It would be fair to say that Columbia Crest is a label that doesn’t hold a lot of cache with wine experts. CC is about as far from a a boutique as a winemaker can get – it’s a behemoth by any standard. But I’ve always had a soft spot […] Read more
Wine
Perrin Reserve Cotes de Rhone – 2009
This one is my bargain of the year in wine so far in 2011 – a gem that really makes you wonder how Perrin & Fils is able to release a wine of this quality for this price. I paid $8.99 at Bevmo – which was a price match from […] Read more
Saint Clair “Vicar’s Choice” 2008 Marlborough Pinot Noir
Yes, he’s drinking Pinot again. The quest for a good $10 bottle of Pinot Noir is something of a holy grail for us Pinotphiles – usually fruitless (sometimes literally) occasionally disastrous, rarely successful. So how does this entry from New Zealand stack up? First of all, at $11.49 from Costco, […] Read more
2009 Chariot Gypsy Red
This one is something of a Trader Joe’s legend – eagerly awaited every year as a potential value blockbuster. This year the price point is $4.99 – is it worth it? For starters, what is it? This year Jim Neal Wines brings us an interesting blend of 34% Zin, 30% […] Read more
Picket Fence 2007 Russian River Pinot Noir
Here’s another one of those interesting finds at TJ’s. You can find this wine directly from the producer – for a mere $30 bucks. Meanwhile, Trader Joe’s is selling the very same wine for $8.99. That’s all well and good and enough to whet the appetite, but some $30 wines […] Read more
Indian Creek (Navarro) 2008 Pinot Noir Reserve
This is the last (and best) of the three-bottle wildfire sampler from Navarro – three reds that Ted Bennett and Jim Klein decided had too much smoke taint to release under the regular Navarro label. This wine is interesting both on its own merits, and as a comparison to the […] Read more
Steelhead Zinfandel – 2007
Trader Joe’s bypasses the usual subterfuge on this one – you don’t even have to read the fine print on the back of the bottle to know this is actually a product of well-respected Sonoma bio-dynamic winery Quivira Vineyards. TJ’s is selling this second label offering for $6.99. A couple […] Read more
Indian Creek (Navarro) 2008 Zinfandel
This is the second of the three bottle sampler I picked up from Navarro – their “fire sale” offer that resulted from the wildfire-influenced 2008 vintage. As with the “Mendocino” Pinot I reviewed earlier, I found the much-discussed smoky influence more of a suggestion than a command with this one. […] Read more
Indian Creek (Navarro) 2008 Pinot Noir
I’m going to qualify this review by stating up-front that I’m a Navarro fanboy. It’s without a question my favorite winery in California, for a multitude of reasons. I love the physical location – off Route 128 in idyllic Philo, at the end of a long and gorgeous drive on […] Read more
Mark West Pinot Noir – 2008
I’m always a little suspicious of wineries with “attitude” – if the wine was good enough, would they need it? And Mark West has it – from their “keepin’ it real” website to their motto, “Pinot for the People”. But here’s the thing – Pinot Noir for the People is […] Read more