Terra Sávia Chardonnay is Wine of the Week

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Joe
image of hopland wineries

Hopland Wineries

We are still backlogged with Santa Barbara wines from our weeklong adventure in Los Olivos. We did however manage to sample some wines from our local wine shops last week. I reviewed the Tribunal Red Wine 2011 currently in the Trader Joe’s stores, and I think it’s worthy of a purchase at $9.99. I also found a Chardonnay from the Hopland area that I like very much.

Have you been to the Hopland wine area of Mendocino County? It’s about another 30 miles north of Healdsburg. In Hopland there are 16 wineries making wine from vineyards located in the Sanel Valley, Redwood Valley and the Potter Valley. We have visited all the wineries in this region and three that we like very much are Saracina, McFadden, and Terra Sávia. All are into organic and sustainable farming practices and their wines are excellent values. The problem is that not many of their wines make their way to the wine shops of the San Francisco Bay Area. I was surprised and delighted to find the Terra Sávia Chardonnay this past week at Whole Foods Market.

Terra Sávia Chardonnay 2010 unoaked – $12.99 Whole Foods
There is a movement at Whole Foods Stores to feature small local wineries. At my San Mateo Whole Foods there is a big stacked display of the Terra Sávia Chardonnay. I am assuming that other Whole Food Stores in Northern California are also featuring this same wine. This Chardonnay is clean, crisp, and refreshing. There is no oak, no butter, or creamy mouth feel, just pure unadulterated enjoyment. The wine is made from 100% organically-farmed grapes grown in the beautiful Sanel Valley. The wine was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks for about a year before being bottled. You can drink this wine as an aperitif or enjoy the wine with seafood, salads and cheese. It’s a wonderful outdoor wine because of its tropical flavors and refreshing taste. The wine received a Silver medal at the 2012 Chronicle Wine Competition. I think the judges must have been looking for something else; this wine is a clear winner and deserves a Gold in my book. I like this unoaked Chardonnay better than any one I have tried in recent months. If you shop at Whole Foods, look for this wine and give it a try. Even if you are a diehard oaky Chardonnay fan, give it a go, because you will discover the real taste and fruitiness of the Chardonnay Grape. 89 Points

image of Terra Savia Chardonnay

Terra Sávia Chardonnay 2010

Survey Results

For the April Wine Poll on GoodCheapVino we asked what country offers the best wine values and bargains.

Top Three Countries with percentage of votes:

Spain 35%
Chile 22%
Argentina – 11%

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Tribunal Red Wine 2011

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Joe

The Tribunal Red Wine, $9.99, is now on the shelves at Northern California Trader Joe’s stores. This is our third vintage review of this wine, the so-called “clone” of Orin Swift’s popular Prisoner wine ($38). We loved the 2009 but thought the 2010 was just okay. How will the Tribunal 2011 taste and how will it stack up to the past two vintages?

image of Tribunal Red

Tribunal Red Wine 2011 North Coast

There is something different that caught my eye on the label of the Tribunal 2011. The 2009 and 2010 wines were labeled Red Wine Sonoma County. The 2011 Tribunal is labeled Red Wine North Coast. That means that 85% of the grapes in the wine must come from the North Coast Appellation. Where specifically? As you can well imagine, this a huge wine region compared to the Sonoma County AVA of previous vintages. The North Coast AVA includes Lake County, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma Counties.

I asked one of the TJ staff members at my local store for the exact blend and he politely obliged: 25% Syrah, 24% Zinfandel, 22% Merlot, 17% Petite Sirah, 8% Dolcetto, and the final 4% made up of unknown grapes. The alcohol on this vintage comes in at 15.1%. I would love to know how the winemaker came to choosing this particular blend. Is the winemaker truly trying to make a copycat of the popular Prisoner Wine?

The back label tells us that the wine is produced and bottled by Tribunal Cellars of Kenwood, California. Do a Google Search for this winery and you will absolutely not find it. Does it exist only on paper? It seems likely this is a Trader Joe’s exclusive and that Trader Joe’s probably arranged for its production under this label.

Review of the Tribunal Red Wine 2011

Right off the top, the wine has spice aromas along with fresh fruit flavors. In the mouth the wine is rather mellow and very pleasant. You need to taste and savor a few sips to get a feel for the flavors in this wine. Janelle and I found red and dark fruit, a bit of vanilla, maybe cedar, and pepper spice. The finish is medium and smooth. The wine is balanced, with no significant flaws. The Tribunal will match well with chicken dishes, pasta and pizzas.

I think this wine is a much better effort than the 2010 but short of the 2009. At this price of $9.99, I do believe the wine is a good value. If you are in a TJ’s, try one bottle for yourself. If you like the style, buy more, because chances are the wine will not last too long on the shelves. It is made to satisfy many palates. I’m giving the Tribunal 88 Points.

Let us know what you think of this wine. Please add your thoughts in the comment section.

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Andrew Murray Wines

Posted on April 22, 2013 by Joe

In last week’s post on GCV we touted the wines from Santa Barbara wineries Zaca Mesa and Rancho Sisquoc. These were two of several wineries we visited on our weeklong Santa Barbara wine excursion. We ended our trek with perhaps saving the best for last. We had a wonderful visit and tasting with Andrew Murray. Andrew founded Andrew Murray Vineyards in 1990 and produces Rhone-Style wines that have been well recognized for their quality and value.

We met Andrew at his winery on Zaca Station Road, just a few miles from the wine town of Los Olivos. We tasted through his entire lineup of wines, including wines in the tank ready to be bottled. More fun was the chance to chat with Andrew. We learned how his love for wine began at 18 years of age with an excursion with his parents to the Rhone Valley. We enjoyed stories about local wineries, wine owners, and winemakers.
He is a fascinating character, free spirited, and it is certainly clear that he very much enjoys making wine.

image of Andrew Murray winemaker

Andrew Murray with Viognier

Andrew Murray wine recommendations

Andrew Murray Viognier 2012
We began our tasting with a delicious and wonderful Viognier from the Santa Maria AVA. This 2012 vintage was just released, and I am very anxious to see if we can find it locally. At the winery it is $22 but my guess is the likes of K&L Wines and other retailers will price it under $20. This is a delightfully crisp and fruity wine, and a lighter style than most Viognier produced in California. Now I wish that I’d purchased more. 89 Points

Andrew Murray Syrah 2011 – $12.99 K&L Wines
The biggest bang for the buck is the Andrew Murray 2011 “Tous les Jours” Syrah from the Santa Ynez Valley. The wine has white pepper aroma and delicious fruit flavors and has an amazing finish for such an inexpensive wine. Wine & Spirits has it on its “best buy” list at 92 Points. I won’t go that high but I will rate it at 90 pts. The best part for us, the wine is available locally at K&L Wines for $12.99.

image of andrew murray syrah

Andrew Murray “Tour Les Jours” Syrah

E11even 2012 Unplugged
We tasted from the tank some wines that are under a second label called E11even. We mentioned earlier that Andrew Murray’s focus was Rhone-style wines. With his desire to branch out, Andrew recently launched a new label. These wines are priced at the winery for $16, but can be found elsewhere for much less. For example, KL Wines carries two of these wines for $11.99 and $12.99. We have not tasted these, but what we did taste was the 2012 E11even Unplugged in the stainless steel tank, a white blend of Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. Wow, crisp and refreshing! When this is bottled, I will jump all over this wine. KL Wine carries the 2010 vintage, so I would expect they will carry this wine once it is released. I will hold off on a rating until I taste the wine off the shelf.

Andrew Murray told us that he has made an agreement with the Whole Foods Stores in Southern California, and that the stores will be carrying the E11even wines. Perhaps that will eventually bring some of these wines to the Northern California Whole Foods Stores.

If you happen upon any of the Andrew Murray wines at your local wine shop, we recommend you give them a try. Let us know where you purchased them and what you think.

You may also want to read this post the Andrew Murray wrote on The Wine Travelers in 2011. In the post, he writes about the Santa Barbara wine country.

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Rancho Sisquoc Riesling

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Joe

We are in Santa Barbara wine country this week and enjoying the tranquility of this wine region and its many scenic backroads. There are over 100 tasting rooms and wineries in Santa Barbara County, and we are doing our best to visit as many as possible during our stay. Of the several wineries we have visited so far, we found two wineries that stood out for their excellent wine values. They were the Rancho Sisquoc Winery and the Zaca Mesa Winery. Here are two excellent value and bargain wines to enjoy.

Rancho Sisquoc Riesling 2011 – $12 at the winery
For those from the San Francisco Area, you have surely heard of James Flood and the historic downtown San Francisco Flood Building. It turns out that Rancho Sisquoc is owned and operated by the Flood Family of the same fame. This wine is a dry Riesling that reminds us of many Rieslings from the Alsace wine region in France. It does have a slight touch of sweetness, but it is balanced by the acidity in the wine. This is a very nice wine for an aperitif, but will also go well with a variety of lighter foods or spicy dishes. It is loaded with tropical fruit aroma and flavors. I have seen this wine at BevMo, but I don’t see it listed on their Website. If you do see it on the BevMo shelves, give it a try. Currently, BevMo carries the Rancho Sisquoc Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for under $20. We tasted those and liked them also. 88 Points for the Riesling.

image of Rancho Sisquoc

Rancho Sisquoc Winery in Santa Barbara wine country

Zaca Mesa 2009 Syrah – $19.99 at KL Wines
The Zaca Mesa is very much an under-rated winery. They produce a fine array of wines and this Syrah is delicious. It’s their flagship wine and it should be widely available. This wine is a complex Syrah with a smoky edge to it, and it is loaded with black fruit flavors and some pepper spice. This wine cries out for juicy steak on the barbeque. The Wine Enthusiast rates the wine at 91 Points. I will go with 89 Points. KL Wines also carries the Zaca Mesa Viognier for $15.99 and the Chardonnay for $16.99. We also liked those wines. Many of the wines at Zaca Mesa are available only at the winery. My favorite wine of our tasting was the 2009 Rousanne, a white wine that was just an amazing complex white that lingered on the palate for minutes. It was so good that I went back and purchased more.

image of Zaca Mesa

Vineyards at Zaca Mesa winery in Santa Barbara wine country

Here is a link to the Santa Barbara wine country region. If you are in the area, stop in one or more of these wineries. You will be impressed.

If you have not voted as yet on the April poll, please take five seconds to cast your vote on which country offers the most wine values and bargains.

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Chardonnay Blind Tasting Results

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Joe

Chardonnay Taste Off

Oaky and buttery Chardonnay was the order of the day at the recent Vintage Wine Tasters‘ blind tasting. Vintage Taster George arranged the event, purchasing the 6 bottles of wine at the Weimax Wine shop in Burlingame. George has been shopping there for the past 25 years and asked proprietor Gerald Weisel to recommend the best Chardonnay wines in the $20 to $25 range.

We agreed that this was not an easy tasting. Four of the wines seemed almost identical in character and were difficult to distinguish from one another. George pulled a fast one on us and threw in a Pinot Blanc. That wine had a far different aroma than the others, but none of us identified it as a Pinot Blanc. Then there was the Chardonnay from South Africa. Half of the tasters loved the South African Chardonnay; the other half, quite the opposite.

image of Chardonnay wine

Chardonnay wines

Here are the results of the blind tasting of six Chardonnay wines in the order of our preference.

  • Chalone Estate 2009 – $19.99
  • Qupe Reserve Chardonnay Block 11- $26.99
  • Talley Estate 2010 – $23.99
  • Chalone Estate Pinot Blanc 2008 – $25.99
  • Qupe Santa Barbara “Y” Block 2011 – $17.99
  • Hamilton Russell South Africa 2010 – $32.99

The Chalone Estate 2009, the top wine, was grown at 1800 ft. near the Pinnacles Monument in Monterey County. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol and is aged in French barrels. It is the best deal in the bunch at $19.99. If you are looking for a big, oaky but balanced Chardonnay this one will do it for you.

At our next meeting in June, we will be tasting wines of the Grenache grape. The task for Vintage wine taster Jerry will be to find two Grenache wines from California, two from Spain, and two from the Rhone Valley. This should be quite an interesting tasting.

If you have not voted as yet, please take the poll on “What country produces the best value and bargain wines?”

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Mohua Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Marlborough

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Joe

The warm days are upon us and it’s time to stock your wine cave with some delicious wines that go with outdoor life. Here are two very outstanding wines that will double your outdoor pleasure. Both of these wines I purchased from the Burlingame Safeway, which is slowly but surely developing into a very nice wine shop with many choices apart from the so-called “supermarket wines.”

Mohua Sauvignon Blanc 2011 – $11.99
The wine steward at the Safeway put me on to this wine. He told me that a woman came in and was delighted to find the wine on the shelves. She told him that she’d had it by the glass at Jardinière Restaurant in San Francisco. I purchased two bottles and gave one to my sister, who is a New Zealand S.B fanatic. She loved the wine but alas could not find it in the Walnut Creek area where she lives. I also found the wine at Mollie Stone’s for $12.99. There was a sign on the stack saying “Manager’s Special.” I think this a one of the better-balanced Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand. They often can be over the top with big citrus and gooseberry flavors. This one has just the right tang, and I very much enjoy the lime citrus in this wine. This is wine that beckons for some delicious appetizers, anything with fish, or some cheese and crackers. 89 Points

image of Mohua Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough

Mohua Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough

Carol Shelton Rendezvous Rosé 2011 – $11
I have long been a fan of winemaker Carol Shelton and in particular her Rockpile Zinfandel and Wild Thing Zinfandel. The Rendezvous Rosé is mostly Carignane grapes, which came from the Cox Vineyard just north of Ukiah in Mendocino County. The Cox Vineyard is certified organic and sustainable. This is a very dry Rosé with light red fruit aromas and a tasty strawberry characteristic. It is a totally refreshing and almost addictive wine. Sip this wine while you tend to your barbeque. You might find it half finished by the time your meat is ready. This is a wine that is quite versatile and will go with many foods. Fish, chicken, pork, and pizza will go nicely with this. 88 Points

image of Carol Shelton Rendezvous Rosé

Carol Shelton Rendezvous Rosé

Have you taken the April Wine Poll? This poll asks the question “Which country offers the best wine bargains and values?” Please take 10 seconds to add your vote.

Janelle and I are heading to Los Olivos for a weeklong stay in the Santa Barbara wine county. We rented a house with two other couples who like wine and wine country just as much as we do. I’m hoping we can find some wonderful wines to write about and share with our readers. Stay tuned!

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April Wine Poll on Good Cheap Vino

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Joe

To avoid confusion I have decided to move the monthly poll so it stands by itself on GoodCheapVino.com. Previously the poll was listed along with several other topics and consequently missed by some. This change should bring the poll into immediate focus. If you receive GCV in an email, you will need to click on this link to see the poll and vote.

The April Poll: What country offers the best overall wine values and bargains for either white or red wines? I narrowed the countries down to the biggest wine producers, and for the United States I broke it down into the big three: California, Oregon, and Washington.

April wine poll on Good Cheap Vino

Please vote and send off this URL to your friends. Don’t forget to Tweet if you are on Twitter.

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Poll Results: Shop for Wine Values

Posted on April 3, 2013 by Joe

The GoodCheapVino.com poll question was “Where do you shop for wine values?” Ninety readers cast their votes to tell us their favorite wine shop or store for finding wine bargains. Most of the readers of GoodCheapVino.com are based in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, so the results are going to be skewed toward the Bay Area wine shops and stores.

Not many votes separated the top three: Costco 18, Trader Joe’s 15, and Local Wine Shop 14. Safeway managed the 4th spot with 11 votes. I was somewhat surprised to see that BevMo captured only 6 votes. Perhaps BevMo is getting a bit tired with wine bargain hunters, not offering much new in their various wine sales.

Now for a new poll for April: What country offers the best overall wine values and bargains for either white or red wines? I narrowed the countries down to the biggest wine producers and for the United States I broke it down to the big three: California, Oregon, and Washington.

Please vote and send off this URL to your friends. Don’t forget to Tweet if you are on Twitter.

April straw poll on GCV

Bud Break in California Wine Country
This is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s “bud break” time in the wine country. The vines come alive again and the vineyards look spectacular. This is an early bud break, so vineyard managers concern themselves with late frost possibilities or heavy rains. Let’s hope all goes like the fantastic 2012 vintage and we have a bountiful harvest and plenty of wine values and bargains to follow. Here is a link to a California Wine Country map, showing you the various wine regions of California. You might also what to use this handy Trip Planner/Winery Finder tool on WineCountryGetaway.com to plan a wine country getaway.

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Bud break in California wine country

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Marques De Legarda

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Joe

I did some shopping at K&L Wines in Redwood City last week and purchased several wines that looked like potential wine values and bargains. K&L Wines has wines marked as “Staff Picks” or “Hot Picks,” and they also have a section in the store for email-alert wines. Most of the time the wines in these categories are very good choices for the consumer. But every now and then the K&L Wine recommendations do not pan out for me. Of the two wines I tried last week, one was outstanding but the other in my opinion was not that good.

Marques De Legarda Crianza 2008 – K&L Wines $14.99
This is a K&L wine import. The store is working directly with this Spanish winery. The Marques De Legarda is what a Rioja wine is all about. It is a medium-bodied wine, very well balanced in the nose and the mouth. I love the flavors that the wine gives out throughout the course of your meal. If any of you have not tried a Rioja wine, this is the one to get you started on your Rioja journey. The wine has no flaws, just an inner beauty that is very satisfying throughout. There are loads of red and black fruit flavors in this wine. 90 Points in my opinion! Robert Parker likes it even more at 91 Points.

image of Marques De Legarda

Marques de Legarda

On the downside, I did not care for the 2011 Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde from Portugal. The price is $8.99 so a lot of folks are going try this wine. I say forget about it. The amazing thing is that Wines & Spirits gave it 90 Points and the Wine Enthusiast 89 Points and a Best Buy. The wine starts out fairly well but ends with a very flawed aftertaste. I have tried several Vinho Verde wines over the years and generally they are very tasty.

Some interesting wines at the Burlingame Safeway
The Burlingame Safeway has one of the better supermarket wine departments in our area. By that I mean that they have many interesting labels that you ordinarily do not find in supermarkets. These are mostly California wines. I found these three wines that I think are great values and you certainly are not going to find them at Lucky’s, BevMo or other Safeways: Alfaro Estate Pinot Noir 2011 from the Santa Cruz Mountains – $18, Carol Shelton Rendezvous Rosé 2011 – $10, and the Renwood Premier Old Vine Zinfandel 2010 – $13. The latter wine was recommended to me by Vintage Wine Taster Bruce. He splurged and went for a case.

At the Rhone Rangers tasting last week in San Francisco, I ran into Il Gioiella owner Robert Morse. He said to look for his Barbera wine in Safeway “A” stores in the coming weeks. Safeway purchased his entire inventory and he says it is a wonderful wine. But remember, he is the owner. I asked the wine steward at the Burlingame Safeway about the Barbera and he said he hopes to get some in the next week or so.

By the way, the current Safeway wine sales ends this Tuesday. But never fear, Safeway always seems to have that sort of sale week after week.

If you run into any bargain and value wines that you like, be sure to recommend them in the comment section. Don’t feel that you don’t have enough wine knowledge. If you like a certain wine, then there are probably many of us out here who will also like your recommendation.

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Pedroncelli Friends White Wine

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Joe

Last week Vintage Wine Taster Mike and I visited the tasting room at Pedroncelli winery in Geyserville. The Pedroncelli Family has been operating their winery since 1927. Estate old-vine Zinfandel surrounds the winery on the eastern hillsides of Dry Creek just a few miles from Highway 101. Pedroncelli also has vineyards to the west in the valley portion of the Dry Creek AVA. All the Pedroncelli wines are very reasonable in price and the quality is very good. We suspect that the Pedroncelli overhead is low and that they have elected to keep their wine prices consumer friendly. Here is Vintage Wine Taster Mike’s reviews of a few of the Pedroncelli wines.

Pedroncelli Friends White Wine

Pedroncelli offers a lineup of wines that in my estimation are priced below what they are worth in quality. Their wines are a bargain hunter’s delight. The 2011 Friends Red is a sound buy at $10, though not the match of the 2010 Friends Red. The 2011 is a medium-bodied red with a mixed field blend with plenty of Zin and Syrah in the mix. You can purchase this wine at Weimax in Burlingame. 87pts.

The real winner in my opinion is the 2012 Pedroncelli Friends White wine. It is composed of Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Sauvignon Blanc. This is a smaller version of the popular Caymus Conundrium that sells in the mid-$20 range. The Pedroncelli Friends White wine is stainless steel fermented and has a solid core of tropical aromas that translate into a totally wonderful character in the mouth. The wine pairs well with a wide array of foods. My suggestion is to get a bunch of this wine for the coming warm days of spring and summer. This is an all-occasion wine that meets the needs of drinkers at all levels. 89 Points for a $10 wine is a huge value. The first vintage of this wine was just introduced a couple of weeks ago, so it may not appear in wine shops for a few weeks. I am assuming that Gerald at Weimax will carry this refreshing and crisp wine.

image of Friends white wine

Pedroncelli Friends White

Prodroncelli also produces a single-vineyard Zinfandel from the “Bushnell” vineyard and priced at only $20!!! It is well worth the money. The Bushnell Zinfandel is rich, medium bodied with lots of berry, cherry and earthy elements. The finish is long and totally Dry Creek. When is the last time you had a single- vineyard bottle of Dry Creek Zin for $20? This wine stands up to so many other higher priced wines and is a great gift to bring to dinner. I believe this wine is available only at the winery.

One way to develop your palate is to spend a day or two in the wine country tasting wine. Geyserville has tasting rooms in town as well as several wineries surrounding the area. See the Geyserville Wine Trail for suggestions. Don’t forget to bring along a spit cup.

This will be the last few days for the poll on “Where do you shop for wine values?” With some 80 votes it is a tight race among Costco, Trader Joes, and Local Wine Shop. If you not yet voted, please cast your vote.

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