Please use comments here to alert everyone to interesting wines you’ve seen at which stores, but which have not yet been reviewed. Please post any tasting notes in Guest Contributions, or as a comment on a main-page review, as comments here older than six weeks or so will be deleted.
You can check out what reviewers have at home to review at this sub-blog:
The magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet 
Château Léoube 2021 “Rosé de Léoube”, Côtes du Provence Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), France, 13% ABV, $6. Yellow apple / pear, hint of lemon peel, cantaloupe, pink grapefruit, tart red berries, mildly bitter minerality. Seems like it has a decent percentage of a white grape, but I could not find any composition for it. Body medium and texture slightly thicker for a rosé. Second day, smoothed out and integrated, quite tasty. Online price was $23 – $26, but I guess it’s a year past the current vintage now.
Seven Falls 2021 Rapids Red Wahluke Slope (ML,CS,MVD,GRN,SY) 14.5%ABV ($6 GO/$17 MSRP)
**I was very excited to see the sub-appellation of Wahluke Slope on a GO bottle.
**First day, a bit disappointing, blue black fruit flavors seemed reticent, a bit too tart.
**Second day, fruit flavors deepened and the wine meshed together, became pleasing, still a bit tangy and tart at the finish.
**I’ll buy a few more at this low price, just not a case buy.
*********************
🕰2021
💯85/100 🌟3.5
👁Dark purple
👃👅Dry,blue black fruit,tart blackberry,graphite,espresso,vanilla,oak,blueberry,bayleaf, allspice,med high acidity,assertive tannins,med full body, tart finish. Best slightly chilled, better on day 2.
🍇38%ML,22%CS,19%MVD,16%GN,13%SY
🌄Wahluke Slope
🌄Columbia Valley AVA
🕰stainless tank ferment,some in oak,aged 13-16 mo in new & neutral French and American oak barrels
⛽14.5%ABV
🏅v2015 87 WE,v2016 87 WE🏅
💵$17 MSRP, $13-$22 online, $6 GOBM
Seven Falls is one of the many labels under Chateau Ste Michelle.
Fonterutoli 2012 Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy, from Marchesi Mazzei, 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, 3% Colorino*, 2% Malvasia Nera, 13.5% ABV, $8. Sangiovese’s dark red cherry, orange peel, stem / cherry pit, but has some darker notes of plum / dark berry (the Malvasia Nera?, Merlot?). After 3 hours decanted, it was more on the structured / delineated / stemmy side. After 4+ hours decanted, it had become solid, ripe dark red cherry on the entry, trailing off in to more delicate orange, green olive, almost floral. This is a nice, mature, Italian wine at this price. I am a bit late to this, and as the Richmond store got only 4 cases, and I haven’t seen it at Oakland, it’s probably an unlikely find.
*article notes: “In the late 1980s, there was a surge of interest in the variety among Tuscan winemakers who saw in this local grape variety similarity to the role Petit Verdot plays in Bordeaux blends. Colorino was planted and used to add darker colours and structure from phenolic compounds in the grape’s thick skin without the overpowering aromatics that Cabernet Sauvignon could add. This enthusiasm was short-lived and by the turn of the 21st century Colorino returned once again to a minor role in Tuscan wines.”
Cellier de l’Abbaye 2020 Touraine Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP), France, 100% Sauvignon Blanc, 13.5%, $7. Lemon zest, yellow melon, lime zest, bitterness of citrus pith / grape skin / stem, non-negligible wood. Not as light, acid, and delicately complex as I had expected (like last fall’s Les Violettes; I’m not familiar with Touraine), but more solid and straightforwardly assertive. To my taste, almost Californian in this way, although it’s quite dry. It’s pretty yummy and addictive, but probably not enough so for me to get more since I have a good amount of white wine for the moment. Second day, smoothed out and seems lightly honeyed (in flavor; not sweetness) / almost floral. Still a style of SB I don’t really recognize; today reminds me of Chilean. Still tasty but not my favorite. Bitterness in the finish makes it very good with food. On the first day, it actually went well with catfish that had been breaded and pan-fried.
Touraine is a lesser appellation in the Loire and its white wine is SB. The suggested retail on this was probably less than $20.
I like the Fonterutoli Chianti quite a bit. It would be perfect for summer grilling season. Fully mature, good fruit. You can pop and pour if you want but probably would benefit from decanting.
GO wine fans should take note that the Fonterutoli Chianti you are now seeing in the stores might be a different vintage, 2017, than is reviewed above, 2012. I don’t believe BW or I have tasted it yet. That 2012 has probably disappeared. There is, from the same maker, a 2012 (the same vintage reviewed above) reserve wine that costs $12, I’ve not tasted it either.
I would expect that the 2017 would require more air/time. Please do note that 2017 was really effing hot in Italy (I was in Tuscany that July) so I don’t know how this wine will taste or age. I won’t get to it for a few days; we are having scallops tonight.
The demise of Chateau Ste Michelle. Today at the Tacoma 56th St GO store I saw CSM Eleme Element Strawberry Hibiscus “Rose” at $2.99, list $12.99. With natural flavors. Even at $3 I have zero desire to buy. Ages ago this “stuff” of excess grapes would have been under a 3rd tier brand (like Red Diamond, certainly not Columbia Crest). I’m sure it will be a top seller at that price but nothing I would drink.
Chateau Ste Michelle is simply part of a larger wine industry watching its prime consumers–boomers–age away. We on this website may not be interested in strawberry flavored wine, or the ubiquitous Chocolate Shoppe, but the truth is that wine consumption is falling, while cocktail mixes and flavored alcoholic seltzers are rising. Not only are American consumers drinking less wine, but American wine makers aren’t selling much abroad, compared to European wineries that have used export markets to buffer them from wine consumption drops at home. So, I don’t blame companies like CSM for trying to crack the young adult drinking market by appealing to the fun, fruity stuff that they tend to be drinking. (Though, its appearance at GO isn’t a good sign for that strategy…)
At the Olympia store: Desert Wind 2019 Ora (Wahluke Slope), $7.98.
50% Syrah, 34% Malbec, 14% Tempranillo, 1% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Right in my wheelhouse and very enjoyable. It’s the current vintage, selling at the winery for $35
https://desertwindwinery.orderport.net/product-details/0453/2019-Ora
I’ll have to look for this. I’ve been to 2 of the 3 Tacoma stores in the past 2 days and not seen this (buying the Speck Americano smoked and cured ham). I’ve always been a fan of Desert Wind (Prosser) but vaguely remember the ownership changed a few years back (big company)
2019 Laus ‘Crianza’ [Somontano] $7 14% abv. Half merlot, half CS. Imported by Evaki Inc. of SLO. Sure not a traditional / native varietals, and who knows where this DO is in Spain anyways, but my general observation is that these weird Spanish imports tend to be solid (at least from other shops) since it has to be sold on taste alone. Maybe price should be a buck or two lower.
2021 Esteban Martin [Spain] $6 13.5% abv 92 pts James Suckling. 60% grenache, 40% syrah. I have the the feel that I’ve seen this is at Costco, or at least something very similar. Imported by Tri Vin Imports of Clinton Place, New Rochelle NY. Likely to be an industrial Cotes du Rhone kind of creature, but price seems ok for that.
2022 Fernbeck ‘Sauvignon Blanc’ [WO Coastal Region South Africa] $6 12.5% abv. Bottled for Off Piste Wines Ltd, UK by W1740, DH9 7XP, UK Imported by W. Direct of Lawrence KS Given how soft their currency is, they need to provide outsize value to customers IMO. Maybe sell 1L bottles for the same price or something. Being a buck or two cheaper than NZSB doesn’t seem like a big enough value wedge, since Americans are unlikely to know / recognize any brands here.
2020 Pedroncelli ‘Bench Vyd’ merlot [Dry Creek Valley] $10 I can’t see the abv but this was the smoke filled vintage. Old School producer and hopefully still independent. It’s been a very long time since I’ve tasted anything from them, but CA merlot isn’t really on my buy list.
2020 Bodegas Riglos ‘Quinto’ Reserva Malbec [Valley de Uco] $8 13.5% single vyd Back label states terroir has 4 components (soil, water, temp, light) and the fifth (quinto) is the people – which is what this is intended to honor/highlight.
2017 Finca El Refugio ‘Antica’ K1 Tempranillo [Tierra de Castilla] $8 14% abv. 100% tempranillo. 12 mos in French/American oak. Estate bottled by Finca El Refugio. Imported by Plume Ridge. Certified organic by Sohiscert. Ugly label.
2023 Stars Collide [NZSB] $8 12.5% abv Produced by HAHA Wine Co. LTD of Hawkes Bay, NZ. Imported by 4Front Imports of Lewisberg OH. Looks very ‘bulk’.
…now mulling what to open to drink tonight…although it would not be anything from these posts.
Continuing on…
2020 Cavallo Negro ‘Reserva’ [Tejo] $7 13.5% This is a red, and the back label notes that its full of ‘wildberry and dark chocolate’ bottled for Parras Wines LDA of Majorga, Portugal by Eng No 3674 of Majorga, Portugal. Is that mobile bottling or a contract facility. Imported by Plume Ridge.
2020 Callaway Cellars ‘Ely’ Chardonnay [Paso Robles] $7 14.2% abv Bottled by Calloway of Greenfield CA. Fairly premium looking. Maybe it’s something sold in Golf clubhouses? Never heard of the brand but have heard of their irons, which were early adopters of ‘investment casting’ techniques.
2019 Brendel ‘Noble One’ Chardonnay [Napa Valley] $8 12.5% abv. Unoaked, mineral, Burgudian according to the label. Made by Brendel Wines in St Helena with 100% organic chardonnay grapes.
2022 Garua Sauvignon Blanc [Marlborough] $8 12.5% Imported by Pama Beverages of Miami. Produced & Bottled by Spring Creek Estate Ltd, NZ. Tough price point since Costco’s good NZSB is the same/cheaper.
2020 Cellier de l’Abbaye ‘blanc sec sauvignon’ [Touraine] $7 I couldnt find out much if anything on this, but I took a flyer on this. Loire SB for this price seems fair enough. There’s something about the name which seems ‘coop’ like but maybe I’m conflating that with other ones which have the same Cellier in their name. It was the last one left, btw.
2021 Fratelli Cozza ‘Gran Casato’ [Montepulciano d’Abruzzo] $6 13% abv Bottled by ICQRF FG 14978 IT Italia. Imported by the Italian Wine Trader LLC of Aliso Viejo CA. Beautiful old school ornate label (think Marchesi di Barolo) claiming it was founded in 1560. I don’t care for this varietal/region/DO but I hope someone tries it.
2021 Bleasdale ‘The Wild Fig’ [Langhorne Creek] $5 From the Potts Family. 13.5% abv. Syrah 67%, Grenache 23%, Mourvedre 10% blend Imported by MHW Ltd of Manhasset NY. Has a back label/import tag that was appended later. The importer is more of a ‘paperwork’ kind of agent than a firm that risks their capital. Looks way more ‘premium’ than the price point suggests. The dollar is super strong right now so all these foreign wines ought to be good deals.
….more to come
Bleasdale is a good winery. They won the Jimmy Watson award (best red wine at the Royal Melbourne wine show, a big deal down under) for one of their Shiraz-Grenache blends a few years ago, and 2021 was a great vintage in Australia, so I imagine that one is a steal. Where did you find it, so I can go clear them out 😉
These were my thoughts on it at the time.
Some new items seen recently
2021 Serenita Bella [Chianti] $5 13% abv Bottled by V.S. SRL 51035 Lamporeccio Italia. Imported by WX Imports, Novato CA Most regional Chianti should have a gimlet eye applied.
2017 ONX ‘Indie Riot’ Red Wine [Paso Robles] $6 15% abv ‘a blend unhindered by convention’ according to the back label. Strange unappealing label.
2022 Eugenia ‘rose of cinsault’ Bruella Ranch Vyd [Lodi] $5 Black Malvoise clone, 675 cases made, 11.75% abv, raised in stainless. Seems like a fair price for a ‘real’ wine rather than a bulk product.
2020 Cremaschi Furlotti ‘Reserva’ Cabernet Sauvignon [Valle de Loncomillia] $6 13.5% Chilean Wine. Imported by Plume Ridge. The name of the producer or the brand / vyd could be wrong here. Chilean nomenclature is beyond my ken.
2022 Roadside Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon [Yakima Valley] $6 13.9% abv. Estate grapes, and grown/produced/bottled by Roadside Cellars of Zilah WA. Looks legit.
2020 Brazin ‘Old Vine Zin’ [Lodi] $7 15%abv From Brazin Cellars of Manteca.
2023 Peregrinas ‘Pinot Noir’ [Valle Central] $6 13%abv Produced by ACW SA Bellavista S/N, of Rio Claro Chile. Imported by Plume Ridge. Label notes is fresh, acidic, and light bodied, should be served cool.
2022 Azul Y Garanza ‘rose’ [Navarra] $4 13% abv. This is a 1L bottle, sort of like Austrian bulk gruner. Seems like a fair deal.
2018 Antonio Diez Martin ‘Crianza’ [Ribera del Duero] $5 14.5% abv. Nice label and backstory. Imported by Nakedwines.com of Kenwood CA. Produced by Martin Berdugo. It’s all tempranillo and is probably a good/safe pick for anyone looking for this ilk of wine. I’d assume – like most RDD – that it’s a bit on the international/modern spectrum as the traditional / lean ones don’t get exported here.
more to come
Aubergine, research on Public COLA Registry shows Roadside Cellars is yet another “secret” label by Hyatt Vineyards in Zillah.
(Their “other” labels are Floating Rock, Roza Ridge, and a few other names that have slipped my mind.)
Perhaps BargainWhine can provide a link to my previous posts regarding Hyatt Vineyards other secret labels.
The Roadside Cellars label was applied for and approved in 2019 to bottle up excess 2016 wine, that Hyatt had an excess of and didn’t want to oversaturate the market with their namesake brand.
At $6, I’d try one since Hyatt hired winemaker Caleb Foster in April 2022 to turn things around.
Foster ran Buty Cellars in Walla Walla w his wife Nina Buty until their divorce. He started his own winery Gunpowder Creek, and consulted at others before Hyatt.
Nina Buty and Caleb Foster were instrumental in establishing The Rocks District in WA and OR into an AVA, along w Christophe Baron of Cayuse.
Buty Cellars in Walla Walla closed January 2022 after 22 years of making some very good to great wine.
That must be why K&L had so much library Buty. Good wines.
Buty made some particularly delicious Chardonnays from Conner Lee Vineyard back when I was drinking Chardonnay regularly. Used to visit the little winery up at the Walla Walla Airport area shortly after they started. And their wines were far more affordable for me than those from Cayuse (the other famous Rocks District producer).
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/saying-goodbye-to-washington-s-buty-winery
https://www.lawrencevineyards.com/connerlee
https://www.lawrencevineyards.com/_files/ugd/babe8d_812edf6fe37b403ebaa7687e2760dd66.pdf
This is the main one I was able to find.
More Graduation Week wines seen yesterday:
••Seven Falls 2021 Rapids Red, Wahluke Slope AVA, 14.5%ABV
*$6 GO vs $8-15 online (Binny’s clearance $4)
*screwcapped
*30%ML/22%CS/19%Mourvedre/16%GRN/13%SY (Bdx/GSM mongrel?)
*fermented in stainless tank & some in oak, aged 13-16 mo in new & neutral French and American oak barrels
*bottled in Paterson WA
*Seven Falls is a Chateau Ste Michelle label
*No pro rates, Vivino 3.7
*2021 was a very hot year for WA grape growers
••Windstorm 2022 Cab Sauv, Red Hills Lake Co, CA, 14.5%ABV
*$7 GO
*PCR search shows bottled by Raymond Vineyard & Cellars in Sonoma, approved 2/26/2024
*this label under Precision Wine Co
*No pro ratings, no Vivino ratings, no tech sheet available
*I’m concluding excess 2022 wine, possibly from Raymond VY, bottled for Precision in 2024
*Might be decent.
••Columbia Crest 2022 Grand Estates Unoaked Chardonnay, 12.8%ABV
*$5 vs $15, $9 at Total Wine
*screwcapped
*100%CH sourced from Yakima Valley & Columbia Valley
*cool fermentation in stainless tank, aged on light lees for texture
*growing season notes: cool wet spring, delayed ripening, some early grape harvesting
*no pro rates, Vivino 3.6
••Cabeceo 2020 Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 14.5%ABV
*$5
*eye catching label – line drawing of wide trousered legs paired w fishnet stockinged high heeled crossed legs in front, invoking a Tango vibe – ‘cabaceo’ translates to ‘nod of the head’, an indication by the Tango lead to start dancing
*Primary Fermentations, American Canyon, Napa County, CA
*PCR search shows this is made in an industrial park in Napa by Infinity Bottling, a bulk bottler, 3 separate bottlings in 2021
*No pro ratings, no Vivino ratings
••Las Invernadas 2022 Malbec, Valle de Tulum, San Juan, Argentina, 13.5%ABV
*$6
*Invernadas means hibernation or winter season
*Imported by Plume Ridge
*no pro ratings, Vivino 3.4
A slew of new white wines at the Pullman store for graduation week at 2 local universities:
– 64%SB/22%Sem/2%Muscadelle
– v2017 87 WE, v2019 86 WE- Vivino 3.5- No pro ratings for 2021
– v2017 88 WE – Vivino 3.8
– 70%SB/30%Sem
– v2019 90 Decanter, v2022 87 WE – Vivino 3.7
– Vivino 4.0
“Oak, butter, apricot, lemon, pineapple, creme bruleé, pear”
-100% CH, 80% San Bernabe Valley, 20% San Lucia Highlands
– Aged 14 mo in 45% new French oak barrels, 55% neutral
-Diora is a label under Transcendental (higher end) side branch of Delicato
– Hãhã Wine Co, Hawkes Bay NZ
-Secret second label not listed on Hãhã Wine website
-Vivino 3.6 across vintages from 2018 to 2023, 88 ratings total, very few
– possibly excess bulk SB bottled by Hãhã Wine Co?Hãhã whites retail at $15
– $5- imported by Plume Ridge
– no Vivino ratings (points to new label?), no pro ratings
– can’t find any other info on this wine
– 100% PG, Riva Vineyard, Venezia DOC, Italy
– Evaki Imports No pro rates, Vivino 3.7
ππππππππππππππππππππππ
Might pick up both the Mouton Cadet, Diora, ChD EdM and PG when I’m there next.
Apologies if the above is hard to read, editing on this blog on phone is difficult.
I keep getting bounced back to the end.
Diora 2020 Splendeur du Soleil Chardonnay, production details listed above, rated 90 pts 12/1/2022 by Wine Enthusiast’s Matt Kettman
– “Baked apple, toasted nuts, oak aroma” “Palate creamy in texture, loaded with butter and sea salt richness” “lemony apple fruit character holds the midpalate”
If this style of Chardonnay appeals to you or your friends (ie Lim’s Chardonnay loving pal) $6 at GO is an incredible bargain ($20 MSRP, Total Wine $13.49 is lowest price online).
I got one a Diora chard and went back for a couple more; it is an oak & butter bomb, a tad hot, but with the characters mentioned by Kenman and more, moving into tropical - pineapple, lychee, guava. People who like this sort of thing will really like it. Reminds me of the Morrows Chard Paraiso Vyd SLH that came through last year, thought I’d commented on that, can’t find it, here’s Kettman again, 88 WE and long ago another one at GO from Paraiso Vyds (2010ish).
DL, thanks for your take on the Diora Chardonnay! I bought 2 bottles for a big departmental BBQ on Saturday, I hope people enjoy it! It sounds very good from your description. I may need to buy more!
The Diora 2020 Splendeur du Soleil Chardonnay was a big hit at the BBQ and great for the price! ($6) I enjoyed the tropical notes very much!
Returned yesterday for 6 more, another party next weekend, couple of summer birthdays coming up.
Glad to hear it. Diora also had a Monterey pinot noir rosé down here that was not bad at all, but I’m stocked up on pink. Light in body but nice fruit, although I’ve been more enjoying fleshier rosés of Sangiovese, Cab Franc, or GSM lately. Will open one oddball tonight, a Fuedi di San Gregorio (Aglianico) rosé that I picked up a long while ago on the strength of the brand. A few good wines by them have come through GO in the past couple of years.
Mouton Cadet’s lineup is solid for a huge producer, but I don’t really sit much any more (at least at my retailers). Those are good prices. I would sort of liken them to the old Woodbridge lineup from Mondavi – negociant but with long term contracted growers, and a little better than peers at the same price point. I don’t think the American market really likes this concept though, but Brits do.
Thanks, aubergine. I haven’t seen Mouton Cadet on any retailers’ shelves here in years, either.
I was in GO again yesterday looking over new wines. A man browsing asked what wine I would suggest. Our store has a limited selection. I pointed out a Portuguese red blend, Opta Dao 2020, $7. He looked it up on his phone, lowest price $5.73, he replied $7 was overpriced and he wasn’t paying $7 for a wine worth only $5.73. I reminded him shipping will add to the final cost of ordering online. He continued to insist the bottle wasn’t worth $7. (I later looked up the $5.73 price, that’s the price in PORTUGAL. Shipping for one bottle to the US would be $41.) He also looked askance at the Massif D’Uchaux CdR I recc’d. He commented in the past he purchased a Carmenere at another GO, for a fraction of its “true worth” of $36 “listed everywhere”. Good luck finding another unicorn. I felt he was unnecessarily dismissive, bordering on condescending.
Thankfully, I also ran into a lady on the same day who thanked me for my recommendation of McLaren Flat Wine Co 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon last Sunday, which she brought to a dinner party and everyone enjoyed. You win some, you lose some.
more new items seen recently
2018 Manadero ‘Garnacha’ Colecion de Parcelas [Carinena] $4 14.5% abv red wine. imported by Guarachi Wine Partners. This is an obscure Spanish DO. Looks pretty good actually. 92 pts from Suckling.
2022 Huentala Wines ‘Sombrero’ ‘Malbec’ [Valle de Uco] $10 14.4% abv This is from Gualtallary, a high altitude part of the Mendoza. Imported by VinaAmericas Inc. of Miami FL. Seems kind of high priced but maybe it’s a luxe bottling. I don’t really go after South American wines, but some of the malbec being made by the French consultants is pretty good. I just would not pay much more than $10 to $15 for it, and that’s only if it was super well known, and highly reviewed.
2020 Monte Ory [Navarra] $6 13.5% abv, a 50/50 blend of tempranillo and merlot. bottled by Monte Ory of Azagra, Espagna. Imported by Manzanos Wines of Miami FL. Probably pretty good. Manzanos is a reputable, traditional and underpenetrated bodega/group in the US. 90 pts Suckling, which is pretty low.
2018 Agramont ‘crianza’ [Navarra] $6 14% abv Embottelado Por Agronavarra, Murchante Espana. Imported by City Moonlight, NYC, NY. No disclosure/discussion of varietal beyond ‘red wine’ or Tinto. No sticker of any pro ratings either. Navarra as a DO has never really figured out what it wants to be – a source of local varietals, or of international ones, and that can mean a vague thing like ‘tinto’ could have the risk of it being a dumping ground for whatever vats were laying around that didn’t make the cut for better bottlings.
2020 Guarda Rios ‘Red Blend’ [Alentejano] $6 13.5% 97 pts Decanter fermented in steel, and partial aging in French oak. Imported by Tri Vin Imports Inc. New Rochelle NY. Not sure what this is but seems to have a good set of attributes and worth a shot if one drinks Portugese dry reds.
2017 Altitudes [Cotes du Roussillon] $7 Labeled as French Red Wine, but back label notes 50% grenach, 25% syrah, 25% carignan. Bottled by F66N103 for Henriques, France. A cursory Google search comes up with little for that, so I’m assuming that is a regulatory license for some kind of bulk facility, as other wines with maker all seem of the nature. Too bad, I love French country reds.
2019 Simi chardonnay [Sonoma Coast] $4 half bottle, screwcapped. Don’t see halves much at all at GO.
Motu Rum $7 which has nice packaging, and appears to be from Fiji/Polynesia. And curiously, next to it, some kind of alcohol infused Ritter Sport bars, which were being sold in the wine/spirits/beer section. We probably should use more rum for cooking and other purposes, but we have enough of all that ilk and go through it very slowly.
Further digging, I think the ‘Altitudes’ wine is a real product from the Henriques vintner, and the code might be a mobile bottling line or something. They also sell the wine in kegs, so clearly its meant to be the house red in hospitality. The importer who brings that over also brings over a few K&L Rhones I recognize. It’s probably better than I gave it credit for. There is lots of character and interest in the whole swath of southern French reds that is generally not recognized (at least in terms of dollars) by Americans.
Aubergine, Guarda Rios has been popping up at our GO in Pullman sporadically since Nov 2022. I’ve brought Guarda Rios Tinto 2020 to several gatherings and people have enjoyed it. My Vivino review.
🕰2020
💯88/100 🌟3.8
👁Dark dense ruby
👃👄Dry, deep black fruit, spice, earthy, tobacco, oak, med acidity, velvety tannins, long smooth finish. Flavorful Portuguese red blend.
🍇40%Aragonez, 30%Syrah, 20%Trincadeira, 10%Alicante Bouschet
🕰️Steel ferment, oak aging
⛽13.5%ABV
🎖️Decanter 97pt Value Platinum🎖️
💵$12 MSRP, $7 at GOBM
Bought the last two on the shelves in Pullman about 2 weeks ago for another upcoming BBQ.
I commented on the Manadero Garnacha below. I found it a bit disappointing given the score. Didn’t give it much time to evolve though (dinner party). Last night, I finally opened the 2018 Cuesta Bufona Tempranillo that BW liked (also JS 92), found it a bit hard and tight but promising, will try it again tonight.
I think my favorite reds in the past month were two mature CA syrah/GSMs that I’d tried, said “meh”, then tried again based on Seedboy’s reco and found them very good: the 2015 Rancho Bodega and 2013 Westwood Benjamin’s. Both gone here.
The first bottle of RB I tried just wasn’t as good as the second & last 😦 There were about a dozen Westwood bottlings, tried a couple, not thrilled; may have missed Benjie’s ’13 the first time.
Seen recently
2021 Headturner ‘Chardonnay’ [Horse Heaven Hills] $8 winemaker Holly Turner, Walla Walla WA. 14.9% abv
2016 Gliss Cellars ‘Syrah’ [Mendocino] $7 14.5% abv. DNA Vineyards Syrah. Bottled by DNA, Ukiah CA
2022 Smerlino Sauvignon Blanc [Lodi] $6
Caffo Vecchio Amaro del Capo $13 a liqueur of Calabrian herbs.
Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth Irish Whiskey $16
2017 Windvane Chardonnay [Carneros] $7
2021 Photograph Chardonnay [Central Coast] $5 13.5% bottled in Hopland
2021 Maison Montagne ‘Red Wine’ [Paso Robles] $8 bottled by West Coast Wine group in Napa. 13.5% abv. This, and the one above, have a bulk vibe.
2019 Borreo Single Vyd Zinfandel [Napa Valley] $15 15.9% abv. estate grown, produced, bottled by Silverado Vyd, Napa. Nice label and story, but price seems a bit aggressive.
2021 Cave de Gortona Pinot Noir [Vine de France] $7 13% abv a NBI import, and described by others here.
2022 Fighting Chance Pinot Noir [Monterey Cty] $8 14.4% abv vintned and bottled by Wine Tiger of Sonoma. Label has an MC Escher look.
2019 Rural pinot noir ‘Eagle Peak’ [Mendocino] $10 Bottled in Healdsburg. Not much info on the label but the attributes seem good. Probably bright/acidic.
Lots of new wines at one of the crummier locations, strangely.
Here’s some info on the Headturner Chardonnay and winemaker…
https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/headturner-2021-flyaway-chardonnay-horse-heaven-hills/
https://www.threeriverswinery.com/our-team/holly-turner/
https://foleyfamilywines.com/wineries/pacific-northwest/headturner-wine-co/
Turner appears to be winemaker at Three Rivers, who have sold some of their wines (specifically rose’) at GO. And the Headturner wines appear to be part of the Foley Family Wine catalog. It’s all a bit confusing to me. Maybe the blog “research dept.” aka. WORN can shed some light?
Hi Lim, the Headturner brand was short-lived, 2 label approvals 5/11/2020 for Chardonnay and Cab Sauv Winemaker Holly Turner, Foley Family brand bottled at their Three Rivers facility in WallaWalla. The Headturner 2021 “Flyaway” Horse Heaven Hills Chardonnay arrived at our store prior to the fall 2023 sale, price was $8. Wine Enthusiast 89 pts, $25 MSRP, 3/2/2023. Headturner website mentions buttered brioche, butterscotch so presumably oaked but no tech detail sheet available. There was a big release party to introduce Headturner. Looks like the brand underperformed as it’s no longer listed on Foley Family website that Headturner links to, so a discontinued brand.Perhaps BW can post my previous comment on Headturner, I’m pretty sure I mentioned this wine last fall. I recall someone on this blog did give it a try.I decided to pass on Headturner as Talbott Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chard 2018 was available for just $6 at the same time.
Likely this is the post you’re describing.
BW,
Thanks for providing the link to my Oct 20, 2023 post on Headturner 2021 Chardonnay.
Lots more information on that post, the tech sheet I located back then is now unavailable.
The first vintage was 2018, according to Vivino posts.
So Foley applied in 2020 for Headturner label to bottle up excess wine from 2018.
Label underperformed, brand discontinued, unsold wine ends up on GO shelves
Thanks for the research and info, WORN. Nice work…as usual!
Bondar 2020 “Junto GSM,” McLaren Vale, South Australia, 68% Grenache, 10% Shiraz, 9% Mataro (Mourvèdre), 7% Carignan, 5% Cinsault, 1% Counoise, 13.7% ABV, $10. Recently arrived, I let it rest on its side for a few days, then decanted it off some fine sediment. First night, decanted 4 hours, was soft, jammy, fuzzy, and I didn’t like it very much, although subtle complexity and unresolved structure seems promising. Second night, still needed to be opened 3 – 3.5 hours to settle down and darken some. Shows Grenache’s black raspberry / cherry, strawberry / grape jam, faintly getting Syrah’s blueberry, and the finish is nicely complex but hard for me to put into words. It’s a nice wine for $10 and should be popular with people who like fruity CA wines. For me, it’s still too soft, fuzzy, jammy.
Tasted a few wines yesterday:
Petroni was the owner of North Beach Restaurant in North Beach, he has recently passed, and his family is selling off some wine. The Oakland store has multiple vintages of the Petroni Syrah in Magnum in the back room for $18 apiece; tell Mark or Robert that Seedboy sent you.
The 2015 in .750 that BW tasted has a lot of tartrate caked under the cork, clinging to the inside of the neck; when you open it you should clear that stuff out before you pour it.
I bought a bottle of the Reichwage “Twin Hills” Pinot Noir ($7 or 8) and opened it. It has light body and tastes honest, I wonder if it doesn’t have bottle shock and will be better in a month.
I found a shelf full of the 2006 Petroni Cab mags in Rohnert Park for $26 a pop…solid 90+ pts on CT. I picked up a bottle and we opened with burgers. Still in good condition for an ‘06, tannins fully resolved, some decent fruit, I’d rate 88-89. Second day was a tad more pruney…wifie less thrilled. Day three still drinking decently.
So – I’d say to pick up a bottle if you’ve got a party soon – drink nearterm, among best values on the GO shelf for decent cab.
I have had a .750 of the 2015 Syrah open for days, the last glass last night was super tasty. I would love the see the Cab near nere.
“his family is selling off some wine”. In fact all the wine has been offered. Seems the remaining family are in disagreement, and are suing one another (public record), and the wine has been dumped thru wine flash sites, and GO. So much for legacy. more entitled children.
Tasted a few over the weekend. We opened up the Petroni 2015 Syrah at dinner Saturday, found it pleasant and rich but kind of soft and one-dimensional. I liked their rosé better, but I have lots of 2021/2s and don’t need more 2019s.
The Reichwage 2021 Twin Hills pinot noir rosé was very good, following the theme of the Twin Hills red pinot noir with a strong savory umami component on top of the fruit, and mirroring their Mancini Ranch white with a bracing, almost saline minerality. Again, too bad I’m out of room for rosé.
Room or not, I liked the MR white enough to get a few more bottles. One reason it may have ended up at GO is they have no neck capsules, and having been stored cork-down, the MR white had a good deposit of tartrate crystals on the corks, likely scaring off consumers.
The Reichwage red Twin Hills PN I said below felt a tad harsh; by day 3 open it had softened nicely, and the savory component took on a slightly leathery quality. Seemed like an older wine than others at this age. Very well made and interesting wine, but not my favorite style of pinot noir.
Last night, I tried the Manadero 2018 Garnacha, a “Manager Pick” at $4, 92 JS sticker. It’s very ripe, almost over-ripe (14.5% abv), bit of a fruit bomb, rich but again monolithic, and too soft and flabby for me.
Sorry to hear that about the Manadero Garnacha, but thanks for the note. I picked one up a week ago but haven’t tried it yet.
If anyone spots the Reichwage white up in WA please give a shout out.
Olympia doesn’t have it, but would love to try it 😀
Continuing on…
2017 The Wolftrap Rose [South Africa] no price, I don’t think people should buy this anyways. 7 year old rose is a pass
2015? Fog Mountain Rose [Pay d’Oc] no price either, and not totally sure of the vintage but it was old. Again, nuts that they sell this stuff.
2019 Nine Points Reserve Chardonnay [Napa] $10 14.5% abv Vinted and Bottled by Wine Tiger of Sonoma. Never heard of this.
2017 Killer Red ‘Syrah’ [Columbia Valley] $8 14.5% abv produced and bottled by Killer Red of Benton City WA
NV Beaver Creek Vyd. ‘Symphony’ [Lake Cty] $10 (I think) A red wine blend, with no obvious vintage anywhere, nor varietal disclosure. Produced and bottled by Beaver Creek Vyd of Middletown CA, which appears to be a real place well north of Calistoga. Sounds like all a leftover vats ‘sausage’ blend.
2021 Mountain Head Vineyards ‘Big Bold Red’ [Paso Robles] $8 13.6% abv, which seems low for Paso actually. 12 mos of American oak. Vinted and bottled by West Coast Wine Group of Napa.
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I’d try stuff from the South Afrikan Wolftrap winery, if it was ‘fresh’ and low priced. That’s kind of a $9 supermarket wine if available in mass market, so maybe $3-4 is a reasonable GO tariff. But not vinegary rose and golden/oxidized blanc.
Aubergine, Killer Red 2017 Syrah popped up at our GO in Pullman 2 months ago. This label is one of several “secret” labels by Terra Blanca Winery in Benton City, WA. Other unacknowledged wine labels by Terra Blanca are Titan, Impuls and Impuls 71, all spotted at GO over the 3 years since the store opened here (Impuls Rosé, Titan Cab Sauv, Titan Cab Franc, Killer Red Merlot, Killer Red Cab Sauv, Killer Red Syrah)
Yikes. At that price point might as well just stick to Costco. Had a decent $7 Cahors from them last month.
Some of the new items I have seen recently
2022 Michael Pozzan Sauvignon Blanc [Alexander Valley] $6 I know nothing about it and my picture of the back label is too blurry to read.
2018 Cippini [Chianti] $6 12.5% abv Imported by B.Vini Inc. apparently out of San Leandro. Back label instructs to pair with venison. Probably harmless but not a strong vintage, and I’m generally a bit picky when straying out of Chianti Classico proper. That’s kind of a low abv for our era, although maybe not super low by regional standards. I remember the tart versions of a lifetime ago, and remain cautious.
2019 Il Cuore ‘The Heart’ Chardonnay [Mendocino] $4 14.1% abv. Back label promises low oak, high fruit from a cool climate, along with crisp apple flavors (presumably non malo?). Sounds differentiated, but at the moment I have a ton of good Sonoma chard so not looking for 5 year old versions of this varietal. 2022 is generally the current vintage of this kind of wine on sale just for a reference point. Still props to the GO buyers for scrounging this up.
2020 “100 Nails Ranch” Chardonnay [Sonoma Cty] $6 back label promises these were hand harvested, whole cluster, 9 mos of French oak and then crisp apple, brioche, acidity and toast. From 1821 Wine Co. A Zonin Family Co. and produced in American Canyon, which tends to be the homebase for industrial blends.
There are more but I will have comment on them later.
I doubt this is still available, but if one sees the 2019 Ch. St. Jean Pinot Noir [Sonoma Cty] it’s pretty solid, and seems to have been sold at the same price as their bulk California blend ($7). 14.5% abv and 2019 was a very solid vintage for Sonoma PN generally. It’s a straight up commercial pinot – lots of fruit and the label promises (accurately) raspberry and baking spices – but it’s pretty good. I’d give it a solid B grade for a varietal that one normally cannot find drinkable versions for less than $12 or so, but this is nice for the fiver it cost (during the semi annual sale)
Many many years ago I had a lovely visit to their winery, but at this point that site is just a tasting room / picnic area, and it’s not anything ‘real’ any more. Dick Arrowood made some great wines here a generation ago, and I’ve had the luck to taste some of his oily dessert wines of that era, which are thick treats.
By day 3 this had lost some / most of its pinot like character. At one point this was pure pinot but I wonder if this had been amped up with some other varietals (within labeling limits). A bunch of the California flagged PN have syrah infused to give color/body.
So, it was ok, a fair value for the low price, but I don’t think I’d repurchase even if it was offered at the same sale.