Please use comments here to alert everyone to interesting wines you’ve seen at which stores, but which have not yet been reviewed. Please post any tasting notes in Guest Contributions, or as a comment on a main-page review, as comments here older than six weeks or so will be deleted.
You can check out what reviewers have at home to review at this sub-blog:
The magical world of wines from Grocery Outlet 
Around a couple years ago, GO had the Los Haroldos 2013 Malbec “Reserva de Familia” for $10. At the time, this wine seemed like it was a well-made wine, but wasn’t showing much then. I got a couple to put away in cool storage, and opened the first last night. It now comes across as an elegant, gentle, well-structured Malbec that is just entering drinkability. When it finally aired after being decanted about 4 hours, it seemed like there wasn’t all that much to it anymore, although still quite pleasant. Will update after whenever I try the saved screwcap bottle, but it seems like I will give my other bottle another 1 – 2 years before opening.
Wind Gap Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2017, $5.99. Some of you might remember the Chardonnay from this winery, and if you are involved in the wine market outside of GO you might well have seen deep discounts on other wines from this winery. There was a change in ownership, with Pax Mahle, the wine maker, selling his interest, and the inventory is being blown out. There is no internet presence for this wine and I suspect it is just now being released. I’ve not opened it yet but I expect it to be rather light and varietally correct and more acidic than some of the critics would have liked.
I saw the Wind Gap at our GO this afternoon but ended up not picking any up. I did pick up one of the Kettmeir Müller-Thurgaus, a little more of the 2015 H3 Chevaux, and a 2018 Esteban Martin Garnacha Syrah to try. The rosé section had been decimated…at least the portions of it that I would have been interested in.
It sure was cleaned out this morning. That Esteban Martin is pleasant for summer grilling season.
I like the Wind Gap pinot. It starts out rather reductive but good strawberry fruit, which deepens after it has been open an hour (I should state, I am refrigerating it so that it never gets over 55 in the glass). I am gonna leave the second half of the bottle in the fridge and check in tomorrow.
Oh I should note the reduction does blow off.
Thanks for your comments. I am curious to try one of these since I missed the Chardonnay at GO not that long ago.
I should still have a number of bottles of that Chardonnay, want one of them?
Hi Seedboy. Thank you but, in a situation with which you can probably identify, I have plenty of wine. For example, in the fridge, I still have some of the Ritual Chardonnay, from Casablanca Valley, Chile. It has nice lemony, less ripe pineapple flavor, and good structure, but is a bit too acid for me. Might be up your alley?
bought a bottle of that Ritual Chard today and it is quite good. Balanced, good fruit and still available at the Richmond store for $4.99
Glad you liked it!
It seemed to me that the Ritual Chardonnay took a turn towards harsh the second day.
Hi Seedboy. Tonight, I opened a bottle of the Wind Gap 2017 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. Did you actually like this wine? I thought it was pretty good from a perspective of being an accessible and fruity wine that tastes like Pinot, pretty good right after opening, and has stayed good from that perspective. I think it will be pretty popular at GO, but it is hardly (i.e., not at all) the lean, acid, earthy type you seem to prefer.
Well, after seeing both BW and Seedboy comments (two of the best palates in this forum) – and noticing my wife had opening the Wind Gap PN Sonoma Coast in question, thought I’d chime…overall, totally concur. Muted nose, wanting a bit more aromatics; fruity entry, kinda quite/mellow finish but still significant structure and heft…a PaxM wine without a doubt…good value for PN, competent drinker!
I do like this wine. It has a good balance between acid and fruit, and the depth of the fruit increases with air. It is not particularly earthy but what do you want for a wine that was designed to retail for $35 or less? I think this wine never got a proper commercial release, there is nothing about it on the interwebs. What I am wondering is whether there are any vineyard designates lurking out there somewhere, maybe some syrah or grenache or chardonnay . . .
Yes, while I did not like this soft and fruity wine much on the first night, I agree it has enough structure and depth to potentially age into something I would really enjoy.
The Kettmeir 2017 Müller-Thurgau is pretty good for $5. I had not tasted a Müller-Thurgau for many years, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. it’s dry, fruity (yellow and green apple, golden kiwi, lime) with decent acid and some chalkiness in the finish.
Brief comments on a handful of recent purchases…first, the rebuys:
2017 Bellacana Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select: I like the lean character here, so we picked a handful more since they just came back in stock locally
2017 Vigo Viognier: we found the test bottle racier than most CA viogniers, which I appreciated, although a touch of heat poking through detracted just a little…we picked up a couple more at $5
2017 Vigo Rosé: grenache/syrah, a crowdpleasing, somewhat weighty version with a nice nose, a touch of just-off-dry sweetness, and pithy acidity…decent for the style at $4, although I’d generally prefer more zip, myself
2019 Bodegas Ignacio Marin Cariñena Barbacoa: very young and a bit grapey at the moment, but had a good first impression from the one bottle we opened and picked up another for a second opinion
I also picked up a few bottles to try out soon with a friend who likes wines more on the riper/fruit-driven end of the spectrum than we usually go for:
2014 Kuleto Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
2014 Barons Winery Petit Barone
2015 Columbia Crest H3 Les Chevaux
I was in the Kennewick (South Eastern WA) store and saw a couple of surprising wines (over 4 on Vivino) as this GO isn’t known for good wine the past few years:
2014 Primarius Reserve Pinot Noir, Willammette Valley $6.99 ($24). Pretty good, light vegital (green but not bell pepper that I loath), mint. Not too old, no browning, but think it won’t last too much longer. Definitely a $20 OR PN (not more). This is Precept Brands, a common source of GO wines from the PNW. Buy
2017 Gabrielle Ashley CabSauv Napa Reserve $10 ($40). Precisins Wine Co, Napa, 14.5%. This brand has been at GO before, but nor the Reserve.
Neither of these wines have been in the Pasco store.
I had a short discussion with the new wine tender – turned her onto Vivino as she was dusting the wines – yes, dusting the wine (good sign).
Today at Redwood City I picked up a Louis Bernard ’17 Cotes de Provence Rose, looks interesting for $5, I have found this producer’s wines reliable in the past.
Also saw, but did not pick up, ’13 Moshin North Coast Sonoma Pinot Noir, $9. Sam at RWC likes this wine a bit better than the Chalone PN, which I missed, says it has bit more acid, not as fruit forward as the Chalone.
They have a few bottles of the Trenel 2015 Beaujolais Villages, picked one up to try.
The Trenel 2015 Beaujolais Villages is great for $5. I commented on the 2104 here. The 2015 is a dollar more but a much better wine: fuller, riper, much more youthful and vibrant.
What store?
I got mine at Richmond, of course. 🙂
Was not there yesterday
This wine has reached its time limit. Any more time it’s gonna turn.
It’s a ‘good’ Beaujolais. Lacks real structure and pretty simple but enjoyable daily. Bought 3.
Correction. It was there.
I opened another bottle of the 2015 tonight. It’s still yummy, and more accessible after having rested in the store for a couple months.
Enjoying the 2018 La Domitienne “Pique Poul” Picpoul de Pinet that I picked up at the Olympia store for $5.99. Haven’t seen a picpoul on the shelves for a while, so I dove in and am glad I did. A great summer evening on the porch wine.
Thanks, BW. I have a fond memory of somehow finding BV for $0.97 at Cost Plus one year. Didn’t know what it was but I knew it was cheap and fun. Will keep an eye out for this.
This was at the Kenmore GO for 7.99. Darned dynamic pricing…I bought two anyway. Thanks for the heads up, RB.
No Seven Hills Rose, though; this is the GO where I found it some time ago. I probably have enough rose to get me through the summer anyway…
On another note, I went to the Crown Hill GO last week, and two of the employees were wearing their masks under their noses. When I saw the second guy semi-masked, I said to him, “I think your mask has slipped.” He just looked at me and said, “Whatever.” I think this will be my last visit till things get better, COVID-wise.
The stores I shop in are fastidious about Covid.
I have run across two wines from Extinct Wines. One is a Napa Cab for $7.99. It is not a good wine. I do not recall exactly why I reached that conclusion, I think I wanted to blot it from my taste memory.
The Carneros Pinot for $6.99 however is pretty damned drinkable with even a bit of complexity to it. If the Pinot Noir Storage Facility were not full I might well buy a few of these.
I’ve found the Kenmore GO to be very good on COVID protocol. But I had read some Yelp comments on Crown Hill complaining about lax practices, and now that I have been there myself and seen them, I’m outta there.
Obligatory wine comment: Kenmore still has the Acumen reserve bottling, 2014, as well as the Mountainside and the Malbec. Too expensive for my blood, so I haven’t tried any of them, but I know there was a fair amount of interest back in the Before Times, so if you missed out and are in the neighborhood, you can still find them at the Kenmore GO.
Still plenty of Acumen 375’s at Olympia as well.
I was horrified by the lack of safety protocols at the Alameda store. Two women were not only allowed into the store without masks saying they had doctor’s permission (no proof required), but they didn’t even practice social distancing while there. They seemed giddy with their maskless state and were having a grand time shouting and laughing. The poor cashier was horrified when they came into his line. Also there’s no wiping of carts, mask enforcement (customers or staff) or social distancing. When contacted, the owner says the matter is out of his hands. I need a new store in the Bay Area. Anyone have suggestions? I’m loving the Mudhouse SB, but can’t go back to the Alameda.store.
I am not sure why the store owner cannot make the policy of “no mask, no service.” I guess people are allowed to claim medical exemptions, but in my non-MD opinion, if you can shout and laugh loudly, you are not suffering from a lack of lung capacity, and could still be spreading coronavirus. Whether or not employees can be required to wear masks, I expect depends on county rules.
Hi Seedboy. Tonight I opened an Extinct? 2015 Cabernet Napa Valley. Although I think it’s not a very serious wine, I though it was pretty good for $8. It had typical Napa Cab darker Bing cherry and blackberry, with a good full body, but in a very fresh-fruity way. Although it did not really taste like it had settled down into wine, I think it’s pretty good for immediate drinking, similar to and maybe better than the Standing Goat Cab at the same price.
Maybe I got a bad bottle?
Soon after opening, it did have a slight “spoiled grape” flavor, but I thought this aired out. Maybe some bottles have more than others?
Not easily found in San Diego, but there are two organic tequilas branded El Consuelo, a small farmers cooperative. They have a great story if you Google it. The Blanco was $17 and the Reposado, $19.
Despite wanting to love these and hoping for a monumental bargain, the best thing I can say is they have good mouth feel, are smooth and produce no hangover. However, the off flavors marred much of my enjoyment when drank neat. I’m going to try to identify some specifics tomorrow about what I don’t like, but the Reposado tastes really herby without the flavor I associate with reposados and the Blanco had something really funky going on.
Anyone tried these? They are well made, without a doubt, but I can’t get past their flavors.
Those have been around for a while but, no, I have not. I do however love the Irish gin Conncullin that should be in stock still in those stores able to sell hard alcohol. It is very dry and clean and lovely with Dolin dry vermouth (2 parts gin 1 part vermouth, at my house).
Ugh. Got so distracted by finding the tequila that I forgot to buy the Conncullin yesterday! Thanks for that reminder.
Sold. Something to pair well with the multiple Q Indian Tonic Water 4-pks ($2) the wife and I found at the Palo Alto store. BTW Inspiration Vineyards Syrah and Rose are the best thing I’ve had recently.
Chiming in briefly to endorse this pairing. The Q Indian tonic waters were here in SLO, and we picked up a couple of four-packs. With the first gin we tried, it made a G&T sweeter than I wanted, but I thought it worked fairly well with the Conncullin and a good-sized wedge of lime.
Thanks for the tip. I’ve seen soda water but not tonic. My teen son likes tonic for some reason so I should pick some up. And some more Conncullin while I can.
Oakland has the Chalone pinot, but they are keeping it in the back. Tell them I sent you and ask. I opened a bottle of it last night and liked it a lot more than my first taste, it is showing a complexity I’d not seen before.
The ad yesterday included Lea Sta Rita Hills Pinot for $6.99. This is a project of the Tensley winery in Santa Barbara County. The wine guys told me that the bottles were all “corked”, which turns out means to him that the wine was seeping up the sides of the cork. My bottle had wine about half way up the cork but no signs of leakage. It was not corked. Dark color. Fairly concentrated, just enough acid to balance it out, with some black raspberry starting to appear before I put it aside so there would be some left for tonight. It is not as good as the Chalone, the Lea impresses me as a wine that was left on the vines a long time and then acid added in the winery, but that said it is well worth $6.99 especially if you like fuller bodied pinots.
Re the Lea – I’m a huge Tensley fan for Joey’s syrahs, and have had several vintages of her PN – never enjoyed, sorry to report. Your TN are on target – far better buys in PN right now
OK day two on both bottles. The Lea was completely forgettable. I also had a conversation with Bargainwhine about this wine and it appears he got a bottle that leaked into his shopping bag. My takeaway on this wine is if you or a friend love the big flavor pinots but can’t afford (or find) Seasmoke, buy this but look carefully at the fill and the capsule.
THE CHALONE, ON THE OTHER HAND, WAS REALLY GOOD ON DAY TWO.
When I saw the stacked Lea Pinot Noir on a pallet in back, I cut the side of a box open and took out a bottle to try. I didn’t like it that much, finding it out of balance. The next day, when I actually opened the top of that box in the normal way, I found the top of the box, above where my bottle had been, stained from a long-dried previous leak. Of the two boxes I have opened, that was the only bottle that made any kind of mark on the box, so I got lucky. 🙂 I haven’t yet tried another, although presumably non-leaking, bottle.
I picked up a bottle of the Lea PN at Rocklin after checking out fills the cork was in excellent shape and I found the wine quite fine. Not a $70 pinot, but then, not a $70 pinot. A good investment. I had not had a Tensley wine in years. Now to look for the Moshin.
Hi GOWL! I had a bottle of the Reposado about a year ago, I think. I did not like it much at first, so I pretty much left it alone. As the months passed, I thought it smoothed out and became quite palatable, if still kind of light in flavor. I’m not very familiar with tequila, but I’ve had better tequila for not much more from GO. Admittedly, there’s not much to choose from right now.
I have to say, I need to walk back my comments here. These are much better than my initial impressions – maybe something going on with my palate that day. These are definitely light in flavor and they have less common flavors seen. They aren’t necessarily worth seeking out but work a pick up if you need pretty good tequila.
I had not ever tasted a New Zealand Chardonnay that I liked. They had all been lean, acid, with little varietal character. However, I do really like the Nobilo 2016 Marlborough Chardonnay, although I didn’t like it that much the first day. While I was intrigued by the dominant tropical fruit flavors of cheremoya and golden kiwi, with the typical Chardonnay yellow apple / lemon distinctly in the background, I thought the wine was musty and clunky. On the second day, however, it all cleared up. The more typical Chardonnay yellow apple / lemon was foremost, elegantly integrated with the tropical fruit flavors and green melon (honeydew), with nice texture and length of taste. It’s actually a lovely and distinctly NZ version of Chardonnay. My only caveat is that I find a slight hint of sulfite (I think. I mean the burnt match smell, not the rotten egg smell.), which is more prominent at some times than others. I’m embarrassed that I can’t recall whether this wine is $6 or $7.
No one else drank the La Sagrestana Sangiovese Romagna?
This wine has been such a steal
Hi weinish! Yes, I tried a bottle, but I wasn’t particularly impressed. I thought it was a good Sangiovese for $6 (I think), but for whatever reason, it was not a wine that stood out to me. I’m glad you’ve been enjoying it, though.
Dropped into the Silverdale GO for the first time in a while because the GO email I received yesterday with their weekly ad showed Mud House 2018 NZ Sauv Blanc for $5.99. One of my long-time wine buddies fell in love with Mud House SB’s when he visited NZ years ago. So I rushed down and bought four. Also picked up a couple bottles of Gabrielle Ashley 2018 Alexander Valley Cab for $7.99. I’m not expecting much because it’s “cellared & bottled by” (not vinted or made by) Precision Wine Co. in American Canyon, CA. Also bought a 2017 St Hallett Barossa Old Vine Grenache for $5.99 and a bottle of Jeff’s Joint 2017 CA Red Blend for $5.99 only because I have an emotional attachment to the name Jeff. Actually, I was startled to see a number of more interesting wines than usual in the store, including a rose’ from Seven Hills (a well respected Walla Walla winery) and the 2016 (old for rose’, I know) Malene rose’ that I bought much of when it first showed up a year ago March. Drinking one of my last bottles now and it’s still a lovely pale peach/salmon color, bone dry and delicious at $4.99. Made from Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, Vermentino & Syrah.
Drinking the Mud House Sauv Blanc right now. Has a nice, subdued (for a NZ SB) nose~~wet straw and guava, grass and bright apple. I’m even getting some interesting soil in the mouth, more akin to a French flintiness ….but it drops off a bit in acid and a strange vanish of flavors, at the end.
*After a few more minutes: As it’s warming up, aromas are becoming more darkly grassy (THERE’S that quintessential Marlborough). But the acid seems to be lengthening out…..
It’s an interesting wine, well worth the 5.99.
I haven’t tried the Mudhouse yet, but the friend (and his wife) that I mentioned above bought a case of it, loved it and are heading back for more. I’ll report my own findings by Saturday sometime.
I lied. I couldn’t wait until Saturday, so I opened a bottle of the Mud House tonight. It’s delicious! My notes: Brilliant pale straw; intense gooseberry, pear and citrus nose typical of Marlborough SB; tastes sweet on the front of the palate, but then dries out, shows tons of delicious gooseberry and tropical fruit and balanced acidity with rich texture; a steal at six bucks!
Happy to hear this is good. I’ll be purchasing some soon and haven’t had good Sauv Blanc in ages. I get way too distracted by all of the random rose selections during Summer but … why not both?!
About the Jeff’s Joint red blend: Pinot-like in color…pale ruby; slightly peppery, fruity, grapeish nose; tart red fruit berryish flavors with no tannin to speak of; I’m getting Zin flavors, but really washed out; probably refreshing served well chilled, but for me (other than the name…for friends named Jeff) a complete waste of six bucks. Likely would work to make ice cubes for sangria or a punch bowl drink. Yuk!
Tough to discern your true feelings about the Jeff Joint…naught! Thx
If you haven’t had the Seven Hills rose, I’d pick it up if it were cheap (and 2018). Back when I was in Walla Walla, they couldn’t keep that stuff on the shelf as many of the wine industry people would go in and buy it. It was our favorite Rose in the valley from ’12-’15 It was usually sold out by April in town. Santa Rosa hasn’t had a lot of great wine lately but if they have the 7H, I’ll pick up a bunch for sure.
I believe the seven Hills rose’ was a 2017 or 2018. I’ll pick up a couple today when I go down to get a case of the Mud House SB and report back on vintage and price. Both vintages got excellent reviews.
Seven Hills Rose’ is 2017 vintage and $3.99 here in western WA state. I also picked up a couple of bottles of The Goose 2017 South African Chenin Blanc for $3.99 (from the winery of pro golfer Retief Goosen). Those poor folks in South Africa have really got it bad! If you weren’t aware, check out this link: https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/south-africa-mulls-return-restrictions-covid-19-surges-71739805
The 2017 Seven Hills rose’ is mighty tasty. My notes: Brilliant very pale pink; nice fruity nose of watermelon, and citrus; tastes off dry on the front of the tongue, but then dries out completely and shows flavors of white peach, lemon and more watermelon; excellent mouth feel makes me think it got a fair dose of skin contact; hard to go wrong with this pale, refreshing, flavorful rose’ for four bucks.
Wanted to try it, but it was all sold out in Olympia! I’m hoping Stan can get more….I’ll check in with him soon~
Please tell Stan that his buddy Lim13 from Silverdale says “Hi!” And on another note, that Goose South African Chenin Blanc was very drinkable, but in my opinion, lacks concentration of fruit and any mouth feel/texture.
Opened the St Hallett Old Vine Grenache this evening. My notes: Pours a clear medium ruby color, similar to many Pinots, not unlike Grenache; the nose was horrendous when first poured…stinky, skunky, sulfury, but blew off after about 20-30 minutes, then subtle red fruit…raspberries and earth; “sweet” fruit on the palate…more raspberries and cherry with decent acidity and light tannins. Nice fruit. In 30 minutes I went from hating this wine to really enjoying it. So either decant it or just open it about an hour before serving.
Hi Lim13! I recently opened a bottle of the St. Hallett 2017 Old Vine Grenache, Barossa (IIRC), Australia. I don’t recall its being stinky at first, but I agree it needed a bit of air. I thought it was elegantly structured, but after opening more was then subtly complex and excellent, requiring (for me, at least) some real attention to it. The saved bottle was more obvious and expressive, with some darker flavors coming out. Also $6 in N CA. There’s also a St. Hallett Shiraz, also $6, but I haven’t tried it, nor heard anything about it.
I did buy one of each. I thought the Grenache was a nice wine and have nothing to add to these notes other than mine was not unpleasant early. I thought the Shiraz was boring. Nothing unpleasant, just, boring.
Hi Seedboy. Tonight, I opened a St. Hallett 2017 Syrah “Faith”, Barossa, Australia, $6. I think it’s a good wine for the money, with smooth and ripe fruit of mostly dark but slightly reddish cherry, plum, blueberry, blackberry, with complexities of eucalyptus, raisin, licorice, finishing with zingy acid. Requires decanting 2 – 2.5 hours. Excellent at 3 hours decanted.
Opening the saved bottle tonight reminds me that I should have mentioned that, before the 2:30 – 2:45 mark decanting, I would have agreed with Seedboy that the St. Hallett Syrah was fine but on the boring side. Right before I was going to give up on it, it finally opened and showed its complexity. The saved bottle still needed a couple hours to fully open, and was then more supple and elegant, but still with some of the rustic, funky earthiness I liked the first night.
For an interesting comparison, I opened it with a saved bottle of the Cadaretta 2016 Syrah from WA state ($8 earlier this year, I think, but now gone). The Cadaretta is the finer, more substantial wine, also needing a while to open. It is also nicely complex, more fruit-oriented with less earthy funk and tang, slightly fuller body.
For those in the Metro Seattle area who might be interested in picking up some summer wines while we still have summery weather, and would rather not drive all over town to check out the availability of these recommended wines: the Mudhouse NZ SB is gone from MLK, Lake City, and Kenmore, but Crown Hill still has some. The Seven Hills is still available at Kenmore but not the other GOs in Seattle. The Picpoul has disappeared in Seattle except for at the Kenmore store, where it retails for 7.99, or two bucks more than elsewhere, back when they had it. And the Pratsch organic Zweigelt rose is gone from everywhere–I got the last three bottles from Kenmore! 😉
I never saw that Picpoul at any of the stores I shop here in No Cal but it was apparently around. Some white wines from Sunce are starting to appear and the weird thing is, they are current releases. The RRV Sauv Blanc is a solid wine with good citrus and melon flavors. There is also a Viognier that is less cloying than California Viognier can be. Finally, the last third of the opened-Wednesday Wind Gap pinot was lovely. Solid buy at $5.99.
Went to the SF Geary store today. Two Rock Wall zins, Jesse’s and Harris Kratka, both 10. I loved the HK Rosenblooms back in the 1990s. Wondering how it is at 30 proof.
All the Rockwall Zins should be killer…winemaker is top notch (Joel Peterson’s son), and scores/rep is outstanding. I’ll be in the lookout myself, as I’ve run thru much of the Woodenhead Zins this summer
Kent Rosenblum’s daughter. Joel Peterson’s son, Morgan Twain-Peterson, is the wine maker for Bedrock. In my experience Rock Wall zins are too ripe. I bought a bottle of the Harris Kratka because I loved the Rosenblums from the 1990s, but at 15% alcohol I am skeptical.
I opened the Rock Wall Harris Kratka and once again found disappointment with Ms Rosenblum’s wines. This one is over ripe, flabby, but kind of hollow mid-palate. I would return it if I could. The rest of it is going into the chili I am making today.
Joel Peterson’s son owns Bedrock Winery. Shauna (she) Rosenblum, Kent Rosenblum’s daughter, is the proprietor of Rockwall.
I think you can return things to GO now.
Tonight, to go with some pre-seasoned (and thus a little sweet) pork ribs from GO, I opened the Rock Wall 2017 Jesse’s Vineyard Zinfandel, Contra Costa County ($10, 14.9% ABV). After being decanted 2.5 hours, it was pretty nice in its style of full, soft, ripe fruit (darker plum, boysenberry, blackberry / blueberry), slight tar characteristic (IMO) of Contra Costa Zins, raisin, but reasonably dry and finishing with tangy acid. Went well with the ribs. If you like this style, $10 is a very good deal.
Well that zin is already in the chili.
And oops on my part, as another pointed out Rockwall vs Bedrock and different vino chefs
Mommessin 2016 Beaujolais Blanc
Not a winner
Past it’s prime. The finish has an almost bitterness to it.
It was tolerable but I’m guessing the last glass+ will get dumped.
I did not think it was past its prime, but did find it boring. Kind of flabby. I understand there is not much of it.
Well, I thought it was past its prime AND kind of flabby. 🙂 Sort of interesting, but not very good.
I found an FJ 2015 cab sauv “handmade” unfiltere unfined rutherford for 20 bucks in Monterey. Best of the FJs and while the 13 estate is a brick of tannins this thing is much more approachable. Havent seen it elsewhere, but would put it a notch below the Acumen reserve, but not too far below. Great cab.
“Handmade” is their most expensive name.
Tried the 2015 FJ Meritage, Rutherford, unfiltered and thought it much better than the 2013 CS Rutherford. The oak was pleasant, was easy, soft and pleasant in the mouth, but theres was still no Rutherford Dust in the nose. Bought in Novato for $15. Rob or anybody, have you seen anymore of the “FJ 2015 cab sauv “handmade” unfiltere unfined rutherford?” Sure would like to try a bottle based on your evaluation.
The FJ meritage & cab were in SLO for about 2-3 weeks. I saw the “Handmade” version one week, and it was gone the next. All the FJ wines are now gone from shelves locally.
Purchases this week included two repeat buys (2014 Vincent V Ranch & 2018 Garofoli Rose) and two new bottlings to try out (2017 Bellacana Hillside Select Cab & 2018 Maison Fortant Rose). Also, another bottle of the Concullin Irish gin. For my palate, it’s okay, but my wife enjoys it, and the price is certainly right at $13.
I tried the Bellacana last week – delish! Deep and structured, nice bargain…can’t remember which store I purchased at, however…91pt +, give it time to breathe
There have been two vintages of the Bellacana. The first one I saw was the 2016. I like it although it is a bit too “drink me now” for my taste, I’d like some tannin for such a young wine. The one I am seeing now is 2017. Have not tried it. There is also a Sauv Blanc that is nicely made in what I’d call the Napa Valley trying to be White Bordeaux style, melon and citrus and not a lot of herb.
In other news the Richmond store still has the Gavilan and Chalone chardonnays, Oakland has the latter.
Which one?
Sorry, that question was for Zoel.
Honestly don’t know which year…guessing ‘17
Have you tried the 2017 Bellacana Cab yet? curious what you think. I grabbed a bottle. Bummer I missed the FJ handmade. did you look for it at the other central coast GOs?
I haven’t checked other locations – we’re still staying fairly close to home these days, shopping just a couple of places. I haven’t tried the cab yet, but maybe this weekend.
We did like the Maison Fortant Rose. It’s a little denser that you might expect for a Provence rose, but it’s really pretty delightful. I posted a CellarTracker note here:
https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine=3551237&iNote=8516546
We opened one bottle of the Bellacana yesterday evening. I liked it – it was more on the lean, non-fruit-bomb end of the cab spectrum, with some menthol and slightly leafy notes in the mix. Decently structured – good acidity, modest tannin, not too much extraction. Didn’t see any more bottles when I looked for it again at the SLO store today. Not too much new that was exciting, so I stuck with replenishing a couple of roses, and we opened a (non-GO) Croma Vera tempranillo with some grilled (GO) beef tenderloin this evening.
Recently came across York Creek 2006 “Horseshoe” Cab at Palo Alto ($17) that I had not seen in the large flood of York Creek wines that came in during the last sale. I had purchased several different York Creek wines and was quite pleased with them across the board, I liked the Lake and Track ’06 Cabs best of my purchase, though the ’03 Estate Cab in 1.5L was also very nice. Bought one Horseshoe to try, had it with NY steak with a coffee-chile rub for Father’s Day. After 90 min. decant, it was superb; aromatic with a hint of cassis, rich fruit on entry, silken texture and surprising length. For my taste, best of the bunch, went back and bought 4 more, would have cleaned out the case or so that was there if I had storage room. My guess is this wine is in its prime drinking window and will stay on this plateau for the next year, at least. There were about 10 bottles left on Monday.
Couple of recent wines. First, Foley Johnson Meritage 2015, Richmond, $14.99. Not sure if there is any left but other stores might have some. This is a very nicely made Bordeaux type wine. Tartrate crystals should be removed from the neck before pouring.
Chalone Heritage Vines Estate Pinot Noir 2017, $13.99, SF Van Ness. This is a different vintage from the one discussed last week. This is a very nicely made wine with the stuffing to last years.
I thought all of the Chalone PN were from 2017 and $10 a bottle. SB, what vintage did you taste last week? It seems the Van Ness store has upped the price a tad over SF Geary and other GO’s. Have you tried the Latitude 38 PN for $7/btl?
This was the first 2017 I’ve seen. I saw 2016 for $10 at Napa.
I have tried the Latitude. It is tasty.
Another notch for the Latitude….solid Pinot at a great price. I would add the Owl Block Reserve as well. And certainly, if there’s any left to be found, the Wild Horse Cheval Sauvage 2013 Pinot. The latter is a GREAT deal for $8 or $9 (depending on the whereabouts). It has Burgundian qualities which outclass anything else at that price.
Love the Latitude and very happy at $7. Sure, prices have crept up a bit but this is a really nice pinot for the money. My GO in San Diego only got two cases. I bought half of that, blind, based on your trusted feedback and am glad I did!
I am thanking the person at the SF Geary GO for recommending the Latitude 38 to me. GOWL, I know you were in Concord, but did you ever get to SF. I patronize the Geary GO and haven’t been to the Van Ness GO. If you are referring to price creep being the more expensive Chalone PN at the SF Van Ness store being $4 more than other GO’s, it might be due to the location within SF and the patrons in that area.
Second day the Foley Johnson was a very nice elegant wine.
Visited the Redwood City GO and found the 2017 Chalone PN for $10. There was plenty of the Chalone Chard. I broke down and bought the 2013 Foley Johnson Estate CS for $15. I was hoping for a little Rutherford Dust in the nose since the grapes are from Rutherford, but there was none and hence, disappointed. Didn’t see the 2015 Meritage from FJ.
What I hear is that the FJ Cab needs to sit at home for a few weeks before opening.
Richmond has both Foley Johnson wines I believe. GO had the same 2013 Cab roughly a year ago, so now I have more of it. Petaluma had a mess of the Chalone 2017 Pinot for $10 yesterday.
So I opened a bottle of the 2017 Pinot tonight. Wow. It sure needs time because of tannin but delicious now.
The Canvas Brut Blanc de blancs is pretty good for $8. IMO nice balance of fruit, acid, finer carbonation, Likely Seedboy would prefer a little more acid.
I thought the Canvas is a great drinker for $8, but note (per one guest) “This ain’t no brut!” It has a Demi-sec sweet edge to it, but all enjoyed a lot
My #1 go to wine during Pandemic2020 has been the Sangiovese Romagna Superiore 2015.
It’s the yellow label with the red writing, for $5.99. Says all those words above right across the label.
Dark, dry, black/red fruit, some earth. It’s my go to. Haven’t had one bad bottle, and we’ve had like 10.
If you see the due Ruscelli 2013 “Primitivo” (Zinfandel) Russian River Valley, $8, it’s very good, but drink it soon. If you have some at home, drink it without delay.
Thanks for your recommendation of the Chalone Vineyard Estate Grown 2016 Chardonnay (Heritage Vines). I picked up a bottle of this one during my visit to the Geary/27th Ave. San Francisco store as well…
Sunce Zin RRV 2017 $7.99 I think. I first saw this at Santa Rosa but Richmond has it now. This is a nicely made zin. Not over-ripe or boozy, good red and black fruit, balanced.
New wine of interest at Richmond: Chalone Estate Heritage Vine Chardonnay 2016, $7.99. This is a lovely wine. Plenty of fruit, good acid balance, full-bodied. This retails in the upper 20s but tastes like a $45 bottle.
I called Oakland and they know nothing of this wine.
Update: Oakland has now received the Chardonnay.
SF Geary GO had the Chardonnay all along. It’s just the personnel who looked for the wine could not find it. There is plenty of Chalone PN for $10.
We poured the Chalone and Gavilan Chardonnays to a knowledgable group yesterday. The Gavilan showed well and for some was the preferred wine for current drinking. As for the Chalone Chardonnay, the sentiment was it was well made but needs time.
The Chalone pinot was good, nicely made, varietally correct, but not exciting. It had just been purchased from the Napa store, which had three cases yesterday morning and one bottle left at 6:30 pm.
I’m happy to hear that some people enjoyed the Gavilan mor than the Chalone. It’s an unusually warm (but welcome) day here in SF. I just opened the Chalone Heritage Vines Chardonnay. Very nice wine that is very well balanced and refreshing! Not buttery this one, good apple/pear orchard fruit and a graceful, light touch of lemon. On the finish. Good job, well done. Can’t wait to try the Gavilan…
SF South Van Ness has 2017 Chalone Pinot, $12.99. A bit reductive at first, more reporting later.
SB, thanks for putting us onto the Chalone Estate Heritage Vine Chardonnay 2016. Found some in Petaluma along with the 2017 PN which I couldn’t buy since the pallet just arrived. None
at the Geary SF GO that the person who checked could tell. There was much more PN than the Chard. The Chard is a “lovely wine”, clean, well balanced between oak and fruit and of decent intensity in the nose. Steve said GO has sold the Chalone label before, but I can’t remember it being at GO, Gabilan yes, Chalone no. Steven, the manager, is a great guy.
I agree this Chalone Chardonnay is very good for $8, but IMO if you want a nice GO Chardonnay, spend the 50% more for the Esterlina.
Tried a bottle of the Esterlina and found the aromatics a bit nicer than the Chalone, but I am not sure worth the price difference. Will evaluate further.
My reaction to the Chalone on the first day was, “Hmm… Yeah, okay.” Second day, I really found a musty, bitter stemminess I disliked, i.e., I did not find this a “clean” wine. However, the back label touts how the grapes came mostly from blocks of quite old vines and how the wine will age well for years. My question for y’all is, is this just a young wine, and will all those aspects which I now find unpleasant integrate over another year or three into an amazing wine? Of was my bottle just off, since I found it different than you describe?
I’ve opened two bottles and found none of that. I do agree this is a young wine. You might have gotten a bad bottle; bottle variation was a thing with the Gavilan, which came from the young vines of the same vintage.
BW, I think your bottle had a bad cork. Gavilan bottles are handled by Chalone, I believe. Those bad bottles might have had the same problem. Your palate could be more sensitive than mine to whatever you are tasting, too. These are older vines and as best I can tell, the Heritage Vine designation began with the 2013 bottles. The wine won’t age into “an amazing wine” like the Dick Graff days. I was checking some of my favorite vintages on CellarTracker and the 1981 was still in good shape as of 2015, 2017 according to a couple of tasters. As an aside, Graff handled the first vintage at the newly formed Mt. Eden winery from Martin Ray plantings, at least the1972 PN. To my mind, it was better than any Chalone PN I’ve had. Funny, at Davis tastings, tasters are supposed to expectorate, but a certain professor Dr. Kunkee said ” I’m not spitting this out.”
On the third day, the Chalone Chardonnay had begun to come around to become a nicely balanced, structured Chardonnay with good balancing acid. Probably it’s one to at least let sit for a couple weeks after you get it home and will likely be good or better for another year or two.
I bought the Esterlina from a GO that most likely won’t carry or receive the Chalone wines, just to show the availability of Esterlina. The store I purchased the 2016 Chalone Chardonnay had two pallets of Chalone, each pallet with four 14 case stacks. So doubled, that would be 8 levels of Chalone, of which, only one level had Chard. , the rest PN at $10 a bottle. Makes me wonder about the PN. The $12 Esterlina is a vinted and bottled by wine with a laminated, agglomerated cork. The Chalone is lighter yellow and has a nice, real cork. Disregarding the flavor differences, the Esterina wins easily in aromatics. There is that wonderful Carneros, appleley Chard character well balanced with oak. Wonder who made the part of the wine Esterlina didn’t. Let the wine warm up a bit to enjoy the aromatics better.
Having just traveled some I’d expect the Chalone Chard will show better in a month. Where did you see the pinot? Cellartracker is all over the map on that wine, two reviewers really liking it, two not.
At the Big Sur Food and Wine Festival in 2018 I tasted the 1984 Chalone Chenin Blanc. It was fantastic. A Chardonnay from the 1990s was quite good also. Michael Michaud made those wines I think.
SB, the SF Geary GO has the PN as does the Petaluma store. While I was inquiring about the Chalone Chard by holding up a bottle of the PN, the person recommended a Latitude 38 PN. I didn’t see the Chard because only two bottles were hidden in back of the shelf. So it must be selling. Way back when before there were children, the 1973 Chenin Blanc and Pinot Blanc were bought and were enjoyed quite awhile since two cases of the Pinot Blanc were purchased. Those Graff whites were treated like White Burgundies, something not common then. I didn’t know Michaud worked at Chalone. That is an interesting tidbit since the Michaud Chard sold at GO is still fine and does remind me of White Burgundy. It just so happened I opened a 2010 Chalone Chard this morning to compare with the other whites and jammed the cork into the bottle to store in the refrigerator. Took the bottle out for lunch and twisted the cork to remove and the cork broke. The cheap cork is only 9 years old.
Thank you. Darrell, do you have a cork pop? It is a needle that goes all the way through the cork and you then shoot compressed gas into the bottle, which pushes the cork out. Best way to open older wines.
The cork extraction on opening was just fine. It’s just removing the jammed in cork that it broke it. I might have tilted the cork off the vertical axis slightly, but still this shouldn’t have happened.
I’ve opened a third bottle of the Chalone chard. I now see BW’s point. What I experienced was tannin that is very slightly grippy. After it was open two days that had resolved substantially but not completely and combined with the acid to deliver great fruit and a long finish. This wine will go for years.
While in Petaluma there was a 2016 Everett Ridge Chardonnay, $10 a bottle, that was touted by Steve. It was a “vinted and bottled by” wine and from the Carneros. I bought one to try against the 2016 Esterlina, also from the Carneros. The Esterlina nose was slightly better as was the flavor, with more fruit. Both improved in the nose when allowed to warm up.
Darrell, you’re killing me. I am waiting in anticipation to hear more about the Chalone PN. I wasn’t planning on making a trip to Petaluma, but to the GO in Cloverdale for some more of the Matua SB. Wonder if they have some of the Chalone PN up there? Have to call them I guess to confirm if both are there or I might have to drop down to see Steve if he has both.
ITWC, I was waiting for somebody else to give the Chalone PN an evaluation. Cloverdale might get some PN since there seems to be more of it around. As I said while in SF, I held up a bottle of Chalone PN as an example of the label for personnel to find the Chard and the person filling the shelves recommended the 38 Degree PN for $7 a bottle since I was holding a Chalone PN. I bit and picked up a bottle and glad I did. It’s a produce- and-bottled-by wine from Sonoma PN which I am always interested in trying. It has a screwcap. The wine has ample varietal character in both nose and flavor with a touch of oak. The PN flavor borders on sweet, umm sweet PN flavor. The only dislike was a very slight bitterness, but I can live with it at $7. The cost is much better than spending on half bottles of 2015 Moillard Bourgogne PN for $6.
We got some of the Chalone Pinot at the Pittsburg (Contra Costa County) yesterday and are excited to try it.
Oops, not 38 Degrees PN. Should be Latitude 38 PN.
It appears not many stores got the Chalone PN. Oakland, Richmond, Pleasant Hill did not. Vallejo does not have any. Napa had three cases Sunday morning and I bought the last bottle that evening. Where is it still available?
Both Chalone wines were in the Rocklin store over the weekend.
SB, what happened to “The Chalone pinot was good, nicely made, varietally correct, but not exciting”? What I saw in Petaluma must not be representative of the distribution of the Chalone wines. There must have been a missing pallet of Chard because Petaluma advertised the Chard and I saw it on the shelf when I went to buy the Latitude 38 PN Private Reserve and I don’t remember seeing the Chalone PN on the shelf. The Latitude is $3 less than the Chalone PN. I am really surprised that the Oakland, Richmond, Pleasant Hill did not have any. I am fairly certain Petaluma has some and probably SF Geary. I was surprised to see the Chalone Chard in the Novato store in some quantity, but no PN. This store doesn’t have the best selection.
The Concord store has the Chalone pinot.
Agree on the ‘16 Chalone Chard and the ‘17 Sunce Zin; both wines are well made, true expressions of the grape and their respective terroir. Loading up on both.
Venturing back into my local Olympia, WA GO for the first time since early March I was happy to find a few cases of a wine worth waiting for: 2013 Wildhorse Cheval Sauvage Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley at $8.98. Current vintages are $65 at the winery.
https://www.wildhorsewinery.com/product/2013-wild-horse-cheval-sauvage-pinot-noir-santa-maria-valley
Mmm….I’m in Olympia, would like to try that.
I’m generally more of a $6 kind of buyer, and because of the plethora of nice and cheap Pinots which have been streaming through GO for the last few months, I’m heavy on them in the cellar (aka: garage). But a $65 Pinot tempts me
A few more words on the description, what you like about it would be welcome.
Also, if you’ve been trying any of the other recent Pinots, such as Latitude 38, Owl Block, Dreaming Tree….I’m sure they’re a different animal, but would appreciate any comparisons.
I tried the Divum Monterey County Two Vineyards 2015 that is in some of the stores. Bigger body, varietally correct, not quite as much acid as I like which is probably good for most of you. This is from Tom and Rob Franscioni, from a family of long time Monterey County farmers.
The V Ranch, from a bottle left open, was good the second day. There is some fine sediment.
I’ve never been very good at describing wines – I’m much better at enjoying them. Generally, I would say that this is a medium-bodied wine that falls between the more austere Oregon PN’s I’ve tried and some of the bigger CA styles. It does have a beautiful long finish.
Honestly, I don’t buy many PN’s at GO. I tend to stick to the quality WA wines that come through. But I did enjoy the Unbridled PN from Wild Horse that was very popular here a while back, so I was pretty confident in taking a run at this one. I think you’ll be pleased at what the extra $3 for this one will get you.
Right…the Unbridled we enjoyed quite a bit of. Yes, PNs can really be duds at this price point….and were for a long time at GO.The spate of recent ones I mentioned–though not 100% even, were mostly quite enjoyable for the price point. I will try one of the Cheval Sauvage….are you referencing this being the same winery which was the Unbridled?
BTW….Found the Cheval Sauvage PN, and they also had the Chardonnay–2015 I believe. Picked up a couple bottles w/faith that if the PN was highly recommended that Chard would also be nice. Couldn’t be further from the truth, unfortunately. At least the first bottle—has no real nose (and I opened it room temp. to start–so it wasn’t about chilled), and just about the same on the palate. Unbelievably boring actually–no fruit, no soil, no oak….it’s downright flat. Notes say pineapple, lemon zest, vanilla, green apple, creaminess. Nope.
Has anyone else tried this? Such a disappointment for what is supposed to be a $35 wine (and I wasted $18 on two).
The Botte 2017 Petit Verdot, Yolo County, from JL Giguiere, is terrific for $6: ripe, thick, subtly complex. I liked it right away, but it fills out and softens after about 2.5 hours.
Also from JL Giguiere, the 2019 Sawbuck Chardonnay is great for $5. Full ripe yellow apple and melon. A definite peachiness and viscosity make me strongly suspect it has a bit of Viognier in it.
Stopped by the Oakland, CA, store for the first time in a while since I was nearby. I got a bottle of this Sawbuck 2019 Chardonnay from JL Giguiere, still $5, since I liked it and haven’t seen it in a good while, although it’s possible it’s back at the Richmond store since I’ve cut back my hours a lot for this summer.
Been drinking the Cloud 9 SB from New Zealand. not quite as acidic as I would like but not going to complain at the price tag. Glad GO got a second batch. If you look closely at the label you will see the winery is located on Brancott lane. Hint, think of the well known Brancott wine that used to be sold at TJ’s
Reason I like reading the labels. Tend to stay away from wines that say from New Zealand but bottled in America. Basically bulk wine shipped up here to be bottled. No telling what you will get. I did see one NZ that was bottled in Australia that wasn’t bad at GO but can’t remember the name
The New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc folks at my store have been loving is the Matua from Marlborough for $6. I agree it’s excellent, and won’t let you down with too little acid. 🙂
BW, funny you mention the Matua. Cloverdale GO had both the Cloud Nine and the Matua so I picked up a bottle of it. Both are same price point but Matua is a 2016 compared to 2017 for Cloud Nine. Think I like the Matua slightly better but seems like it has slightly softer nuances of fruit due to age. Think it showed up at GO because there was a label change.
The McKinley Springs 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills (WA state), 13.5% ABV, is pretty good for $7 with the caveats that it needs a lot of air, about 3 hours decanted, and the saved bottle wasn’t all that good. So, it needs a lot of air, but no age.
BW, kind of my feelings on airing and aging. Younger wines I like to air in the glass to see how it develops over a few hours, If its a older wine that’s been sitting in my storage, I don’t bother with letting it air. Airing a older wine just oxidizes it and you might miss some of character if I wait too long letting it sit there.
Hi ITWC! I certainly kept checking this wine after decanting it, but, even after 3 hours, it seemed like it was going nowhere, with just thin, slightly vinegary fruit. So I was quite surprised when, after about 3.5 hours, the fruit darkened, filled out significantly and softened. Again, this is right after it arrived in the store, so you may not have to wait that long for this transition if you have it at home for a week or two.
There are half bottles of 2015 Moillard Bourgogne PN for $6 in Petaluma. Usually don’t bother with Bourgogne PN, but just a half bottle, curiosity got the better of me.
I picked one of those up solely on my positive reaction to the Moillard Chardonnay. Not impressed, nor terribly disappointed. At the price point for a 375ml not a repurchase.
But see Seedboy’s post on 5/9 re: Cotes de Nuits?
Seedboy’s post didn’t sink in and if I had a choice would have gone with the Cotes de Nuit for a buck more. Nice to hear your evaluation of the Bourgogne PN.
A number of Vincent Vineyards, Santa Ynez Valley, wines have come in recently. Those I have seen: 2012 and 2013 “V Cuvee,” a Bordeaux-ish style blend; 2012 Syrah; and 2011 Petit Verdot. $5 each, I believe. I have tried the 2013 V Cuvee, both the initial bottle and the saved screw-cap bottle, both with plenty of air. My evaluation is that this is an excellent wine that is slightly too old or maybe damaged, but is still a wine that most people will love for $5. My first reaction was, “Wow, this is excellent!” However, with a few hours’ air, there was a lingering rough acid in the finish that did not integrate with the soft, ripe, subtly complex fruit. In the saved bottle, there is still a minor, unpleasant acid in the finish, now vaguely tinged with vinegar. So, I guess the message is, try one of these VV wines and, if you like it, you’ve found a great bargain.
I bought the 2011 Syrah and 2012 V at the Geary SF store. They were both well-made wines. the Syrah was the better of the two, varietally correct and balanced. I thought the V was a bit flabby at first but more acid appeared with some air. Soon after that the wines were too warm to appreciate properly.
If I see the 2013 V Cuvee I’ll take a flier on it. On their website it was 13.5% vs the 14.5% for the 2012. Your (Seedboy’s) comment about the 2012 being flabby and the higher alc dissuades me from that vintage. Maybe I’ll try the Syrah since i’m only parting with a Lincoln.
Richmond appears to have it.
I’m on the central coast. Only other one on this board who is in my hamlet is Bretrooks I think.
My bottle of the Vincent Vineyards 2013 V Cuvée (50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 7% Petit Verdot, 7% Syrah) says it’s 14.1% ABV.
Picked up a bottle of the 2014 V Ranch Red at the Richmond (Geary Blvd / San Francisco) store this evening based upon your recommendation.
My Verdict: Winner winner, (with or without a chicken dinner)
Didn’t mean it as an intended pairing of course but it went shockingly well with Sloppy Joes made with the good ol’ Manwich sauce (.99 cents) also available at Grocery Outlet. I haven’t had a Sloppy Joe in decades, but boy did it pair nicely with this versatile red from Santa Barbara. At $5 it’s a steal 😁 and I”m not ashamed in the least.
Thanks, 5-Star Bar, for the info on the 2014 V Ranch Red though I am still looking for the V Cuvee from 2014 which might not be available. I haven’t had Sloppy Joe’s before, but will look for the Manwich sauce to add to my ground game recipe repertoire. In fact, this combo of meat and wine will be tried tonight.
I have not seen a 2014 V Cuvee in my travels. I did however hear a rumor that a Chalone Pinot Noir is on its way.
Did get the 2014 V Ranch Red and the Manwich sauce for Sloppy Joe’s. The wine is nicer than the 2013 V cuvee. The nose is nice of toasty oak and some fruit, but is rather tannic. There was a 2014 V Ranch CS for $7 a bottle. The Manwich sauce doesn’t go with wine for me because of the chili in it. Chili and wine is anathema for my tastebuds since I don’t like the lingering burn from the combination.
Tried the 2014 V Ranch CS for $7 a bottle and found the 2014 V Ranch Red better in the nose. The 2014 V Ranch Red is the better value, in my estimation, than the 2014 V Ranch CS if one can put up with the tannins.
I bought a bottle of the 2013 V Cuvee and wasn’t enthralled even at $5. I did notice the sharpness in the nose, what you called vinegar. Not sure it’s VA though. That “lingering rough acid” comes across as bitter for me.
I opened the 2012 V last night and kind of liked it. Nothing off about it, decent fruit, barely enough acid to call it balanced, mature tannins.
This is an interesting one. I tasted a couple of their wines a few years ago at a primarily Cab Franc tasting, liked them, but thought they were rather ambitious on pricing at the $60+ point. Seeing their wines on closeout at GO suggests I was probably not totally off base. SYV, especially Happy Canyon, can produce excellent BDX varieties, but generally doesn’t support pricing like Napa for Cabs and BDX blends.
In any case, I picked up a 2014 “V Ranch Red” from Vincent Vineyards for $5 from local GO. It’s clearly a second label, but has a heavy bottle and VV branded corks. My suspicion is they got several vintages behind and/or are changing style/branding, thus labelled shiners possibly intended for their flagship brand under the second label. It tastes like a wine made with serious intent–solid core of black fruit, significant quality new oak, real structural tannic grip, sediment at the end of the bottle. Not enough complexity or energy in the midpalate through finish to be top notch, but I could see this as a $30-$40 effort under some circumstances. I’ll be back for more, this bottling probably could age, though at worst it’s not falling apart immediately and will be a good cellar defender.
Just had a bottle of the “V” myself…agree, a solid and competent wine, killer for the tariff. Classic GO no-brainer…I’d rate it a solid 88-89
The second day the 2012 V was a nice wine. Better balanced. Fruit held up. Where did you get the 2014?
I found the 2014 V Ranch Red at the Santa Barbara Grocery Outlet. Vincent Vineyards is referenced on the back label, but not on the front label (see https://cdn.ct-static.com/labels/93f38514-2b78-4913-bb15-45f0b338afc8.jpg). I did not find any other Vincent Vineyards wines in this store. I’ll be reloading, I expect.
The winery itself is holding some pretty aggressive sales (https://store.vincentvineyards.com/), currently with a case offer on the 2013 Cab Franc. Not the best sign they are moving inventory on the cheap through distribution and direct sales, it seems they are still selling through their 2010 and 2011 vintages. The owner has deep pockets and the winery seems to be a passion project, but I doubt he has infinite resources.
I actually drank the ‘13 “V” bought at Petaluma in Bennie’s rec…
I think I bought the first bottle of the ‘2013 V sold at Petaluma GO that I disliked as noted above From a just opened case on a cart ready for shelving. I didn’t see any other vintages of “V.” Quite open to try other vintages. Not sure why the Ranch Red isn’t slightly less in price than the “V.”
I went back and grabbed a case of the 2014 V Ranch Red. I split the initial bottle into a couple of 8 oz swing top containers–on day two it was still going strong, even with the oxygenation that occurs when transferring from the bottle to container. No off or spoofy flavors, solid BDX black fruit and mildly astringent tannins. Maybe this is the press wine given the, rather than first run, but it does the job.
Typically the second label should be less than the flagship at GO, but at $5 for a BBQ or midweek wine that drinks like it was made legitimately, that’s more than fair.
Yesterday Oakland had the V Ranch Red 2014. I like it more than any of the other Vincent wines I have tried. It tastes like a blend of Bordeaux varietals and Syrah. Balanced, good fruit, drinks maybe just a bit too easily. This would be a great summertime wine with grilled meats.
I also tried the 2012 Syrah, at Richmond. It took a while for it to be recognizable as Syrah. I’d choose the V Ranch over it every time.
Also there’s a “Soto” junmai daiginjo sake that’s pretty good for $13: full-flavored and pretty full-bodied for a sake, and smooth. My only caveat that I think it’s sake more for an American palate than for a Japanese palate. The latter, in my impression at least, prizes more delicateness and subtlety.
Recently arrived, three $7 2012 Syrah-included wines from Montemaggiore, Dry Creek Valley: Syrah Paolo’s Vineyard, “Syrafina” 4% Viognier, and “Nobile” 54% Cabernet IIRC. I’ll probably try the Paolo’s Vnyd first, since there seems to be less of it.
forgive my ignorance, “IIRC”?
“If I Recall Correctly”
Thanks
I opened the Paolo’s Vineyard Syrah tonight. The nose was immediately enticing, of funky Syrah earthiness and darker red fruit, but I pretty much left it alone in a decanter for 2.5 hours. After that, it still benefited from another hour, to show not-super-full but elegant fruit, earth, aged complexity, still with a tannic finish. I suspect it would be better left to sit a couple weeks, and decanted off sediment. Anyway, I found this a credible CA version of Crozes-Hermitage, with the fruit softer and the earth not as peppery, but for $7, excellent. As usual, because I tasted this soon after it arrived, it will likely be more approachable (less air needed) if you have it at home for a week or two before opening.
I opened Paolo’s yesterday. I was really distracted with other things but concur with your notes. The Syrah with 4% Viognier made a bigger impression on me: a lovely, elegant wine. I am generally not interested in Cab/Syrah blends so I did not buy that one.
Based on your comments Seedboy I bought the Syrah/Viognier bottle (only option in San Luis Obispo). Only problem is I’m on the wagon for another two weeks as part of a planned thing. If it’s great I’m sure it will be gone.
I also picked up some of the 2012 syrah/viognier (“Syrafina”) in SLO. Grabbed two bottles while making a quick stop on Monday afternoon…it hadn’t been there on Saturday when I did my regular grocery shopping.
Tonight I opened the saved screw-cap bottle of this wine, and while it resembled Crozes-Hermitage less, I liked it better. After a little air, full, textured, ripe dark blueberry, boysenberry, blackberry, slight tar.
the nobile and syrafina are present (with what they think is a 10 day stock) in the redwood city groce out. i know the winemaking couple (lise and vince) and have followed them from the beginning, and they have always made quality and elegant wines with great care to both the viticulture and the winemaking. but sold their properties a couple years ago, moved to sausalito, and are closing out the stock. further comments welcome.
‘18 Post House Road Cab Prop Reserve – took a wild swing in this one, vintified in Lodi but Alexander Valley Cab, in SRosa $10. Nicely made wine, a bit unsettled upon opening. Balanced AValley Cab, very good QPR. On day two, settled down nicely…very pronounced vanilla overtone (oak-driven) and still balanced – even better on day two, as I just killed it now. If you like this in your cabs (I do), it’s a winner. 90-91 pts in my book…
Also had the Gustafson Riesling – well made and quite tasty with apps. 90 pt and screaming buy at $5.
Sunday I went to the Santa Rosa store, which buys wine on its own in addition to wines from the order guide. It often gets wines from Sunce, and this time had a Chardonnay (as long as I can get the Gavilan I am not likely to buy another Chardonnay) and the 2017 Zin, for, I think, $5.99. 15.5% alcohol does not show. Nicely balanced wine, no over-ripe or wood flavor. Made by a real winery, I would buy more.
Hey Seedboy – once again our palates deviate…I excitedly bought both Sunce offerings, as I loved their previous vino.
The Chard – well made but unexciting. Lacks the solid fruit I’d expect from RRiver…A decent 84-85 pt Chard, no more.
The Zin – considerably better, nicely made and great QPR. Not as good as the Tandem ($8) and far below the single vineyard Woodenheads ($9/$11) which are screaming bargains.
And the Gavilan – gack – I tried a bottle after your post, albeit I was skeptical – uggh. Perhaps a bad bottle…two sips and down the drain.
Gavilan: there are some bad bottles out there. I’ve not had one, and I’ve probably drained 6 or more. But at $3.99 a bottle in Petaluma, an occasional bad bottle is OK.
We bought two bottles of the Gavilan – the first was off somehow. Not unpleasant enough to dump, but something seemed wrong. We haven’t opened the second yet.
Followed your lead on those Woodenhead Single Vineyard Zins and was not disappointed. Very well made wines, albeit in distinctly different styles…
2015 Woodenhead Mariah Vineyard Zinfandel Mendocino
Just superb. Old World (European) Style. Think complex, deep, rich, restrained Primitivo from Southern Italy. On the drier, savory side. Reminds me of my first A Mano Primitivo, but even better. ($11.99)
2016 Woodenhead Guido Venturi Vineyard Zinfandel Mendocino
Another winner, this time in a more Californian style. Big ripe berry entry. Unabashedly fruity yet still structured and elegantly restrained from going over the top as is the case with many Zins. Finishes with notes of Raspberry and Hibiscus. Nice floral note reminiscent of Grenache. ($10.99)
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Great to hear – yes, I just bought another case of the Guido…our fav with Italian fare…
I thought the De Martino 2014 Carmenere (Chilean) was super yummy for $5: rich, smooth, dark purple to red fruits, nice aged complexity. My only caveat is that it has a modest sulfite flavor, so this wine might not be for those especially sensitive to that component.
There are also from De Martino a 2015? Reserve Syrah $5 and a (forget the vintage) Cinsault $4. Has anyone tried either?
I have picked up a bottle of the Cinsault twice, and put them back down because of my issues with Chilean red wines.
Regarding your dislike of Chilean reds, it’s the Bordeaux varieties that contain cool climate pyrazines that you might dislike. The Cinsault might not contain these compounds, but Cinsault is usually grown in warmer climes and this might be interesting like our cooler grown Syrahs. My experience with Chilean PN has been good. The French and CA big boys have gone to Chile and not to Argentina so much.
Darrell, on your advice I bought a bottle of the Cinsault. First, you were right, it did lack most of what I dislike about Chilean red wine, although it did taste just a tad green. It had the mouth feel of a good Pinot Noir. However it somewhat lacked flavor, particularly fruit. I think I will buy one more and let it sit a month to see if shipping etc have muted it.
This is the first straight Cinsault bottle I have heard and at $4, will give it a try if it is in Sonoma County. Always wondered why Rhone wines incorporate the variety.
Turley bottles one that is tasting room only. I have a couple of bottles but have not opened one yet.
Second day this wine was better. Green gone. Black fruit was more prominent balanced by adequate acidity. Still an elegant mouth feel; I’ve read some comparisons with Pinot Noir. At $3.99 this is a deal.
This morning the Richmond store had a Cinsault rose made by the same folks. I bought one and it is chilling now.
I also tried and liked the Cinsault, also finding the body quite Pinot Noir-like, with the flavors having some overlap with Pinot flavors, but tending more toward black raspberry / black cherry in a way that’s to me more like Grenache. I was surprised but I preferred it after it had been decanted about three hours, when those darker flavors became more prominent, softer, fuller. Probably my 3 hours decant ≅ your second day.
The Cinsault rose was lovely. Dry, not too fruity, balanced.
My second bottle of the Cinsault is gone. It was more satisfying, and on the second day it was lovely, chilled some.
I looked for the De Martino Cinsault in Petaluma and didn’t find one, but picked up the De Martino Carmenere and thought the nose was great. It was well balanced between fruit (violets) and oak and of med. intensity and not like other Carmenere from Chile which usually have some green, herbal characteristics that I enjoy, actually. The flavor was bitter and this became quite a bit more noticeable when having with dinner. I was going to purchase this wine, but the extreme bitterness nixed that.
I picked up a bottle of the 2016 Kastania Proprietor’s Blend (70% Cabernet Franc 30% Cabernet Sauvignon) from the Richmond District, Geary Blvd at 27th Ave., store in San Francisco. I thought it was very good for the price point $9.99. Quintessentially Californian style. Ready to pop and pour for a dinner at home. Splashed a little into a homemade pasta sauce and it enhanced it quite nicely.
I quite liked the Pope Valley 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley for $6. It’s somewhat delicate, with medium-intensity fruit of yellow melon, lemon zest, slight lime, balanced with acid of the same, bitterness of citrus pith, minerality.
my usual practice is to drop by the novato store saturday pm, just because that’s what i do. could go anytime but hey i like to see what other people who buy cheap food look like. as for wine i have certain particulars, having been a winemaker for 15 years after grad scool at davis ca 1970. so at this age i also don’t have time or brain cells to spend on disappointing wine. it’s esp so if it’s a pricey disappointing wine. so i have two criteria and only two. wine under $6, no “california” doc, produced and bottled by, no stupid brand name, and of course vintage dated. so i buy one for a parking lot degustation. based on that either go back for a case or go home and add to the vinegar barrel. vinegar barrel gettin full. today’s item did not merit a case but also did not go to vinegar stock. Golden Oak 2011 sierra foothills (nevada city) estate bottled cab. alcohol a nice low 11% with an edgey ph to balance it. still a bit tannic but it’s mostly oak, not skin or seed. color matches level of bouquet. good food wine but for me it’s european style, has enough merlot and cab franc to balance the cab’s leaf aldehyde (defect). all in all i liked it at 5.99 and would have gone for more but frankly doubted how much i could drink before gettin bored. happens all too often but that’s what you get when you bottom feed.
Richmond has Moillard 2014 Cote de Nuits-Villages Vieles Vignes for $6.99. This is a nice entry-level red Burgundy. Nice balance of fruit acid and savory/mineral, no flaws.
Was that a half btl. like the ‘15 Bourgogne I found in Redwood City or a 750ml?
No it was a .750. I have seen half bottles of the Bourgogne, 2014 and 2015, but have not bought one.
The Cote de Nuits-Village disappeared quickly. I picked up some for a friend who loves Burgundy and he was quite happy with the wine.
Cote de Nuits-Villages Vielles Vignes for $6.99 in 750 ml. is quite reasonable for GO. Too bad I don’t get over to Richmond. My closest GO is Novato, but San Rafael is getting a new store.
Bought a half bottle of the 2014 and will report soon.
Finally tried the 2015 half bottle Moillard Bourgogone and found it to be a pleasant, soft red. The bottle had one of those plasticized, real corks. While pleasant, there was very little PN character. Oxidized easily within 24 hours. Would rather save the $6 for some of the better PN at GO.
I opened the half bottle of the 2014 yesterday and have similar comments. I’m glad I got some of the Cote de Nuits Villages, which is a better wine.
2016 CalFresco PN Central Coast…$6 at SRosa…bought with the Kastania disappointment, this one was just what I expected. Decent fruit, with Central Coast brightness and good balance. No heavyweight nor sophisticated, but a nice drinker and good food vino for the tariff. 85-86 pts or so.
I really like the Camino del Oro Reserve Pinot that’s in right now. It’s $5.99, on the oaky, smoky side, is lighter bodied and isn’t fruity. If this sounds good, try one. It isn’t sophisticated or worth analyzing but I like it quite a bit for what it brings.
*Camino D’Oro. Sorry!
I opened the Kastania 2015 Pinot Noir $10 tonight. (The 2016 and 2017 are also at GOs.) It was pretty yummy right away, but developed well for 3+ hours. It’s a bit on the sweet and ripe side for my personal taste, but the complexity is very good: soft, ripe dark cherry pie, Pinot funk, baking spice, blueberry, complexities of plum, raisin, acid of dark hibiscus tea / raspberry.
Where was the Kastania? That’s a great vineyard and solid PN!! They had a few years of so-so wine when they first switched from growers to winemakers, and got it together soon afterwards.
Hi Zoel. My experience has been at the Richmond, CA, store where I work, but I expected these would be more generally available.
I also saw it at the Napa store recently. BW, thank you for reviewing. Sadly I have no spaces in the Pinot Noir Storage Facility.
C’mon, man. This Pinot doesn’t have enough acid for you. 🙂
I decanted the 2016 for an hour, and then tried it. Not impressed. Flat. Not enough fruit or acid for me. Meh.
Found the Kastania PN at the Santa Rosa store, brought one home and popped it…interesting but problematic. This fits with my past experiences with the Kastania winemaker – very overt PN flavors (ie. not subtle), deep dark fruits here. My issue was a bit of a “burnt” funk on the finish…could be slight VA, or just other winemaker flaw. Pronounced enough that this isn’t a big rebuy for me (and we love Sonoma PN). May try another bottle to ensure this wasn’t a one-off, but my hunch is the whole batch is somewhat flawed. Bummer
Which vintage were you dealing with? The Rocklin GO has 2015, 2016, and 2017 pinots as well as the Cab Franc and Cab Sauv blend.
I’ve seen the 2017 and the blend at Richmond. Have not tried either.
It was the 2016…
I was also unimpressed with the 2016. Flat. Lacking acid. Drink now.
Gran Passione Bianco 2017 (Botter), Richmond, $4.99. This wine comes in a dark fancy bottle and said it was from the Veneto so it got my attention. Interesting wine. Thick texture, nice balance, easy to drink. Label does not say what is in it. The current release is 80% Pinot Blanc (a grape that is not unusual in NE Italy) and 20% Garganega (the grape of Soave); some internet sources say it is Chardonnay instead of PB. I think PB is more likely given the flavor profile. This is a worthy wine.
Hi Seedboy. I finally got around to trying this wine. Figured I should do so before it’s gone. (Couple cases left or so.) I agree with your description, and your guess of Pinot Blanc over Chardonnay. I’m not wild about it, but it’s pretty good for $5, especially if you like Italian whites. The bitterness in the finish helps it go with food. In my case, that’s a cheese I found recently at TJ’s for $7 called “Dorothy’s ‘Keep Dreaming,'” a yummy brie-like cheese made in Illinois. (I mean, I don’t generally endorse mentioning non-GO products here, but…) This cheese is also excellent with the Alta 2015 Chardonnay, $7.
BW, my daughter shops TJ’s regularly and, too, noticed the “Dorothy’s ‘Keep Dreaming,’” cheese and bought it today and I tried it and will second your evaluation of it. It is a less salty and runnier cheese than a Brie.
Hi Darrell. Thanks for replying. I’m glad someone else out there found this cheese. I agree with “less salty and more runny.” My current one is getting very nicely funky over the three days I’ve been eating it.
I liked the Gran Passione better the second day, when the fruit was more full, textured, lightly honeyed, but still with a crisp finish and balancing bitterness.
We thought it was fine, but uneventful. Considering it’s from Veneto, northeast (where my family is from 🙂 I expected a wine that was a little more acidic. If you like fuller whites, this is that. Not American level full, but definitely Italian.
The Donna Marzia 2015 Negroamaro ($6, I think) is delicious. Not the fullest body, but yummy from first pour. Screwcap.
The 2016 “Beadle Juice” red blend from Nocking Point is quite good for $5. From the labels, I was completely unsure what to expect, but it is a quite dry, well-structured red that, when it finally airs, has medium-weight but jammy (tastes like Central Coast to me) and tasty fruit. If you don’t wait for it to fully air, it’s probably better the second day. Also around from Nocking Point: a Syrah/Zin blend called “It’s a Red… Duh” $5 and a Wednesday Rose ($4).
The Wednesday rose from Nocking Point is outstandingly delicious. While I would guess it’s a traditional southern French-type blend of grapes (Syrah, Grenache, etc.) it has full Californian fruit but is still balanced and complex. Went great with shrimp with purple onion and capers.
I drank another bottle of this over the last couple days and, while it was good, I didn’t like it as much as the first. So, I guess, YMMV?
My wife and I very much liked the Alto Molino 2016 Malbec, from Cafayate Valley, Salta, Argentina, $6. Pretty good right away, I suspect it may be more open and fruity the second day.
More fruit-forward (and still yummy) second day now confirmed. 🙂
The Chapoutier – Terlato 2014 Malakoff Vineyard Shiraz (Australian) is pretty good for $10. The fruit is clearly Australian, but the style has more balance and finesse, less about power. I thought it was delicious right away, but developed nicely in a decanter for 3 hours.
To me this wine had the mouth feel of a pinot noir. Quite elegant. $38 at Wine.com, which might well be the GO’s best source of higher end wines.
The Chapoutier – Terlato 2016 Malakoff Shiraz has now shown up for $12. Will try soon. 🙂
Mihila Kawna Alexander Valley Cabernet 2012, I think it was maybe 8 or 9 bucks. If you want an easy drinking cab to drink now buy this one. Very soft tannins still primary fruit very little herbaciousness. Some tartrate crystals at the bottom of the cork you should pull out before pouring. I personally do not much care for this style but for those who do you’ll be pleased.
BTW the vineyard is owned by the Pomo nation.
Three new Sierra Foothills wines from Avio came in to Richmond Monday: 2011 Zinfandel “Confession” $6, 2013 Reserve Sangiovese $6, 2014 Barbera $7. I opened the Barbera tonight. It was an interesting version of Barbera, with kind of jammy fruit with typical darker Barbera flavors of tangy cherry / plum, other darker fruit complexities, some bitterness of fruit pit, and typical stronger Barbera acid. Anyway, I wasn’t bowled over, but it was an interesting, tasty, food-friendly California wine for the price.
Two wines from Richmond, I like both of them.
Auramaris Maremma Toscana Vermentino 2018, 5 or 6 bucks. In the last ten years there has been an explosion of Vermentino in Tuscany, a lot of it grown in the coastal areas such as Maremma. This is basically a current release wine so I wonder why it is at GO. Nice fresh refreshing white wine, good fruit balanced with sufficient acid. No obvious oak. My wife really liked this. If you are looking for a summer sipper that is tasty and not too complicated, if I did not have a house full of wine I’d buy a case.
Barcino Cava, Brut. This is a methode Champanoise wine 50% Xarello, 25% Macabeo, 20% Parellada. I usually avoid non-Champagne sparklers at GO but went for it, and wife and I consumed most of it during Zoom cocktail party with friends. I forget what I paid for it but it was $7 or less. Mousse is relatively fine. Low alcohol but dry, some fruit balanced by acid and minerality. If you are looking for a day to day sparkler or for an event (if we ever have those again) this is a good candidate.
Has anyone tried the dark Dominican rum that is in some stores? I like the pink gin and the Trinity gin.
The Napoleon Brizi 2018 rosé Patrimonio AOC (Corsica, France) sets a new GO price record (to my recollection) at $8, but it is excellent: nose of orange blossoms, palate of cantaloupe, orange roses, ruby grapefruit, lemon zest, finish of lemon zest, saline, and chalky minerality.
The Gustafson Family 2014 Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel is very good for $8. I don’t understand the geography, but it’s grown not on the valley floor but at 1800′ elevation, so it’s not a typical DCV Zin. The fruit, while still quite ample, is more complex, structured, and acid. It greatly benefits from a bit of air, IMO, 2 – 2.5 hours decanted, but then has soft, ripe fruit of dark blackberry, mulberry, black raspberry, red raspberry, finishing with zingy acid. Mature, but I expect it should be fine the second day, too.
As noted elsewhere I liked this wine a lot and was able to get some from the Oakland store. The Gustafson Riesling is tasty if you don’t mind them being a little sweet.
Two more recent wines. Perline Coteaux D’Aix- En Provence rose 2018, $3.99. This is a nice dry Rose, nicely balanced, a bit of grippy tannin and good acid to balance the fruit. I’d buy more of this.
Swings and Roundabouts Margaret River Australia Cabernet 2016. I like wines from this cooler-climate part of Australia, but not this one. It tastes like it was decanted off of compost. Worst GO wine I have tasted in memory.
Thanks for the feedback on the Swings & Roundabouts Cabernet. I had wondered about it since the S&W (no relation the the Calfornian brand, AFAIK) Chardonnay was very good for the money.
Ours had the 2014 Gustafson Family Vineyards Zinfandel Mountain Cuvée…haven’t bought a zin in a long time, but “complex, structured, and acid” sounds up our alley, so I picked up one to try. Thanks for the mention.
A few other recent shots in the dark to keep the racks replenished:
– 2018 Delincuente Campo de Borja Garnacha
– 2017 John Osborn Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford
– 2000 York Creek Vineyards Meritage
As weather is warming up, it also seemed like a good idea to purchase a few bottles for an inexpensive rosé shoot-out. We’ve opened the first two thus far & would drink both again, although neither were standouts.
– 2017 Maison de Grand Esprit Côtes de Provence L’Être Magique – nice and dry, maybe tiring out a little but still enjoyable
– 2017 Mengler Family Wines Rosé of Syrah Alegría Vineyards (RRV) – fairly dry, just a touch funky, not bad in the end but not especially noteworthy
– 2018 Château Routas Côteaux Varois Rosé
– 2018 Les Vignerons de Grimaud Côtes de Provence Fleur de Provence
Hi bretrooks and thanks for your summary! Please let me know what you think of your recent shots in the dark. The John Osborn I’m not optimistic about, as it’s an Eagle Rock wine, and those I’ve tasted have been simple and over-ripe. Myself, I really liked that Ch Routas rosé: light, elegant, minerally. Thanks for your feedback on the first two rosés; haven’t even seen the last one.
Thanks for the warning. I didn’t readily find anything with a quick in-store web search on John Obsorn and don’t know Eagle Rock, so in the end there wasn’t mental process beyond “Rutherford cab for $6.99? Why not?”
Well, I will hope I’m wrong. Please let me know.
Alas, you weren’t wrong. Pretty simple and over-ripe to my palate.
In happier news, the 2018 Biohof Pratsch Rosé seems a little riper than last year but still carries good acidity. At $3.99, it’s a staple for us through the summer months.
Based on one bottle, the Delincuente Campo de Borja isn’t bad for $4.99 – not especially exciting, but decently structured for the price range (although maybe just a touch reduced). I bought another for a second opinion.
Sorry to hear about the Osborne Cab, but glad to have the data point.
I also liked that Pratsch rose. I thought it a bit on the fruity side but tasty and still finishing with pretty good acid and minerality.