April 13, 2018
This is a medium-bodied wine which seemed a little harsh at first, but smoothed out once opened for a while. Mild tannins leave a mild earthy feel in the mouth. Compared to the 2010 Grifone Chianti Riserva, this one is a little disappointing. However, while not as good as the 2010 vintage, this is still a good red table wine pairing well with food. It’s an acceptable sipper also, although there are more enjoyable ones, but not at this price point.
Price $5.99.
July 26, 2017
The wine has a mild earthy and mildly strong aroma in the glass. The wine feels slightly dry in the mouth and is not fruity to the taste. It’s a little different flavor profile than experienced in the past from a California Cab, but still of the same genre. The second glass and thereafter has more of a California Cab experience. There’s nothing odd or off tasting. While mildly strong as a wine, the wine is also smooth to drink. This is a fairly good California Cab for people who might want to expand their tastes in that direction or for people who just want to chill after a hard day’s work without challenging themselves too much. The wine works well as a sipper. It didn’t pair well with some cheddar cheese. It paired much better with some mildly spicy Indian food, and some not so spicy Chinese garlic chicken. It was a matter of having enough food in the mouth to stand up to the wine.
The wine seems to be generally available at other outlets for a similar price, sometimes even a little less and sometimes a little more. The wine receives average to slightly above average reviews by others. Price $8.99.
June 20, 2017
This is the first item I’ve ever seen marked down at Trader Joe’s. But that’s not why I picked it up. I picked it up because an Amancay red I had a few weeks ago was an okay and interesting wine. This purchase didn’t fare as well.
This is not a white wine for me. It’s too harsh. The wine is better with food than by itself, especially stronger tasting foods. Chilling helps the wine some. A few days in the refrigerator sealed after opening seemed to help the wine mellow some. Balancing out the negatives is the very low price (marked down). Price $3.99.
April 9, 2017
The gimmick for this wine is the grapes grown at two different altitudes. That’s how it gets its name and label. The wine consists of 50% grapes grown at 1100 meters and 50% grapes grown at 700 meters. The idea is that each altitude (and environment) adds different characteristics to the grapes and ultimately the wine. And how does that work?
This wine is very similar to the Amancay Malbec reviewed last week. Both come from the Mendoza region of Argentina. The aroma is strong and earthy in the glass. The wine is dry and earthy in the mouth. The color is deep purple. There may be a bit more body and a bit less dryness than the Amancay. This would be a more interesting wine than the Amancay if not for a somewhat harsh aftertaste. Price $8.99.
March 31, 2017
This Malbec from the Uco Valley of Argentina has a deep purple color in the glass with a mild fruity aroma. On the first glass there’s a bit of alcohol burn in the nose and the back of the throat. In the mouth there’s a dry watery feel. The dryness is not overpowering, but definitely there on the roof of the mouth. For those who don’t mind a dry red wine, this is a reasonably good wine for the price. The simple but elegant label is a bonus. Price $6.99.
January 14, 2017
There’s a deep ruby-red color in the glass and a hint of vinegar on the cork. A strange wet wood aroma emanates from the glass on first pour. This aroma diminished after exposure to air. In the mouth the wine seemed to change with each sip. It was an interesting experience that I suspect would create much conversation around the table as each person might have a different taste experience. Most of those changes were neutral to slightly positive. One or two of the changes were slightly negative. While not the finest example of a Bordeaux wine and possibly not even a good example, overall, the wine was drinkable and enjoyable.
Day two, with the wine exposed to air from the original uncorking and an overnight stoppered storage in the refrigerator, the wine produced some fruity overtones – for a short time. Gone was the wet wood aroma. Still present was one of the negatives, a slight off-taste at the back of the throat.
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December 10, 2016This is another fine wine from Italy at Trader Joe’s for a very reasonable price considering the quality. The wine is dry and totally smooth with an earthy mouth feel and enough bite/character to separate this from a lesser Chianti. This is possibly the most enjoyable wine I’ve had in 2016.
You may ask, what does the word Classico add to a Chianti? Chianti Classico specifically refers to an official area within the Chianti region of Italy. That specific area was also the first in what’s now the Chianti region to attempt to define and regulate its wine. Being the first to define the Chianti wine, and predating the official Italian regulations, the wine gets to wear the “classic” designation. Along with the geographical requirements, a Chianti Classico wine has a different set of production regulations which separate a Classico from the standard Chianti designation. After that it’s up to the skill and pride of the winemaker to produce a quality product. In this bottle, there is an overabundance of skill and pride producing a very very nice wine. Price $9.99.
Rustic comes to mind from first uncorking to finish. This is rough around all the edges, but not overly rough. From the Colchagua Valley of Chile, this is a good table wine. The wine is mildly dry on the roof of the mouth with a medium red color. The taste dissipates quickly making it difficult to pick up significant traits, either good or bad, except for a long lingering warmness in the mouth and beyond. Most importantly at this price, there’s nothing wrong with the wine. Especially if you’re in the habit of drinking wine with meals, this is a good inexpensive $4.99 red wine to accompany an everyday meal.
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