MORE BARGAINS 2024

In the spirit of this blog, we’ll continue reviewing wines that we encounter from a variety of sources in and around SE Michigan that, if you drink wine daily and are looking for affordable wine that in most cases out-performs more expensive widely respected products, here is what we’re doing to enjoy great wines on a retirement budget.

TASTED 4/23/24

I’ll add one more to the April tasting posts here. Several months ago I bought what I thought was a cheap California Cab on sale at the Village Corner called Silk & Spice and found it profoundly satisfying. So, when Dave’s Picks came out at Mega Bev (in Grand Rapids) featuring this item, I ordered a half case. So tonight I opened a bottle and told Alice I had a California Cab open that was pretty good. She tasted it and said it tasted Italian. After further discussion in which I insisted it was dark enough, rich enough, fruity enough and textured enough to be a $20 California Cab she was still not convinced and said it was very European. Well, she was right. The label looks like any other cheap California Cab but in fact it is not. 2021 Silk & Spice Red Blend (indigenous varieties) PORTUGAL (13.5% abv) $8.25 at Mega Bev starts with spiced brandied cherries up front transitioning to a many layered richly textured mid-palate. Living up to its name Silk & Spice finishes with a complex fusion of brown spice, pepper and dried fruit. Wow! This is a remarkable wine for the money. GOLD

TASTED 4/19/24 through 4/23/24

My friend David Creighton* says that there are three really good wines at Trader Joe’s that he enjoys often; the two Chablis and the Muscadet. I’ll get to the Chablis on my next trip to Trader Joe’s but while in Tucson, I spotted the 2022 Vignobles Lacheteau Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, Loire FRANCE (12% abv) $6.99 at Trader Joe’s. I actually served it twice. Once with skinned Walleye prepared “a la meunière” and with soft shell crabs (on sale right now at Busch’s for $7.99). I don’t know if it is global warming or advancements in the vineyard and cellar but I’ve never had such a lush round Muscadet. I rarely buy them because my recollection is hard, lean, puckeringly acidic white wine. This has all the briny, minerality and citrusy impact yet feels rich round and generous on the palate. Maybe not enough acid for some acid-hounds, but for me it is just perfect. What could be better with fresh fish? GOLD medal wine by my palate.

Okay, serving crab cakes made from lump crabmeat Busch’s had on sale last week for dinner (see “Crab Cakes with Month-Old Greens” February 12, 2020 for the recipe) and two bottles of Trader Joe’s Chablis in hand it was time to do a little Chablis dinner/tasting. We tasted them independently, together and with food as our dear deceased friend Robert Mayberry always insisted was the only way to know a wine. Being that we never buy Chablis anymore because of the price, this was a treat indeed. So when I put $15-17 wines in “More Bargains” it is because of their relative price. Back when I was the buyer at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, we purchased palates of Premier Cru Chablis. With my employee discount, it was well under $10 closer to $6. Today a basic Chablis is $25. a 1er Cru at least $35 and for Grand Cru, it starts about $75! We almost never drank basic Chablis because it always seemed lean, mean and without joy. To get something drinkable, you pretty much had to take the plunge to 1er or Grand Cru. With today’s climate, would a basic Chablis be enjoyable? 2022 Sainte Celine Chablis AOC** (Chardonnay) Bourgogne FRANCE (12.5% abv) $14.99 at Trader Joe’s answered that question in the first whiff. The rich smell of citrus with yeasty fermentation nuances is super bright with zippy fresh acidity and minerality setting the stage. On the palate, a rich lemon-custard middle finishing with complex fusion of stones and cream left no doubt that these grapes were ripe yet with ample acid. 2022 J.L. Quinson Chablis AOP** La Larme D’Or (Chardonnay) Bourgogne FRANCE (12.5% abv) $16.99 at Trader Joe’s opened up with a fine floral nose initially but quickly shifting to mineral-like wet stones and plump citrus. On the mid-palate it remains quite generous yet with ample acidity to keep it lively and salivatingly juicy and energetic to the finish. With food, both wines seemed more savory and lush on the palate though the J.L. Quinson was definitely the fatter of the two and continued to show its richer side the more it aired and warmed. I’m glad to say David was right. These need to be on my buying list from now on. Both GOLD!

*This is a man who is serious about tasting wine. He has conducted or attended and held together the “Wednesday Group” of wine tasters now for 52 years meeting WEEKLY and tasting a dozen wines ever since I was a college student!

** AOC and AOP are the same just that AOC is a French and AOP is European Union designation.

TASTED 4/18/2024 - 4/21/24

We stopped at Costco and the next vintage of the bargain Bordeaux are out which I’ll review shortly. I also wanted to update my notes on Kirkland Rioja Reserva and Mont Gravet GSM so grabbed a bottle of each. the 2019 Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva SPAIN (14% abv) $7.99 at Costco is about the same as the previous few vintages. Several years ago, it was a classic old school Rioja replete with all the good stuff like terra cotta, sweet oak, olives and furniture store-like woodiness. Today’s version is a likable wine deep in color, deep in fruit, softly balanced wine of typical international style proportions of fruit, oak, acid and alcohol. Has all the attributes of a “medal winning wine” albeit a BRONZE and nothing more. The 2021 Mont Gravet Grenache Syrah Mourvedre South of France Pays d’Oc FRANCE (13% abv) $7.99 at Costco has similarly migrated from an explosively bright edgy fresh style to the relatively mundane expression of very nicely accentuated red fruit in the nose a plump juicy middle and a very pleasant balanced finish. For some reason, I think pervious versions were a different cépage maybe even a different appellation. Certainly, they were much more exciting. Again, good BRONZE medal wine but nothing more.

Next up is a pair of Bordeaux. One (Petit Freylon) we’ve enjoyed in several previous vintages and a new one for us that we’ve not seen at Costco before. Alice was the first to try the 2019 Château Gantonnet (Merlot-Cabernets) Estate Bottled Bordeaux FRANCE (14.5% abv) $6.99 at Costco. She immediately reported that it was stellar! I would agree. The aroma is very advanced showing the complexity and fruit richness of a mature wine. Considering the Merlot accounts for 70% of the blend, I’m surprised that the texture has a powerful grip and tannin. This is serious stuff for seven bucks. Best of all it screams “Bordeaux”. For that kind of money, I’m good with a GOLD medal. One of our long time Kirkland favorites is the latest release of 2021 Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Supérieur Petite Freylon (60% Cab Sauv / 40% Merlot) FRANCE (14% abv) $6.99 at Costco. Notes on the previous two vintages can be found at “More Bargains 2022/3” and scroll way way down to 2/2/22 Groundhog Day. The long natural cork with the trademark “Kirkland Signature” stamped on it had to cost at least 25-30 cents (a normal composite cork runs less than a dime). Though not as mature as the above Gantonnet, there is a lot of fruit here and again, unmistakable Bordeaux flair. Very classy fruit with strong sense of terroir dominates the nose while a very lush easy juicy palate melts nicely to a soft velvety finish. Thought I’m not in the business of cellaring $7 bottles of Bordeaux, I don’t think anyone would regret doing so. The balance suggests a relatively long life here. Though potentially as good as the Gantonnet, right now I’ll go with a SILVER medal.

TASTED 2/24/2024 - 3/08/24

Because we picked up a case at Trader Joe’s on Friday, I’ll focus on those for the next few days and will send out a reminder to those interested in this sort of thing when I’ve finished the case rather than send out ten more blog posts. First up with a wonderful Creek Stone (Busch’s) pot roast which was great on day one and even better the second day as it seems to have absorbed more of the broth and tenderized itself even more is 2022 Ténèbres GSM (40% Grenache / 30% Syrah / 30% Mourvedre) Pays d’Oc IGP Red Wine (13% abv) FRANCE $6.99 at Trader Joe’s. Even at this price, I’m reluctant to try a wine when you have to search the very fine print on the back label to discern the vintage and locale. What don’t they want you to know? Am I ever glad I took the plunge. This wine reminds me of a Costiéres de Nimes that impressed me about 20 years ago. The color is black red and the nose has the fruit concentration of an old vine California Zin but with the class and finesse of fine Mediterranean wine. The rich black fruit continues into the mid-palate and finish with a coffee and baked cherry nuance that reminds me of Northern Rhone Syrah with the bright edgy acidity and lush juicy freshly crushed grape component one often encounters with Southern Côtes du Rhone when tasted young and on the spot. Based on this wine and the St. Èmilion below, I am starting to see why there is so much excitement over the small 2022 vintage in South and Southwest France. To me this would be GOLD medal wine even if the price were doubled.

Before retiring to bed, I thought it might be a good idea to open another bottle from the box for a bit of comparison and to see if the ‘22 magic was across the board. 2022 Laurant Dublanc Côtes du Rhône “Traditions et Terroir” AOP (14% abv) FRANCE $6.99 at Trader Joe’s is a nice enough wine for $7 but not even in the ball park with the Ténèbres. Interestingly enough, it must have just been bottled. The very high quality natural cork did not have even the slightest red stain on the end. The color of the wine, however, is a good rich deep black red but it lacks the complexity, depth and vitality of the Ténèbres. I suppose that is attempting to compare apples to oranges, but these two wines do both hail from the South of France, same price and probably contain approximately the same cépage (none stated on the Côtes du Rhône). It is not an insignificant wine but really lacks charm or distinction. I’d go BRONZE at best. I hope this is an exception to the highly touted vintage. Perhaps this is a good lesson for me to not be so obsessed with the appellation and judge a wine simply for what is in the bottle.

Today’s post starts with a wine that is not exactly a bargain, but with a tasting of three wines I didn’t want to separate the notes into more than one post. So, last night before bed, Alice wanted “a nice glass of wine” which means Malbec or other new world big meaty wine. I didn’t want to keep her waiting so I grabbed what was pretty much the first thing I saw. I knew we had a lot of Duckhorn so I figured there was something to drink old enough to be interesting but young enough not to require decanting and spotted several bottles of 2011 Duckhorn Three Palms Vineyard Napa Valley Merlot CA (14.5% abv) about $120 for the current vintage. The color is deep red with burnt Siena edges which in a way seemed a bit older looking than I expected. As soon as my nose hovered over the glass a huge explosion of everything this wine had been holding inside for the past twelve years emerged! What is it about Napa and Bordeaux!? The great wines from great sites just exude class. With monster fruit, terroir and compost, most wines of this size would be too much. But this wine is so balanced that the size is not only not an issue, I welcomed the awesome ambush of smell and taste. The finish is as big as the nose and mid-palate with dusty, spicy, dense fruit and very satisfying mouth filling tannin. So tonight with our favorite meal (fondue, of course, but tonight we substituted lobster for shrimp) we finished off the Three Palms and opened a wine we just picked up at Trader Joe’s today. By the way, Alice preferred the open-for-a-day Three Palms which had softened considerably overnight while I preferred the more heavily textured mouth feel the previous day. If I had to score, I’d have given it a 96+ yesterday and a 93 today. I almost never buy wine over $10 at Trader Joe’s. The wines under $10 with most under $7 are just too good to bother exploring the next price tier. But Alice spotted a wine and having just read a column sent to me from my fellow bargain hunter, Scott Walker about great semi-generic Kirkland wines, I decided to give a try to 2022 Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Saint-Èmilion Lot #111 Bordeaux FRANCE (13.5% abv) $14.99 at Trader Joe’s. Though no mention of varietal content is listed, I would assume that it is also Merlot dominant. The producer is Ginestet so the possibility exists that it has pedigree. Alice absolutely loved it from the first whiff to the fat fruity finish. Though I liked it too, coming right after the preceding twelve year old Merlot, it came across as a bit one dimensional though right from the git, it did possess good regional identity. An hour later, the nose really started to distinguish itself with a greater sense of place and class which led to a “discussion” about the practice of drinking very young Bordeaux. I contended that at that age, it was not possible to differentiate a Bordeaux from a prestigious cru from one grown in the hinterlands. Alice insisted that the St. Èmilion IS ready and is now AT ITS BEST suggesting the Michigan Vintner was again babbling like a horse’s ass. So, to prove my point, I grabbed a bottle of 2020 Marquis De Bern (60% Merlot / 40% Cab Sauv) Bordeaux Supèrieur FRANCE (13.5% abv) $7.50 at Costco* hoping to show that there was little if any difference. To some extent I did prove my point though the nose on the St. Èmilion was clearly classier, but the extra two years age on the Marquis De Bern gave it an advantage regarding length, balance, texture and complexity in the fat herbal finish. Especially in the finish, to me the Marquis de Bern actually tasted more like what I think of as classic St. Èmilion than did the St. Èmilion. Though Alice did agree with my assessment, she still preferred the St. Èmilion for its pure lust-for-life vigor. So, for my palate is there any reason to put a semi-generic $15 Bordeaux in the cellar (Alice says “buy a case”) or just enjoy every new vintage which appears on the shelves of Trader Joe’s?

*was part of the annual Premieres Côtes de Bordeaux 4-pack from Vignobles Gonfrier for $29.99 at Costco.

Next was a the cheapest Chilean wine in the store. 2023 Rosario Estate Viñas Chilenas Reserva Winemaker’s Selection Valle Central Cabernet Sauvignon CHILE (13% abv) $4.49 at Trader Joe’s which in spite of the price appeared to have all the right credentials. The nose immediately sent up a red flag with strong sulfur (as in egg farts not as in too much sulfites). This is a winemaking flaw and may also be inherent with the local yeast strains inhabiting the vineyard. It is a simple fix in the winery if done early on. On the palate, it is bland and indistinctive. After a couple of days airing, it was better and quite drinkable. Perhaps it gets a prize for cheapest drinkable wine in Ann Arbor, but regarding quality it is an emphatic NO MEDAL.

That wine being unsatisfactory, we opened a bottle that I have enjoyed many times in many vintages also from Chile. 2022 Panilonco “Chief of Lions” Reserva Carmémère Valle de Colchagua DO Viña Marchigüe (13.5% abv) $4.99 at Trader Joe’s actually had more or less the same set of flavors but it was an absolute delight. Color, fruit, terroir, complexity, grip and finish put it in a class very close to my “desert island” status. It is just astounding how two very cheap wines that are nearly identical couldn’t be more different when it comes to drinkability and satisfaction. I love this wine! It would score a GOLD medal at twice the price. It probably has something to do with the fact that Carménère seems to be perfectly suited to the warmer wine regions of central Chile and maybe Cabernet Sauvignon is not.

Tonight we started in on the California selections starting with an Aldi selection mixed in. The 2022 Bear Bros. Cabernet Sauvignon (13.5% abv) CA $8.99 at Aldi is a very solid Cab. You could spend a lot more and get less. It has enough depth to the black fruit and spice that you could almost say it has complexity. It is perfectly balanced and is one of those wines that just disappears upon opening. For the money, solid SILVER. Following that wine we selected one that Trader Joe’s had huge stacks of all over the wine department. Does that mean that they really like it or does that mean it is not selling so every store is required to take a big load and help get rid of it? Or, maybe with the eminent moon landing, it just seemed like the thing on which to be focusing. 2021 MOONX California Red Wine (13.5% abv) CA $6.99 at Trader Joe’s is a bigger denser fatter ripe wine than the Bear Bros. but simpler and less appealing. So, why the big display? Like many of the wines of this ilk popularized since 2000 or so it probably (no varietal is mentioned on the front or back label) contains ample quantities of Syrah, Petite Sirah and Zinfandel which are the three grape varieties that fell off the charts regarding sales and popularity and now growers and producers are still coming up with all kinds of gimmicks to get rid of surplus. It is not a bad wine just nothing special or particularly appealing. Nothing wrong with it, so, I’ll go BRONZE.

Continuing on with California blends, I pulled a couple more corks tonight. First was 2021 Rain Cloud California Red Wine (14.0% abv) CA $5.99 at Trader Joe’s which is clearly a step up from the previous wine. The nose is a fat, ripe, black fruit dominated nose typical of this genre but as the wine crossed the palate a remarkably lush, bright, exotic red fruit marmalade-like nuance comes as a surprise. Though point-wise, it is not a ninety rating, considering the price it is at least a SILVER or better. Great value and interesting enough to enjoy with any meal calling for a soft and juicy red. The cork on the next wine was one of those long perfect all natural corks that cost over thirty cents ten years ago when I was buying a few thousand corks at a time. So clearly the producer had no intention of selling this wine for ten bucks. 2021 Trader Joe’s Reserve Meritage (80% Merlot / 16% Cabernet Sauvignon / 4% Cabernet Franc) Lot #249 Paso Robles (14.7% abv) $9.99 at Trader Joe’s is clearly a wine that was produced and bottled for the mid to higher range market. One of the reasons wineries dump perfectly good wine into the hands of Costco, Trader Joe’s and any number of on-line sellers is to keep their prestige brand rare enough to keep the price buoyed up. Plus the fact is that people who pay a big price want a big wine, which this wine is not. Alice tasted it first and was impressed with how much better it was than the previous wines. The nose shows the class of a wine grown on a horticulturally ideal site. It just has a certain purity and focused aroma which translates fully to the fine elegant (yes, 14.7% abv wines can be elegant) softly balanced wine with structure so in line with the overall composition of the wine that one is unaware of the chewy tannin unless you are evaluating and scoring it. It is by no means a big wine but it has enough depth and subtlety to get a GOLD on my score card.

Finishing off the case with Spanish and Italian we opened 2020 Javier San Pedro Randez Tempranillo Rioja Crianza DOC (13.8% abv) SPAIN 8.99 at Trader Joe’s. This is more in the vein of “new world” international style than traditional Rioja. Although it has spent a year in new and almost new American and French oak barrels it really doesn’t show a lot of oak nor the dusty terra cotta terroir one associates with traditional Rioja. It has good fruit and balanced medium weight tannin. My complaint is that it is certainly not what I think of when I see Rioja Crianza on the label. It could easily be any wine from any where. Probably in absolute ratings it might be a silver medal but for my money, with all the Rioja we drink, it should be easily recognizable and we should appreciate its identity. So, I’m leaning toward NO MEDAL particularly for the money when you can get good Rioja Reserva at Costco for a buck less.

To finish off the case, we tasted the last three bottles. First was 2021 Rosa dell ‘Olmo Barbera d’Asti DOCG Piedmont (13% abv) ITALY $5.99 at Trader Joe’s. I rarely buy Piedmont Barbera because it usually comes in around $20 and frequently tastes thin and acidic though almost always fruity and aromatic. This one got it all right. Though light colored and lighter bodied, it is nicely balanced with enough engaging red fruit up front and enough soft tannin to drink easily. Nothing much here to write about but it does deliver a pleasant quaff with simple pasta, pizza or chicken cacciatore. I’d go high BRONZE though for the money, I shouldn’t be so fussy.. We backed this one up with a varietal I buy often but normally pay a lot more money for this type of wine from Basilicata, the arch of the boot 2022 Epicuro Aglianico Puglia IGP (13% abv) ITALY $5.99 at Trader Joe’s. Like the more expensive DOC versions from Basilicata, this country wine does capture the zesty bright cherry-like fruit essence and the rustic sense of place quite well. The tannin is quite evident and keeps the finish rich enough to serve with complex food preparations as well as an everyday meal or snack. I would give this one a SILVER based on how satisfying it presents and how much it resembles the more respected renditions made from the Aglianico grape variety. 2021 Campi Rudi Rosso Puglia IGT Passito “Appassimento” (15% abv) ITALY $6.99 at Trader Joe’s is one of our favorites and the 2021 is no exception. Though I think it might be a tad lighter than previous vintages, it is still a big wine with way more rich dark fruit than the previous wines. The nose is both complex and ripe. The depth shows the influence of traditional methods (partially drying the fruit prior to crush) while the purity shows modern sanitation influences in the winery. Yes, you can have it both ways. This is really a wine that allows old farts like me to relive the good old days while enjoying the freshness and vitality of today’s international style. At $7 how can this not be a GOLD medal?

We did it! We polished off the Trader Joe’s case just in time to see what new finds we’ll discover in our travels.

TASTED 2/2/2024

I had my typical almost weekly interaction with U Hospital today and came up with another procedure one never wants to take part in. My worst ever was a prostate biopsy. I’ve never had a baby but, most guys will argue that a prostate biopsy is more painful and humiliating. So, today I go in for my first EMG. The docs and the PA’s kept asking me “is this your first EMG?” That should have been the que for me to get dressed and run out of the place. Stupid me, I listened while they talked about a “jolt” here and a “tingle” there. Let me tell you, the first part is like being electrocuted and the second part like some sort of needle torture. When I got home and told Alice of my woes, she suggested a pizza. Not actually pizza, but a Torte from Trader Joe’s. We absolutely love them. There are three flavors. They are small, single serve for big eaters, but one is just right for two old people enjoying a late afternoon meal. These frozen tortes are precisely what we enjoyed at the Zum Schnogoloch in the Alsace when we visited Linda and George’s family when they lived in Obernai. With this pizza or torte or whatever you wish to call it, we opened a couple of wines. First, a bottle of 2022 Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve California Chardonnay CA (12.5% abv) $6 that is one of my many attempts to introduce my sister Linda to wines other than Kendall-Jackson that offer great quality for everyday drinking. But, I haven’t convinced her yet. We’ve had this wine many times but I don’t ever remember it being this good. Perhaps it is the new vintage, or maybe the torte that it accompanied. Either way, the pronounced tropical fruit, citrus and buttery-rich aroma sucks you right into the toasty flavor of French oak*, glycerin-rich texture of Malo Lactic fermentation and round ripe buttery mouth-coating luxurious fat fruit to the end. Blind, I would mistake it for a highly regarded boutique Chard costing $20 or more. Good as that was, I wanted to see what was going on at the “Lafite of the Midi” as the red wine of Mas de Daumas de Gassac is known. To my amazement, the rosé has been around since 1990. Alice and I had never encountered it until recently at the Village Corner. We unscrewed the cap of 2022 Moulin de Gassac Pays d’Hérault, Guilhem family Guibert FRANCE (12.5 abv) $9 at Trader Joe’s to discover a fine elegant pale rosé which starts off mild and seductive and quickly builds structure, acid, texture and a complex array of mostly white and citrus fruit flavors. It is a true delight and perfect company to the Torte de Champignon.

*obviously, I have no clue whether or not they actually use French barrels and at $6, I would doubt it, but with burnt saw dust, Tom LeRoux’s blackened oak dice or charred wood beans, they’ve accomplished the feat impeccably.

I rarely shop at Total Wine even though it is about 100 yards from our front door because of deceptive marketing ploys and a general attitude that someone of my age and wine experience is not their target customer. Of course I’m not, but it should not make me the enemy. Anyway, there was some sort of irresistible deal that was actually honest and panned out during the holidays that brought us in to buy a couple of bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau and fill the six pack with a few other bottles. I spotted a bottle of Governo Toscano which though not new to me, was explained further and embraced by David Russo on our last trip to Grand Rapids. It was a different product than the one that David had turned me on to but every bit as satisfying. After the white/rosé wines earlier, I wanted to sit back with a glass of red and went to a bottle of 2021 PietraMerana Governo All’Uso Toscano, Toscana IGT, ITALY (14% abv) $11. Yesterday, this wine served with split pea soup and smoked pork butt was hardly noticed. Tonight, by itself following the bracingly fresh white/rosé wines, it was marvelous. I love it when a wine totally takes you by surprise. As soon as I stuck my nose over the glass and inhaled the earthy, vegative, perfume I knew that it was very special. Very exotic might be a better word for the distinct smell of some kind of unfamiliar fruit and mouth-feel that just kept getting more compelling. My intention was to just sit down and read a book, but this wine is just so remarkable that I am compelled to enter it into my blog.

We’ll start off 2024 with a bargain of a wine that I had bought several years ago and by all rights should be a little tired. Surprise!

TASTED 1/22/2024

Several years ago, Alice and I were going to put on a wine tasting for Newport West Condominiums titled something like “Mediterranean Wines You Never Heard Of” then COVID struck and that put the kibosh to the tasting. Meanwhile, I had already started buying some of the wines among which were some one liter bottles of white wine from Slovenia to be served as a warm-up. Once the event was cancelled, we drank a few of the bottles and it was a delightfully fresh quaffing wine. Today we were having Arctic Char for dinner and to my surprise and chagrin, we still had a liter of 2018 Stajerska HALOŽAN White Ptujska Klet, Pullus SLOVENIA (11.5% abv) $11.49 liter at the Village Corner that I feared may have seen its better days. Not only was this wine every bit as fresh and appetizing as it had been years ago, it had gained complexity and a very pleasing spicy aroma not unlike Viognier or Grüner. With all the energy of a Mosel Riesling and the round, mouth-filling richness of a White Burgundy, this is hard to beat. Can’t wait to try the 2022 vintage which is in stock now along with a red version which we’ve never had. More about that later.

TASTED 1/23/2024-1/31/2024

We had stopped at Aldi after dining at Knight’s and picked up a couple of bottles of wine. I had noticed in the WINE ENTHUSIAST “Best of Year 2023” an 89 point Best Buy 2021 Peaks & Tides Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon CA (13.9% abv) $12 so purchased a bottle. While there, Alice grabbed a bottle of 2022 HWY 5 Cabernet Sauvignon CA (13% abv) $5. We opened the Hwy 5 first. It is pretty sweet with a sort of popish red fruit that I’ll have to admit, grows on you. The more I tasted it the better I liked it. Being that the address is Modesto, I would assume it is simply another label of Gallo’s low end varietal wines. So, when we stepped up to the Peaks & Tides, I was expecting a real classic Sonoma Cab experience with depth, finesse and irresistible complexity. The funny thing is that it was almost identical to the Hwy 5! I am shocked that it was a recommended best buy from the WINE ENTHUSIAST. So just in case my palate was really off, I opened a couple of wines we picked up at Costco the next day. First we tasted 2021 Esteban Martin Grenache-Syrah SPAIN (13.5% abv) $5 which is made in Zaragoza but the label does not indicate any appellation of origin even though the shelf talker claims it is from Carinena region. For $5, it is a remarkable wine, way more enjoyable than the Peaks & Tides or the Hwy 5. The Grenache is very bright vivid and fresh while the Syrah gives it body and finish. We also opened a bottle of 2020 Vinha da Coutada Velha Alentejano region red blend (Aragonez/Trincadeira/Syrah/Cabernet Sauvignon) PORTUGAL (13% abv) $7 which was absolutely stellar. The richness and captivating mélange of spice, black fruit, herb and earth comes across immediately in the nose and builds throughout the very mellow balanced finish. Every wine we’ve purchased from Portugal over the past couple of years no matter how cheap, has been a real winner. This is serious wine!

Enjoy in Good Health,

A Brian Cain, the Michigan Vintner