Fast Facts: 2020 Kirkland Signature Gigondas, France ($13.99 @Costco in California – Item #11341020)   One of the nice things about Costco’s line of Kirkland Signature wines is not just their incredible QPR, but also their relative price stability in this era where most prices keep ratcheting higher. We have been mining a French wine vein here lately, and the reappearance of this wine at Costco made us happy to keep it going.   Lovely glass, lovely label set the table for a lovely pour.   This blend (Grenache 85%, Syrah 10% and Mourvedre 5%) is crafted from the fruit of old vi ..read more

Fast facts: 2021  Vignobles Lacheteau Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, Loire Valley, France ($7.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California)   European wine producers have a long standing tradition of using labels that are, in a word, confusing.  At least to the average wine consumer.  This is such a label. But we are here with some “French Lessons” to help you decipher…   Front label of the 2021  Vignobles Lacheteau Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine, Loire Valley, France There is no small amount of information being presented here on this front label.  Let’s unpack it for you shall we? A ..read more

Fast facts: 2021 Sainte Celine Chablis, Burgundy, France ($15.99 @Trader Joe’s, California)   Front label of the 2021 Sainte Celine Chablis, Burgundy, France   Many American wine drinkers first became familar with the name Chablis back when California winemakers were running amok bottling cheap jug wines with the Chablis name on the label. Which is unfortunate. Because it confused generations in the process. Maybe that is all behind us now… In the modern wine trade, Chablis is a sought after wine which is rarely seen for under $30.  So we were especially keen to kick the tires ..read more

Fast facts: 2021 Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape ($19.69 @ Costco, California – Item #777662)   Among the “old world” offerings bottled under the Kirkland Signature name, this CdP is one of our perennial favorites. It has been around for over a decade, and is consistently good. It is a rare thing to find CdP wines for under $20, and this one delivers the goods nicely for this price point. It is not a massive, extracted version with intensely concentrated flavors.  Those tend to come with stratospheric scores from the top critics, and prices to match.  (Although the 93 p ..read more

NV Ernest Rapeneau Champagne Brut, Epernay, France ($9.99@Trader Joe’s, California)   We celebrated the solstice yesterday by popping the cap on this bottle. We are in the home stretch of 2022 people, and this bottle (or bottles!) would be good to have in your fridge for several reasons. If you’re like us, there are holiday Mimosas in your future.  Not to mention midnight toasts on New Years’ eve.  But perhaps most of all, this is a 375ml half bottle, perfect for sharing with a partner. Or two.  Ooh, la la! If you are a long time reader of these posts, you know that we li ..read more

Fast facts: 2021 Richebois Côtes du Rhône Village, France ($7.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California)   Coat do roan villahj. (That is how it’s pronounced.) While you’d be forgiven for thinking that wines labeled simply Côtes du Rhône are synonymous with Côtes du Rhône Village, there is actually a distinct step up in quality in the latter.  Producers here are required to adhere to stricter wine growing and wine making rules than those prescribed for wine labeled simply Côtes du Rhône. In their red wines, the Grenache grape must be present at not less than 50%. A maximum of 20% of othe ..read more

Fast facts: 2021 J.L. Quinson Le Rosé French Fizz, France ($6.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California) 2021 J.L. Quinson Le Blanc French Fizz, France ($6.99 @ Trader Joe’s, California)   Psst…we’ve got the story on some excellent sparkling wines, just in time for summer! As the name implies, French Fizz sparkling wines come to us from France. These two wines were like third grade me when sides were being chosen for dodge ball.  They screamed: “pick me, pick me, pick me!”  And I have to say, it was the marketer in me responding to the extremely clever packaging this producer employe ..read more

Fast facts: 2020 Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape ($19.99 @ Costco, California – Item #777662)   Here is yet another import carrying the Kirkland Signature label that suggests the log jam in the supply chain has eased some, for now.  If it seems like we only recently reviewed the 2019 vintage of this wine, you would be correct. Among the “old world” offerings bottled under the Kirkland Signature name, this CdP is one of our perennial favorites. It has been around for over a decade, and is consistently good. It is a rare thing to find CdP wines for under $20, and this one deli ..read more

Fast Facts: 2020 Kirkland Signature Sancerre, Loire Valley, France ($14.99 @Costco in California – Item #1476058)   We have commented on the shrinking wine set (especially imports) at Costco in recent posts.  Ditto for Trader Joe’s. Well the dam may have broken, and our ship has clearly come in because a recent visit to my local Costco here in Southern California had bins and bins of new current vintage Kirkland Signature Wines – all imports.  So expect us to be on a bit of a Costco streak for the next several weeks. Sorry, not sorry Trader Joe’s.   The Kirkland Sign ..read more

Fast facts: 2020 Le Charmel Cotes de Provence Rosé, France ($9.89 @ Costco, California – Item #1401944 )   I got a text from an East Coast friend last weekend proclaiming “rosé season is here finally.”  To anchor his point, he included this enticing photo, proving he was backing up assertion with action:   Cheers to the season of pink wine – can Daylight Savings Time be far behind?   Then, as if on cue, I visited my local Costco the following day and found this new wine in their suddenly shrunken wine section. (More on that later.) This is a seriously delicious rosé.  ..read more