Trader Joe's Wine Club

For those of you that buy wine at Trader Joe's, how about sharing your experiences here. Instead of buying randomly, we now buy a different country each month. February was our Spanish month and the LaGranja Temranillo and Estola Reserva were very good reds. Espiro Vinho Verde was bad. Next month we try Australian wines. Any recommendations?

The current special is the Green Fin White (California) which is mystery blend, kind of like a Chardonnay and a good alternative to Two Buck Chuck. Has anyone seen and tried the 2008 Chariot Gypsy? None at Glenview.

No sign of the Gypsy in Oak Park. I still have 2 bottles of the previous vintage, so will be curious to compare. The LaGranja is no longer available in the OP store, and I think I bought the last 2 bottles of Trentatre Rosso.

For whites, I think it's time to think about the Zonin Prosecco. I would hate to hit warmer weather without some at hand!

Sorry - I haven't had much luck with any of the Aussie offerings, so I'll wait to hear what others think.

Just finished a bottle of Trentatre Rosso. It's a favorite of ours. Haven't tried any Aussies yet. Bought a couple from the Lincoln Park store, so will open them next.

We opened a bottle of Rosenblum Zinfandel cuvee something or other tonight. It was ok. A little light for a zinfandel for me. Might be more interesting tomorrow. You might want to check out this blog, too --http://albinnyc.blogspot.com/

Tried the Vin Koru Dry White and the Rosemount Shiraz/Cab ($5-$6) for our Australia/New Zealand month. Both passed on the 2 Buck Chuck rating scale and okay for everyday dinner wine.

Been enjoying Cono Sur SB lately.

Just stumbled across this... http://jasonswineblog.com/trader-joes-w ... wine-list/

Jason's lists are very helpful. Also check http://traderjoeswine.blogspot.com/ for more recommendations from Brendan. Yesterday, it looked like my TJ's was stocking up the VINTJS Syrah. Had a bottle of New Zealand King Shag Sauv Blanc last night with a stir fry. Dry, not too fruity. Good buy.

I'm excited about this thread. For the last few months, we've been buying a few bottles and then giving a thumbs up or down on whether we'd buy them again. I'll try to use this thread to keep more detailed notes going forward. I like wine, but struggle with some of the descriptions, so bear with me if you buy something below and it's not even close.

Thumbs up:
-TJ's Costal Cabernet 2006
-RCTJWF Zinfandel Paso Robles 2007
-Well Read Sulfite Free Red (You have to drink this one right away--it won't hold up the next day)

New purchases:

-Perrin Reserve CDR Rouge at 9.99
I bought this because I'd tried and enjoyed a white from the same winery. It's advertised as a lower-cost product from a winery that generally produces a high quality product. There was an article on Slate recently bemoaning the fact that California wineries don't do the same.

This was a medium bodied red with strawberry near the finish. It was a little off balance toward the end--maybe just a little too light for my taste, but overall I really enjoyed it. It was a great wine for the price, and 2-3 dollars cheaper at TJ than I've seen at other stores. I wish they'd also carry the white, which I also enjoyed.

Verdict: Yummy, but not transcendent. A good choice for a nice dinner at a byob (maybe Sweets and Savories? Cafe Mirabella? I don't see it paring well with Mexican or Thai), casual dinner party, or when you're going to a party where you can't hand plonk to your host on the table (not that I've ever done that, right?). It's a screwcap so no worries about corking. We're looking for the crazy-good deals, so not an every day wine.

-Nerelo del Bastardo at 7.99
The pitch on this one is that it's a type of Italian wine that requires a certain type of labeling, which is only available for a certain number of cases. In other words, I think it's a barolo without the label. I really like this wine, it's fuller bodied, some nice mineral aromas, and it opens up to what I consider a balanced wine. I didn't taste a lot of fruit on this one; there was a little oak in a good way--but it doesn't have that terrible taste of oak chips that I associate with a lot of cheaper wines. It's a dry wine. It stood up to the frozen pizza we cooked after a failure at homemade dough. (Disaster!)

Verdict: Great for a casual dinner party, or for nights where you are eating in and don't want to take a risk on a $5 bottle.

I'm looking forward to more suggestions and comments!

Still having our Australia/NZ wine month. The Lindemanns Bin 50 Shiraz was a thumbs down (an "expensive" 2 Buck Chuck). Cheated on TJ's and bought a Jacob's Creek Cab Sauv and Chardonnay at Binny's when buying my Saint Paddy's Smithwick. Really not too many Aussie/NZ at TJs within my $10 price point. Might have to try Yellow Tail before the end of the month.

Any suggestions for our next month's wine country adventure? Last month was Spanish month for us.

Cheers

Picton Bay Pinot Noir was a thumbs down for us. Tasted like 2 Buck Chuck. Riparian Sauv Blanc from Costco is excellent. Down to our last bottles of Australia/NZ wine.

Well the 2007 Trentatre Rosso has been quickly replaced with the 2008 vintage. We opened a bottle of each last night and the 4 of us agreed that the new vintage is much jammier, but perhaps not as food-friendly as the 2007. Still a very good value. Will definitely buy again. We also tried the Zafrika Pinotage ($6 I think), which got a resounding thumbs up as well - tobacco and currants were mentioned more than once in our unprofessional tasting notes.

I liked the 07 Trentatre too. I never had the 2006, but I thought this one was a good buy.

We just opened the Rootstock Lodi Zinfindel. I wasn't so impressed--not so much fruit for a zin and it didn't seem like a very full or balanced wine. Just ok, I probably won't buy it again given that it's around 8 dollars.

Picton Bay SB was not so good either. I bought three, one still left, I always push it behind the Cono Sur and Villa Maria. Just not crisp enough for me, a little on the sweet side. Morton save yourself the $ and please don't buy the Yellow Tail. To me it's not very drinkable. It's harsh and acidic.

Just bought the Picton Bay SB yesterday, but passed on the YellowTail luckily.

Zafrika Pinotage is wonderful and only $5. Not sure what Pinotage is, but it seemed like a Cab Sauv. Very smooth, not too fruity. Rated it 90 on our $2 Buck Chuck rating scale. Went back and bought 1/2 case. Great find Stacy! Also bought the Zafrika Sauv Blanc and they had a $2 Moon Shadow Chardonnay. Has to be worth $2 bucks.

MortonG, you've got some guts, Chardonay is bad enough, but a $2 bottle. Let me know how that oak barrel tastes. blech.

I have really been digging the Cline Zinfandel lately. Nice and smooth, not too boozy.

Actually liked the Picton Bay SB and paired it with a pot pie. To me it doesn't take much guts to risk $2. Now, if I spent $10, that would take guts. Since i bought all this Zafrika, I guess it's S. Africa month. TJ doesn't have much more from there. A few in the $8 range. Will have to give the Cline Zin a try. Cheers!!!

Morton G:

Pinotage is a grape that was developed and then planted in the 20's in South Africa and became quite popular in some export markets in the 50's.
I discovered it myself in 1958 since my grandfather had several bottles of late 40's vintage of Pinotage in his cellar.
It is in fact a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault. The first one being the basic grape for red Bourgogne (Burgundy) and Cinsault is a very aromatic and fruity grape that is blended by Southern Rhône wine makers of the Côtes du Rhône with Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan, and sometimes Mourvedre.
Unfortunately Pinotage does not provide any of the pleasant flavors of its French ancestors.
It is often rather tannic and heavy.
I have not tried TJ's Pinotage, therefore I could not comment on it.

That's interesting--I had assumed that a Pinotage was some kind of blend. I'd had it at Ras Dashen, and picked up some from Trader Joe's. I thought it was a great deal, but it has a really smokey after taste that my partner doesn't care for, so it fell off our list.

Surprisingly, the $2 Moon Shadow Chard was a point or two above $2 Chuck. I think I'll buy some more for everyday use. I'm a little disturbed though that it is 2006 and so cheap. Did they lose it somewhere?

The TJ's VINTJS Syrah is made by Bob Lindquist of Qupé (as is the VINTJS chard.)
I've had the chard. and it's OK but I would expect the Syrah to be quite good.
Hope to find some in the IL market.

Question - what's the smoothest white you've tried at TJ in the <$10 range?

I would say the Trentatre Rosso 2008 is my current favorite. It needs a little time to open up after you pull the cork, but I think it's smooth. I'm going to a under $10 a bottle wine competition this summer and was thinking of bringing it.

Jayz: Try the $8 King Shag Sauv Blanc from NZ. Or, the $4 Green Fin white Table Wine. The Epicuro Vermentino for $6 was smooth too.

Just tried the 2008 Chariot Gypsy. I think it is still a very good wine, but not as fruit-forward and a little more acidic than the 2007. Still great for the price. FWIW - I preferred it on the second day.... Also recently tried the Darien Rioja. It is a nice enough tempranillo, but not better than the LaGranja, so not worth the $2 more per bottle (If you can get the LaGranja). I am also still really enjoying the 2008 Trentatre Rosso. A really great value.

We also tried a Trader Joe's Reserve Cab ($9.99) on the recommendation of a store crew member. It was a surprisingly big and jammy cab - like a much more expensive steakhouse-style bottle and very much appreciated by the small group I drank it with.

We found the Green Fin White to be decent (and organic), but haven't picked a favorite new summer white yet.

MortonG wrote:Jayz: Try the $8 King Shag Sauv Blanc from NZ. Or, the $4 Green Fin white Table Wine. The Epicuro Vermentino for $6 was smooth too.

Thank you. I'll be looking for those out here at the Trader Joe's in the San Diego area. I always like to have some cheaper bottles on hand.

Jason's Wine Blog is really the best out there for Trader Joe's. He's on Twitter too and more then happy to talk with anyone who messages him.

Too bad about the Gypsy not really appearing yet in the midwest, it's more of a delicate style this year, but still an outstanding wine at the price.

Conquer on the Trentrarte Rosso, we still have the 2007 in San Diego, but it's clearly going away soon as it's down to 1 row on the shelf, on the bottom in a corner.

Our local Trader Joe's has said they have a range of new Spanish and French wines coming into stock in the next two weeks, which will be nice because we've been sorely lacking in those areas.

The Flying Pig Tempranillo at about $4 has been good in the past, other then that the Spanish wines available locally has been disappointing.

Lots of Chariot Gypsy at the Glenview store. Bought a case. $5.00.

May I suggest a very good bargain:

The Valréas, Cuvée Prestige 2007, a Côtes du Rhône Villages, with a geographic Appellation (AOC). This wine ia a very fragrant, sunny, a bit peppery, with notes of ripe small berries, blend of Syrah and Grenache Noir, that is very well made by The Vignerons de l'Enclave des Papes in Valréas. Valréas is a village that is part of the département of Vaucluse, where all the great villages on the Left bank of the Southern part of the Rhône Valley producing ''crus'' on the left bank like Chateauneuf-Du Pape, Gigondas, Vaqueiras, or Beaumes De Venise, are located, but that is ''enclaved'' (enclosed) in the département of Drôme farther North. There are 18 Côtes du Rhône Villages with their geographic names attached out of a total of 95 Côtes du Rhône Villages.
I have been drinking this particular wine for years and it is always with the same pleasure. It is a ''comfort'' wine per excellence.
And at $6.49 a bottle you should not hesitate a minute. It is perfect with lamb chops on the grill or even with a home-made Lasagna or spaghetti with a Bolognaise or Ragu sauce.