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This wine is a Pinot from California. Cellar No 8 makes a fantastic Cabernet for the price and when we saw this similarily priced Pinot from the same maker we couldn’t pass it up. |
| $8 from Total Wine |
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- Aromas of earth and moss with wood undertones
- Earthy taste, with toasted oak.
- Very similar to the Cabernet which was unexpected for a Pinot.
- Non-typical Pinot, but very enjoyable.
- Not your typical Pinot, but typical of Cellar No 8 wines. Rustic, hard and very masculine – like a Pinot on steroids. It has the feeling of a female body builder, you know she is a women but muscles are way bigger than yours!
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This is a blend from Paso Robles California. I picked this wine up at Trader Joes, simply because it had an interesting marketing angle, and it was only $6. Turns out it was fairly decent, although probably not capable of government leadership if it were a real person. |
| $6 from Trader Joes |
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- Fruity aromas with overtones of alcohol
- Flavors are a bit watered down.
- Short finish
- Tastes of blackberry
- Very easy drinking with good mouth feel.
- Overall it was not a bad wine. It was enjoyable while it lasted but it kind of fell off the map with the finish…kinda like the way Giuliani fell off the map after Florida. If this wine were the Governor of California it probably wouldn’t have much budget balancing success either… but people would still vote for it again.
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I picked this wine up because I was looking for something a little different than the traditional Chianti to have with my Penne and sausage that I was making tonight. I normally shy away from Zinfandels but for some reason I figured I would give this a try. The one I picked up is the 2005 and I noticed that they had the 2006 there as well. I am really interested in trying both of them. |
| $8 From Fresh & Easy |
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- A bit overpowering at first
- Sort of vinegary in the beginning
- Fruit flavors are muddled and hard to pick apart
- I could taste a bit of black cherry and this may sound weird but I detected a slight hint of kiwi on the finish
- After letting the wine breathe for a while I began to pick up some raspberry in the taste
- This is a wine that would really benefit from decanting.
- This wine is like the new guy at the office. He comes in and is very loud and somewhat obnoxious. You are turned off by his bad breath that smells of rotten pepperoni and you are a little upset over the fact that you have to work with him. In time his hygiene may improve to the point that it is bearable and he is slowly becoming less abrasive…but….you still may not want to have him over for dinner.
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This wine is an old vine Zinfandel from Lodi, California. I picked this up for an end of the summer get together at my condo before heading back to work for the school year. |
| $10 from Fresh & Easy |
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- Great aroma in the glass of fresh fruit
- Heavy, Heavy, Heavy alcohol tastes
- A bit of spice and oak was noticed after decanting
- Slight burst of cherry at first but then masked by the overpowering flavor of alcohol.
- I was all excited about this wine since I was celebrating the end of my summer with friends….Only problem….the wine was not. Drinking this wine was like getting all dressed up and excited for a date you have been waiting for…..only to have the girl call you 15 minutes before you leave to tell you she cannot make it. Huge let down to say the least.
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This is a California Syrah from Santa Cruz. This is a cousin wine of Big House Red that we reviewed earlier. |
| $11 from Safeway. |
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- Smells of cinnamon and wet earth.
- Hints of peach in the taste.
- Tastes of boysenberry.
- This wine would be much better with a good solid 1/2 pound cheeseburger fresh off the grill.
- While this wine is O.K…..I am not sure that I would be willing to go to the Slammer for this bottle.
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This is a merlot from Tin Roof. We had this wine with steak on the grill to celebrate the end of the teaching year for Eddie. |
| $8 from Costco |
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- Subtle mint and smoke in the smell.
- Bold and robust.
- Tastes of prune straight from the bottle, but after decanting more of a plumb taste.
- More dry than sweet
- A bit tart on the finish
- Bold and in your face….like Like the drunk guy at the hockey game…he is loud but at the same time some of the things that he says just crack you up and you hate seeing him thrown out. Our recommendation is that you try this wine out. It may not be for everyone but for someone it will be a very good time.
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This is a Merlot from California. This is actually our second review of this wine… we lost the notes on the first review so in theory, this review is more refined than our first. |
| $9 from Trader Joes |
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- Earthy smells, soil and roots.
- Flat and one dimensional.
- Very standard and typical tasting table wine.
- Like going camping in the Pacific Northwest in the spring…While it may rain and there is something enjoyable about the way the forest smells afterwards…you really feel like you missed out on something great due to the weather.
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This is a red table wine from California. A blend of Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache, and Carignane. I saw this on display at Trader Joes and couldn’t pass up the $3 price tag for a review on justagrape.com. My expectations were low, considering the bottom barrel price and our past experience with “Red” labeled wines (see Cheap Red, Red Truck, Big House Red and Red Guitar), but it turned out to be a half decent bottle. We recommend it if you can find it for the $3 price, but if you have to pay closer to $9 you could probably do better. |
| $3 from Trader Joes |
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- Very dark deep purple/red hues.
- Apples and cherries in the aroma.
- A little sweet and jammy off the start.
- Bold smokey berry flavors with a short finish.
- This wine is light hearted and bold at the same time. It’s that fun lovin friend you have that always speaks it’s mind and is an all around good time when you hang out.
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This is a Shiraz from California. This is one of Trader Joes’ “Two Buck Chuck” wines. We really liked the Cabernet and thought we’d give the Shiraz a review. |
| $3 from Trader Joes |
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- Jammy aromas with a hint of vanilla.
- Very acidic and sharp in the mouth.
- It’s really hard to get past the acidity in this wine – it masks any good flavors that might be there.
- A hint of oak.
- Remember how Joe Blow Red was like someone who rubbed you the wrong way for a while until you found out that you really had a lot in common and grew to value their friendship…..well this is more like the person that rubs you the wrong way the first time and continues to be a pain in the butt for the rest of your life. Leave this bottle on the shelf since it is absolutely horrible. We expect better of Trader Joe’s.
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When we first looked at this bottle with it’s funky label we did not have high expectations. We have been disappointed in the past with trendy looking labels. This bottle did not just surpass our expectations….it smashed our expectations. This is a bottle that you must pick up when you get the chance. The price is right and the complexity is so much fun. |
| $9 from Sprouts |
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- Strong aromas of fresh, and crisp red berries
- Slight scent of dark moist soil
- Not very sweet, but has a nice balance of fruit and earthiness
- Felt soft and velvety in the mouth
- Flavors of strawberry and caramel with a hint of vanilla on the tip of the tongue
- Like meeting someone that just rubs you the wrong way at first but then after a while you find that you misjudged them and they have actually become a good friend that you would not trade for the world.
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