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.
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The magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet 
Terres Secretes 2020 Chardonnay, Bourgogne AOC, France, 12.5% ABV, $7. Flavors are Burgundy enough — lemony ripe apple / pineapple, green apple, butterscotch, slight citrus pith bitterness and minerally finish — but the intensity is kind of light and the complexity fairly subtle. Probably because I got my hopes up when I saw this, I’m underwhelmed.
There were a number of wines from them — mostly various Macon — at GO a few years ago. I enjoyed them greatly and drank a lot of them.
I bought a bottle of the Cave de Gortona Pinot Noir Monday. I opened it at about 5, poured a glass at 7:15, but did not touch it until almost 9. I like this wine quite a lot, but for that little bit of stemminess? in the mid-palate. It is much more like a Sancerre Rouge than a Burgundy, and no one I know of in California makes a wine like this. I have a feeling this will be better in a month, and still better in a year. Not sure how much room I have for it in the Pinot Noir storage facility.
I agree the Cave de Gortona should improve with a little more age, or at least some time after being shipped to the store. I’ve thought that, even though I wasn’t that fond of it, I’d get another if I ran into it, to see what it was like this fall.
Richmond had many cases of it Monday. Last night I thought it was even better, with that mid-palate stemminess toned down. Really nice mouth feel, great minerality.
I have now tried out the white Burgundy. I agree with BW that it is a bit light and simple, but it is clean and balanced and has no detectable oak. If I had a restaurant I’d love to be able to serve this by the glass for $10.
Yes, on the 2nd and 3rd days the fruit and structure had integrated well and, although hardly amazing, it was easily enjoyable.
Does any reputable restaurant serve any wine for $10 a glass anymore?
We finished our last bottle of the 2016 Windvane Chardonnay [Carneros] yesterday, while reviewing financial unpleasantries with someone who wanted long term advice. The bottle was finished – it is certainly functional after all – but there was none of the ‘this is good, what is it?’ kind of small talk. GO priced it fairly, and I do not feel hosed or anything, but in general be careful buying older whites there. My personal preference is to have most of them on the younger, fresher side.
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I have been stopping into the 321 location (on DPM blvd) a little more, and although the wine selection was nothing new, they did have a Werthers Caramel Sauce in a small plastic container ($2) which is superb, especially with cut fruit. I have not seen that in any other locations. I also popped in over the weekend to the Citrus Heights location, which didn’t have much interesting/new, which was surprising. Normally that one is always worth the effort.
Cave de Gortona 2021 Pinot Noir, Vin de France, 100% Pinot Noir, imported by North Berkeley Imports, screw cap, 13% ABV, $7. On this wine’s first night open, I did not like it very much, but a good part of my dislike is that I did not understand what it was supposed to be, and I didn’t worry about it too much because it clearly had not opened fully. I wrote, “On the first night, this didn’t impress me very much. It seemed kind of hard and simple, but that indicated I should wait for the second night.” On the second night, I wrote, “On the second night, it still needed about 4 hours decanted to show fruit of dark red cherry / raspberry / pomegranate / maybe a little red plum, still in a tight tannic structure.” But I also finally looked it up online, and found that it was made in the Loire near Sancerre. This store site, where it is priced at $14, has the following info:
Once I understood that this wine is more or less supposed to be Sancerre rouge, it made a lot more sense to me. It fits with the dry, acid, more straightforward style of Sancerre rouge, although I have trouble with its description of “fresh and juicy, soft tannins.” However, IMO it does not have Sancerre rouge’s nervous acidity / slight floral character; the fruit seems more solid than that.
On the third (and final) day, the wine does seem to be as relaxed as it’s going to be for now, and could well fit into a French version of “soft and juicy.” It’s showing the same flavors as the second with a little more nuance of orange / earth / wood. This sort of Pinot Noir doesn’t really have the delicateness and finesse I like, but it is a tasty and agreeable enough wine for lunch or pizza without tomato sauce.
NBI is a pretty real importer, with a historical affection for special parcel / barrel selections, often more oaked up than the producers normal bottlings. Often have different labels so aftermarket purchasers can see the difference. At one point there was a steady stream of their wines hitting local discount racks (not at GO), but it dried up a few years ago. Perhaps sales are slowing down again and GO is the preferred exit strategy.
Sancerre rouge seems like a super niche category, but I suppose any decent/ok sub $10 pinot is worth a look.
I stopped in to #321 (North Sacramento) today, which is a little hard for me to access since it requires going over two bridges (highway and railroad) and is surprisingly time consuming to reach, despite its short ‘theoretical’ distance. Streets in its zone do not seem to have any synchronized lights so it’s a lot of stop and go driving. It’s a rough area as well, so lock the car doors and avoid interaction/arguments at stoplights on the way there. Inventory selection was different from other regional stores, and more ‘GO’ true, and there were a few deals but not many e.g. I picked up some heavy cream on closeout sale, as well as some chicken sausage. Both will have to be consumed immediately though.
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On the bright side, the wine dept is pretty good, and has the strange combination of some care / attention from staff or a manager, yet clearly low turnover since there are still odd lot bottles sitting there a couple of years ago, long gone from the GO system. And they have some decent attention paid to imports too. The wine section looked tidy, so perhaps it was reloaded once the sale was over, or it was not raided during the sale given local demographics.
Some of the items seen include
2018 Crystal Cruises CS [Paso Robles] $7 This is from the depths of the COVID crisis. Have not seen in years.
2017 Sunce Cabernet Sauvignon [Sonoma Valley Sonoma Cty] $15 Mostly same story, although Costco has been blowing out some of their wines in my area too.
2012 Tre Amici [Barbaresco] $13 This is from some Canadian DTC firm that white labels other producers work, but not in a super secretive way. One can decode the ICQRF codes on the back label to determine this is from the Catina del Barolo coop, whose wares are also seen at GO from time to time. It was imported into the US by an LA firm, so presumably the wine went to Canada and then sat around unsold (2012 vintage after all) and then was shipped here. I picked up a bottle. (Or maybe the coop never got paid or had excess bottles and sent them here? Weird all around.)
2013 Tre Amici [Barolo] $15 I didn’t check the back label for the ICQRF code but odds are it’s also from the above Co-op which has a wide spectrum of bottlings.
2014 Villa Baglio [Barolo] $25 Very heavy thick bottle, almost made me think it was a 1L bottling (Fontanafredda does those sometimes) but it seems to be a 750ml. I could not find any info on this other than few other vintages being sold in Switzerland, so I’m going to assume it’s another concocted / buyers own brand or something. Realistically, Costco typically has some known Barolo in our world that will end up getting discounted to $30 eventually, so I would not take a flyer on a hard vintage.
2016 Lamotte Ducas [Graves] $7 This is a red Graves from a good vintage priced like they used to be 25 years ago. Mostly merlot. Probably worth a flyer, but I have lots of this kind of stuff, so passed.
They had lots of the Rosenthal wines – Valcombe and the Bottière Beaujolais – as well. I grabbed another of the latter.
There was also lots of the 2020 Lawler PN and other pinots of that general era/issue – smoke and fire.
I suspect the Lamotte Ducas is a branded wine, not an estate wine. It doesn’t have the Mis en Bouittele verbiage. And looking at the back label (I took a picture) they say the ‘winemaker carefully selects from the best terroirs’ so it has the vibe of a negociant bottling. Not a huge issue, but generally one can get estate/domaine wines in the region for $10 or so, so that’s my personal preference.
At the Rosemount location a few days ago, I saw
2018 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir [New Zealand] $10 They had a pallet or so.
2019 Omega Rd Winery ‘seeker’ Primitivo [Lodi] $8 I guess it sounds more glamorous to call it Primitivo rather than Zin. 15.1% abv. 75 cases produced (!)
2014 Westwood ‘Benjamin Cuvee’ Sierra de Montserrat Vyd [Placer Cty] $6 SMG blend
2022 Isle St Pierre ‘Petit Verdot’ [IGP Mediterranee] $6 12.5% abv, a Jeff Wellburn Import. Not a varietal I care for on a pure play basis.
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This location remains one of the best I’ve seen, and I should try to work it into my usual routine, despite it being somewhat out of the way. The rivers in our region, and the chokepoints/bridges, really cramp getting around.
I really like the Westwood Cuvee Benjamin 2014. There have been many vintages of this, and this one has a lot more Mourvedre than the others, and, it shows. Good balance, lots of black fruit. I plan to put down a few bottles of this.
Opened the last of three bottles of wine that I purchased from the Seaside, OR, GO when we were visiting Cannon Beach, OR, for a few days in January. 2020 Paris Valley Road (a Paso Robles winery) Edna Valley Chardonnay ($5.99). Brilliant pale golden; oaky, citrusy nose and flavors; thin in texture with sharp acidity; back label says “fermented 100% in stainless steel tanks”. Must have found its way somewhere along the line to oak because it tastes like liquid toothpicks. For me, there’s nothing to like about this wine. Of course, I’m no fan of Chardonnay and bought this only because I thought it might be a stainless/no oak Chard and it was the last bottle on the shelf. Just goes to prove that the heavy, fancy, etched label bottles don’t necessarily mean you’re gonna’ get a fancy, delicious wine. My wife is far more tolerant of Chardonnay than I am and she couldn’t drink it.
Dang, Lim. I know you don’t need any more reasons to hate Cali Chards. What the hell happened to that once decent grape/region in a bottle?
It’s like bad gargoyles on a plastic facade….France would be so disappointed!
(related French/wine/food suggestion: Don’t miss “The Taste of Things”. Saw it on the big screen this afternoon…perfect film.)
Yeah, JJ…and the back label suggests it’s similar to Chablis, in profile. For me…I think not! Haven’t heard of that flick, but I’ll look for it. Thanks.
Lim, this sounds like poor winemaking since most Edna Valley chards are decent. Wineries will state “no oak” since it seems to be a selling point. In the entire world of Chardonnay, there must be a region with a style you might consider to choose from. I’m not a fan of white Burgundies considering price to quality, but I do love my Chard in my sparklers.
I was buying lots of Edna Valley Vineyards (and lots of other Central Coast) Chards back in the 80’s, but as they got oakier and covered up the fruit, I became less and less interested. I still get Central Coast Chardonnay from one of the two clubs I’ve belonged to for years…Gainey Winery, who ships club wines every other month. I prefer their Estate bottling to their much oakier and more expensive Limited Selection. But overall, I prefer most any other variety. And I’m fine with Chard in bubblies because they see no or little oak.
Res Fortes 2022 rosé, Côtes-du-Roussillon Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP), France, 50% Grenache Noir, 30% Syrah, 20% Grenache Gris, 13% ABV, $5. Light, delicate flavors of pink grapefruit, mandarin orange, tart red strawberry, tight minerality, slight white of melon rind bitterness. Very nice, although I suspect I will like it better when it’s relaxed a little more on the second day.
Didn’t relax very much second day. Lighter flavors make me think I’ll wait for hot weather to open more. Tight minerally structure pairs well with food.
We opened one of these last weekend and had a similar impression, although it also seemed maybe a little peachy to me. I like the wine, although the bottle shape makes storage a little difficult.
😄 Just today I was trying to fit these bottles into my different boxes, not finding any that work. Maybe I’ll tuck them under a couch with other detritus?
Almost surprised to see a 2022 already hitting GO.
I was walking around a BevMo last week, and saw some 2015 (!) roses, with the helpful sign of ‘Last Chance’. That chain, on the down low, has really morphed into a GO like closeout place for maybe 1/4 of their wines, which are interspersed among the normal current release vintages.
Several new and reloaded wines in SLO today…some of interest, which I wish had showed up in time for the sale.
Being in a hurry today, I just bought three more of the 2019 Vinhas de Xisto Reserva Douro at $7.99 (I enjoyed the one I opened), and I picked one more rosé to try out as things start warming up again: 2021 Château Guiot Costières-de-Nîmes at $3.99.
BTW, for those who like Burgess wines, which sort of been filtering into GO’s off/on, but really only the 2nd tier bottlings, they seem to have gotten more aggressive about disposing of older stock. Carlton McCoy also loosely alludes to that in some his online postings. But anyways they have been using both Wine Access and Jon RImmerman/Garagiste to flush out their single vineyard cabs, which have $60 to $80 prices through those agents.
Jon is great for Italy, and some lesser known French AOC, for my tastes but outside of that I’ll pass.
I saw the 2016 RRV Chardonnay, has anyone tried it?
Burgess is owned by the Lawrence family, which also owns Heitz. I doubt we will see Martha’s Vineyard discounted
I thought the 2016 was fading/tired but ‘ok enough’. I did not consider it a repurchase at $9. I did pick up the 2019 version at the sale price of $7. If you see the latter that might be a safer bet.
A couple of items which appeared new to me, which showed up in the SMF region
2020 QSS Rare ‘Tinto’ [Lisboa] $8 a blend of CS, Touriga Nacional, and Alicante clocking in at 13.5% Imported by WeinBauer. Presumably one of the selections that the GO corp buyer sourced in Germany?
2016 Montazo garnacha ‘reserva’ [Vinos de Madrid] $7 imported by Evaki (who we see a lot on the GO shelves) and wearing 14.5% abv. I’m not sure I’ve seen that DO flag before. It’s probably a good bet though; whenever I have bought weird non Rioja/RDD type of Spanish wines (from other vendors like JJ Buckley) they usually are great if they were coming from some place that I had never been heard of. And I’m a guy with Penin Guidebooks on my shelves… They basically had to be sold by tasting, at every level, which is a good sign.
Hey WORN: You may already be aware of this, but I thought I’d share anyway (even though it’s not really related to GO or GO wines, though it IS wine and food related). Bar Bacetto, Waitsburg, WA is one of 10 nominees for a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant.
lim,
Wow, that’s wild. Waitsburg is a teensy tiny town outside Walla Walla, 1000 population. I believe Sean Sullivan who worked at Wine Enthusiast for years reviewing NW wines retired to Waitsburg. Property prices in Walla Walla exploded, probably why he purchased there, still close to wineries.
I have often wondered if there is any link between a winery buying an ad in the WE and the WE giving its wine a good review.
Seedboy,
Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast reviewers do blind tastings/ratings on every wine reviewed/scored.
One person is responsible for a designated region, country, for example, Sean Sullivan reviewed all Northwest wines, Washington, Oregon, Idaho for over a decade for Wine Enthusiast.
No money changes hands, no fees are paid by the wineries to the magazine or staff, no quid pro quo.
Following guidelines set by publication, wineries send their products to a centralized location, a certain number bottles per each wine, (WE requests 3 per each wine in case a bottle is corked), wine is distributed from there, presumably with identifiers removed but retagged w codes.
I’m sure when their wines do score 90 plus, companies w deep pockets and lots of wine bottles to sell, take out ads after the fact.
The reviewers taste mediocre and poor wines too, those aren’t published. Nothing below 88 is worth print space.
I’ve never seen ads for Cayuse, Gramercy, Mark Ryan,L’Ecole 41, Leonetti, many others, whose wines score high.
There are other rating companies that are “pay to play”, one is Beverage Testing Institute, pay for a high rating that is published online.
I have noticed that WS does tend to have articles / editorial content on firms that buy a lot of advertising and / or sponsor their conferences / events. It’s usually the type of thing where they’ll write about the 2000 case rarity and all the care made in making that, while the ads are for the bulk regional wine. And Shanken Communications has other industry magazines where presumably clients can allocate marketing dollars to.
But interestingly, other than James Suckling, the reviewers at WS tend to stay a long time and have long, fruitful careers. It’s so wildly different than what one sees at other wine review periodicals. (Look at the total shtshow that the WA has become….)
I quit subscribing to or reading WS years ago. Seemed more and more geared toward the wealthy. Got tired of the ads for Rolex and high end autos. Also, I’m not a “subscriber” to the point system of rating wines…far too subjective for me.
I think it is Paul Gregutt that moved to Waitsburg, and also has a BNB there.
RG2, you’re right, I got them mixed up as they both worked at Wine Enthusiast, both specializing in NW wines.
Gregutt was the editor for NW area. Mr Sullivan resides in Seattle.
I’ve eaten at Bar Bacetto a couple of times now. Not the cheapest place in town but the pasta is fantastic! Good wines too, but again, somewhat out of my price range.
Late in the sale cycle, I went back to Richmond, CA last night to grab a couple that had been recommended here, saw some new ones, talked with another bargain-hunting couple as we filled our cases. On my shopping list:
Grabbed on impulse:
They had both Bourbon and Rye barrel Beringer red blends. I’m dubious, but a friend said he quite liked the Bourbon. He also found a Four Horns Cab Franc at Oakland that he said is really good.
Saw but didn’t get:
They also had a brandy-barrel-aged pinot in squat cylindrical bottles, didn’t bite.
Campuget is a pretty real producer from the Languedoc/Rouissillon region. I’ve been buying/drinking the wines off/on over the decades. I think the rose is more ‘functional’ than good, but I have not had one in a while. Still I’d be ok with drinking them, and you got a sharp price.
Maybe they are too hard to sell but the country French wines all over the south of France are far better than the price points suggest. It’s one of my favorite areas, but retailers are probably leery of stocking more than a few given that Americans don’t know the names/villages, and would rather buy a branded blend, than a true estate bottling, from a lesser known area.
The Campuget rosé is $15 @ BevMo and $10 “on sale” @ Safeway.
They have a bunch of gutsy red offerings which are very solid, like clones of a Cotes du Rhone, but I haven’t seen those in a while. I would not be willing to do mail order / pay for shipping on this category.
Hesketh 2021 Pinot Noir “Unfinished Business,” Limestone Coast, South Australia, 13.0% ABV, $5. Red cherry / raspberry fruit is fairly full for a Pinot, hint of orange, ample acid of those fruits, slight earthy wood. Pretty simple, not much in the way of Pinot subtlety / finesse or funk. Not bad wine for $5, but not what I like in Pinot Noir.
Thanks for that observation. I picked one up a while ago but wasn’t in any hurry to try it. There are a lot of Hesketh screwcapper varietals in our region. I get the sense it’s sort of like an OZ version of Bogle, circa 1990.
I thought I had seen it all at GO, but I was obviously mistaken. Making an early trip to my local store today, they have a gift pack of one 750 ml. bottle each of Petite Sirah and Chenin Blanc from Herrera Winery in the La Laguna Region of Mexico. Attached to the wines are two small vacuum sealed packets, one each of chocolate covered and chili-lime coated grasshoppers (chapulines) for $9.99. Talk about your perfect wine/food match! I wasn’t wearing my bravery hat at the time but may swing by to give it a try tomorrow, as I expect it to be there for a while.
🤣April Fool’s Lim!!🤣
Hi JJ. Sorry, but WordPress has somehow taken a dislike to your comments. You are using the same screen name and email address as always, but for some reason, it’s been putting your comments in “Hold for moderator approval” or even “Spam.” This problem is not unique to you, but this time all three of your comments here went into one or the other. Everyone, please be patient and I’ll try to liberate your comments as quickly as I can. Thanks.
Yes, had LOTS of trouble with WordPress this morning…frustrating.
But so is the fact I don’t seem to have authorization to post anything but a comment on “What’s New”….there’s no option on the page for me to start a new post. Been this way a long time, and I just gave up.
Also, I used to see different colors and patterns in all the little boxes that sit by people’s names…the “I.D.” boxes I guess….but now they’re just blank.
The program only seems to want to give me half-ass access, but I don’t know why!
WordPress is pulling an April Fool’s on me perhaps 😉
🤣 I think I’d drive up for that! 🤣
Here’s one for you….
What’s the secret to enjoying a good bottle of wine?
Open the bottle to let it breathe. If it doesn’t look like it’s breathing, give it mouth-to-mouth.
OMG!! You’re crazy!
😂😂😂
Bought two bottles of Borreo zin and sangio for $15 each pre-sale price. Part of the Foley wine portfolio currently $50 online. Sangio was a soft new world style while the zin was good but at 15.9%, I’ll pass on another. Kinda got sucked in by the labels. Sorta of a cross between old Italian liquor and California orange ads.
Thanks for your impressions of the Borreo Zinfandel and Sangiovese. I’ve seen them and wondered about them, but the price and the labels turned me off them. Also, I guess, GO wines that expensive from California are often the sort of full, ripe, heavy wines of which I’m less fond anyway, and it sounds like these were as well.
Funny how labels hit different. I also picked up a case of the Wild Fig Aussie blend, a case of the Pundit Syrah (overall winner, IMO) and a case of the Canoe Ridge blend. And some Jigsaw albarino I know some did not care for here. I find it a nice change of pace with Asian food. BTW, all this from the Nipomo store. I’m hearing through the grapevine that customers from the Santa Maria store are shopping the Nipomo wine sale. Apparently, the owners of SM GO are getting a divorce and have let the wine section languish. Total gossip, but sad if true. SM GO was my go-to for many years before the Nipomo location opened.
Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare “Pink Wine of the Earth” 2021. finally showed up in a few Sonoma county GO’s. At $3.19 (18.00 list) it’s a great summer time sipper. Give it a few hours to breath and round out a bit but nicely structured and goes well with lighter faire…
For those in the Raleys/Nob Hill/Bel Air western footprint, take a look in the wine dept. I saw all varietals from Tank House, a new/small family run Lodi grower turned vintner, being sold off anywhere from $3-$5 per. The wines are wearing the Borden Ranch designation, whatever that might mean.
They appear to be local (Gilroy based) so may not have much national reach nor critics ratings. I’d expect them to be technical central valley functional wines, rather than anything more.
Nothing to make anyone’s heart go a putter, but saw another wave of Tank House hit the discount racks. I suspect the Borden Ranch vyd designation – used by some vintners – is coming from this grower, and like so many Burgundians is trying their hand at the value added steps of vinifcation, bottling, marketing etc.
The fact that their output is being marked down suggests the ‘value added’ part isn’t as easy as UC Davis seminars might suggest….
Rural 2019 Pinot Noir, Eagle Peak, Mendocino County, CA, 14.0% ABV, $10. Very recently arrived, this was not bad right away, with accessible cherry / almost strawberry fruit, but aired well over 4:15 or so. Dark red cherry, strawberry / raspberry, orange, root vegetable, earthy wood. Nice fruit / acid balance. Has a slight roughness and grippy tannin on the finish that might mean it will flesh out more tomorrow.
I probably didn’t give the rest of it (Rural 2019 Pinot Noir) long enough to air before finishing it off, but it did fill out and darken some, adding dark pomegranate and red plum. I want to amend the “nice fruit / acid balance” I wrote last night. The acid is a little strong, so it goes well with heavier foods, probably enough acid for Seedboy. It still didn’t fully smooth out, making me think that, while fine now, it has another year or three of nice evolution ahead of it.
I bought a bottle of this and do not like it at all. It does not taste like Pinot Noir, if forced to guess I would say cool climate zinfandel.
Wow. I had hoped you would like it. I did not get that non-varietal character at all, but as always with GO wines, there may be bottle variation or different batches bottled with the same label. I got / will get a couple more bottles, so maybe I’ll find out.
I just purchased a couple bottles of the Rural during the 20% off sale. I really wanted to like it, I saw that it had a 90 point rating with wine enthusiast. I ended up returning one of the bottles as in my opinion I felt that the wine had turned. Just to make sure, I had my guest try it. she felt that the wine did not taste anything like a Pinot.
Uh oh. Two reports of Rural 2019 Pinot being not-what-you-want-in-a-Pinot is not a good sign.
Stopped in Corte Madera. 2014 Le Fervent, $7.99. $2018 HeadTurner Chardonnay from Horse Hill $7.99. Stony River SB 2022 from NZ $8.99. Acumen Rose 2021 $17.99. All b4 20% off. Better selection than Geary GO which has Lauterbach Syrah 07 and 08.
Canoe Ridge 2019 red blend, Columbia Valley, WA, 13.5% ABV, $5 (I think). I bought this a little while ago and had forgotten about it, but it’s probably still around at many GOs. A secondary source online (this bottling of any vintage is not on the Canoe Ridge web site) says this is 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 20% Syrah, which seems plausible to me. The softly textured flavors of darker red cherry, purple plum, slight blueberry, are pretty tasty, but unfortunately one of my least favorite types of wood products was used, and I really can’t stand it. Said secondary source claims this was aged 12 months in French Oak, but I find this hard to believe.
La fiole 2021 rosé, Côtes du Rhône AOC, France, sélectionnée par Père Anselme, 13% ABV, $4. Lighter body, flavors of tangerine, white peach (Lim13 just said this just now, and the suggestion seems appropriate), crisp slightly bitter slightly biting minerality on the finish. Not really a “serious” rosé, but everything is in perfect balance for me. I might get more despite already having stocked up a bit of rosé. It’ll be a good thing to clear the smoke out of your throat from the summer wildfires. BTW, the bottle has scoliosis or something, i.e., it is not radially symmetric. From the front of my bottle, the shoulder bulges out on the right and swerves in on the left, with a raised seal (in the glass) facing forward. I guess it’s meant to imply a handcrafted product, but to me it looks a little disturbing, although I guess it did succeed in getting my attention.
Looks similar to a Gattinara (Nebbiolo) bottle, which story I’d heard is supposed to be poured bump-side down to catch sediment. Not an issue for a rosé.
Popped into Richmond to get some groceries, forgot the wine sale was on. I looked all over and only got three bottles, not that there’s not good wines there, I’m just pretty darn well stocked up.
Got another Poli Corse rosé and Diez Martin Ribera Crianza ($5 > $4) and a La Maldita Rioja ($7 > $5.60; red Garnacha), since their white and rosé were decent. The Maldita has a full and soft cherry and brambly fruit nose and palate, similar to a TJ’s favorite, La Sonriente, with maybe a bit more acid and tannin than the last Sonriente I had (2022), and the Maldita opened with just a touch of bretty aromas – horse blanket, saddle leather – which blew off by the next day.
I looked for but didn’t find the Black Girl Magic Zinfandel, which I ignored when it first came around, but was recommended by a friend (Vivino 3.9). Interesting story; two sisters raised on different continents, CA and NZ, first met in their late teens, got into winemaking, bought the historic M Ranch Estate in the Napa Carneros.
https://www.mcbridesisters.com/pages/story
There are a few BGM Zins at my local GO and I sampled a bottle a few months ago. It is a fairly solid easy-drinking zinfandel – fruit-forward, decently balanced between boldness and sweetness, and fairly low tannins for this varietal type. Not the greatest zin out there, but a reliable option and good for the price-point.
Thanks for the info about Black Girl Magic wines. I had assumed without looking them up that it was entirely marketing hype and that therefore I would not like the wines.
I’m in Pennsylvania and thus won’t be checking out anything in the wine sale, but I did see Black Girl Magic Zinfandel at Wegman’s supermarket here for 26.99 a bottle. Which may say more about PA wine prices than about Black Girl Magic wines…
Tasted today and recommend:
The Doña Paula wines are good now but should hold up another year or two. M.A.S.L. = meters above sea level
In Olympia GO last night (one of the two 30% off days), expecting to find the usual overflowing wine section Stan builds up for the sale, and hoping to find at least a few of the wines I’d made copious notes about which y’all have been recommending over the weeks.
Especially hoping for the Monk’s Gate PN, but Stan said that had sold out a couple months ago (?) He said Olympia sells out much faster than other stores, and he can’t get any more…but do Lim and WORN really have those still sitting around from a couple months ago or more?
Quite disappointed with the whole assortment.
Too much empty space on the shelves, and granted he said it had been a whopper of a day, but I don’t see the variety. Looked for the Lauterbachs & Chateau Haut-Domingue, the Corsican Rose’s, no Gruner Veltliner, Tenet Pundit Syrah, Pine Ridge Chenin/Viognier.
Walking out with five bottles was really a new ‘record’ low….
Would welcome any comments on these, and have a few questions:
1) I’m drinking a Fonte Regia 2019 Chianti Reserva–so far not a repeat, but maybe it will mellow. Bit harsh on the tannins, thinner fruit, not interesting enough, but lovely cork.
2) Two different True Myth Chardonnay, one the Ryder Cup designate, 2019. Seemed like one was preferred here, awhile back–thinking it was the Ryder Cup and not the regular? In past years I’d had the regular and liked it pretty well, haven’t tried that lately tho. Ryder is alright but don’t think it’s a repeat, and not as good as my memories of the previous regular.
3) The Meralan Cali Sparkling….there was a Brut Rose and a Brut, both with the flowery rose foil top. Brought home the latter, and remember someone here compared two of these awhile back–not remembering the Rose, but maybe it was–one reported as a fancier package than the other, and one was much preferred I believe?
4) Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare “Pink Wine of the Earth” 2021.
Do folks like this? No big deal….I don’t drink much Rose…just trying this cuz I still have a soft spot for Bonny Doon.
5) Mara NZ (Marlborough) Sauvignon Blanc 2023. Anyone tried this to compare to some of the better NZ’s we’ve had over the years? Hadn’t seen this one before, and I haven’t tried it yet.
I need nothing, so didn’t spend the time I ordinarily would have, scouring the wines in Silverdale. What I did see, didn’t impress me. I closely checked out that Fonte Regia 2019 Chianti Reserva, but didn’t bite. But I’m not a big Chianti fan anyway. I’ve texted the owner about the Monk’s Gate and she tells me I got the last of it. I bought one bottle of the Bonny Doon pink to see what I think of it before possibly buying more. I did a search of it on the blog last night: As I recall, BW and Seedboy liked it; WORN did not like it…too tart and dry. I also bought two of the Ste. Michelle Brut bubbly at just over $5 after discount. They make a decent sparkler and I believe are discontinuing any bubbly production, as they continue to downsize.
Cracked the 2021 Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare. My notes:
79% Grenache 11% Cinsault 5% Grenache Gris and 5% White Grenache…Very pale pink as are most Provencal rose’; pleasant aromas of strawberry, white peach, Mandarin, grapefruit and mild white spice; to me it tastes off-dry on the front of the tongue; I could handle a tad more acidity; it’s soft, but not flabby; I like the flavors that seem to match the nose…fruity, but not overly so; a touch of grapefruit pith bitterness in the finish; really enjoying the texture…I’m thinking it had a bit more cold skin contact than most rose’. A decent deal for about three bucks after discount. May grab a few more.
Thanks for those notes on BD rose’….it is cheap, and since your review is that positive, I’ll make a point to crack this one and sample before next Monday. 🙂
The St. Michelle Brut….I’m not sure I saw that. Is it just straight up called that–or have some other name? Of course, maybe that sold out two months ago in Oly too!
Lim, did you ever try the Meralan…to make a comparison?
Never tried the Meralan, JJ, but don’t recall seeing it here. The Ste. Michelle says Michelle in very large print on the front label with much smaller Ch. Ste above it. There’s tons of it out there. Case stacks in Silverdale (where it was advertised on their roadside reader board for weeks) and there was lots in Bremerton too. I’d be surprised if Stan didn’t have it.
Would love to hear your take on the BD rose’.
There’s really no comparison between the Monk’s Gate and the other Pinots you mentioned (in my humble and very subjective opinion), but understand completely why you wouldn’t want to make the drive. I doubt I would.
To further confuse you, JJ…that bubbly says “Domaine Ste.” above the large print “Michelle”, not “Ch, Ste.”.
I opened a bottle of the Michelle bubbly tonight to celebrate the opening day of baseball. Go Mariners! My notes on the wine: Brilliant pale golden with a persistent stream of tiny bubbles; nose isn’t overly yeasty, but yeastier than fruity with bread dough aromas; there’s a creaminess on the palate and a very subtle dosage to help emphasize the green apple and peachy flavors; somewhat yeasty finish; easy drinking. I’ll head back for a few more, as we enjoy our sparklers in this household.
Ok, Lim…..sipping the Bonny Doon rose’~
Opened it last night and was fully mesmerized by the nose. Flinty, grilled slightly overripe pineapple.
The white peach and strawberry, flower/rose, and the nicest mineral, almost like musk…I couldn’t keep my nose out of it–felt like an addict.
The palate threw me first couple sips….a really off, ‘bright-colored gummy candy’ kinda vibe. Ugh.
After initial disappointment, don’t know if it’s the power of human palate adaptation or that it blew off…but it mellowed out into matching more the nose, but still goofy here and there….
Enjoyed a modest glass.
This evening, I’m starting earlier.
While it may still be a bit too chilled, I’m not getting the warm rosy flinty perfection in the nose, but there’s a bit of that caramelized pineapple/candy mix.
The palate now holds a lovely flint and fruit, and far less of the gummy candy….
While there’s some sorta bizarre little offshoots flinging around suggesting they could go any direction–I’m good with that because it seems right in line with a BD vibe!!
This fact pleases me.
Brings back good memories of those catz.
I will get more.
Well stated, JJ…and rather poetic. I enjoyed it, with some reservations, but my wife told me tonight she didn’t really care for it much. So I’ll only get two more.
Turns out there is still a very limited amount of the Monk’s Gate left at the Silverdale GO. If interested, call (360-516-4140) or stop in the store, ask for owner Christina, and mention you heard about the wine on the blog. But act fast.
Ooo tempting.
But hour drive each way…too far to go when I have a fair amount of Equoia and RD&MM pinots (and some other) still left.
JJ,
I first scanned the Monksgate PN over a month ago in mid February according to Vivino. I was very excited to see an Oregon PN here with great provenance but a tricky year for smoke taint which gave me pause. Not a quick seller at $16. Most shoppers here are college students or seniors watching their budget. (The $4 bottles fly outta here on wings.)
I closely watching the numbers of bottles each time I shopped at GO. Only a few were purchased by others. I bought one at full price the Friday before the sale after Lim said it was very good. I bought a bunch on Monday, first day of sale without the app.
Not a lot of people I know buy wine at GO, too afraid of buying a bad bottle. The bottles my friends bring to dinners are from Safeway, Food Coop, Total Wine in Spokane or WA wineries like Mark Ryan. Estimated prices range from $25 (Browne) to $100 (Shafer Relentless).
They’ve liked every single wine I’ve brought to dinners from GO but one has to do a LOT of research to find the rare gem amongst all the mediocre wines and outright duds at Grocery Outlet, which are legion.
Your last paragraph says it all, WORN. Took me years to realize that all the $$$ I was spending on questionable wines at GO (akin to looking for the golden egg at an Easter egg hunt) could have gone to wines at full price from other retailers/wineries that are reputable year after year.
I went back to the Richmond store today and, upon the urging of its owner, bought a bottle of the Cuesta Bufona 2018 Tempranillo. It is a very nice wine for your summer grilling season. I did not notice much else new. I am rather shocked that the Rancho Bodega Red is still available at $5.99 before the discount: quality wine made from syrah and grenache grown in the Bennett Valley, which is between Santa Rosa and Kenwood.
Haha, at first reading, I thought Cuesta Bufona translated as Fool’s Errand, but cuesta isn’t cognate with English quest (búsqueda), it’s usually cost – ¿cuanto cuesta? – but here it’s the homonym for coast, almost as in English. But bufon is still just buffoon! Fool’s Coast, I guess. Location of the lovely resort, Pollo del Mar 🙂
Is this a warm up for your post on Monday?
Dang, I actually forgot about April Fool’s day. I told Lim last year I’d given it up, ChatGPT can do better fake wine reviews than me.
I guess it still needs humans for a prompt…I’ll see if I can get my brain in gear to think of one. Let’s all do one!
Great idea, DL. It’ll be like “old times”. Now if I can just remember. I need to grab my best friend…a blank Post-It Note. Wanna’ chuckle? BW’s comment went right over my head. So thanks for bringing me to my senses.
OMG…For a moment I literally considered looking up that resort. I can hear the swoosh! of air as it sweeps above my head. 🤣
La Maldita 2019 Garnacha, Rioja DOC, Spain, 14.5% ABV, $7. On this wine’s first day open 4 hours, it didn’t strike me as impressive at all, but did seem like it had not fully aired. On its second day, it still needed to be open 4 hours and a little more air in the glass to show solid dark ripe red cherry fruit with complexities that were only beginning to emerge. My evaluation so far is this is a very good wine for the price that will need another year or two of age to become what it can be.
Kim Crawford 2018 Pinot Noir, New Zealand, 13% ABV, screw cap, $10. I decanted this late afternoon and it didn’t seem like much until nearly 3.5 hours later. It still didn’t become anything especially amazing, but it’s a solidly made, varietally true Pinot Noir — typical flavors of lighter to medium red cherry, orange, earth / Pinot funk, wood, elegant and graceful enough — that certainly works for me. My only possible criticism is that nothing about it strikes me as particularly NZ-ish; to my taste, it could be a lighter California Pinot. Recently, I drank a bottle of the Kirkland Russian River Valley Pinot Noir (very recent year that I forget. likely 2022, maybe even 2023) that was IIRC $12. Its flavors were okay, but there was just no structure. I prefer this Kim Crawford. Not sure I’d pay $10, but at the sale price it’s a more than acceptable every day Pinot. I’ll report tomorrow on how it is second day.
The last glass or so in the decanter, which was stoppered at the end of yesterday evening, is getting maybe a little ragged, but is still quite tasty. Probably this bottling should be finished off pretty soon.
Is it better than the Sister’s Ridge, which is $2 less, and still available at Richmond?
That’s a good point. I’d guess it’s a matter of personal preference. Myself, I didn’t like the Sister’s Ridge that much. I remember it as a bit too “juicy” and with fruit flavors I found a little odd, and think the Kim Crawford is more elegant and classic Pinot flavored. The SR, though, is as I recall, more full and complex.
Bit Wicked 2021 Reserve Proprietary Red blend, Livermore Valley, CA, Cal-Wine Trading Co., 36% Cabernet Franc, 29% Petite Verdot, 17% Tempranillo, 12% Malbec, 6% Barbera, 13.4% ABV, screw cap, $7. I recalled liking the 2018 Bit Wicked, and thought I’d try out this one. Note that, even though the 2018 and the 2021 blends contain multiple varietals, there is zero overlap between them. Last night, I poured out a 275ml screw-cap bottle to save, decanted the rest and then poured it back into the bottle to continue airing. Even after it was open 4 hours, I found it sort of sweetly simple black raspberry, but, because of its somewhat tight and elusive finish, I thought it would probably be better the second day. Today, after being open for nearly 3 hours, it’s filled out somewhat and tastes of medium-red cherry with some earthy wood, tangy boysenberry, a hint of darker fruit, slightly zingy finish, in a lighter medium body. It has become, more or less, a not-very-interesting Zinfandel. While it’s understandably a very different wine from the 2018, I’m not very fond of this one.
Château Haut-Domingue 2023 Entre-Deux-Mers, Bordeaux, France, 70% Sauvignon Blanc, 30% Sémillon, imported by Evaki Inc., 12.5% ABV, $9. When I first opened this yesterday, it started nicely crisp and minerally, but aired fairly quickly into something I found a little too soft-fruited and lacking acid. However, today, it has settled down into a wine with some softness of fruit, especially as it warms from fridge temperature, but dry with good acid, with somewhat delicate flavors of lemon / lime, green melon, jasmine, white of melon rind, gently minerally finish. Nicely elegant. I would of course wish it costed a little less, but I might get a couple more bottles at the sale price. You might also be interested in Lim13’s opinion and my opinion of the 2022 vintage.
Thanks for adding the links here, BW…and reminding me of my remarks…and yours…because for whatever the reason, I don’t recall ever seeing your take on the same wine…and I appreciate reading them now, nine months later!
Cautiously purchased one Monksgate 2020 Trinity Pinot Noir at full price ($16) Friday to see if it’s worth stocking up on during sale.
Lim bought this earlier and liked it.
Pleasantly surprised that it’s very good and relieved there is no hint of smoke taint.
Held up on day 2 (Saturday).
Silvery plastic wax dipped bottle top with agglomerated cork.
🕰2020
💯89/100
🌟3.9👁Dark garnet ruby
👃👅Nose forest floor,dried leaves,red fruit,palate dry, raspberry,cranberry,slight clove,hint orange rind,cola,black tea,med acidity,low tannins,long finish,well made OR PN.
Kept wanting to sip a little more, a good sign.
🍇Clones 667,Pommard,777,WÄdenswil From 20 acre vineyard owned by Moore family.
🌄Yamhill-Carlton AVA, OR
🕰oaking details unspecified
⛽14.3%ABV
💯v2021 348 cases
Small volume producer, family winery.
A fellow Vivinoite from Portland has visited this small, rustic family owned winery and highly recommends their wines. Their tasting room is an outdoor shed!
🏅WE v2015-92/v2016-89/v2017-90/v2018-91🏅
💵$55 release price/$16 GOBM
v2021 selling for $55 on winery website
🪟 DW 2022-2027
Will buy more for gifts and Thanksgiving on Monday.
Glad to hear you enjoyed the Monksgate, WORN. I thought it was a fine enough deal at $16 to buy a few more then. At $13 during the sale, it’s really hard to beat. Thanks for all the info. ”Their tasting room is an outdoor shed!” Takes me back to the good old days in OR in the early ’80’s. I miss those days!
lim,
Nothing of note or real interest have appeared on the shelves since the sale started.
I bought more Monksgate PN yesterday for Thanksgiving, birthday and Christmas gifts and of course for our table.
I doubt we’ll get more cases of Monksgate as total production was probably about 350 cases and it’s been a slow mover here.
There’s another wine tasting tomorrow, Wednesday March 27th at 6PM.
The store is 5 minutes away so I’ll drop in to see what they’ve decided to taste out this go round and I’ll report back.
It sounds like the tastings are basically garbage wines that can not be sold by their label/reputation, so they need to pour them for people who like high residual sugar style wines.
In the last couple of weeks – at other stores – I tried Fitty Cents pricey champagne, which was functional enough, but not worth $70 half bottle, but seems to move briskly at the price. It has garish packaging/bottling/shininess so I suppose someone must like that. Also I tried the malbec ‘Uno’ which also has a gimicky bottle with a metal 1 stuck on the bottle. After having some good Cahors, and a SVD Washington (!) malbec, both in the last month, it was underwhelming given how well suited that nation is for that varietal.
It’s hard for me to understand a wine in a trade tasting / plastic thimble cup environment. I mostly avoid them.
Aubergine,
I’m willing to try all wines, good or bad,
I carry a tasting kit w me to GO with a proper wineglass,white cloth,wine journal and a personal spittoon.
The bad wines make you really appreciate the well made ones.
Bonus, it’s also fun to write scathing reviews on bad wine, which may deter other less informed shoppers from purchasing.
Castillo de Monséran 2020 Garnacha, Cariñena DO, Spain, 14.5% ABV, Spain, $4. These came in wooden case boxes, so I was curious to see if it was something special despite the low price. Heavy for a Grenache, decanted for 4 hours on its day of arrival, it tastes of rich, ripe, darker red cherries, purple cherry / plum / black cherry, cinnamon, slight floral component. Anyway, highly recommended if you see it.
wow
We drank another bottle of the Castillo de Monséran 2020 Garnacha over the last couple days. It was quite different from my first bottle, described above. While the first one was rich and full, if anything too fruity, this second one was quite tight and restrained, showing maybe a little opening in the glass, appearing to be a more solidly made and longer-lived wine. Likely this bottle variation is why it’s at GO.
Tibouren 2022 rosé, Côtes de Provence Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP), France, Ramatuelle Family Vineyards, Jeff Wellburn Selections, 13.5% ABV, $6. Orange / cantaloupe, a little pink grapefruit, strawberry / almost cherry, melon rind slight bitterness / gentle minerality. It’s not that complex, but it has nice balance in terms of weight of fruit / acid / minerality / bitterness. Very easily enjoyable. I was only so-so fond of the 2021 Tibouren, but I like this one better.
I stopped in to the Watt Ave location quickly today to see what was available before the wine sale….and it was unusually pathetic. They have taken all the garbage bulk producers on offer, and stretched out the bottles to cover 6 feet of shelves to make it look like there is some selection, but its the same Pra Vinera, Poundcake, bulk etc. I’m assuming it’s that they are hiding their ‘real’ wines in the back til they can clear out the slow moving plonk.
To add insult to injury, I only had to buy two minor items for supper (some parsley etc.) and they had 4-5 staff standing around chatting / surfing the internet on their phone while there was a pile of people waiting in line to check out. I motioned to a manager about maybe using another of the 5 registers they have and she blew me off. So I just put my stuff down on the bakery stand and left the line.
GO’s toughest competition/adversaries are its own mistreated staff.
Aubergine, that is abysmal customer service at the Watt location. Sounds like an absentee owner. In Pullman, the owner is there every single day, he rarely takes an entire day off. Every time I’m in, I see him.I asked him if he ever takes a day off, he said no, not really, maybe half day off on Sunday. The staff are busy restocking constantly, running to and fro. I’ve never seen any of them gabbing in a group/texting or blatantly ignoring customers. I doubt the owner of the Watt store knows how their staff are shirking their employee duties.Gives truth to the adage, “If the cat’s away, the mice will play.”
Lauterbach 2008 Syrah, Russian River Valley, CA, 15.5% ABV, $6. This needed to be decanted (off a lot of sediment) for about four hours for the fruit to fully emerge. Then it became soft, with medium weight for Syrah, with flavors of funky dark red cherry, red plum, maybe slight blueberry / boysenberry. However, the finish was rather strongly of the “sour wood” I’ve disliked in the Lauterbach 2013 and 2018 Pinot Noirs, and quite acid. Seedboy liked this wine as a nice cool-climate Syrah, but unfortunately I like this only a little better than the Pinots. To me, it’s not very complex or interesting, and is largely ruined by the finish. I don’t think it’s too old, though, so maybe I’ll like the saved screw-cap bottle better.
New items I’ve seen
Marconi location
2021 Tree Fort pinot noir [santa barbara] $6 made by 3 badge beverages, in Napa. never heard of it.
2020 Stonehaven Stepping Stone shiraz [limestone coast, oz] 14.5% abv $4 has similar packaging vibe to Hesketh wines
3L Botta Box Chenin/Viognier $8 probably intended to ‘clone’ the popular Pine Ridge chenin/viognier bottling that is made in the Clarksburg area. I might buy one, supposedly the box is ok for 30 days after opening if kept fridgerated. not sure i have bought box wine since early 90’s?
Folsom Blvd location
2021 Longford Pinot Noir [Monterey] $6
lots of unpriced screwcapped Hesketh bottlings but likely at the $5ish price points. monovarietals included Pinot Grigio, Moscato, Cab Sauvignon.
2021 Shelter Bay ‘stich’ sauvignon blanc [marlborough] $7 another NZSB. Backlabel is detailed/puffery, but feels more like an ‘estate’ wine than a bulk type of offering. Costco’s is same price basically and reliable.
======
Both locations were bereft of any other deals on the normal shopping aisles, heck even anything of interest, just the usual stuff one would see in a typical grocer, but more aggravation given the no self checkout and sketchy parking lots.
Just received an email from the Bremerton, WA GO. They’re moving to a much more visible and busy location. north of their current location…and walking distance from Fred Meyer (Kroeger). Email says “Some of you may know that we will be relocating at the end of March to our new location in Bremerton Station, on the corner of Wheaton Way and NE Riddell RD. We are liquidating ALL inventory before we close our doors between now and the end of March. At least 20% off all inventory.”
Oh man, Lim….that’s gonna put some pressure on your Cellar, sale.
Maybe when they get deeper than 20% off….that’s just a ‘wine sale’.
That was supposed to say:
“that’s gonna put some pressure on your cellar, no!?!
Indeed, JJ. We just get a few week’s jump on the usual semi-annual sale. I WILL go by to see stuff other than wine, but need to practice what I’ve done for the last few wine sales…PRACTICE RESTRAINT!! And Bremerton’s wine selection with the current owners never compares to the Silverdale store’s.
Stopped by the Bremerton store today and indeed, everything in the store is 20% off…and that % may increase as they get closer to moving. I did manage to restrain myself and left with only 4 bottles: their last 2 Hentall Primitivos $3.99 and 2 of their last 5 Double Canyon 2018 Cab Sauvs, $13.59 (the Silverdale store has had only the 2021 vintage for months now…Bremerton had both vintages). My cellar once again runneth over. Damn! And no Lauterbach wines, JJ.
I also grabbed a Cullen Creek CA olive oil for $7.99, a 4 oz. bottle of real Madagascar vanilla extract for $7.99 and 2 5.3 oz. wedges of Depuis 1816 French Port Salut soft cheese for $2.39 ea. (that have a best by date of 3/18, but I’m not worried as they’re vacuum packed). We tried the cheese two weeks ago from the Silverdale store and we loved it. But they ran out and got no more. So I was delighted to find it for 60 cents less at Bremerton. Bremerton’s NOSH dept. dims in comparison to Silverdale, so found nothing there of interest.
Passed the Bremerton GO’s new location on the way home and the new sign is already up. Looks great! And the location is a huge improvement, as that intersection is going through major changes and bringing in a number of new businesses.
SCORE!
😁
Routas 2022 rosé, Coteaux Varois en Provence Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP), France, 13% ABV, $6. Lovely pale orangey pink color, medium-intensity flavors of less ripe yellow apple, mandarin orange / pink grapefruit, tart raspberry, drying minerality. This another rosé, like the Terra Nostra, that while definitely good, especially warmed up some from fridge temp so it develops some softness of fruit, doesn’t drive me wild. It’s somewhere between “drinkable” and “must get more.”
Lauterbach 2018 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA, 14.4% ABV, $6. Decanted 4+ hours, wine still feels somewhat tight, flavors of fairly full dark ripe cherry, red plum, strong acid of red / purple plum, subtle orange, kind of sour wood. While certainly a younger wine than the 2013, this has enough similarities to make me think that Lauterbach Pinots are just not for me. This is a very nice wine for $6 but it largely lacks Pinot delicateness, and has too much wood. It has Pinot flavors but in style almost might as well have been (dry) Zinfandel or Cabernet. If a saved screw-cap bottle changes my mind, I’ll reply to this comment. (Seedboy’s comments here.)
Coming out of my flu congestion, back on the beverages, smell still muted but hey. I grabbed the 2008 (08 not 18; they only had ’08 and ’10) Lauterbach PN RR at Richmond yesterday, and found it pleasant but yeah, a bit varietally vague. Not bad on first pour, on the darker color and fruit spectrum, I might have guessed a GS blend or who knows. In respectable shape for its age, but on day 2, not holding up.
I’m replying even though a saved 187.5ml screw-cap bottle of the Lauterbach 2018 Pinot Noir did not change my mind. It needed a couple hours in the glass to air and become soft and reasonably smooth, but did not really improve in terms of becoming more of what I like in Pinot.
Havemeyer 2022 Piesporter Goldtröpfchen, Riesling Spätlese, Prädikatswein, Mosel, Germany, 8.0% ABV, $7. Very light nose of petrol and ripe yellow apple. Lighter body and less sweet than I expected, with flavors of ripe yellow apple, lemon, petrol, green apple, slight pineapple, a little grape skin astringency. I often criticize New World versions of these wines for being too sweet for their amounts of acid, but this is the reverse; it’s almost too acid for the amount of sweetness. Good for the price but not amazing. I tried this again a couple days later. The wine is more smooth and better integrated, but the overall impression is much the same: surprisingly not sweet and lighter body for this low of alcohol and ripeness of flavors, but quite pleasant and tasty enough. Probably just pretend it’s a Kabinett instead of a Spätlese.
I got the 2021 Havemeyer PG Kabinett at Richmond, it’s very similar in character but even lighter, and more balanced to the sweet over acid side. I’d have preferred this one drier. But quite quaffable for $6.
Lauterbach 2013 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA, 14.8% ABV, $6. This was a bit inexpressive at first, but opened slowly over 4 hours decanted to show fairly acid dark red cherry / pomegranate / plum, not much of RRV baking spice or Pinot funk or finesse, slight orange, slightly rough wood on the finish. Probably because I had high hopes, I’m finding myself disappointed by this wine’s being rather hard and simple, even for $6. I’ll update if the saved screw-cap bottle changes my opinion.
2010, 2013, 2018 were all listed as so-so vintages on the RobertParker.com vintage chart. If all Lauterbach inventory is being liquidated, maybe all better vintages were sold off to places other than GO. Has anyone seen them turning up elsewhere, and at what prices?
Seedboy describes his experiences with the Lauterbach 2010 and 2018 Pinots, 2008 Syrah.
This winery’s website is still live, saying they’ve sold the winery, are liquidating the inventory, and offering everything half off. It lists pinots back to 2011, and Syrah from 2006 and 2009.
Terra Nostra 2022 rosé of Sciaccarellu, Corse Appelation d’Origine Protégée (AOP), Corsica, France, 12.5% ABV, $6. I have liked this bottling a lot in previous vintages, but I am only gently positive about this one. With lighter flavors of pink grapefruit, less ripe red berries, slight skin / rind bitterness, I am finding it less interesting than previous vintages, and than other current GO rosé offerings, at least at the Richmond, CA, store. I would absolutely enjoy a glass of it on a warm afternoon, and if it’s available at your store, it’s a good choice.
Gets admiration points from me for being Corsican! (I haven’t tried it, but would like to.)
Are there other Corsican wines of note, fellow Grossouts?
Kermit Lynch has brought in a bunch over the years, but they haven’t been to my tastes. They are distinct though, not like typical husky country French reds.
Kermit is my favorite importer….that’s interesting.
Sounds like what you’ve seen are mostly reds….any particular grape varieties?
BW and both liked the Poli 2022 rosé of Niellucciu, comments below.
Isle Saint Pierre 2022 Petit Verdot, Méditerranée Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP), France, Jeff Wellburn Selections, 12.5% ABV, $6. Needs 3.5 – 4 hours of air, at least this recently arrived. Shows tangy fruit of boysenberry / blueberry, purple grape, stewed fruit / slight prune but also hint of floral character, cinnamon / allspice, slightly rough wood in the finish. Body is a little lighter for this grape, but is very tasty and pleasant for the price, nice fruit and acid. It’s not on the verge of going off, but it’s not built to last at all, either. I’m not too excited about it, but you won’t go wrong with it, either.
I’m interested in how Petit Verdot seems have to become the Bordeaux varietal that can do well in hotter growing climates (Sicily (see here and here), edge of Sierra Foothills in JL Giguiere wines (see here, for example), and south of France in this wine).
Update: The winery itself actually looks very interesting, as best I could tell from the parts of the web site I translated, which is in French only. Apparently, it is on an island in the Rhône river, about 15km from the mouth of the river, and the family that runs it has been experimenting with many varietals of grapes for many years.
Both of these were decanted 3.5 – 4 hours on the first day. Two days later I decanted the saved 275ml screw-cap bottles about two hours before tasting them.
Domaine des Mouilles 2021 Fleurie AOC, Beaujolias, France, 13% ABV, $6. Aromatic nose of stewed lighter and darker red cherry, flavors of tangy light red cherry, hint of blueberry, dried orange peel, less ripe tamarind (if I even know what that means), very slight spoiled fruit character that passes with time, thin woody finish. Clearly a wine in sort of an “off” year, yet I like the delicate, complex, aromatic character, the balance between ripeness and acid, the non-fruitiness. Saved bottle: similar flavors but to my surprise develops a hard dark red cherry / cherry pit flavor that becomes dominant.
Château de la Bottière 2020 Juliénas AOC, Beaujolais, France, 13% ABV, $6. Richer, riper, dark red cherry, plum, red roses, raspberry, cherry pit, slight character of preserves after 4:45 open. Not as complex as I make it sound. Saved bottle: much the same, maybe a little softer.
DLuber and Seedboy both preferred the 2020 Juliénas, but to me the 2021 Fleurie was the more aromatic, complex, and interesting wine, even if less solidly made. For this price, I’ll probably get more of the 2021 Fleurie and drink it instead of Pinot Noir, of which I have very little and for which I have not found acceptably cheap options lately.
most of the time I like the Bojo better than PN…but even the cru ones I might buy don’t last as long. I only allocate one ‘rack’ in the storage area for pinot and gamay so they are always competing for attention, storage, and thirst.
Tonight I opened my second bottle of the Domaine des Mouilles 2021 Fleurie, the first of three I bought during the spring sale, and it was unfortunately much like DLuber described. Instead of complex and aromatic like my first bottle, it is more hard, simple, and acid. It’s not awful, but I would not have gotten more of this wine. I can hope my remaining two bottles of it are like my first.
Yesterday at the Marconi/Walnut GOBM I saw these
3L Mucho Mas box wine $9 Pretty fancy packaging actually, but it wasn’t obvious if it was Spain, South America or what. I have not bought box wine in decades, but they can be useful in something like a group AirBnB when everyone is in/out/about/around and having cold blanc on tap in the fridge is handy, and lots of wine will get drunk when friends gather. I had to attend an out of town funeral last summer and it was a similar situation, although I had brought a half case of rouge that were just left on the counter to be opened.
? Hesketh ‘Midday Somewhere’ Shiraz [Limestone Coast] $5 Label is vague, and I’ve never heard of that OZ region. 14.5% abv Screwcapped. Purple label, which is a bit weird tbh. Imported by MHW which is a white label agent for anyone who needs regulatory help with getting wine into the US, although they do not supply capital nor distribution sales force.
? Infinito Malbec $8 Again difficult to determine vintage, region etc. Although presumably malbec will always be from Argentina. 91WE stickers on the top.
2019 Curton La Perriere [Bordeaux] $8 Basic AOC wine has been mostly ignored by fine wine retailers from this region, but its usually way better than it’s price suggests, especially when it comes from an estate (rather than a brand like the Rothschilds).
Today at the Watt/Whitney location
? Prayers of Saints ‘Chardonnay’ [Washington] $7 really beautiful label, screwcapped, but atypical bulbous bottle. I’d assume the wine sucks since it has a lot of packaging gimmicks, and if anything, GO gets ugly labeled wine not deftly marketed stuff.
2022 St Boniface Piesporter Michaelserg Qba [Mosel] $8 bottled by Gunther Schlink , who may have a few other bottles at the typical GO. 9.5% abv. On the back label there is a little map of the river which shows where the village is, which is reminiscent of the very old Alexis Lichine imports of a prior generation (more than one!) which used to provide a little geography lesson along with inebriation.
Schlink Riesling Landwein $7 looks like same producer, but strangely this is only a buck cheaper, when it appears to be a much more ‘bulk’ wine. I like German riesling, but no one else at in my entire family does, so it’s hard to find ways to share them, except during the hot summer, when it’s easy to finish a bottle by oneself over a 2 to 3 nights, or just leave one always open for an apertif. I put away a little of the 2019 vintage which was well regarded.
========
Generally all the wine depts looks really stale to me. Maybe all the new inventory is being held back at corporate, or the back of the stores, only to released for sale once the semi annual discounting is over. It’s been slim pickings at GO for months, and I’ve found more/better deals at mass marketers recently. Heck, even Whole Foods seems to have had something change in my area.
I meant that I put away some German 2019 Riesling broadly, not anything from Gunther Schlink, who I know nothing about.
The St. Boniface and Schlink wines were reported on here last June. My notes on the Boniface were: “Brilliant pale straw; red apple and apricot nose; much better in the acidity level compared to the Kreuznacher that I didn’t like at all, but still a little softer than what I’d prefer; flavors of peach, apricot and honeysuckle; could use a bit more texture, but certainly serviceable. I’d still prefer to spend $15-$20 for a better quality “inexpensive” German Riesling…or $4 for the Columbia Valley Bloke that I just bought six more of.” Re the Schlink: “Brilliant pale straw; rather restrained green apple nose; slightly sweet on the palate, but with decent acidity to balance the sugar; nice mouth feel, giving it texture; flavors of more green apple with some stone fruit qualities too (white peach and yellow plum); lemony finish; could use more pronounced flavors, but it’s pretty tasty and refreshing with low alcohol, so perfect for quaffing.” Neither were hardly mind-blowing, but of the two, I preferred the cheaper Schlink. The Boniface was $9 up here in WA.
Prayers of Sinners & Saints 2018 Chardonnay ($5, $11 elsewhere) made by Chateau Ste Michelle in Patterson WA.
*Seen in Pullman since Oct 2023, moving slowly.
*100% Chardonnay, 7% of grapes allowed to oxidize bf fermentation to reduce bitterness, increase complexity. *76% stainless steel, 24% oak, 53% French, 47% American, 1 and 2 yr old barrels
*Pear, peach, butter, oak, citrus, apple flavors mentioned.
*Vivino 3.7.
*v2017 (inaugural vintage) WE 86 Sean Sullivan, no pro rates for 2018.
*This vintage est. release year prob 2019, so likely at end of drinking window.
Invited to watch WSU Cougs play BBall against Huskies on campus.Tailgate at friends’ farm gave me an excuse to try out Old Soul 2021 Pinot Noir ($6 GO, $11-16 elsewhere)
🕰2021
💯85/100 🌟3.5
👁Deep garnet
👃👅Dry,black fruit,ripe cherry, black raspberry,vanilla,oak,med acidity,smooth tannins,atypical PN.
🍇77%PN,8%MB,6%ML,5%PS,5%PV
🌄Lodi
🕰4 months 96%French oak,4%American
⛽13.5%ABV
💯?cases
Made by Oak Ridge Winery
🏅No pro rates🏅
💵$11-16 online, $6 GO
Meiomi-ized style of PN.
PN w training wheels that will appeal to the crowd.
Midweek pop and pour quaff but not for PN aficionados.
Husky upset!!
New at Richmond, CA couple days ago: Havemeyer Piesporter Goldtropfchen Riesling Spatlese and Riesling Qualitätswein, I think $8 and $7?, but I’m terrible at either remembering or saving receipts. Got the PG; at only 8% ABV, it’s sure to be on the sweet side!
Not trying anything new this week, now I’ve got a nasal/throat/GI bug too.
$7 for the Havemeyer ’22 Riesling Spatlese PG, $5 for the ’20 QbA.
Would appreciate hearing any commentary on these, if you’re a German Riesling appreciator as I am. Would love a good Spätlese with fruit and acid in balance.
But don’t know if we have those up in WA either, yet.
I’m not sure which vintage, but that producer’s bottlings have been festering at local BevMos for years. They seem to have taken a much more downmarket approach in recent times, and do not have any system of thoughtfully cycling through very stale inventory. So a fine wine enthusiast learns that there isn’t much point in frequent visits.
A few items I saw recently in the Citrus Heights location
21 Las Campanas ‘selecion especial’ [Navarra] $7 has a 90WE rating. across the river/valley from Rioja but the cepage can be a lot of different things. this D? O has never really found itself, but there are some great Parkerized imports that do get over here (Magana, Azuri etc.)
? vtg Mina Velha Reserva [Lisboa] $7 no vintage on the front label, is red
? vtg Gaios [Douro] $7 another red with limited info on front label
Vicenzo Bianco Apertivo ‘Lemon / Ginger’ $5 this a liqueur that TW was bringing in about a year ago, with a front line price of $10, but often deeply discounted. Perhaps more spirits are being pushed out to GO from TW as I’ve seen a few now. Price is probably fair enough, but my better half thought all the flavors from this producer were underwhelming, even when doctored up with sparkling water / wine / seltzer, spirits etc.
2019 Piattelli Vyds ‘Reserve Malbec’ [Salta] $7 I’m not sure of Argentine AOC rules but I think Salta is one of their named zones. I read a book by Laura Catena on Arg wines, but rarely drink/buy them, unless they are affiliated with a French house/consultant. And even then, that’s like once a year.
I have not seen any signs mentioning the Spring wine sale, and so far, most stores I’ve been have underwhelming/boring/stale inventory. I’m surprised how sluggish some of the higher price wines have moved. (higher in the GO sense) Some of the Chapoutier OZ Shiraz must have sat in some locations for 2+ years, and it was already the 2014 or 2015 vintage. But in my observation I almost never see a local manager cut price on a lonely odd bottle, so it just sits with a yellow tag, until even that falls off.
Aubergine, I tried the Gaios 2020 Red, Douro ($7) Jan 12, posted on this blog but past comments are difficult to find:
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Was looking forward to this Douro Red, very disappointing.
🕰2020
💯82/100 🌟3.2
👁️Purple ruby
👃👅Dry,sour cherry,unripe raspberry,resinous rosemary, garrigue,high acidity,med tannins,unbalanced.
🍇40%Tinto Barroco,40%Tinto Roriz,20%Touriga Naçional
🌄Douro,Portugal
🕰No tech sheet
⛽14%ABV
Not a rebuy for me.
(Flitcraft commented this is an unusually high proportion of Tinto Barroco, which is usually added in smaller amounts to add acidity and color.)
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Received insider information on Spring Sale dates a month ago, posted dates here twice in past comments, no signage here either.
New reds & research:
1. Valley of the Moon 2019 Red Blend 41, Sonoma.14.5%ABV
($13 GO/$28 release/$16 ave paid)
Kitchen sink blend
44%CS,17%PS,15%ZN,8%SNG,8%MB,5%PN,2%ML,1%Barbera
Made by Madrone Estate Winery in Glen Ellen, which was sold in 2020 to Bundschu Co.
Winery tasting note: “lilac,narcissus, hickory,game,blackberry,red currant,leather,cedar”
Reputable Vivino reviewer (3.8) mentions “high pyrazines,green pepper,needs lots of air” 1/1/24
No pro reviews, Vivino 3.7.
+++++++++++++++++++
*2. Old Soul 2021 Pinot Noir, Lodi. 13.5%ABV
($6 GO/$11-16 elsewhere)
77%PN/8%MB/6%ML/5%PS/4%PV
4 months 96%French oak,4%American
Made by Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi which has 8 labels incl OZV, custom bottles wine and sells bulk wine.
No pro reviews for v2021.
Vivino 3.8, reputable reviewer states “fresh crisp fruit, heavy oak” “drink on day 1” (3.5 on 3/1/24)
++++++++++++++++++
*3. Silk Oak 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon,Lodi,13.5%ABV
($7 GO/$12 Liquor Barn)
Also by Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi, probable custom bottling for wine store.
No pro reviews.
Vivino 4.0
(BW commented on Silk Oak Zinfandel in earlier post)
++++++++++++++++++
4. Longford Estate 2019 CS, Monterey,13.5%ABV ($7 GO)
Made by Scheid Winery in Greenfield CA
No pro reviews, Vivino 4.0.
+++++++++++++++++++
5. Longford Estate 2021 Pinot Noir, Monterey,13.5%ABV
($7 GO)
No pro reviews,Vivino 3.4
Another Scheid Winery product.
+++++++++++++++++++
6. Upstream 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon,Lodi CA.15.2%ABV, ($8 GO/unknown release price as website defunct)
Made by Watts Winery in Lodi.
Craig Watts started the winery, first vintage 1999.
Sadly,winery closed permanently,last Instagram post April 2019.
No pro reviews,Vivino 3.6.
Reviews all over the place,loved by a few,others hated.
2 star review 2020 “bitter,weedy,poor fruit,overly dry & tannic”
A professed “Michelin Star server” gave this 4.5/5 in 2022.
I’ve only given 4.5 (95 pts) to 2016 Graham’s Vintage Port that scored 95-99 w pro wine reviewers,so 4.5 unlikely rating on this CS. 3.6 seems reasonable.
++++++++++++++++++++
7. Dressage 2019 Pinot Noir, Monterey ($7 GO, $14 release)
14.5%ABV
Made by Castle Rock Winery in Geyserville, CA.
Two batches made in 2019.
86 pts WE Matt Kettman, 5/1/2021
“Oaky aromas dominate the baked cherry and rust on the nose”, “black cherry and cola pop on the palate” “hints of iodine and add complexity”
Vivino 3.5 (equiv to 85 pt)
***************************
Waiting til Spring Sale (March 25 to April 2) to load up on more wine, including the two above marked *.
Thanks for that research. Castle Rock makes a few AVA designated PN which are a bit better than bulk, and more than merit their price points. If the Dressage has the same philosophy it might be ok. Monterey can be a tough region to get ripe reds though.
Hi WORN –
Here’s my comment on the Longford 2021 Pinot Noir. I liked it enough to reload.
I also found it pleasant enough, as I have a number of the pinots that have come through (Sister’s Ridge, for instance) but I still feel a need to drink down my stock of GO pinot so I have not made any repeat pinot buys in ages.
A caveat: the recent one from Lodi, purchased for educational purposes, confirms my view that fine Pinot Noir cannot come from there.
I’ve liked some of the basic chenin blanc / viognier from the area. Maybe its more Clarksburg if I really get geographically nitpicky. Pine Ridge makes a reliable one year in / year out, that no one complains about, civilian or oenofool.
Richmond has the Bota Box 3 liter box of 80% Chenin 20% Viognier, from California somewhere, don’t know the price. It also has a 2010 (that is not a typo) RRV Pinot from Lauterbach Cellars for $6, a now defunct winery that is selling a bunch of older pinots on its website (not this one) for $45 or more. This had a SKU label attached to it. I have not opened it.
José said they should also be getting other vintages of the Lauterbach Russian River Valley Pinot Noir and a Lauterbach RRV Syrah.
I will be opening this one tonight to share with GO wine loving friends and will report tomorrow.
Saturday night I opened one bottle of the 2010 Lauterbach Pinot. It was deeply flawed. Sunday I took it back for exchange to see if it was just an off bottle, and found the 2018 Pinot and the 2008 Syrah. The new 2010 was spritzy but when that blew off the wine was pleasant and had some character, showed no oxidation. The 2018 had no flaw, had good fruit, varietally correct with more character than most $6 GO Pinots (these are bottled unfiltered and unfined). The Syrah was just lovely, a fine example of a cool climate Syrah.
I know wine geeks love unfined/unfiltered/unsulfited etc. but it does help avoid problems in bottle later. And most consumers like wines that fall bright.
At least in my bottles of Lauterbach 2013 and 2018 Pinot Noir, there was hardly any sediment. The 2008 Syrah has a ton, though.
Anybody know if these Lauterbach’s ever hit western WA?
Oh that Pine Ridge chenin blanc / viognier. Such a deal and it made everyone I gave it to so happy. Including me ; )
Poli 2022 rosé of Niellucciu (apparently another name for Sangiovese), Ile de Beauté Indication Géographique Protégée (IGP), Corsica, France, 12% ABV, $6. Medium heaviness of fruit for a rosé, with cantaloupe dominant backed up by pink grapefruit and less ripe strawberry, slight bitterness of melon rind finishing. I wouldn’t mind a little more structure, but it’s very smooth, even, and balanced.
For me, the standout quality of the Poli rosé was its savory character on the tongue.
Tassilo 2022 Grüner Veltliner, Mautern, Wachau, Austria, Müller Family Vineyards, 12.5% ABV, $8. Mild nose of yellow apple / grapefruit, slightly floral / honeyed, light fresh herbs. Palate of lemon peel (with attendant bitterness), yellow grapefruit, yellow apple, fresh celery (as suggested by the Wikipedia page), the more sap-like aspect of white pepper. Pretty good for the price. For me, better with food.
Second day: yellow apple, lemon, and melon, less ripe lime / green apple, zesty bitterness of melon rind / citrus pith, light fresh herbs. Quite good, probably prefer it today, but is making me suspect I’m just not that fond of GV.
I’d still be happy to give the Tassilo a try, but I suspect I may never see it up here. You need to give a single vineyard GV a try, BW. The one I’ve purchased at Total Wine (around $20) a few times completely changed my mind about the varietal. Totally different from the one liter GV’s. Here’s what Wine Enthusiast had to say:
https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/gruber-roschitz-2019-ried-hundspoint-gruner-veltliner-weinviertel/ Go price…no! But worth the experience.
We like Gruner as a food wine but don’t go through a lot of it. If you’d like to explore a little, I recommend the Weingut OTT “Am Berg” as another good-value Austrian one, usually findable in the $20-$25 range. For a good CA version, you could try the Cadre “Band of Stones” – $22 at K&L right now.
I went to the Richmond, CA, store and got 6 bottles of recent arrivals, all from Jeff Wellburn Selections:
– Tassilo 2022 Grüner Veltliner, Mautern, Wachau, Austria, Müller Family Vineyards, 12.5% ABV, $8
– Terra Nostra 2022 rosé of Sciaccarellu, Corse AOP, Corsica, France, 12.5% ABV, $6
– Poli 2022 rosé of Niellucciu (apparently another name for Sangiovese), Ile de Beauté IGP, Corsica, France, 12% ABV, $6
– Isle Saint Pierre 2022 Petit Verdot, Méditarranée IGP, France, 12.5% ABV, $6
– Château de la Bottière 2020 Juliénas AOC, Beaujolais, France, 13% ABV, $6
– Domaine des Mouilles 2021 Fleurie AOC, Beaujolias, France, 13% ABV, $6
I am still coughing and blowing my nose a bit, so I’m not sure when I’ll get started on them, but they should be fun.
Hi BW –
I got a few of the same and tasted a couple:
Tassilo 2022 GruV – very nice, a cut above the usual 1 L bottlings (tip o’ the hat to Lim 13 🙂 – fruity, zippy but ripe acidity, minerally
– Poli 2022 rosé of Niellucciu – light in color, body, and aroma, but nice. Light strawberry/pomegranate aroma & flavor, but more savory than fruity, different.
– Château de la Bottière 2020 Juliénas – thumbs up, but not spectacular
– Domaine des Mouilles 2021 Fleurie – thumbs down; tart, shrill, kinda joyless, missing the overt fruitiness and estery aromas you look for in a Gamay (my benchmark here being a recent K&L bottle @ $20: 2020 Clos de la Roilette)
I’ll have to look for that GV up thisaway, DL. Who knows? I might get lucky. As Beaujolais goes, I’ve always been more of a Morgon and Moulin-a-Vent kinda’ guy…a little deeper and richer. But I haven’t had either in years.
Checked Silverdale today. No Tassilo 2022 GruV, DL. Not even on their order guide…yet.
I concur with DLuber on the Julienas. It is a nice wine. As for the Fleurie, I thought it gained a mild thumbs up on day two but it still seems more Villages quality and is not the wine that the Julienas is.
RobertParker.com does not bother to rate Beaujolais vintages, but for Burgundy, a little farther north, they rate 2020 a much better vintage than 2021. The Clos de la Roilette 2021 Fleurie that DLuber mentions has notes on the K&L web site that say this producer defied the poor vintage to make good wines.
Ah, actually we had the 2020 Roilette, opened it our BJ NV dinner, with the two nouveaux from Kermit Lynch, at IIRC $20, $25 each – one sucked, the other was OK+. The Roilette was by far the wine of the night, even besting an old Barolo (which admittedly could have used more air time).
Thanks for correcting me, again.