The Fall 2023 Grocery Outlet wine sale, 20% off all wines, will be Wednesday, November 1 through Tuesday, November 7. I’ll get some Vireton Pinot Noir and Magistrate Cabernet, probably some other wines also discussed on the What’s New? page, such as Matchbook Petit Verdot or Malbec, Shale Oak KA red, Crasto Duoro Superior, and probably a number of others I’ll forget until I see them in the store(s). As usual, reply to this post with what you got where, what you saw that you left behind, what you think of new arrivals you tried out, etc. Cheers and happy hunting!
The magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet
The best and the worst of Gross Out.
The magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet 
Fall Sales purchases:Our store had a very limited selection of wines w high interest factor. I would have liked to try Shale Oak Zin, the 2 Tommasi, Massif Beaumefort CdR, Matchbook PV, none in Pullman.
Someone scooped up the case of Luberon and even the Roaming Dog Rosé b4 I could change my mind! 😂This is what I gathered during the sale and right before.NR indicates no pro ratings
Thanks to everyone for trying these out and posting your views.
1. Talbott 2018 Sleepy Hollow VY Estate Grown Chardonnay ($6) (94 pts WE) – 7 bottles (these I bought presale)
2. Luxus One 2018 Terra Alta ($6) (91 pts WE) – 5 bottles
3. A. Díez Martín 2021 Verdejo ($4) (NR) – 3 bottles
4. Vinas de Xisto 2019 Tinto ($8) (91 pts WE) – 3 bottles
5. Pica Pau 2020 ($4) (NR) – 3 bottles
6. Feuerheerds 2020 Tinto Reserva ($9)(NR) – 1 bottle
7. Forte di São Sebastião 2021 Touriga Naçional Reserva ($8) (87 pts WE) – 1 bottle
8. Crasto 2018 Douro Superior ($4) (88 pts WE) – 1 bottle
Total spent $121.16 for 24 bottles = $5.05 average
Most will be going to friends for Thanksgiving, Christmas gifts and brought to holiday get togethers.
🦃🧑🎄🎁🎉
Consider yourself lucky, WORN. Even though I bought nothing, I saw none of those wines in Kitsap County and would likely have at least given a try to the Talbott and Pica Pau. I was drinking those coveted Talbott Chardonnays 30 years ago (when I was drinking Chardonnay).
Lim, I’m surprised that the Kitsap stores don’t have a better selection than Pullman! I’m puzzled by the whole ordering/distribution system in general.
Don’t get me wrong, I was very pleased to see all the different Portuguese wines here in time for the sale. Grass is greener, yada yada.
I don’t think you’d like the Talbott at all now, it’s most definitely oaked.
Were you more oak tolerant in the past and with time and exposure, grew to dislike it?
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Currently, no gas heat in the entire Palouse area since late Wednesday, a gas pipe ruptured due to an excavation mishap. Thankful it’s not January!
The only thing I can think of relates to the stores I supervised when still working. We had a store in the U of W district in Seattle and they always got tons of better wines forced out on them. Sales were better there due to all the faculty members and related professionals who were big wine lovers with more “discerning” taste.
In regard to the Talbott, you’re likely right, WORN…I probably wouldn’t like it. But we have a good friend who drinks oaky Chardonnay almost exclusively (can’t tolerate red wine) and I’d be happy to offer her the Talbott. And you are correct also about my tolerance for oak. So many wineries began over-oaking their wines (especially Chardonnay and more especially Oregon Chardonnays) that I had a tough time tasting the fruit. I favor wines that distinctly demonstrate the flavors of the terroir and their varietal heritage. Chardonnays in particular are all over the board. I grew tired of searching for the perfect, delicately oaked ones.
Hope you’re back to heat soon. And yes…good thing it’s not freezing out! Living here in the semi-boonies, we’ve had to resort to our wood burning fireplace exclusively for heat more than a few times due to power outages.
Some of you might have seen that Naked Wines fired their CEO and seems to be entering Chap 11 reorganization. So perhaps even more of their wines will be showing up in the GOBM system. I had a Priorat (!) they brokered or brought in a few years ago, and frankly it was an embarrassment to the DO, so I’d almost view their involvement with a wine as a negative signal.
aubergine, I read in September 2022 that NakedWine stock price plummeted 34%, told a friend on Vivino they’d probably go belly up.
Saw a Naked Wine offering last month at GO for the first time, the Antonio Díez Martin 2021 Verdejo ($4) which was actually good. Someone (BW?) snagged the ADM Tempranillo as well as the Verdejo. No verdict yet on the red.
Forte de São Sebastião ($8 presale)
Popped the Forte as I’ve never had a 100% Touriga Naçional, only in blends.
🕰️2021
💯87/100 🌟3.7
👁Deep ruby purple
👃👅Med dry,black fruit,rosemary,roasted black plum,brambles, blackberry,leather,black cherry, slt smokiness,med acidity,med tannins,long finish,full body, balanced, smooth.
🍇100%Touriga Naçional
🌄Portugal
🕰no barreling info
⛽13.5%ABV (seems higher)
💯???cases
Filipe Sevinate Pinto WM
🏅87 pts WE,9/1/2023🏅
💵$15 SRP
🪟 Drink now
Very enjoyable!
I returned to Richmond today and got a few more wines (prices pre-sale):
And then a bunch of new stuff:
I stopped by Oakland this morning since it’s near my kid’s school. They had the Beaumefort 2021 Côtes du Rhône, so I got the 6 bottles I wanted there. (My wife loved it, too.) I think it’s been since the Bailiwick Pinots that I got 6 bottles of one wine. It happened to be senior discount day / time, for which I am now eligible, so I got an additional 10% off. They also had the Yering Pinots ($5), although I saw the 2015 Yering Station, but I saw none of the other new wines I got yesterday at Richmond.
For those looking for lightly sweet, fruity Rosé:
Roaming Dog 2020 Rosé of CS
99%CS/1%MB
Stainless tank aged 6 months.
Under Aquilini Wine brand umbrella but made at Pacific Rim Winery in Richland WA 12/7/2020 $15 on website, $4 GOBM presale. Vivino reviews mention very fruity w slight sweetness. No pro ratings, Sunset Magazine awards only 🤔
Aquilini also let go their Dixie & Bass 2020 Rosé of CS to GO about 2 weeks ago, $15 SRP, $4 GO presale.Those sold out quickly here. Also bottled at Pacific Rim in Richland WA on 2/10/2020.
Visited my local GO twice now but nothing has really stood out. Ended up getting a bottle each of the Dominic Hentall Sangiovese, Fresh Vine Cab, and the DH Terra Calda Primitivo. Debating going back to grab a bottle of the Matchbook Petit Syrah, but unsure if it’ll be worth it. Otherwise, nothing has really caught my attention. If anyone has recommends for a big dry red though, I’m open to suggestions
Dropped by Pullman’s GO for groceries and to check out new bottles. New:1. Forte de Saõ Sebastiaõ 2021 Touriga Naçional $8 pre sale, 13.5% ABV-100% Touriga Naçional.I’ve only had TN in blends This label is not on Quinta de Sebastiaõ website, their Fonte des Setas and QSS Rare (endangered animal heads on label, lynx, tiger,etc) have been in GO in past/currently.
I did pop open today, with friends, a bottle of Feuerheerds 2020 Tinto that BW liked.🕰2020💯89/100 🌟3.9👁Intense dark ruby 👃👅Med dry,black fruit,blackberry,cedar,vanilla,slt green herbal note eucalyptus?,dark cocoa,cassis,oak,med acidity,med low tannins,med finish,med full body,giving me Port vibes on second half glass.Might be a bit sweet for some.🍇Touriga Naçional,Touriga Franca,Tinto Roriz🌄Douro,Portugal🕰 12 mo in used Port barrels⛽14%ABV10g/L RS💯 ?cases🏅v2017 88 pts WE,9/1/2020🏅💵$20 online🪟 DW 2023-2027I’ll pick up a few bottles for people I know who love this med dry style.
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Ran into a woman who is a member in my former wine club, she picked out some REALLY mediocre bottles, Snoqualmie NV WhistleStop Red Blend and that weird A Wine Story NV Chilean PN, docked at Manhasset NY, bottled in Napa by Violet,Marlowe and Joseph.She would NOT be dissuaded from her 💩-y choices! 😂Another woman looked puzzled, asked my advice, I steered her to one of the 3 remaining Talbott 2018 SVD CH and a Luxus One, which opened up for me in the following days and became really tasty. I did warn her to open the Luxus several hours before serving it.Another woman picked up one each of the Crastos 2018 Douro whites on my recommendation.I know, I know, doing the Lord’s work! 😂
Not much in the way of interesting new wine in the SLO store…no Barolo, no Feudi di San Gregorio, no Chinon, no Verdejo. I ended up going with a couple bottles each of:
2016 Château Gemeillan Médoc
2021 Señorio de Irati Garnacha Navarra
2019 Chateau St. Jean Pinot Noir Sonoma County (CA pinot isn’t generally my favorite category, but giving this a whirl)
2017 Shale Oak Winery Grenache Blanc
Nov 1, 8:05 AM at the Novato GO: one customer walked out with 22 cases of a variety of wine, including all 5 cases of the Coppola Director’s Cut Chard, and most of the Buena Vista (Pinot?). Not sure what whales I missed (not real impressed by the Buena Pinot), but this is usually my sleeper store for the harder to find wines during the sale.
Petaluma GO is where I buy most of my wine, and they have several goodies left in their bag including the last of Tom of Finland — buy now and drink up soon! Lot’s of the Bonny Doon Rose, Feuerheerd, Altus Red and Simi Cab. Some extra discounts on the Horse Heaven Red and the Pieces Red (Paso from 2013, have not tried yet).
This is liking finding out the prize for a pie eating contest is….another pie.
Huge bulk buy, might be stocking a Mom and Pop restaurant/bar is my guess.I suspect a few of the places here do that.
2019 Chateau St. Jean Sonoma Pinot Noir is pretty good for $6.99-20%! Pick it up and try it.
Sea Drift 2020 from Monterey much worse. Thin, smoky, not much else. Drinks like cheap pinot but at least not overly fruity cheap pinot…
Hi GOWL. I liked the 2018.
I am heading to Carmel today, hoping to see some Talbott. Meanwhile I did check out the Richmond store yesterday. They have cornered the market on the Shale Oak wines. The Grenache Blanc is a gorgeous wine. I also liked the Albariño and the Grenache that DL mentioned. They have the Bonny Doon rose. So, I walked away with a few bottles, but, sadly, none of Robb’s Chardonnay.
Glad you made it to Richmond. Did you get more Rioja?
I finally opened my bottle of Shale Oak 2016 Grenache Blanc tonight. I agree it’s a delicious wine. At first, I found it both too soft and ripe at first, and then too acid on the finish, but after a while these characteristics integrated nicely. Was interested that, among typical GB fruit flavors, it has a note of petrol.
I tried one of those Naked Wines options, the Dominic Hentall Puglia bianco. Not bad but unmemorable (very flinty, but not much going on beyond that). There are at least 3 of these Naked Wines picks in the sale – the bianco, a Hentall red, and that Antonio Diaz Martin verdejo. Any of them worth a try?
There are numerous Portuguese still wines that have shown up in the sale, priced around $7-9 before the discount, and I’m curious whether any of them are worth a pickup.
MB, both dluber and I thought the Antonio Díez Martín 2021 Verdejo was a great deal for $4 (presale price).
Dluber states “More SauvBlanc-y than Riesling-y”, I agree. My first Verdejo, dluber’s second, I believe. My extensive review is Oct 25, if you scroll thru “What’s New” listings.
NakedWine lists price as $13 for the 2020 which is out of stock. Not sure why they dumped all the 2021.
(Pro tip if you live far from your GO: A wine judge pal in CA on Vivino stocks his car w a wine key/glass. He buys tester bottles, goes to his car, opens them up, tastes. Returns immediately to buy more if they’re great.)
Thanks. I will try to pick up a bottle of the verdejo at some point. I had it in my cart, but put it back as I already had 5 other bottles to carry on foot. I went with the Crasto and Crasto Superior instead, though am a little wary that the 2018 vintage means that these whites are past their prime.
I tried a Crasto Superior (regular Crasto not available) and found it to be on it’s last legs age-wise. Still drinkable but window closing fast. Pass for me to add to cellar.
MB, You did not name any of the Portuguese red wines you ran across. This is a list of ones tried recently from GO. Disclaimer re: Portuguese reds.They are great value wines if the following style appeals.
Off dry to med dry, palate of black fruits, underpinned by herbs and spices, not very tannic nor acidic, usually smooth, med to full bodied, high alcohol, usually around 14%ABV. If your preference is Pinot Noir, Bdx, GSM, Riesling, these reds may not be for you.
1. Feuerheerds 2020 Tinto ($9) BargainWhine and I tried this and liked it. Very “Port Lite”, aged in used Port barrels. May be too sweet for some people..
2. Vinhas de Xisto 2020 Tinto ($8) – delmartian1 bought a case after trying a bottle. (91pts WE)
3.Forte São de Sebastiaõ 2021 Touriga Naçional ($8) I popped this tonight, it’s good.(87pts WE). See my review above.
4.Guarda Rios 2020 Tinto ($7) is a crowd pleaser, had that 3 times in past. (90pts WE)
5. Opta Dáo 2020 ($8) – I brought it to a party, it was emptied bf I had a chance to drink more than 2 oz, but it was good.
6. Quid Pro Quo 2019 Tinto ($7) – very tasty, had one bottle, it sold out before I could buy more. (90 pts WE).
Last day of the sale!
Here are most of the ones I’ve seen lately at my local GO, leaving out the ones you already mentioned. Virtually everything is in the $7-8 range:
Caves Velhas Romeira Reserva 2020, Lisboa
Dona Flor (blend of cabernet sauvignon/touriga nacional), Lisboa
Q.S.S. Rare (blend of cabernet sauvignon/touriga nacional/alicante bouschet), Lisboa
Gaios 2020 (blend of Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional), Douro
Cavalo Negro 2020, Tejo
MB, I had the QSS Rare 2018 Tinto two years ago Oct 2021, (89 pts WE Best Buy-Roger Voss), had a lynx on the label. Each vintage has a different endangered animal.
I thought the 2018 was more like an 87.
I can’t vouch for any other vintages.
Quinta de São Sebastião makes a lot of Tinto reds that end up at GO.
There is a free app called Vivino, you can take a picture of the label, the app gives you crowd sourced ratings. You can post reviews and ratings. The app also has a cellar function. You can follow other members posts and vice versa. I’ve been on Vivino since 2019, I use it daily. Premium membership is not necessary to use the app.
I’m not joining “Premium” membership and paying $50 yearly for “extra” features that used to be free until 2023.
New in Pullman:
1. Pica Pau Branco $4
2. Rae Bird 2022 Sauv Blanc Lodi $6
(no info, no ratings, nothing on PCR despite 30 yr search span, very odd, red flag, points to perhaps an extremely recent bulk wine bottling)
3. Pacheca NV Ruby Port $12
4. Ch Gemeillan 2016 Medoc $15 (only 2 left, someone liked this!)
Several new Bordeaux Superiore, from $6 to $10.
Some previous bottles restocked
5. Guarda Rios 2020 Tinto $7
6. Viña Marichalar 2018 Rioja $11
7. Sister’s Ridge 2020 PN NZ $8
8. Belle Fiore 2018 PN OR $10
9. Double Canyon 2020 CS $17
10.Titan 2017 Cab Franc $10
11.Titan 2017 Cab Sauvignon $10
These 2 Titans have been showing up at our GO since it opened.
Titan is the second label of Terra Blanca winery in Benton City, WA. Vivino ratings for both wines are all over the map, indicates high bottle variability to me, so pass again.
12. Snoqualmie NV Red Blend WA $6
Much too basic, nope.This is sold at WinCo for $7.
Still 3 Talbott SVD Chardonnays left amazingly.
No new Syrah, Merlot, Riesling, GSM, CdR or Gewurz.
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Ran into the very nice owner Brad who says there will be a wine tasting in the next 3 days.
I hope to convince him to open one or more of the following:
A. Feuerheerds Reserva Tinto ($9)
B. Vinas de Xisto Reserva Tinto ($8)
C. Pacheco Ruby Port ($12)
He’ll probably pick PNW or CA bottles.
The average shopper here is more comfortable w those. European wines puzzle most people here. Case in point, lots of both Crastos left, despite the presale price of $4 on both the Superior and the Douro Branco.
Left w 8 wedges of Perrano Dutch cheese, no wine as I still have the Luxus One 2018 Terra Alta to finish off.
I went for a case of the Vinas de Xisto Reserva Tinto…tried a single bottle last week and found it well balanced and smooth. Also a few bottles of Bolla Valpolicella for every day (very fond memories of this wine when I was a poor starving student) just for fun.
dm1, Wow, Del, you went long on the Xisto! That’s a strong vote of confidence! I’ll definitely pick up a few! I like Bolla Valpolicello very much as well, surprisingly tasty, very reliable and you can’t beat the price! Our GO hasn’t carried it for a long time, sadly.
Hard to beat the Bolla at $3.99 presale. Oceanside also had magnums of Bolla Chianti at $5.99 presale.
I picked up these today, mostly based off comments here, and also visited a ‘new’ location to me – Citrus Heights, which seems to have both a good and slightly upscale wine dept (more on that later).
Today’s foolishness, and net prices
blanc
Cathedral Cove SB $5.60
Little Leaf Semillion/SB $4.80
Skandi Sparkling Pear CIder $3 (despite the blue neck label promising the sale, this did not code up as qualifying, but I asked the cashier to summon a manager, who gave me a buck off, manually. So be aware if you’re buying this, and its not from the Nordic region, more Baltic, as I think its from Latvia)
pinot
Ch. St Jean Sonoma PN $5.60 (first time I’ve seen this, normally only the California bulk)
Vireton PN $12
Crystal Cruise SLH PN $5.60 (their system calls this McIntyre PN and despite the huge 15+% abv, it’s certainly enjoyable/functional/varietaly true)
Sisters Ridge NZ PN $5.60 (this is the one K&L sells for $15)
New items worth mentioning, although unpurchased
2016 Acumen SB [Atlas Peak] $18 frontline price, before discount. very heavy bottle. probably pretty good, but almost 8 year old sauvignon blanc is kind of dicey unless this was intended for aging (wood, lees aging, etc.)
2017 Terre de Vino [Barolo] $17 this is coop Barolo from an ‘ok’ vintage, but net would be roughly the same price as Langhe Nebbiolo, from other cantinas. This periodically shows up at various west coast retailers, my feel is that good vintages at $15 is a fair deal.
2016 OCCI vin rouge [Languedoc] $7 pretty old
2017 Louis Bernard rouge [Cotes du Rhone] $8 that’s a Costco level price for a functional/decent CdR. Safer bet than the other negociant CdR floating around at the moment. I passed on the various other GSM Rhone / Southern France blends from other producers; I have a lot of this category.
2017 Gunther Schlink ‘Desire’ Beerenauslese Rheinhessen 375ml $18. Wow this is something one would never expect to see. BA are always pricey, and are a niche category, Citrus Heights location for those looking to try one.
2019 Pierre Sourdais Les Rosiers [Chinon] no price listed, but one doesn’t trip over herbal cab franc on the discount racks much. It’s a Jeff Wellburn selection so likely always had a relatively low price.
2015 Villa Illaria Barolo $20 I’ve never seen/heard of this. It was at the North Highlands location, which still has some of those no name 2016 Barbarescos for $17. The latter seems to have been some kind of WTSO concoction (formulated to hit a price where a 3 pack with shipping could be sold for x$, not available anywhere else in the world) I see no info on Wine Searcher about this, so I’m guessing it’s the same kind of thing, bottled up to extract the value out of the ‘barolo’ DOCG from the unaware.
Martha’s 10 Year Tawny Porto. $17 I have never heard of this brand, it almost sounds like a Buyers Own Brand bottling. Nothing special about that price either, if one has Total Wine coupons, or a Costco membership (Kirklands decent tawny is samish price)
2020 Feudi di San Gregorio ‘Ros Aura’ This is a rose from an excellent southern Italian producer with wide lineup. Always beautiful labels. Still this is an almost 4 year old rose, and $8 is the wrong price for that. I’d buy almost anything from this maker if it was cheap/sound.
The only things I was (sort of) looking for were the Talbott SVD chard (no luck) and opportunistically, functional mid week pinot noir. I had already tried the Crystal Cruises, so picked up one more of those, despite its massive abv, it seems to carry its heft well enough.
Lastly, If one is buying Bordeaux from GO, I suggest checking K&L to see what is available there, as well as Costco. $15 honestly buys a lot of name brand, critically reviewed, wines from either of those purveyors.
That Chinon was originally $6 and super for that price. If you like Chinon and see it again, sale or no, I recommend you get it. I can’t believe it’s still around somewhere.
Regarding the Martha’s 10 year tawny: It is a legit Port producer, that has estate vineyards dating back to the 18th century. They are a small producer, specializing in tawny–and in fact they’ve never actually produced a vintage Port for sale. Their 20 Year Old and 30 Year Old bottlings are much sought after in Europe, but I’ve never seen them sold in this country. Incidentally, they are the Port house behind the amusingly named Portobello Ports we’ve seen in the past at GO–a tawny and ruby without age indications. And aubergine is right that the price is not really a deal…
I am away from Seattle and cannot say whether they’ve shown up at Seattle metro GOs.
Finally tasting/trying/consuming the 2020 Sisters Ridge PN [Canterbury?] which is lighter, herbal, almost tea bag infused, with light red fruit example of pinot. It’s ok, and I certainly can’t complain about the price. Just right for mid week light bodied red pinot, on a very hot 102F day, for after pool relaxing, while cuing up some music. Higher on the acid, and earth, than my usual/favored RRV pinot fare…but realistically one cannot broach anything from that AVA at anywhere near this gift price. It is ‘Burgundian’ and if $20-$40 basic red Bourgogne leaves one sad, or with an empty glass, I think this is a reasonable approximation for the taste profile.
Pretty weak selection and no hidden gems at Mira Mesa in San Diego. I’ll hit a few other stores in the next few days. I grabbed 1 of each of the below ($ before discount):
2021 Dominic Hentall Sangiovese Negroamaro (Publia, IGT, NakedWines) – $4.99
2021 Terredavino Barbera D’Asti DOCG – $6.99
2019 Michel-Schlumberger Petit Verdot Santa Clara Valley – love this wine – $12.99
2016 Shale Oak Zinfandel – $7.99. I did get a bottle of the 2013 Ka Red Blend and it’s okay – too hot for me even the next day. Somebody bought an entire case. I don’t think it’s worth searching for
2016 Chateau Gemeillan Médoc per Grossout User rec (cannot remember whom) – $14.99
2020 Feuerheerd’s Douro DOC – $8.99
Not great Pinot Noir selection…the Vireton is pretty good. I’m sick of the Latitude.
2020 Vireton Pinot Noir Williamette Valley – $14.99
2017 Erath Pinot Noir – Oregon – $13.99
2020 Sea Drift Pinot Noir – Monterey – $4.99
2018 Vina Aroya Pino Noir – Santa Barbera County – $5.99
2021 Antonio Diez Martín Verdejo – $3.99
That Bonny Doon Rosé – $3.99
Speaking of Latitude, since I liked the Lat. 38 2017 PN, tried a Lat. 38 Chard a month ago for $6 a bottle and thought it nice for the price. The nose was citrusy with a bit of pear. There was a bit of oak that was barely noticeable until one smells the residue of a finished glass. Clean and dry on the palate, I say dry since there was a Critic Chard from Napa that was off dry, Chards can get stuck during fermentation and leaves an off dry wine. This might be the case as winemakers want Chard to be dry.
Looks like we are in for an uneven sale. Stores are unable to order anything; they get whatever merchandise corporate sends them. Corporate has scheduled company-wide inventory during the sale, so your wine people will have a hard time keeping shelves stocked. I walked into a store this morning and bought no wine. When I see the Bonny Doon rose or the [ed. note: I assume Marichalar] Rioja Riserva I like I will buy some of them.
SB, thanks for the status of GO ordering. Not a whole lot of incentive to get out there, partly due to the situation of some people here; cellar is full and difficult to get to some bottles.
Seedboy, I suspect I went to the same store you did this morning and also left with nothing. Richmond at 1pm still had some Bonny Doon rosé. Don’t know if there’s more in back. They do have more of the Marichalar Rioja. Their main display of the Shale Oak “KA” seems to be 2014, but they also have plenty of the 2017 I liked. They also got Shale Oak 2016? Grenache Blanc, $7, and 2019 Albariño, $6, of which I got a bottle. In addition to what I wrote above, also got a Simi Cabernet to see what it’s like open longer, 2 Shale Oak 2017 “KA” red (haven’t tried the 2014), a Shale Oak 2017 Grenache, and a Bonny Doon rosé since my wife loved it. I unfortunately have a cold now, so I’ll be out of tasting action for (I hope only) a few days. Finally, the inventory is apparently not actually system-wide, as Richmond will have inventory in December.
Tonight I opened said bottle of Simi 2019 Cabernet. Tasted at about 2 hours decanted, the fruit was rather soft and fruity, the oak in the finish kind of rough. But the fruit and oak integrated, and it was pretty good at 3 hours, darker and a little velvety at 3.5. It stayed fruity and mostly uncomplicated, but was good enough for the price, especially on sale. If you have any, there’s no need to wait to drink it, but do give it some air.
It seemed to me that the wine depts were generally tidy and well stocked at the 4 locations I inspected today. I just don’t think the economy is so strong that the typical GO shopper can fill up carts of swill though.
Although I did see some crazy six figure Audi SUV at one store, all pimped out with fancy rims and red Brembo brakes. Not the normal parking lot placeholder at GOBM in our region.
Spoke with the owner/operator at the Silverdale, WA store today. Want to clear up a couple items according to her and her husband. They’re able to order whatever they want besides what corporate forces out. And in regard to inventory, they won’t be doing inventory until Dec. 6th…not during the sale.
I wish I’d known this when I stocked up the other day! Also, my store still had a lot of the organic Uruguay Chardonnay and at $2, stock up!