South Carolina Wine Joe

Costco has had La Gitana Gold Rioja Reserva 2015 in some stores as early as September 2019, but I just found it locally last week.  Costco's price of $11.99 seems to be about half of the original price and the bottle sports a sticker proclaiming that Wine Enthusiast thinks this warrants 94 points.  While I do not find many 94 point wines for under $12, I do often find Spanish wines that over-deliver for their price. La Gitana gold is made from Tempranillo grown on 60 year old vines in the Rioja region of northern Spain.  It is aged for 28 months in American oak and an additional 12 months in the bottle.  The alcohol content is stated as 14.5%. This wine improved significantly after 45 minutes, so I recommend aerating it accordingly.  I get aromas of cherry, blackcherry and vanilla in the glass.  I taste cherry, black cherry, spice, oak and minor blackberry.  This is a great wine for a small price and it is one of the best Spanish wines I have ta...

My recent delivery of wines from Jolo Vineyards included a bottle of Golden Hallows White Wine Blend.  Last year, I wrote about the 2016 vintage of this wine that I found at a wine shop.  I really enjoyed the 2016 but I think this 2019 is even better.  This wine was bottled and released 3 months after harvest, so it does not experience much aging.  With a wine like this, the current vintage is always better than one that is a couple of years old.  Jolo Golden Hallows 2019 is a blend of 75% Vidal Blanc and 25% Traminette, both French-American hybrid grapes.  The alcohol content is listed as 12.5%. We enjoyed flavors of pineapple, peach, tangerine and a little honey.  As I said in my previous review, this is summer in a glass.  Obviously, this is a great wine to enjoy on the patio but I wondered how it would be with food.  Well, we paired it with baked Mahi and it was terrific.  I highly recommend this summer treat. Jolo sells Golden...

I have been drinking wine purchased directly from my favorite wineries for several weeks, but now feel that I can mix in some wines from big box retailers.  Therefore, I was quite happy to find this Canoe Ridge The Expedition Merlot at Costco.  Canoe Ridge has long been one of my favorite wine brands from the Columbia Valley and I always grab a few bottles anytime Costco has a Canoe Ridge wine. I have noticed that Canoe Ridge will vary the blends on their wines significantly from year to year.  Whereas the 2016 Merlot had 19% Syrah, the 2017 has no Syrah but blends 4% Cabernet Franc with 96% Merlot.  The 2017 Merlot spends one year in French Oak and the alcohol is stated as 13.5%. With this wine, I taste dark berry fruit with some cherry cola.  The tannins are medium intensity and the finish is long and slightly spicy.  I keep finding great values in red wine from Washington and this is no exception.  Wine Spectator rates this as 91 points  an...

Shadow Springs Vineyard has a sister named Windsor Run Cellars located a couple of miles away.  All of the wine making takes place at Windsor Run, which is both a winery and a distillery.  One of the Windsor Run products is a distilled spirit named Shadow Hawk, made from Seyval Blanc grapes grown onsite. In recent years, a number of wineries have introduced wines aged in bourbon or whiskey barrels.  Sometimes, the barrel flavors mask mediocre wine.  Shadow Springs Brandy Barrel Select Red wine is a blend of Chambourcin and Cabernet Franc from more than one vintage year.  The wine was aged one year in oak barrels and 8 months in used Shadow Hawk brandy barrels.  The result is quite different. On the nose, you detect black cherry and chocolate but the brandy aroma dominates.  This is a delicious rich blend of black cherry, blackberry, chocolate, cola and brandy flavors.  It is a bold mouthful of flavor with a very long finish.  This wine is...

Pere Ami is a label produced by Willamette Valley Vineyards in honor of founder Jim Bernau's father, Fred Bernau.  Pere Ami translates as "Father, Friend".  Fred Bernau was a lawyer in the Umpqua Valley of southern Oregon in the 1960's who helped a vineyard pioneer secure one of the first winery licenses in the state after prohibition.  The sketch of Fred Bernau on the label was drawn by his granddaughter. Pere Ami 2017 is a blend of 45% Tempranillo, 36% Syrah and 19% Grenache with a stated alcohol content of 13.9%.  I detected aromas of cherry and raspberry and the color is red/purple.  This is a smooth medium to full body wine that begins with flavors of cherry and black cherry followed by blackberry.  There is nice acidity and a long spicy finish.  This is a well made wine with complex flavors. This wine will need to be purchased directly from Willamette Valley Vineyards and it is priced at $35.  If you are supporting the winery by purchasi...

In a very short time, Jolo Vineyards has become one of the most successful wineries in the Yadkin Valley.  Jolo, located in Pilot Mountain, N.C., features one of the most beautiful tasting rooms in the region with a fine restaurant and breathtaking views of Pilot Mountain.  The wines are made from French-American Hybrid grapes but vinifera vines have been planted for future harvests. We are continuing our support of independent wineries during the pandemic period.  We took advantage of a Jolo offer of 4 selected wines for a reduced price with free shipping.  The package included Crimson Creek Chambourcin, which we have enjoyed in past visits to the tasting room. The wine pours a deep dark red color with raspberry and spice aromas.  The wine was released only a few months after harvest.  The wine is more vibrant and light fruit forward than most Chambourcin I have tasted.  I note cherry, raspberry and blueberry flavors with a lingering spicy finish....

As part of my effort to support my favorite independent wineries during the "shelter in place" period, I ordered a delivery from Shadow Springs Vineyard.  Shadow Springs and it's sister winery Windsor Run Cellars are located in the southwest corner of the Yadkin Valley, within the Swan Creek sub-AVA.  There are 7 wineries located within this small area with more to come.  The other wineries/vineyards in Swan Creek are Dobbins Creek, Laurel Gray, Midnight Magdalena, Piccione and Raffaldini.  Shadow Springs Vineyards Meritage is a 2014 vintage wine made from Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot, aged for almost 24 months in oak.  The wine is labeled as "Yadkin Valley" so not all of the grapes are from Swan Creek AVA. There is a inviting aroma of blueberry and blackberry in the glass.  The flavors are a complex combination of dark cherry, blackberry, cola, spice and tannins.   This is one of the best red blends I have encou...