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 
Seen at MLK GO and not at other Seattle GOs: Be Human 2019 Red Blend. I know people were high on the Be human merlot; this one is a bordeaux type blend, no Syrah as is often blended into Washington red blend labelled wines. I didn’t purchase, as the last thing I need right now is more red wine, but it’s only 4.99 a bottle for those who might be willing to give it a try.
The Olympia store has two Yakima Valley wines from Kestrel, both at $7:
2017 Falcon Series estate Cabernet Sauvignon
2017 Falcon Series estate Syrah
The CS is decent – it is the current release, selling from the winery for $25.
The Syrah is one of the best wines I’ve had from GO in a while. (I’m a fan of WA Syrah). For whatever reason, a 2017 vintage Syrah does not show up on the winery website. 2016 is the current release. Labeling error?
https://kestrelwines.com/our-wines/falcon-series/
Kestrel wines have shown up at local GO’s in the past, with mixed results. The Lady in Red blend has generally been pretty good. A recent rosé was a dud. Many years ago an estate Sangiovese filled up my cellar.
New Reds seen in Pullman:
1. Root 1 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Vineyards Maipo Valley, Chile
$6 vs $15 (14%ABV)
Winebow Imports Vivino 3.5
Not crazy about Chilean reds, pass.
2. Rivers Meet 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
$8 vs $19 MSRP
14.4%ABV
81%CS/13%SY/6%ML
Screwcapped
No pro rates, one Vivino rating
PCR reveals bottled by Four Feathers Wine Services (Zirkle Fruit Company) in Prosser WA on 6/8/2021, probably custom bottled for Haggen’s.
Unsold stock sold to GO is my guess.
Price seems $1-$2 too high.
3. Desert Wind 2019 Ora Red Blend Wahluke Slope $7 vs $35 on website. v2015 86 pt WE, no other pro rates
Vivino 3.9/5
Bought 3 bottles, will report back once tasted.
RB mentioned they liked this red blend on May 10, looks promising!
50%SY/34%MB/14%TMP/1%ML/1%CS
******Doug Fries & son Greg sold Desert Wind VY and Winery to the Josh Lawrence and Tom Merkle families for 2.1M in 2021.
*******The Josh Lawrence family owns Gård Vintners w 4 tasting rooms, one in Walla Walla that I’ve visited. Very good wines, bought a few reds.
*******The Tom Merkle family owns Wautoma Springs Winery, manages some of Zirkle Fruit Co vineyards.
*******Former owner of Desert Wind, Doug Fries, still owns Duck Pond Cellars in Dundee OR.
Coincidentally, a couple of Duck Pond Cellars secret label wines currently in GO include Chime 2021 CS and Chardonnay, Kin & Cascadia 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon.
*******Looks like the Fries probably trucked their own processed but unbottled wine from their Desert Wind facility to their Duck Pond Winery in Dundee OR to be bottled into Chime, Kin & Cascadia.
Used to visit Duck Pond in the ’90’s before they started making WA wines in WA. Seems they made Pinot, Chard and Pinot Gris (and likely a couple other whites) from OR grapes and Cab and red blends from WA fruit. For my money, they make too many wines. Need to zero in on their best.
lim, I think the Fries arrived at the same conclusion, which explains the 2021 sale of Desert Wind in WA. It must have been extraordinarily difficult managing 2 different vineyards, running 2 different wineries 400 miles apart in 2 different states.
FYI…I received an email this morning stating that the newly relocated Bremerton GO is now giving 10% off on 6 or more bottles of wine every Wednesday. The email didn’t make it clear if it was just for this week or every week, so I called the store. Team member I spoke with said it applies to every Wednesday, “forever”.
On a couple of warm afternoons we’ve been consuming a 1L bottle of 2020 Dom. Wachau ‘Loess’ Gruner Veltliner. It’s a regional blend that may only be entitled to the Qualitatswein aus Ostereich nomenclature. 12% abv and I think this was maybe $6 or so. MSRP back when it was brought into the US market was perhaps $15, but it had a weird importer – Gonzales Byass who is better known for their sherry / fortified book along with some Spanish/South American properties.
So this was a real weird agent for this co-op, but perhaps it wasn’t competing with anything else in their agent’s book, and Wachau is more of a volume co-op than a niche producer. As in my supermarket carries them (sometimes), so it was a pleasant surprise to see them at GO…although this GV varietal is not really a preference or delight. But at least it’s different.
=========
I’ve been a little peeved at GO the last few weeks so have been cutting down on my visits, and dollars spent. There are so many in my region, that it was easy to visit 4-5 different ones each week, in the scope of my usual errands. I have a full service, unionized, properly consistently staffed grocer that is a 7 min walk from where I live (if I catch the lights and don’t jaywalk) which has some great sales/coupons consistently, and they have been reclaiming more of of my food/drink wallet. They sent me a gift basket recently, noting that I was in their top 10% of customers, and most of their regularly scheduled staff knows me (and vice versa).
I brought a couple of bottles of the Bonny Doon Vin Gris de Cigare for an hors d’oeuvres party I was attending, along with an artichoke heart-capers-green olive tapenade, but I digress… The wine was very popular–among the first bottles to be emptied, but I was not overly impressed. On the positive side, the wine is nicely dry, though lacking the punch of acidity that I tend to prefer in a rose. It tasted mildly of strawberry and, if I push it, maybe white peach, but overall I found it undistinguished. At 3.99, it’s hard to quibble, but if I had paid street price for it, I would have been pretty disappointed.
Yep, FC, as others have commented here, ’tis not the Bonny Doon of yore. Randal Graham sold kit & kaboodle in 2020. With some chagrin, we cracked one of my last few Cigare red (2012) last weekend, still in fine form.
I got some of the Gris on the brand before I remembered, and yeah, it’s OK+ for the $3.20 spring sale price, but there are and have been lots of better rosés at GO in the last few months, at least at Richmond, CA. Some of my favorites:
Also, I opened a Res Fortes early this evening, and it is indeed delicious in the warmer weather.
I bought a couple of the BD Vin Gris a few months ago and I concur. There are better cheap rosés out there. My wife didn’t care for it at all. If we ever get warm weather again, I’ll chill ’em and scarf ’em down.
And none of those has appeared in the GOs in Seattle…sadly, Crown Hill has had little except push wines the past year or so, Kenmore not much better, leaving Lake CIty (gulp!) as the best wine selection among the GOs I frequent. They had four different NZ SBs recently–none I recognized, all at $8 a pop, and all but one now gone. I think I am not the only one to have discovered Lake City for wine. (And sadly, $8 is the new $6…)
Back in early November 2023, I did a lot of research on Bonny Doon’s 2021 Rosé as my bottle did not match AT ALL, other people’s reviews.
I did share all my findings on this blog at the time.
BW had one bottle that was great, then a bottle like mine, bitter grapefruit with rhubarb.
JJ waxed rhapsodic about the 2021 bottle she drank recently.
Bonny Doon has been owned by WarRoom Ventures LLC, since 2020, basically a mini-Constellation.
Several batches of this Rosé were made by WarRoom, 12/29/2022 and 1/6/2023 labels were approved by the govt agency re: alcohol (Public COLA Registry search).
To complicate matters, Grahm did make one batch of this 2021 vintage’s Rosé, but only 67 or so cases.
I got the bitter grapefruit batch by WarRoom. WarRoom could’ve bottled up bulk rosé wine that has been sitting since 2021.
Perhaps BargainWhine can post a link to the lengthy discussion in November about Randall Grahm and this puzzling Rosé.
I got more than one good bottle of this wine, but stopped buying it when you posted your review.
Thanks for that WORN….I was really starting to wonder how I could have enjoyed it so much while others found it so lacking. Sounds like I may have gotten in on the golden ticket cases…
It will be interesting to try another, I think I have a few….but not necessarily from that same batch.
WORN, were there any differences on the bottles to distinguish them?
JJ, whatever bottles of this Bonny Doon Rosé they had in Pullman last November, all the caps were the same color, the bottles all looked the same. I would have noticed if there had been a mixture of 2 differently capped bottles. Now if the cap was blue OR black, that I do not recall. I have no photo of the bottle in it’s entirety, just the label.
Here it is:
WineObsessedRN November 18, 2023 at 10:49 am
Bonny Doon 2021 Vin Gris de Cigare Wine of the Earth ($4 GO)
As recently as 3/24/24, Tony S found two bottles with different colored caps at the Petaluma store, black of blue. I think mine were all black.
Mine are all black capped. And after all the discussion here, I felt compelled to open another bottle. Oddly, both my wife and I enjoyed it…well-chilled (which I rarely do) with chicken pot pie. Red berry fruity, but dry; could stand a bit more acidity and the finish was rather short.
On another topic, a reliable source tells me that, for those with the GO app (not me), there will be a 20% off coupon on “select wines” in WA and CA on June 7-9. No idea right now what the “select wines” will be. Seriously slow movers or overstocks??
I went and checked mine after the flurry of notes….two left (just as well, eh), both black capped, no idea what the first one was.
For someone who rarely drinks a rosé, I’ve somehow acquired nearly a case of various ones acquired surely with some of y’all’s notes.Thank the goddess, summer is here.
But while checking into those I found a case of whites I had obviously pushed too far back….2016 True Myth Chard, lots of various 2017’s from NZ to South Africa, domestic too. I have my work ahead….
Tonight really enjoying the ends of two different bottles both open for many days, yet as good or better than ever. Do you remember the 2019 Terlato Friulano and the Castillo de Olite 2016 Navarra Reserva?
Lamenting it’s the last bottle, and last glass of the Terlato–having reached a rich caramelized grilled pineapple with strong bright almond notes…REAL yum.
Accompanied by the 25th anniversary show of Free Jazz with Fred (25 years of avant garde jazz…geez, how rich is that in a backwater like Olympia?), our KAOS radio college station. Just before Fred moves to Cameroon to be with his wife Beatrice….
Heavens, how lucky we all are. 🥲
Ser Lapo 2012 Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, Italy, bottled by Marchesi Mazzei, 90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, 13% ABV, $12. I was excited about this wine after liking the Fonterutoli 2012 Chianti Classico a lot, but this wine let me down, although only because it seems like it’s not yet ready to drink. On the first day, I decanted it about four hours, and for a little bit it seemed like it might be opening, but at the end it was sort of shut down, with a fine stemmy tannic finish. Not unpleasant, but not showing very much, either. That was pretty much the story on the second day, too. Maybe if some had survived for a third day, it might have surrendered some fruit and complexity, but this bottle did neither. Anyway, it seems like it’s a very nice wine for this price, but that it will need at least a couple more years of age. If anyone has tried one and has a treatment that will get it to relax sooner, please let me know.
Here is the review from everyone’s favorite GO wine reviewer
https://wine1percent.com/2024/05/22/mazzi-star/
Wow. Thanks. I can actually read and agree with this review! Although myself I have trouble predicting a wine has two years of life left, much less twenty.
Is this someone we should know?
You might be interested in what this person had to say about his reviews.
🤣😂
Today at Richmond, CA (& yesterday at Pinole), 2019 LaFage Bastide Miraflor, $6 (70% Syrah, 30% Grenache, old vines; WA 91, $17 @WdC). Got 4 w/o tasting on my history with LaFage and this label.
Going back to my recent ramble on one reason why I love Rhone blends so much is they’re enjoyable young but age beautifully. I just opened my last of my 2010s, Dom. Roche Cairanne CdR Villages, and it was fabulous.
Picked up a local oddball the other day, 2017 Ol’ Towne Red, $6 (anonymous Livermore producer; Cab Sauv, Zin, Merlot, Syrah in unknown %). Pretty disjointed, kinda hot & jammy, but not that drinkable. Some clashing features, and some over-ripe grapes, likely Zin, trying to cover up some stemmy harshness, likely the Cab. Thumbs down; too bad, like to support our local yokels.
Also got two new ones from Brendel, not tried yet, both Napa valley wines:
Picked up one each of the 2020 Cellier de l’Abbaye Touraine SB and 2017 Fonterutoli Chianti based on BW and Seedboy’s recs; will try over the weekend. Another winner for Mazzei it seems, don’t think we’ve had a bad one yet.
Also, the Dominic Hentall Terra Calda Primitivo is back, didn’t think to check if it was the same vintage, but based on our convo with the Naked Wines employee, it’s probably the same 2021 that’s likely to be the last Hentall to hit the US.
Can’t find that thread now; my trick of using Google site-specific search seems to be failing more and more lately. Wonder if the pages are not being indexed, or the long numbered-single-page thread style is throwing them off. I’ll see if I still have admin privileges and can maybe request indexing in the Google Search Console.
Or maybe @BargainWhine can do it?
[Ed. note: WineObsessedRN’s review is here.]
Thanks, BW, that was relevant but I found the comment thread I was looking for with Kathy, who works at Naked Wines.
https://grossoutwine.wordpress.com/coming-soon/comment-page-37/#comment-51830
Kathy from Naked Wines here. I imagine we’ll see more Naked Wines at Gross Out, although I don’t know which wines. We buy any and all of the following: Dominic Hentall (red, rose’ and white) Antonio Diez Martin (red and white) and Pica Pau white. We did see some Spicerack Zin, but that was never a fave (didn’t like the oak treatment). We even let the store owner of our local Gross Out know that we would buy any and all of the NWs that he could get in, but, alas, he must not have remembered because we found a case of the Dominic Hentall Terra Calda this past week.
By the way, if you can find any Vincenzi Bianco Apertitivon Ginger & Lemon Aperitif it makes an EXCELLENT drink when mixed in equal parts with Deep Eddy Lemon. Mmmmmm.
Bretrooks, ours had a glass stopper as well, my error. Senior moment due to insomnia. I’m glad you like the wine better than I did.
Cusumano 2021 Insolia Terre Siciliana IGT ($4 GO, $25 MSRP, $12 online) Others on this blog report $7 IIRC ************************
Plasticized cork.
🕰2021
💯75/100 🌟2.5
👁Golden yellow
👃👅Dry, mild citrus, bit of pear, low acidity, brief finish, light body, blah disappointing Italian white. Expected more flavor, color of wine very misleading.
🍇%Insolia unspecified
🌄Sicily, IGT
🕰No tech sheet
⛽12.5%ABV
🏅90 WE 10/1/2023, 89 Vinous🏅
💵$25 MSRP, $12 online
Possibly different batch than pro reviewers received, possibly poorly stored, overheated, over the hill already?Definitely not a rebuy.
Shocked this Italian white was scored so highly by Wine Enthusiast. Are they receiving different wine than those released for sale to the public?
Another well respected reviewer on Vivino stated tasteless white wine.
Arnegui 2019 Crianza, Rioja DOC, Spain, produced, grown, and bottled by Pagos del Rey, 13.5% ABV, $6. Decanted four hours, it’s still kind of a lighter medium-bodied ripe / tart red cherry, with complexities of red plum, a little floral aspect, slightly caramelly wood, but still with a tightly tannic fruit-skin finish. Today, it seems like a decently tasty and good wine for the price, if hardly amazing, but should develop more tomorrow. Second day, still needed a couple hours of air to become what I think it will be for now. Tangy dark red cherry / almost red plum, tart red cherry, cherry pit bitterness, wood. It’s a pretty fresh, fruity wine by Spanish standards. I don’t find it exciting, but IMO it’s a pretty good easy-drinking European wine for the price, and will be tasty for 2 or 3 days after opening.
Picked up Windstorm 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Hills Lake County ($7) as PCR search showed bottled by Raymond Vineyard & Cellars in Sonoma, approved 2/26/2024.
I concluded excess 2022 wine, possibly from Raymond VY, bottled for Precision in 2024.
Quite tasty! My Vivino review (first rating for this wine).
*****************************
🕰2022
💯88/100 🌟3.8
👁Ruby purple
👃👅Dry,black fruit nose,black cherry,cigar box,blackberry briar,eucalyptus,cassis,black coffee,vanilla,oak,cinnamon,assertive acidity,med high tannins,med full body,balanced.
🍇%CS unspecified
🌄Red Hills Lake County CA
🕰no tech sheet avail
⛽14.5%ABV
💯?cases
Bottled by Raymond Vineyards
🏅No pro rates🏅
💵$20 MSRP, $7 GO
🪟 DW 2024-2029
Running back for more!
🍷🏃🏻♀️🍷🏃🏻♀️🍷🏃🏻♀️🍷🏃🏻♀️🍷🏃🏻♀️
Thanks for reviewing this. I have liked other Red Hills Lake County wines, but was wary of Windstorm since their Zinfandel has been a little too sweet for me.
BW, I’d been avoiding the Windstorm Red Hills Lake County CS also, since previous research on Windstorm Zinfandel showed made by Top It Off Bottling.
A fellow GO shopper recommended the CS, so I figured I’d give it a shot. (I don’t run into many shoppers at our GO with any recommends, they usually look perplexed, puzzled, then grab a bottle or two of not good industrial wine.)
It’s not as structured as CS from Red Mountain for example, but still enjoyable.
It wasn’t tart like the Seven Falls Wahluke Slope Red Blend that improved on day 2, but instead was immediately accessible.
Not sure it will age well, not tannic enough.
I bought 6 more Windstorm CS yesterday to take to parties this weekend and a couple birthdays end of July.
New items I have seen
2017 Beauregard Ducasse [Graves] $13 14% abv. seems to be a negociant bottling?
2019 Etude ‘rose of pinot noir’ [Santa Barbara] $10 fancy brand ….but 5 yr old pink is not a good bet.
Haus fancy bottles, two kinds of apertifs available, both $12. one was lemon citrus and the other was lavendar/pomegranate. sounds interesting but we have lots of seldom used strange licquers around the house already.
2022 Windstorm Cabernet Sauvignon [Red Hills Lake County] $7
2023 Island Tide NZSB [Marlborough] $8
2022 Cable Bay NZSB [Awatere Valley] $8 Looks like this was intended for the the US market.
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If people see desserts in the frozen section from ‘Erlenbacher’ a German producer, they are worth getting. Will be pricier than most GO stuff but definitely good, think hotel / cruise line dessert buffet. which is reliable/good.
Château Léoube 2021 “Rosé de Léoube”, Côtes du Provence Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), France, 13% ABV, $6. Yellow apple / pear, hint of lemon peel, cantaloupe, pink grapefruit, tart red berries, mildly bitter minerality. Seems like it has a decent percentage of a white grape, but I could not find any composition for it. Body medium and texture slightly thicker for a rosé. Second day, smoothed out and integrated, quite tasty. Online price was $23 – $26, but I guess it’s a year past the current vintage now.
For some reason, I thought that Côtes du Provence AOC didn’t allow any (or much) white wine in a Rosé blend, but after looking it up, today I learned that approved Provence white varieties (Clairette, Sémillon, Ugni Blanc, Verdejo, and Rolle/Vermentino) may make up up to 20% of the blend in an AOC rosé. The more you know…
I bought a bottle of this last weekend but haven’t tried it yet. Sounds interesting.
Seven Falls 2021 Rapids Red Wahluke Slope (ML,CS,MVD,GRN,SY) 14.5%ABV ($6 GO/$17 MSRP)
**I was very excited to see the sub-appellation of Wahluke Slope on a GO bottle.
**First day, a bit disappointing, blue black fruit flavors seemed reticent, a bit too tart.
**Second day, fruit flavors deepened and the wine meshed together, became pleasing, still a bit tangy and tart at the finish.
**I’ll buy a few more at this low price, just not a case buy.
*********************
🕰2021
💯85/100 🌟3.5
👁Dark purple
👃👅Dry,blue black fruit,tart blackberry,graphite,espresso,vanilla,oak,blueberry,bayleaf, allspice,med high acidity,assertive tannins,med full body, tart finish. Best slightly chilled, better on day 2.
🍇38%ML,22%CS,19%MVD,16%GN,13%SY
🌄Wahluke Slope
🌄Columbia Valley AVA
🕰stainless tank ferment,some in oak,aged 13-16 mo in new & neutral French and American oak barrels
⛽14.5%ABV
🏅v2015 87 WE,v2016 87 WE🏅
💵$17 MSRP, $13-$22 online, $6 GOBM
Seven Falls is one of the many labels under Chateau Ste Michelle.
Fonterutoli 2012 Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy, from Marchesi Mazzei, 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, 3% Colorino*, 2% Malvasia Nera, 13.5% ABV, $8. Sangiovese’s dark red cherry, orange peel, stem / cherry pit, but has some darker notes of plum / dark berry (the Malvasia Nera?, Merlot?). After 3 hours decanted, it was more on the structured / delineated / stemmy side. After 4+ hours decanted, it had become solid, ripe dark red cherry on the entry, trailing off in to more delicate orange, green olive, almost floral. This is a nice, mature, Italian wine at this price. I am a bit late to this, and as the Richmond store got only 4 cases, and I haven’t seen it at Oakland, it’s probably an unlikely find.
*article notes: “In the late 1980s, there was a surge of interest in the variety among Tuscan winemakers who saw in this local grape variety similarity to the role Petit Verdot plays in Bordeaux blends. Colorino was planted and used to add darker colours and structure from phenolic compounds in the grape’s thick skin without the overpowering aromatics that Cabernet Sauvignon could add. This enthusiasm was short-lived and by the turn of the 21st century Colorino returned once again to a minor role in Tuscan wines.”
Fonterutoli 2017 Chianti Classico DOCG, Italy, from Marchesi Mazzei, 90% Sangiovese, 5% Merlot, 3% Colorino, 2% Malvasia Nera, 13.5% ABV, $8. This is a younger and tougher wine than the 2012, and does not have the greater weight and complexity of the 2012, but its flavors are quite similar and it’s still a very good wine for the price. When I tasted it on its own after it had been decanted 3 hours, I thought it seemed good but needed more air. However, with food it was delicious, even though I was worried because the food had a lot of sweetness from fresh vegetables. It was still going strong 5 hours after being decanted.
Thanks for the note – if I see any Fonterutoli in SLO, I’ll probably pick some up to try.
There is also a “Ser Lapo” 2012 Chianti Classico Riserva from Mazzei, for $12. I got a couple but haven’t opened one.
Six days later, I decanted the saved 375ml screw-cap bottle of the Fonterutoli 2017 Chianti Classico. It was nice along the way, but still needed 3.5 – 4 hours to air as much as it will tonight. Shows rich dark red cherry, purple grape, blood orange, dark spiced earth, stemmy / woody tannin. Still very nice for $8.
I has the Fonterutoli Gran Selezione (flagship Chianti Classico) from 2013 and it was underwhelming to me. I thought the $28 price point – already discounted no doubt – was stretching it. I feel like these wines get lots of marketing / advertising support (look in WS etc.) but they are/were in this era made for more the acid loving Italian palate than the American one. Perhaps newer vintages under the thrall of global warming are different, but it feels like there is lots of 10 year old Fonterutoli floating around warehouses trying to find glassware to glug back. The tack of folding in merlot (or other French varietals) doesn’t work since it adds too much structure/body and takes away the sangio/Tuscan character. Although many Tuscan houses resort to that constantly i.e. Santa Cristina from Antinori. (I drank through a glorious case of that 1997 on release a lifetime ago, back when it was still an estate wine; now it’s just a big but reliable brand).
Perhaps on premise / hospitality has already been burned by Fonterutoli and won’t nibble anymore. There is an immediacy to the feedback when a restaurant group has a couple returned bottles each night, versus a retailer who will rarely hear back, and has a time lag between purchase vs. consumption.
Cellier de l’Abbaye 2020 Touraine Appellation d’Origine Protégée (AOP), France, 100% Sauvignon Blanc, 13.5%, $7. Lemon zest, yellow melon, lime zest, bitterness of citrus pith / grape skin / stem, non-negligible wood. Not as light, acid, and delicately complex as I had expected (like last fall’s Les Violettes; I’m not familiar with Touraine), but more solid and straightforwardly assertive. To my taste, almost Californian in this way, although it’s quite dry. It’s pretty yummy and addictive, but probably not enough so for me to get more since I have a good amount of white wine for the moment. Second day, smoothed out and seems lightly honeyed (in flavor; not sweetness) / almost floral. Still a style of SB I don’t really recognize; today reminds me of Chilean. Still tasty but not my favorite. Bitterness in the finish makes it very good with food. On the first day, it actually went well with catfish that had been breaded and pan-fried.
Touraine is a lesser appellation in the Loire and its white wine is SB. The suggested retail on this was probably less than $20.
I like the Fonterutoli Chianti quite a bit. It would be perfect for summer grilling season. Fully mature, good fruit. You can pop and pour if you want but probably would benefit from decanting.
GO wine fans should take note that the Fonterutoli Chianti you are now seeing in the stores might be a different vintage, 2017, than is reviewed above, 2012. I don’t believe BW or I have tasted it yet. That 2012 has probably disappeared. There is, from the same maker, a 2012 (the same vintage reviewed above) reserve wine that costs $12, I’ve not tasted it either.
I would expect that the 2017 would require more air/time. Please do note that 2017 was really effing hot in Italy (I was in Tuscany that July) so I don’t know how this wine will taste or age. I won’t get to it for a few days; we are having scallops tonight.
I picked up a few bottles of this, and we opened one last weekend. I found it similar to what you describe. I found grapefruit, lemon, and melon notes with a subtle bitterness maybe a bit like gooseberry…nothing overtly green, which I appreciated. I’d call it medium weight, and I found plenty of acid and freshness for my tastes (which lean towards higher acidity). A bit simple, but that’s okay for what it is. I’m not the biggest SB fan, but I wouldn’t mind drinking this through the hot months.
The other GO white of note which I bought recently was a 2021 Cusumano Insolia Terre Siciliane for $6. I’m looking forward to trying that one.
Is this a review of the Touraine?
Yes, although I can see how that might not be obvious from the threading.
Bretrooks, I too, was looking forward to the Cusumano 2021 Insolia Siciliane IGT ($4 in Pullman) as it scored 90 WE, 89 Vinous. Sorely disappointed, the wine in my glass bore no resemblance to their reviews and was rather bland and lifeless. I hope your bottle yields better results.
We actually opened one of these just last night, and I wasn’t wowed, but I think we liked it a little better than you did. Ours had a glass cork, which was interesting.
I’d call our bottle medium-weight and maybe medium-low or medium in intensity, with notes of lemon peel, honeydew, pear, and a little floral bitterness. The balance seemed okay when it had a chill on it, but its lowish acid meant that it lost its charm as it warmed up. I’m not sure whether I’d buy more, but I’d drink it again, as long as it was kept cool.
Thanks for that note on the Touraine, as I picked one up a few weeks ago. Hopefully I’ll have it with some fish, when a family member visits, whose favorite varietal is SB, and I’m enjoy showing them different expressions (regional, elevage, price point etc.). Historically they are not Loire SB fans – nor am I – but it’s always fun to taste and talk about that. Otherwise, we descend into other more unpleasant areas of conversation, which are best avoided.
I’ve noticed that the consistent/pleasing/WS loved Joel Gott CA SB has been creeping up in price in recent years. This used to be readily found for sub $100/cs and nowadays that price is not seen much.
SB has become more popular recently, so Gott is probably paying more for grapes than he had in the past.
The demise of Chateau Ste Michelle. Today at the Tacoma 56th St GO store I saw CSM Eleme Element Strawberry Hibiscus “Rose” at $2.99, list $12.99. With natural flavors. Even at $3 I have zero desire to buy. Ages ago this “stuff” of excess grapes would have been under a 3rd tier brand (like Red Diamond, certainly not Columbia Crest). I’m sure it will be a top seller at that price but nothing I would drink.
Chateau Ste Michelle is simply part of a larger wine industry watching its prime consumers–boomers–age away. We on this website may not be interested in strawberry flavored wine, or the ubiquitous Chocolate Shoppe, but the truth is that wine consumption is falling, while cocktail mixes and flavored alcoholic seltzers are rising. Not only are American consumers drinking less wine, but American wine makers aren’t selling much abroad, compared to European wineries that have used export markets to buffer them from wine consumption drops at home. So, I don’t blame companies like CSM for trying to crack the young adult drinking market by appealing to the fun, fruity stuff that they tend to be drinking. (Though, its appearance at GO isn’t a good sign for that strategy…)
At the Olympia store: Desert Wind 2019 Ora (Wahluke Slope), $7.98.
50% Syrah, 34% Malbec, 14% Tempranillo, 1% Merlot, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Right in my wheelhouse and very enjoyable. It’s the current vintage, selling at the winery for $35
https://desertwindwinery.orderport.net/product-details/0453/2019-Ora
I’ll have to look for this. I’ve been to 2 of the 3 Tacoma stores in the past 2 days and not seen this (buying the Speck Americano smoked and cured ham). I’ve always been a fan of Desert Wind (Prosser) but vaguely remember the ownership changed a few years back (big company)
2019 Laus ‘Crianza’ [Somontano] $7 14% abv. Half merlot, half CS. Imported by Evaki Inc. of SLO. Sure not a traditional / native varietals, and who knows where this DO is in Spain anyways, but my general observation is that these weird Spanish imports tend to be solid (at least from other shops) since it has to be sold on taste alone. Maybe price should be a buck or two lower.
2021 Esteban Martin [Spain] $6 13.5% abv 92 pts James Suckling. 60% grenache, 40% syrah. I have the the feel that I’ve seen this is at Costco, or at least something very similar. Imported by Tri Vin Imports of Clinton Place, New Rochelle NY. Likely to be an industrial Cotes du Rhone kind of creature, but price seems ok for that.
2022 Fernbeck ‘Sauvignon Blanc’ [WO Coastal Region South Africa] $6 12.5% abv. Bottled for Off Piste Wines Ltd, UK by W1740, DH9 7XP, UK Imported by W. Direct of Lawrence KS Given how soft their currency is, they need to provide outsize value to customers IMO. Maybe sell 1L bottles for the same price or something. Being a buck or two cheaper than NZSB doesn’t seem like a big enough value wedge, since Americans are unlikely to know / recognize any brands here.
2020 Pedroncelli ‘Bench Vyd’ merlot [Dry Creek Valley] $10 I can’t see the abv but this was the smoke filled vintage. Old School producer and hopefully still independent. It’s been a very long time since I’ve tasted anything from them, but CA merlot isn’t really on my buy list.
2020 Bodegas Riglos ‘Quinto’ Reserva Malbec [Valley de Uco] $8 13.5% single vyd Back label states terroir has 4 components (soil, water, temp, light) and the fifth (quinto) is the people – which is what this is intended to honor/highlight.
2017 Finca El Refugio ‘Antica’ K1 Tempranillo [Tierra de Castilla] $8 14% abv. 100% tempranillo. 12 mos in French/American oak. Estate bottled by Finca El Refugio. Imported by Plume Ridge. Certified organic by Sohiscert. Ugly label.
2023 Stars Collide [NZSB] $8 12.5% abv Produced by HAHA Wine Co. LTD of Hawkes Bay, NZ. Imported by 4Front Imports of Lewisberg OH. Looks very ‘bulk’.
…now mulling what to open to drink tonight…although it would not be anything from these posts.
Continuing on…
2020 Cavallo Negro ‘Reserva’ [Tejo] $7 13.5% This is a red, and the back label notes that its full of ‘wildberry and dark chocolate’ bottled for Parras Wines LDA of Majorga, Portugal by Eng No 3674 of Majorga, Portugal. Is that mobile bottling or a contract facility. Imported by Plume Ridge.
2020 Callaway Cellars ‘Ely’ Chardonnay [Paso Robles] $7 14.2% abv Bottled by Calloway of Greenfield CA. Fairly premium looking. Maybe it’s something sold in Golf clubhouses? Never heard of the brand but have heard of their irons, which were early adopters of ‘investment casting’ techniques.
2019 Brendel ‘Noble One’ Chardonnay [Napa Valley] $8 12.5% abv. Unoaked, mineral, Burgudian according to the label. Made by Brendel Wines in St Helena with 100% organic chardonnay grapes.
2022 Garua Sauvignon Blanc [Marlborough] $8 12.5% Imported by Pama Beverages of Miami. Produced & Bottled by Spring Creek Estate Ltd, NZ. Tough price point since Costco’s good NZSB is the same/cheaper.
2020 Cellier de l’Abbaye ‘blanc sec sauvignon’ [Touraine] $7 I couldnt find out much if anything on this, but I took a flyer on this. Loire SB for this price seems fair enough. There’s something about the name which seems ‘coop’ like but maybe I’m conflating that with other ones which have the same Cellier in their name. It was the last one left, btw.
2021 Fratelli Cozza ‘Gran Casato’ [Montepulciano d’Abruzzo] $6 13% abv Bottled by ICQRF FG 14978 IT Italia. Imported by the Italian Wine Trader LLC of Aliso Viejo CA. Beautiful old school ornate label (think Marchesi di Barolo) claiming it was founded in 1560. I don’t care for this varietal/region/DO but I hope someone tries it.
2021 Bleasdale ‘The Wild Fig’ [Langhorne Creek] $5 From the Potts Family. 13.5% abv. Syrah 67%, Grenache 23%, Mourvedre 10% blend Imported by MHW Ltd of Manhasset NY. Has a back label/import tag that was appended later. The importer is more of a ‘paperwork’ kind of agent than a firm that risks their capital. Looks way more ‘premium’ than the price point suggests. The dollar is super strong right now so all these foreign wines ought to be good deals.
….more to come
Bleasdale is a good winery. They won the Jimmy Watson award (best red wine at the Royal Melbourne wine show, a big deal down under) for one of their Shiraz-Grenache blends a few years ago, and 2021 was a great vintage in Australia, so I imagine that one is a steal. Where did you find it, so I can go clear them out 😉
These were my thoughts on it at the time.
Some new items seen recently
2021 Serenita Bella [Chianti] $5 13% abv Bottled by V.S. SRL 51035 Lamporeccio Italia. Imported by WX Imports, Novato CA Most regional Chianti should have a gimlet eye applied.
2017 ONX ‘Indie Riot’ Red Wine [Paso Robles] $6 15% abv ‘a blend unhindered by convention’ according to the back label. Strange unappealing label.
2022 Eugenia ‘rose of cinsault’ Bruella Ranch Vyd [Lodi] $5 Black Malvoise clone, 675 cases made, 11.75% abv, raised in stainless. Seems like a fair price for a ‘real’ wine rather than a bulk product.
2020 Cremaschi Furlotti ‘Reserva’ Cabernet Sauvignon [Valle de Loncomillia] $6 13.5% Chilean Wine. Imported by Plume Ridge. The name of the producer or the brand / vyd could be wrong here. Chilean nomenclature is beyond my ken.
2022 Roadside Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon [Yakima Valley] $6 13.9% abv. Estate grapes, and grown/produced/bottled by Roadside Cellars of Zilah WA. Looks legit.
2020 Brazin ‘Old Vine Zin’ [Lodi] $7 15%abv From Brazin Cellars of Manteca.
2023 Peregrinas ‘Pinot Noir’ [Valle Central] $6 13%abv Produced by ACW SA Bellavista S/N, of Rio Claro Chile. Imported by Plume Ridge. Label notes is fresh, acidic, and light bodied, should be served cool.
2022 Azul Y Garanza ‘rose’ [Navarra] $4 13% abv. This is a 1L bottle, sort of like Austrian bulk gruner. Seems like a fair deal.
2018 Antonio Diez Martin ‘Crianza’ [Ribera del Duero] $5 14.5% abv. Nice label and backstory. Imported by Nakedwines.com of Kenwood CA. Produced by Martin Berdugo. It’s all tempranillo and is probably a good/safe pick for anyone looking for this ilk of wine. I’d assume – like most RDD – that it’s a bit on the international/modern spectrum as the traditional / lean ones don’t get exported here.
more to come
Aubergine, research on Public COLA Registry shows Roadside Cellars is yet another “secret” label by Hyatt Vineyards in Zillah.
(Their “other” labels are Floating Rock, Roza Ridge, and a few other names that have slipped my mind.)
Perhaps BargainWhine can provide a link to my previous posts regarding Hyatt Vineyards other secret labels.
The Roadside Cellars label was applied for and approved in 2019 to bottle up excess 2016 wine, that Hyatt had an excess of and didn’t want to oversaturate the market with their namesake brand.
At $6, I’d try one since Hyatt hired winemaker Caleb Foster in April 2022 to turn things around.
Foster ran Buty Cellars in Walla Walla w his wife Nina Buty until their divorce. He started his own winery Gunpowder Creek, and consulted at others before Hyatt.
Nina Buty and Caleb Foster were instrumental in establishing The Rocks District in WA and OR into an AVA, along w Christophe Baron of Cayuse.
Buty Cellars in Walla Walla closed January 2022 after 22 years of making some very good to great wine.
That must be why K&L had so much library Buty. Good wines.
Buty made some particularly delicious Chardonnays from Conner Lee Vineyard back when I was drinking Chardonnay regularly. Used to visit the little winery up at the Walla Walla Airport area shortly after they started. And their wines were far more affordable for me than those from Cayuse (the other famous Rocks District producer).
https://www.winespectator.com/articles/saying-goodbye-to-washington-s-buty-winery
https://www.lawrencevineyards.com/connerlee
https://www.lawrencevineyards.com/_files/ugd/babe8d_812edf6fe37b403ebaa7687e2760dd66.pdf
lim, any scores at new bremerton store, I’ll be down there today!
Unfortunately I haven’t been there yet. We’re in the midst of a move to a much smaller home with no more full basement to store my wine. So I haven’t bought any wine in over a month and likely won’t be for some time. The Bremerton store will be our closest store after we’re moved, but I’ll still do my main wine shopping at the Silverdale store just 6 miles away. I highly recommend Silverdale…and introduce yourself to the owner, Christina (who loves wine), if she’s there. Just tell her you follow the GO blog. She’s knows me well by my real name, but will know who you’re talking about from the blog.
This is the main one I was able to find.
More Graduation Week wines seen yesterday:
••Seven Falls 2021 Rapids Red, Wahluke Slope AVA, 14.5%ABV
*$6 GO vs $8-15 online (Binny’s clearance $4)
*screwcapped
*30%ML/22%CS/19%Mourvedre/16%GRN/13%SY (Bdx/GSM mongrel?)
*fermented in stainless tank & some in oak, aged 13-16 mo in new & neutral French and American oak barrels
*bottled in Paterson WA
*Seven Falls is a Chateau Ste Michelle label
*No pro rates, Vivino 3.7
*2021 was a very hot year for WA grape growers
••Windstorm 2022 Cab Sauv, Red Hills Lake Co, CA, 14.5%ABV
*$7 GO
*PCR search shows bottled by Raymond Vineyard & Cellars in Sonoma, approved 2/26/2024
*this label under Precision Wine Co
*No pro ratings, no Vivino ratings, no tech sheet available
*I’m concluding excess 2022 wine, possibly from Raymond VY, bottled for Precision in 2024
*Might be decent.
••Columbia Crest 2022 Grand Estates Unoaked Chardonnay, 12.8%ABV
*$5 vs $15, $9 at Total Wine
*screwcapped
*100%CH sourced from Yakima Valley & Columbia Valley
*cool fermentation in stainless tank, aged on light lees for texture
*growing season notes: cool wet spring, delayed ripening, some early grape harvesting
*no pro rates, Vivino 3.6
••Cabeceo 2020 Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 14.5%ABV
*$5
*eye catching label – line drawing of wide trousered legs paired w fishnet stockinged high heeled crossed legs in front, invoking a Tango vibe – ‘cabaceo’ translates to ‘nod of the head’, an indication by the Tango lead to start dancing
*Primary Fermentations, American Canyon, Napa County, CA
*PCR search shows this is made in an industrial park in Napa by Infinity Bottling, a bulk bottler, 3 separate bottlings in 2021
*No pro ratings, no Vivino ratings
••Las Invernadas 2022 Malbec, Valle de Tulum, San Juan, Argentina, 13.5%ABV
*$6
*Invernadas means hibernation or winter season
*Imported by Plume Ridge
*no pro ratings, Vivino 3.4
A slew of new white wines at the Pullman store for graduation week at 2 local universities:
– 64%SB/22%Sem/2%Muscadelle
– v2017 87 WE, v2019 86 WE- Vivino 3.5- No pro ratings for 2021
– v2017 88 WE – Vivino 3.8
– 70%SB/30%Sem
– v2019 90 Decanter, v2022 87 WE – Vivino 3.7
– Vivino 4.0
“Oak, butter, apricot, lemon, pineapple, creme bruleé, pear”
-100% CH, 80% San Bernabe Valley, 20% San Lucia Highlands
– Aged 14 mo in 45% new French oak barrels, 55% neutral
-Diora is a label under Transcendental (higher end) side branch of Delicato
– Hãhã Wine Co, Hawkes Bay NZ
-Secret second label not listed on Hãhã Wine website
-Vivino 3.6 across vintages from 2018 to 2023, 88 ratings total, very few
– possibly excess bulk SB bottled by Hãhã Wine Co?Hãhã whites retail at $15
– $5- imported by Plume Ridge
– no Vivino ratings (points to new label?), no pro ratings
– can’t find any other info on this wine
– 100% PG, Riva Vineyard, Venezia DOC, Italy
– Evaki Imports No pro rates, Vivino 3.7
ππππππππππππππππππππππ
Might pick up both the Mouton Cadet, Diora, ChD EdM and PG when I’m there next.
Apologies if the above is hard to read, editing on this blog on phone is difficult.
I keep getting bounced back to the end.
Diora 2020 Splendeur du Soleil Chardonnay, production details listed above, rated 90 pts 12/1/2022 by Wine Enthusiast’s Matt Kettman
– “Baked apple, toasted nuts, oak aroma” “Palate creamy in texture, loaded with butter and sea salt richness” “lemony apple fruit character holds the midpalate”
If this style of Chardonnay appeals to you or your friends (ie Lim’s Chardonnay loving pal) $6 at GO is an incredible bargain ($20 MSRP, Total Wine $13.49 is lowest price online).
I got one a Diora chard and went back for a couple more; it is an oak & butter bomb, a tad hot, but with the characters mentioned by Kenman and more, moving into tropical - pineapple, lychee, guava. People who like this sort of thing will really like it. Reminds me of the Morrows Chard Paraiso Vyd SLH that came through last year, thought I’d commented on that, can’t find it, here’s Kettman again, 88 WE and long ago another one at GO from Paraiso Vyds (2010ish).
DL, thanks for your take on the Diora Chardonnay! I bought 2 bottles for a big departmental BBQ on Saturday, I hope people enjoy it! It sounds very good from your description. I may need to buy more!
The Diora 2020 Splendeur du Soleil Chardonnay was a big hit at the BBQ and great for the price! ($6) I enjoyed the tropical notes very much!
Returned yesterday for 6 more, another party next weekend, couple of summer birthdays coming up.
Glad to hear it. Diora also had a Monterey pinot noir rosé down here that was not bad at all, but I’m stocked up on pink. Light in body but nice fruit, although I’ve been more enjoying fleshier rosés of Sangiovese, Cab Franc, or GSM lately. Will open one oddball tonight, a Fuedi di San Gregorio (Aglianico) rosé that I picked up a long while ago on the strength of the brand. A few good wines by them have come through GO in the past couple of years.
Mouton Cadet’s lineup is solid for a huge producer, but I don’t really sit much any more (at least at my retailers). Those are good prices. I would sort of liken them to the old Woodbridge lineup from Mondavi – negociant but with long term contracted growers, and a little better than peers at the same price point. I don’t think the American market really likes this concept though, but Brits do.
Thanks, aubergine. I haven’t seen Mouton Cadet on any retailers’ shelves here in years, either.
I was in GO again yesterday looking over new wines. A man browsing asked what wine I would suggest. Our store has a limited selection. I pointed out a Portuguese red blend, Opta Dao 2020, $7. He looked it up on his phone, lowest price $5.73, he replied $7 was overpriced and he wasn’t paying $7 for a wine worth only $5.73. I reminded him shipping will add to the final cost of ordering online. He continued to insist the bottle wasn’t worth $7. (I later looked up the $5.73 price, that’s the price in PORTUGAL. Shipping for one bottle to the US would be $41.) He also looked askance at the Massif D’Uchaux CdR I recc’d. He commented in the past he purchased a Carmenere at another GO, for a fraction of its “true worth” of $36 “listed everywhere”. Good luck finding another unicorn. I felt he was unnecessarily dismissive, bordering on condescending.
Thankfully, I also ran into a lady on the same day who thanked me for my recommendation of McLaren Flat Wine Co 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon last Sunday, which she brought to a dinner party and everyone enjoyed. You win some, you lose some.
more new items seen recently
2018 Manadero ‘Garnacha’ Colecion de Parcelas [Carinena] $4 14.5% abv red wine. imported by Guarachi Wine Partners. This is an obscure Spanish DO. Looks pretty good actually. 92 pts from Suckling.
2022 Huentala Wines ‘Sombrero’ ‘Malbec’ [Valle de Uco] $10 14.4% abv This is from Gualtallary, a high altitude part of the Mendoza. Imported by VinaAmericas Inc. of Miami FL. Seems kind of high priced but maybe it’s a luxe bottling. I don’t really go after South American wines, but some of the malbec being made by the French consultants is pretty good. I just would not pay much more than $10 to $15 for it, and that’s only if it was super well known, and highly reviewed.
2020 Monte Ory [Navarra] $6 13.5% abv, a 50/50 blend of tempranillo and merlot. bottled by Monte Ory of Azagra, Espagna. Imported by Manzanos Wines of Miami FL. Probably pretty good. Manzanos is a reputable, traditional and underpenetrated bodega/group in the US. 90 pts Suckling, which is pretty low.
2018 Agramont ‘crianza’ [Navarra] $6 14% abv Embottelado Por Agronavarra, Murchante Espana. Imported by City Moonlight, NYC, NY. No disclosure/discussion of varietal beyond ‘red wine’ or Tinto. No sticker of any pro ratings either. Navarra as a DO has never really figured out what it wants to be – a source of local varietals, or of international ones, and that can mean a vague thing like ‘tinto’ could have the risk of it being a dumping ground for whatever vats were laying around that didn’t make the cut for better bottlings.
2020 Guarda Rios ‘Red Blend’ [Alentejano] $6 13.5% 97 pts Decanter fermented in steel, and partial aging in French oak. Imported by Tri Vin Imports Inc. New Rochelle NY. Not sure what this is but seems to have a good set of attributes and worth a shot if one drinks Portugese dry reds.
2017 Altitudes [Cotes du Roussillon] $7 Labeled as French Red Wine, but back label notes 50% grenach, 25% syrah, 25% carignan. Bottled by F66N103 for Henriques, France. A cursory Google search comes up with little for that, so I’m assuming that is a regulatory license for some kind of bulk facility, as other wines with maker all seem of the nature. Too bad, I love French country reds.
2019 Simi chardonnay [Sonoma Coast] $4 half bottle, screwcapped. Don’t see halves much at all at GO.
Motu Rum $7 which has nice packaging, and appears to be from Fiji/Polynesia. And curiously, next to it, some kind of alcohol infused Ritter Sport bars, which were being sold in the wine/spirits/beer section. We probably should use more rum for cooking and other purposes, but we have enough of all that ilk and go through it very slowly.
Further digging, I think the ‘Altitudes’ wine is a real product from the Henriques vintner, and the code might be a mobile bottling line or something. They also sell the wine in kegs, so clearly its meant to be the house red in hospitality. The importer who brings that over also brings over a few K&L Rhones I recognize. It’s probably better than I gave it credit for. There is lots of character and interest in the whole swath of southern French reds that is generally not recognized (at least in terms of dollars) by Americans.
Aubergine, Guarda Rios has been popping up at our GO in Pullman sporadically since Nov 2022. I’ve brought Guarda Rios Tinto 2020 to several gatherings and people have enjoyed it. My Vivino review.
🕰2020
💯88/100 🌟3.8
👁Dark dense ruby
👃👄Dry, deep black fruit, spice, earthy, tobacco, oak, med acidity, velvety tannins, long smooth finish. Flavorful Portuguese red blend.
🍇40%Aragonez, 30%Syrah, 20%Trincadeira, 10%Alicante Bouschet
🕰️Steel ferment, oak aging
⛽13.5%ABV
🎖️Decanter 97pt Value Platinum🎖️
💵$12 MSRP, $7 at GOBM
Bought the last two on the shelves in Pullman about 2 weeks ago for another upcoming BBQ.
I commented on the Manadero Garnacha below. I found it a bit disappointing given the score. Didn’t give it much time to evolve though (dinner party). Last night, I finally opened the 2018 Cuesta Bufona Tempranillo that BW liked (also JS 92), found it a bit hard and tight but promising, will try it again tonight.
I think my favorite reds in the past month were two mature CA syrah/GSMs that I’d tried, said “meh”, then tried again based on Seedboy’s reco and found them very good: the 2015 Rancho Bodega and 2013 Westwood Benjamin’s. Both gone here.
The first bottle of RB I tried just wasn’t as good as the second & last 😦 There were about a dozen Westwood bottlings, tried a couple, not thrilled; may have missed Benjie’s ’13 the first time.
Seen recently
2021 Headturner ‘Chardonnay’ [Horse Heaven Hills] $8 winemaker Holly Turner, Walla Walla WA. 14.9% abv
2016 Gliss Cellars ‘Syrah’ [Mendocino] $7 14.5% abv. DNA Vineyards Syrah. Bottled by DNA, Ukiah CA
2022 Smerlino Sauvignon Blanc [Lodi] $6
Caffo Vecchio Amaro del Capo $13 a liqueur of Calabrian herbs.
Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth Irish Whiskey $16
2017 Windvane Chardonnay [Carneros] $7
2021 Photograph Chardonnay [Central Coast] $5 13.5% bottled in Hopland
2021 Maison Montagne ‘Red Wine’ [Paso Robles] $8 bottled by West Coast Wine group in Napa. 13.5% abv. This, and the one above, have a bulk vibe.
2019 Borreo Single Vyd Zinfandel [Napa Valley] $15 15.9% abv. estate grown, produced, bottled by Silverado Vyd, Napa. Nice label and story, but price seems a bit aggressive.
2021 Cave de Gortona Pinot Noir [Vine de France] $7 13% abv a NBI import, and described by others here.
2022 Fighting Chance Pinot Noir [Monterey Cty] $8 14.4% abv vintned and bottled by Wine Tiger of Sonoma. Label has an MC Escher look.
2019 Rural pinot noir ‘Eagle Peak’ [Mendocino] $10 Bottled in Healdsburg. Not much info on the label but the attributes seem good. Probably bright/acidic.
Lots of new wines at one of the crummier locations, strangely.
Here’s some info on the Headturner Chardonnay and winemaker…
https://www.wineenthusiast.com/buying-guide/headturner-2021-flyaway-chardonnay-horse-heaven-hills/
https://www.threeriverswinery.com/our-team/holly-turner/
https://foleyfamilywines.com/wineries/pacific-northwest/headturner-wine-co/
Turner appears to be winemaker at Three Rivers, who have sold some of their wines (specifically rose’) at GO. And the Headturner wines appear to be part of the Foley Family Wine catalog. It’s all a bit confusing to me. Maybe the blog “research dept.” aka. WORN can shed some light?
Hi Lim, the Headturner brand was short-lived, 2 label approvals 5/11/2020 for Chardonnay and Cab Sauv Winemaker Holly Turner, Foley Family brand bottled at their Three Rivers facility in WallaWalla. The Headturner 2021 “Flyaway” Horse Heaven Hills Chardonnay arrived at our store prior to the fall 2023 sale, price was $8. Wine Enthusiast 89 pts, $25 MSRP, 3/2/2023. Headturner website mentions buttered brioche, butterscotch so presumably oaked but no tech detail sheet available. There was a big release party to introduce Headturner. Looks like the brand underperformed as it’s no longer listed on Foley Family website that Headturner links to, so a discontinued brand.Perhaps BW can post my previous comment on Headturner, I’m pretty sure I mentioned this wine last fall. I recall someone on this blog did give it a try.I decided to pass on Headturner as Talbott Sleepy Hollow Vineyard Chard 2018 was available for just $6 at the same time.
Likely this is the post you’re describing.
BW,
Thanks for providing the link to my Oct 20, 2023 post on Headturner 2021 Chardonnay.
Lots more information on that post, the tech sheet I located back then is now unavailable.
The first vintage was 2018, according to Vivino posts.
So Foley applied in 2020 for Headturner label to bottle up excess wine from 2018.
Label underperformed, brand discontinued, unsold wine ends up on GO shelves
Thanks for the research and info, WORN. Nice work…as usual!
Bondar 2020 “Junto GSM,” McLaren Vale, South Australia, 68% Grenache, 10% Shiraz, 9% Mataro (Mourvèdre), 7% Carignan, 5% Cinsault, 1% Counoise, 13.7% ABV, $10. Recently arrived, I let it rest on its side for a few days, then decanted it off some fine sediment. First night, decanted 4 hours, was soft, jammy, fuzzy, and I didn’t like it very much, although subtle complexity and unresolved structure seems promising. Second night, still needed to be opened 3 – 3.5 hours to settle down and darken some. Shows Grenache’s black raspberry / cherry, strawberry / grape jam, faintly getting Syrah’s blueberry, and the finish is nicely complex but hard for me to put into words. It’s a nice wine for $10 and should be popular with people who like fruity CA wines. For me, it’s still too soft, fuzzy, jammy.
Tasted a few wines yesterday:
Petroni was the owner of North Beach Restaurant in North Beach, he has recently passed, and his family is selling off some wine. The Oakland store has multiple vintages of the Petroni Syrah in Magnum in the back room for $18 apiece; tell Mark or Robert that Seedboy sent you.
The 2015 in .750 that BW tasted has a lot of tartrate caked under the cork, clinging to the inside of the neck; when you open it you should clear that stuff out before you pour it.
I bought a bottle of the Reichwage “Twin Hills” Pinot Noir ($7 or 8) and opened it. It has light body and tastes honest, I wonder if it doesn’t have bottle shock and will be better in a month.
I found a shelf full of the 2006 Petroni Cab mags in Rohnert Park for $26 a pop…solid 90+ pts on CT. I picked up a bottle and we opened with burgers. Still in good condition for an ‘06, tannins fully resolved, some decent fruit, I’d rate 88-89. Second day was a tad more pruney…wifie less thrilled. Day three still drinking decently.
So – I’d say to pick up a bottle if you’ve got a party soon – drink nearterm, among best values on the GO shelf for decent cab.
I have had a .750 of the 2015 Syrah open for days, the last glass last night was super tasty. I would love the see the Cab near nere.
“his family is selling off some wine”. In fact all the wine has been offered. Seems the remaining family are in disagreement, and are suing one another (public record), and the wine has been dumped thru wine flash sites, and GO. So much for legacy. more entitled children.
Tasted a few over the weekend. We opened up the Petroni 2015 Syrah at dinner Saturday, found it pleasant and rich but kind of soft and one-dimensional. I liked their rosé better, but I have lots of 2021/2s and don’t need more 2019s.
The Reichwage 2021 Twin Hills pinot noir rosé was very good, following the theme of the Twin Hills red pinot noir with a strong savory umami component on top of the fruit, and mirroring their Mancini Ranch white with a bracing, almost saline minerality. Again, too bad I’m out of room for rosé.
Room or not, I liked the MR white enough to get a few more bottles. One reason it may have ended up at GO is they have no neck capsules, and having been stored cork-down, the MR white had a good deposit of tartrate crystals on the corks, likely scaring off consumers.
The Reichwage red Twin Hills PN I said below felt a tad harsh; by day 3 open it had softened nicely, and the savory component took on a slightly leathery quality. Seemed like an older wine than others at this age. Very well made and interesting wine, but not my favorite style of pinot noir.
Last night, I tried the Manadero 2018 Garnacha, a “Manager Pick” at $4, 92 JS sticker. It’s very ripe, almost over-ripe (14.5% abv), bit of a fruit bomb, rich but again monolithic, and too soft and flabby for me.
Sorry to hear that about the Manadero Garnacha, but thanks for the note. I picked one up a week ago but haven’t tried it yet.
If anyone spots the Reichwage white up in WA please give a shout out.
Olympia doesn’t have it, but would love to try it 😀
Continuing on…
2017 The Wolftrap Rose [South Africa] no price, I don’t think people should buy this anyways. 7 year old rose is a pass
2015? Fog Mountain Rose [Pay d’Oc] no price either, and not totally sure of the vintage but it was old. Again, nuts that they sell this stuff.
2019 Nine Points Reserve Chardonnay [Napa] $10 14.5% abv Vinted and Bottled by Wine Tiger of Sonoma. Never heard of this.
2017 Killer Red ‘Syrah’ [Columbia Valley] $8 14.5% abv produced and bottled by Killer Red of Benton City WA
NV Beaver Creek Vyd. ‘Symphony’ [Lake Cty] $10 (I think) A red wine blend, with no obvious vintage anywhere, nor varietal disclosure. Produced and bottled by Beaver Creek Vyd of Middletown CA, which appears to be a real place well north of Calistoga. Sounds like all a leftover vats ‘sausage’ blend.
2021 Mountain Head Vineyards ‘Big Bold Red’ [Paso Robles] $8 13.6% abv, which seems low for Paso actually. 12 mos of American oak. Vinted and bottled by West Coast Wine Group of Napa.
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I’d try stuff from the South Afrikan Wolftrap winery, if it was ‘fresh’ and low priced. That’s kind of a $9 supermarket wine if available in mass market, so maybe $3-4 is a reasonable GO tariff. But not vinegary rose and golden/oxidized blanc.
Aubergine, Killer Red 2017 Syrah popped up at our GO in Pullman 2 months ago. This label is one of several “secret” labels by Terra Blanca Winery in Benton City, WA. Other unacknowledged wine labels by Terra Blanca are Titan, Impuls and Impuls 71, all spotted at GO over the 3 years since the store opened here (Impuls Rosé, Titan Cab Sauv, Titan Cab Franc, Killer Red Merlot, Killer Red Cab Sauv, Killer Red Syrah)
Yikes. At that price point might as well just stick to Costco. Had a decent $7 Cahors from them last month.
Some of the new items I have seen recently
2022 Michael Pozzan Sauvignon Blanc [Alexander Valley] $6 I know nothing about it and my picture of the back label is too blurry to read.
2018 Cippini [Chianti] $6 12.5% abv Imported by B.Vini Inc. apparently out of San Leandro. Back label instructs to pair with venison. Probably harmless but not a strong vintage, and I’m generally a bit picky when straying out of Chianti Classico proper. That’s kind of a low abv for our era, although maybe not super low by regional standards. I remember the tart versions of a lifetime ago, and remain cautious.
2019 Il Cuore ‘The Heart’ Chardonnay [Mendocino] $4 14.1% abv. Back label promises low oak, high fruit from a cool climate, along with crisp apple flavors (presumably non malo?). Sounds differentiated, but at the moment I have a ton of good Sonoma chard so not looking for 5 year old versions of this varietal. 2022 is generally the current vintage of this kind of wine on sale just for a reference point. Still props to the GO buyers for scrounging this up.
2020 “100 Nails Ranch” Chardonnay [Sonoma Cty] $6 back label promises these were hand harvested, whole cluster, 9 mos of French oak and then crisp apple, brioche, acidity and toast. From 1821 Wine Co. A Zonin Family Co. and produced in American Canyon, which tends to be the homebase for industrial blends.
There are more but I will have comment on them later.
I doubt this is still available, but if one sees the 2019 Ch. St. Jean Pinot Noir [Sonoma Cty] it’s pretty solid, and seems to have been sold at the same price as their bulk California blend ($7). 14.5% abv and 2019 was a very solid vintage for Sonoma PN generally. It’s a straight up commercial pinot – lots of fruit and the label promises (accurately) raspberry and baking spices – but it’s pretty good. I’d give it a solid B grade for a varietal that one normally cannot find drinkable versions for less than $12 or so, but this is nice for the fiver it cost (during the semi annual sale)
Many many years ago I had a lovely visit to their winery, but at this point that site is just a tasting room / picnic area, and it’s not anything ‘real’ any more. Dick Arrowood made some great wines here a generation ago, and I’ve had the luck to taste some of his oily dessert wines of that era, which are thick treats.
By day 3 this had lost some / most of its pinot like character. At one point this was pure pinot but I wonder if this had been amped up with some other varietals (within labeling limits). A bunch of the California flagged PN have syrah infused to give color/body.
So, it was ok, a fair value for the low price, but I don’t think I’d repurchase even if it was offered at the same sale.