South Carolina Wine Joe

A reader alerted me to this wine and a couple of days later, it was featured in the Fall 2019 Fearless Flyer.  This time, the Fearless Flyer emphasized the uniqueness of the Atlas Peak region in Napa Valley and how it's wines command prices of $24 and up.  They did not try to convince us that some top winery had excess wine and Trader Joe's scooped it up and passed the tremendous savings on to their customers.  They probably have worn that story out, but lackluster demand for wine coupled with growing supply is, in fact, leading to excess supplies of wine. Atlas Peak sits on a high elevation range northeast of the City of Napa.  The elevation makes it cooler than the valley floor, but it is less impacted by the cool fog present elsewhere in Napa Valley.  Bordeaux vaietals are grown in the 1500 acres of vineyards along with Sangiovese, Syrah and Zinfandel. Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Atlas Peak is very smooth and soft for Cabernet Sauvign...

Cabernet Franc is a grape native to France.  In Bordeaux, it is blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  In the region of Chinon in the Loire Valley, Cabernet Franc is the major stand alone red wine.  It seems that Cabernet Franc is easily grown in most regions of the United States, from California and Washington to New York and Virginia.  In Argentina, Cabernet Franc has become a rising star in recent years. Cabernet Franc is usually a medium bodied wine with high acidity, which makes it ideal for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon.  It is known for a bell pepper like flavor that usually diminishes after decanting. Jefferson Vineyards is partially on the site of Virginia's first wine company founded by Philip Mazzei and Thomas Jefferson in 1774.  The vinifera vines were not successful and the effort ended with the Revolutionary War.  In 1986, the property owners hired Gabriele Rausse from Barboursville Winery and new vines were planted.  In...

I have not been drinking heavy red wine lately since we have been eating lighter meals during the hot South Carolina summer.  Two days ago, we decided to grill a rib steak which gave me a great opportunity to open the bottle of Ardal Reserva Ribera del Duero that has been waiting in my wine cooler. The first thing I noticed on the bottle when I spotted it at Costco was a sticker that said Wine Spectator rated the wine at 94 points.  The second thing I noticed was that this was a 2010 vintage.  The wine is 80% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon and was aged 24 months in French oak.  Costco priced the wine at $19.99 which seemed to be very reasonable considering the vintage and the rating. I sipped a little wine when I opened the bottle and decided that the wine needed to aerate awhile.  I drank some at 30 minutes, but it was much better after 60 minutes.  There is a pleasant aroma of dark cherry.  The initial flavor is dark cherry which leads in...

I have noted in previous posts that last year, King Estate sold the Acrobat line of wines to Foley Family Wines.  I do not know how this will ultimately work out, but for now, the Acrobat Wines available in stores predate the sale and have been produced by King Estate.  Acrobat Pinot Noir Oregon 2016 sells for $15 at my local wine shop and at Total Wine.  Acrobat has been able to maintain this price by sourcing grapes from wine regions throughout Oregon and not just from the Willamette Valley.  However, they have been able to maintain relations with quality growers and to produce a high quality wine for the price. The wine exudes aromas of cherry, strawberry and raspberry.  While those flavors are present, there is a surprising amount of dark berry flavors.  This is not an overly dry wine and the tannins are moderate.  It is a very enjoyable wine suited for casual occasions and there are not many Pinot Noirs this good for this price. SC Wine Joe ...