is only $9.99 at Lidl. SC Wine Joe rating = 89 points

The Greenville Costco has Franciscan Estate Napa Valley Merlot 2013 on sale for $9.99.  This is an incredible price for a quality Merlot that Costco usually sells for $16.99.  The 2013 vintage Merlot has been available for well over a year and Costco must have scored a good price from the winery as they begin to market the 2014 vintage. It has been almost 3 weeks since my last post on this blog.  I was busy preparing for a presentation that I gave about finding good values in white wine.   More importantly, the new wines I have tried recently were not especially interesting.  Napa Valley Merlot for $9.99 fixed that problem. Franciscan Estates Napa Valley Merlot is 97% Merlot and 3% Malbec with 13.5% alcohol.  The grapes are from a Franciscan Estates vineyard in Oakville blended with grapes from the cooler regions of southern Napa Valley including Oak Knoll.  The wine is aged for 18 months in small oak barrels. This wine has rich dark fruit flavors accented by flavors of licorice

I was in Total Wine and More recently with a specific list of wines to buy using a coupon before it expired.  It was Friday and beside the usual tasting table, a winery representative was pouring samples of Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged red wines.  I tried each of them and was particularly impressed with the tri-county Pinot Noir. Country music star Zac Brown is well known as a foodie and wine fan and he has now teamed with Delicato Family Wines to produce Z. Alexander Brown Uncaged wines.  Zac is involved in the entire process from label design to blending of the fermented grapes. This wine is sourced from three great Pinot Noir regions - Monterrey County, Napa County and Sonoma County.  The batches of grapes are aged separately in French and American oak then blended and bottled.  The wine has a hefty 14.5% alcohol. When I first tasted the wine in the store, I noted that there was something different than I usually taste in Pinot Noir.  The tasting sample size was so small that I

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

Lidl has brought some of it's most popular wines sold in Europe to the US.  Cepa Lebrel Rioja Reserva is one such wine.  You can find numerous articles and blogs online that mention this wine.  One newspaper article from London names Cepa Lebrel Rioja Reserva as one of the 10 "must buys" at Lidl. With a price of $6.99 for a 5 year old Rioja Reserva, the attraction to this wine is obvious.  Some of the European reviewers describe the taste as strawberry and vanilla oak.  I had to swirl the wine in my mouth for quite a while to detect anything that could be strawberry, but there is ample oak leaving my mouth feeling dry at the finish.  Prior to dinner, I would have preferred more fruit and less oak.   With dinner, I appreciated the wine more than earlier. I think this wine is a very good value but not the best Rioja you can buy. SC Wine Joe rating = 87 points

Costco has had Slow Press Cabernet Sauvignon in the store for several weeks and I have had it in my wine fridge for almost as long.  I have been trying new whites to accompany a lot of seafood, as well as exploring some wines from Lidl and I just never got around to opening this wine.  While I was neglecting red wines from Costco, I knew that there were other blogs reviewing those wines and I did not want to repeat what was being said elsewhere. I was not enthusiastic about this wine when I bought it since it was a California wine rather than one from a more narrowly defined AVA renowned for Cabernet Sauvignon, such as Napa Valley.   I later learned that the grapes are from Paso Robles, San Lucas (Monterrey) and Lodi aged for 9 months in American Oak.   When I finally opened the bottle, I found this wine to have intense bold flavors of dark berries, plum and cola and I was pleasantly surprised about the quality.  Wine Enthusiast rates the wine at 91 points and I have no reason to d

White Bordeaux is made from 3 classic grapes:  Sauvignon Blanc which provides a grassy flavor, Semillon which provides complexity and a bit of  honey flavor and Muscadelle which adds aromatic Vibrancy.  Entre-Deux-Mers is a sub region of Bordeaux in southwest France and it's white wines feature those three grapes. I found the Chateau Tour de Bennet Entre-Deux-Mers at Total Wines and it was exactly what I was looking for.  It was a lively fresh, crisp, fruit flavored white Bordeaux with the expected grassy flavors of Sauvignon Blanc mellowed by the softer Semillon,  The wine is 50% Sauvignon Blanc, 40% Semillon and 10% Muscadelle with an alcohol content of 12.5%. I found the wine to exhibit a range of flavors that kept it interesting to the end of the glass.  Total Wines sells this for $14.99, but with my coupon I paid $12.74.  This price is not the lowest in the store for white Bordeaux but far from the most expensive.  I think this is a great choice for beginning an exploratio

Trader Joe's August 2017 Fearless Flyer describes this Grand Reserve Chardonnay as crisp and elegant, with fruit forward bouquet, citrus notes up front and a bit of butter and oak on the finish.  I have to disagree with that description.  This is not a crisp, fruit forward wine but instead it is mildly creamy with notes of oak and butterscotch and a nut flavored finish.  This does not imply that it is not a serious Chardonnay.  I think it is, but just not the wine described in the Flyer. This Chardonnay comes from the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA which is part of the larger Monterrey AVA.  50% of the grapes are aged 6 months in American oak and the rest are aged 6 months in French oak.  The wine contains 14.5% alcohol and costs $12.99. If you are a fan of creamy, soft butterscotch Chardonnay, this is definitely a keeper.  However, it is not my favorite style of Chardonnay and I will look elsewhere. SC Wine Joe does not assign numerical ratings to white wines.

Lidl is selling Duca di Sasseta Ser Passo Toscano 2015 for $5.99.  There is minimal information on the bottle or online about the blend of grapes in this wine but Sangiovese is obviously the primary grape.  I tasted a semi-dry, full bodied Tuscan style wine with flavors of blackberry, dark cherry, plum and cocoa.  There are medium tannins and a long finish.  The wine has 14% alcohol.  There is a lot of flavor here which would pair nicely with red pasta. This wine exceeds expectations for a $5.99 bottle and if you are in the Lidl marketing  area of the Carolinas or Virginia you should try it.  I hope that Lidl continues to deliver this quality for such a low price. SC Wine Joe rating = 88 points

You may have noticed that I have been mostly writing about white wine lately.  Summer is white wine season for me, but I also have been trying a lot of new white wines in preparation for a talk and tasting on white wines that I will be presenting in October.  My plan is that the tasting will expose the audience members to wines that they are not familiar with.  I hope you red wine fans will hang in there and I will write about some red wines in the coming days. Bonterra is one of my favorite wine brands in the value price range.  The wines are made with organic grapes grown using sustainable farming methods.  I believe this results in better tasting wine selling for reasonable prices. I prefer Sauvignon Blanc from California above similar wines from New Zealand and South Africa.  California Sauvignon Blanc is far less grassy flavored and easier to drink.  Bonterra Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best examples of my preferred style.  There are flavors of apple, pear, citrus and minera

When I think of Cotes du Rhone, I imagine red wine -but the region also is known for it's white wine.  White wine from the Cotes du Rhone region of France is a blend of grapes that must be at least 80% Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Marsanne, Roussanne, Barboulenc and Viognier.  I found Famille Perrin Cotes du Rhone Reserve Blanc at Trader Joe's for $12.99.  It is not a Trader Joes exclusive, so you may find it for slightly less elsewhere.  This wine is Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier in unspecified amounts.  The resulting wine definitely reflects the Viognier.  It is pale in color with floral aromas, followed by fresh, bright flavors of pear and citrus with minerality on the finish.  The wine has 13% alcohol and would pair with fish and even crabcakes.  This is a terrific summertime wine which I really enjoyed. SC Wine Joe does not assign numerical ratings to white wines.

Bordeaux Superior wines can be made from grapes grown anywhere in the Bordeaux region of France, but they are considered "superior" due to planting and aging requirements.  One fourth of the vineyards in Bordeaux are superior.  In these vineyards, plantings must be more dense and the vines that survive are healthier vines but the yield is lower.  Bordeaux Superior wines are primarily Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc with small quantities of Malbec and Petit Verdot. Fleur Sainte-Antoine is 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Franc and is aged 18 months in French Oak.  The wine has 13% alcohol.  There is additional information on the winery website but it is in French and I do not know what it says. I found the wine to be medium bodied with flavors of tart cherry, blackberry, blueberry and spice.  There is no sweetness in the wine but I really liked the wine and found it easy to drink.  The wine is $5.99 at Lidl and that is a steal! SC Wine Joe rating = 89 points

I found this Montepulciano D'Abruzzo at Lidl.  There is no name of a winery on the bottle to distinguish it from another Montepulciano D' Abruzzo. Recently, when writing about a wine from the Montepulciano region of Italy, I noted that Montepulciano was also a grape grown in the Abruzzo region of Italy, which creates some confusion.  Abruzzo is in central Italy along the Adriatic sea and the most notable red wines are made with the Montepulciano grape. I found this wine to be medium bodied with flavors of tart cherry, pomegranate and blackberry.  At first, this was not my favorite style of wine, but it really grew on me and by the end I was wanting more.  I did not drink this with food, but I think it would pair with red pasta or pizza if the sauce was not too sweet.  The wine has 13% alcohol and cost only $4.99 at Lidl. SC Wine Joe rating = 88 points

I found the Bois de Menge Gigondas 2015 at Trader Joe's for $13.99.  I love Grenache based Rhone wines from France and this wine was rated 90 points by Robert Parker, so I bought one bottle to try. Gigondas is a village in the southern Rhone Valley.  80% of the grapes grown are Grenache with lesser amounts of Syrah and Mouvedre.  Gigondas is about 10 miles from Chateauneuf de Pape and Gigondas wines are often seen as a less expensive alternative to Chateauneuf de Pape. Bois de Menge Gigondas is 75% Grenache and 25% Syrah.  This is a wine that I enjoyed much more after the first glass, so I would recommend some decanting prior to drinking.  I tasted red berries with a little blackberry.  The fruit was a little subdued and the finish a little rough, but this still is a very good wine.  I think it is well worth Trader Joe's price. SC Wine Joe rating = 89 points

Trader Joe's has a large display of MBALI from the Western Cape, South Africa selling for $4.99.  This wine is 79% Chenin Blanc and 21% Viognier with an alcohol content of 13%.  The Western Cape is a wide growing area that actually includes 27 sub-areas.  Chenin Blanc is the most widely planted grape in this part of South Africa. This wine is fresh and fruity with flavors of lemon, melon and peach.  You can drink this poolside or at a party or you might pair it with very casual food.  I believe the fruitiness would detract  from more serious food. This is a fun summertime drink for a small price. SC Wine Joe does not assign numerical ratings for white wine

When I find a wine that I like, I often go to Trader Joe's and try to find a similar wine at a lower price.  I have recently been enjoying a Poggio Vino Nobile di Montepulciano that I bought at Costco, but I hoped to find a substitute for less than the $15 price.  Surprisingly, I did find Incanto Vino Nobile di Montepulciano at Trader Joe's for $8.99.  Same grapes, same region but will it be the same quality? I began my taste test with one glass from last nights $15 Vino Nobile di Montepulciano for my wine assistant and one for myself.  We then proceeded to the Incanto from Trader Joe's.  Our immediate reaction was that there was no way to compare the two wines.  It was like these were two totally different wines.  Although the Incanto did not cover as wide a range of flavors as the $15 wine, the Incanto seemed to do a decent job on a more limited flavor spectrum.  I noted flavors of dark cherry and pomegranite with a mildly pleasing finish.  However, the longer we drank

Montepulciano is a very confusing to American wine drinkers.  It can mean the Montepulciano grape, found in Montepulciano d' Abruzzo from the region of Abruzzo.  It can also mean a wine from the area around the village of Montepulciano in southern Tuscany such as Vino Nobile di Montepulcio, made predominantly from the Sangiovese grape. Poggio Stella is 90% Sangiovese and 10% Canaiolo with an alcohol content of 13.5%.  This is a crisp, lively, lightly oaked wine with fine tannins.  This is a little richer than an average Sangiovese with flavors of dark cherry, spice and a little earthiness.  It has been aged for at least 2 years plus several years in the bottle. This is a terrific wine, not well known in the US and Costco is selling it for $14.99.  Wine Enthusiast gave it 88 points and Wine Spectator rated it at 92 points.  Not surprisingly, I am in the middle but slightly closer to Wine Spectator. SC Wine Joe rating = 90 points

I write this blog and try numerous wines in search of a $30 wine that I can buy for under $15.  This time, I think I really found one. My fourth wine from Lidl is the Northbound Cabernet Sauvignon.  From the label, this is a Cabernet Sauvignon from a great vintage (2012), a great growing area for Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley) and an above average alcohol content (15%).  The wine was aged in oak for almost 2 years and has been in the bottle for another 2 years.  I knew I would like it even before I opened it. This wine has so many flavors associated with Cabernet Sauvignon.  After only 20 minutes, it opened up to flavors of dark berries, plum, cola, chocolate, and licorice finishing with dusty tannins.  What more could you ask?  The wine is $14.99 and is worth another trip across town to Lidl! SC Wine Joe rating = 92 points

The third wine from Lidl that I tried was this Cotes du Rhone.  Long time readers of this blog know I like Cotes du Rhone wines from southern France and that I judge these wines against the Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone Villages which is usually available every fall for $6.99. The Cellier Du Delta Cotes du Rhone is a typical Cotes du Rhone.  There is no useful information on the bottle except the alcohol content of 13% and the vintage is 2014.  As with every other Cotes du Rhone red wine, we can assume the wine contains Grenache and Syrah. The wine has flavors of cherry, black cherry and blackberries.  The flavor is not as bright and crisp as the Kirkland, but overall it is an enjoyable wine to pair with informal entrees.  This wine sells at Lidl for $5.99. SC Wine Joe rating = 88 points

Most of the wines at Lidl are produced just for Lidl.  If you closely examine the bottles, you will notice that they are grouped into three collections:      1.  Everyday Collection.  These are popular varietals from around the world offered at value prices.  The wines are usually from broadly defined wine regions.  e.g. California or Washington.      2.  Wine Club Collection.  These are quality wines from more specific regions.  e.g. Sonoma County or Columbia Valley.      3.  Sommelier Selection.  These are wines judged by Lidl as exceptional.  These will most often be from very specific grape regions.  e.g. Napa Valley or Russian River Valley. Parity Press Dry Creek Valley Red Blend (as well as the previously reviewed Sonoma Coast Chardonnay) is one of the Sommelier Selection wines.  It sells for $8.99 and has 13.5% alcohol. We do not know anything about the blend of grapes in this wine nor do we know anything about the fermentation process utilized.  The labels on the bottles

LIDL has entered the US market with stores opening last month in Virginia and the Carolinas.  My neighborhood LIDL is still under construction but another store is open in another part of Greenville.  Since LIDL is promoting their wine collection, I decided to cross town and try some of their wines. I brought home several bottles, but we were having salmon and I thought that would pair well with Chardonnay.  My selection was the Even Keel Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.  I chose this wine because the coast region of Sonoma County is great for growing cool climate grapes and it is home to many of my favorite Chardonnays. Immediately, I noticed the pale color of the wine.  This signaled that this was probably a lighter Chardonnay.  The wine is crisp, but not overly acidic and there are flavors of melon, apple and peach.  My guess is that the wine is aged in at least some old oak which gives it a light creamy texture.  The wine hits right in the groove for me - not too acidic and not too oak

Tucked into the corner at Trader Joe's is the VINTJS Russian River Valley Arneis 2016.  The chances are great that you have never heard of Arneis but it is a white grape from the Piedmont of Italy and it is only found in a few places in North America such as the Willamette Valley Oregon and the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County California. VINTJS Arneis begins with flavors of crisp apple and pears but evolves into acidic flavors of melon, minerality and lemon,  It is really a complex white wine which I think I might pair with scallops or shrimp.  Seghesio sells their Russian River Arneis for $22 but it is not available at any stores in my area.  I would like to know if any readers have tried that wine and how it compares with this $8,99 wine from Trader Joe's.

The local Costco is having their summer wine sale which includes the A to Z Oregon Pinot Gris 2015 reduced to $9.99.  The wine includes at least some grapes from outside the Willamette Valley since Oregon is the designated AVA. I liked that the wine was a little spritzy when it was first opened.  I tasted grapefruit, peach, acidity  and minerality.  It is an enjoyable food wine to accompany your favorite seafood. Recently, I wrote about Acrobat Pinot Gris.  Both are 2015 Oregon Pinot Gris with 13.5% alcohol selling at about the same price.  I enjoyed both very much but would give a slight edge to the Acrobat.  I would like your opinion if you have tasted both wines.

I just wanted to stop at Costco for gasoline, some paper product and 2 or 3 bottles of wine to fill my wine refrigerator, but as I entered the store I was handed a flyer for a wine sale.  And then, as I was looking for the wines on the sale flyer, I noticed several new renditions of Kirkland Signature wines.  The new KS wines have new labels that are easily distinguishable from the old labels.  Needless to say, I left with more wine than I expected to buy.  My wine refrigerator is full and the overflow is on the floor next to the refrigerator.  Maybe I need a larger wine refrigerator to deal with this overflow problem. One of the wines I brought home was the Kirkland Signature 2015 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot.  This wine is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot, aged 16 months in American and French oak, with an alcohol content of 14.9%.  The winemakers Jeremy Santo and Emily Haines are winemakers with Milbrant Family Wines. This is a bold wine with flavors of blackbe

Trader Joe's June 2017 Fearless Flyer is featuring the Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Sauvignon Blanc from Horse Heaven Hills Washington, selling for $6.99.  Since I usually enjoy California Sauvignon Blanc but  do not remember drinking one from Washington, I decided to give this a try.  Horse Heaven Hills is part of the Columbia Valley in southeast Washington.   25% of all the vineyards in the state are in this region and while it is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from wineries such as Columbia Crest, Canoe Ridge and Mercer, a wide variety of red and white grapes are grown. I found the wine to be quite acidic with lime and grapefruit flavors dominating and the promised melon flavors playing only a minor role.  We had no problem finishing our bottle but it was not our favorite style of Sauvignon Blanc.  At $6.99, this was ok but I probably will not buy it again. SC Wine Joe does not assign a numerical rating to white wine.

My local Costco just received a large supply of Vitiano Rosso 2014 from Umbria Italy.  It is priced at $7.49 and prominently sports a rating of 91 points by James Suckling on the front of the bottle.  The wine is 34% Sangiovese, 33% Cabernet Sauvignon and 33% Merlot.  In the glass, the wine emits a rich jammy aroma.  I taste flavors of Black cherry, ripe cherry and earthiness.  The wine is somewhat acidic with smooth tannins and the Sangiovese blend is like a Chianti which hits some additional light flavors.  This is a very versatile wine that you could enjoy with red pasta, but it can also be enjoyed alone as you are preparing your meal.  I like this wine better than the Chianti I have been drinking and I hope to buy more while I can get it at $7.49.  If not, I can buy it at Total Wines for $9.99 reduced by whatever coupon is available. SC Wine Joe rating = 90 points

I often write about the variety of styles of Chardonnay and how our individual preferences influence our opinion of the wine.  It is certainly good that we have choices.  I do not assign a numerical rating to white wines but I hope that my description of the wines is more useful than a number.   My local Costco just started carrying a few new Chardonnays including Le Bruniche Chardonnay di Toscana,  This wine from Italy is totally unoaked, so it is tart, acidic and dry with flavors of lemon,  peach and a little minerality.  This wine is too tart for me but if you are a fan of French Chablis, this is a viable, less expensive alternative.  The wine has 12.5% alcohol and sells for $11.99 at Costco.

My wine research assistant, SC Wine Jane, and I look for different things in a white wine.  She would rather drink a Riesling and I most often choose Chardonnay.  On occasion, we can agree on a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio or Gris but that did not happen with the Acrobat Pinot Gris.  I really liked this wine but Wine Jane was not enthused. Acrobat Wines are produced by King Estates Winery to reach customers who are looking for value at a reduced price.  They price these wines a few dollars less than their King Estates wines and they do this by using grapes from a wider area than just the Willamette Valley and producing larger volumes of the wines.  Although the wines come with a lower price, they have still received high ratings from Wine Enthusiast and others. The wine begins with  bright, fresh flavors of melon and pineapple.  As the wine lingers in the mouth it becomes more acidic as it finishes.  This acidity makes it an excellent wine to pair with cheese or crab cakes.  T

Here in South Carolina, we are already into summerlike weather.  That means that it is time for summertime favorite Rose' wine.  When you think of serious Rose', (not the sweet watered down cheap stuff) you have to go first to the Cotes de Provence region of south France.  In fact, between the summer of 2015 and summer 2016, sales of Provence Rose's grew by 55%. Costco recently came out with the Kirkland Signature Cotes de Provence Rose 2016.  The grapes for this wine come from coastal vines of the St Tropez Peninsula on the Mediterranean Sea in the South of France.   The wine is made from Granache 30%, Cinsault 20%, Mouvedre 20%, Tibouren 10%, Rolle 10%, Syrah 5% and Cabernet Sauvignon 5%.  Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon are not traditional grapes for a Provence Rose' but winemakers have begun adding them to bring more depth and structure to the wine. The wine is light salmon in color and exudes a delicious aroma of tropical fruit and floral gardens.  Flavors of stra

Kenwood Vineyards is one winery that always exceeds my expectations for their lower priced Sonoma County wines.  This Pinot Noir fits that description. The Russian River Valley empties into the Pacific Ocean in northern Sonoma County.  The valley allows cool ocean fog to move inland and that cooling influence makes the area ideal for growing Pinot Noir grapes.  Some of the best Pinot Noir in California comes from the Russian River Valley. Kenwood Sonoma County Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is aged 12 months in French oak and the wine has 13.5% alcohol.  This lighter bodied wine has flavors of raspberry, cherry, strawberry and some minerality.  You can almost taste the cool fog in this wine and I liked it very much. Costco does not always sell wine for the same price everywhere.  I have read online that Costco is selling this wine for around $13 in some locations and that is a good price for a Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.  But at the Costco in Greenville SC, there are stacks

It has been almost a month since I have posted any wine reviews on this blog.  I have had a cold and now can finally taste wine well enough to write a description worthy of your time.  Thank you for your understanding. Reviewing Chardonnay is tricky, because there is such a variety of styles from very oaky and buttery to acidic wines aged only in stainless steel.  It is often difficult for me to distinguish between the quality of the wine and my own preferences about style.  My preferred style of Chardonnay is crisp but not lemon-like acidic and the wines I have most enjoyed are aged in older oak barrels so that the wine is still crisp but with a hint of oak flavor. This is the third vintage of the Benziger Chardonnay Sonoma County that I have written about since I started my blog.  It is obvious that this is probably my favorite Chardonnay.  Total Wines enticed me back into the store with a very good coupon and I took advantage by buying this wine at a discount.  The final price w

Infinito 2012 is the fourth red blend that is part of the spring Costco wine sale at our local warehouse.  Costco has reduced the regular price of $19.99 to $15.99, thus making it the most expensive of the red blends in the sale.  The bottle prominently displays a Wine Spectator rating of 91 points on the front label. Infinito comes from Jumilla in south central Spain and is a blend of Monastrell, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.  The grapes are from 40 year old vineyards and the wine has 15% alcohol. The wine is full bodied with flavors of cherry and vanilla.  I found the wine to be more acidic than I prefer but that was my only objection.  From my research online, I think others appreciated this wine more than I did. SC Wine Joe rating = 88 points

Mercer Canyons Columbia Valley Red 2013 is a blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Syrah.  It is interesting that they have chosen to market this wine as a red blend rather than a Merlot.  Perhaps previous vintages have had less Merlot in the wine than the 2013.  The winemaker has barrel aged the Merlot and the Syrah separately for up to 12 months and then blended them together.  The label states the alcohol content as 13.9%. This enjoyable wine has flavors of black cherry and plum.  The website claims that caramel is also part of the flavor mix but I did not detect that.  Perhaps, I will sense it the next time, if only due to the power of suggestion.   I definitely liked the wine and will buy it again.  Our local Costco included this in the current wine sale and it is reduced $2 to $7.79.  (I bought it prior to the sale for the higher price)  This is a great value at $9.79 or $7.79. I have one criticism and that is that the back label has a story about cattle grazing and tells nothing usefu

Ferari-Carano is one of my favorite Sonoma County wineries.  In the past year, I have enjoyed many bottles of their Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.  Recently Costco was selling their Siena Red wine for $16.99 but now has it on sale for $11.49 locally until April 8.  This wine sells online for $23, so Costco is selling it for half of the online price.  It was an easy decision to place a bottle in my cart. Siena is a Sangiovese blend that also includes Malbec, Petit Sirah and some Cabernet Sauvignon.  The grapes are from the Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley and Russian River Valley areas of Sonoma County.  The wine is aged for 12 months in 20% new Hungarian oak and 80% older French and Hungarian oak and is said to be 14.5% alcohol. This Italian style wine is medium bodied with flavors of cherry, black cherry, blueberry and cherry cola.  The tannins are soft and not overpowering.  I have had several North American Sangiovese wines in the last year and have enjoyed every one, but I think