Des Adams

10

Beaver Lake Beer wine and spirits, $5 cooking wine sale. Better aerated — a day ago

Jan A

9.1

Smooth malbec — 3 months ago

Tyler Felous

9.6

This was awesome. Crisp acidity. Green apple. Argentinians are making great chardonnay — 2 years ago

Nicole Ruiz Hudson

8.9

Smoky red and black cherries, plums, chocolate and vanilla and a bit of tobacco and a smattering of to add a savory layer. Rich, but goes down smooth and easy. Holding up well with age as well. Tannins quite smooth at this point.

#sample — 3 years ago

Freddy R. Troya

8.9

Trader Joe’s – Grand Reserve Pinot Noir 2023
Carneros AVA – California, USA 🇺🇸

Overview
An entry-level Pinot Noir from Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve series, designed to be approachable and wallet-friendly, yet sourced from Carneros, a region with a strong pedigree for Pinot Noir thanks to its cool climate influenced by the San Pablo Bay.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe red cherry, cranberry, and a touch of strawberry compote. Subtle notes of baking spice and a faint hint of cola.

Mouthfeel
Medium-bodied, soft tannins, and moderate acidity. Smooth and approachable, leaning more toward fruit-forward than earthy complexity.

Food Pairings
Roast chicken with herbs, Margherita pizza, Mushroom risotto, Soft cheeses like Brie or Camembert.

Verdict
A casual, weeknight Pinot Noir that shows off the Carneros fruit in an uncomplicated way. Don’t expect Burgundian elegance or layered depth, instead, it’s a friendly, fruit-driven Pinot that hits the right notes for its price. Cheers! — 3 days ago

Rashed Chowdhury

9.0

Bell pepper, chilli pepper, tamarind, red fruit… cherry, raspberry, cedar, vanilla, dill (but tech spec says aged in used French oak). On the palate, unripe blackberry and seeds. No noticeable cream on the palate (effect of melo gone?) — 7 months ago

Stefan Dolhain

9.6

2021 vintage. Terra Solis Vineyard, Napa Valley Coombsville AVA. I was lucky enough to meet owner Frank W. Bishop ,Jr. , who generously offered me this bottle. He sells most of his grapes ( to some very famous names) and produces a tiny quantity under the Terra Solis label. A 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Coombsville AVA, that is cooler than the Valley floor AVAs because of its proximity to San Pablo Bay, which allows a later harvest and longer hangtime for the grapes. Deep dark red. Intense perfume with black fruit, spices, and toasty oak. In the mouth is beautifully balanced with layers of black fruit, fresh acidity, and relatively moderate alcohol ( abv. 14,2%). Personally, I would have preferred oak with a lighter toast, but that is obviously a stylisic choice, and the wine is excellent indeed. — 2 years ago

Mark Osmers

9.1

Don’t brush off Merlot‘s. Especially if those Merlot’s are from Yountville, in Napa Valley. The climate in Yountville is particularly well-suited for grape growing. It sits in a sweet spot where it receives warm, sunny days perfect for ripening grapes, while cool evening breezes and fog from San Pablo Bay help too.
Let this wine open up and breathe for 2+ hours and you’ll be delighted with a similar complexity to a Cabernet, with Oakey notes and bright raspberry and plum flavors

An excellent choice from the same area as Stag Leap vineyards

Try it and tell me what you think — happy drinking! — 2 months ago

Sergio L Figueiredo

9.0

Álcool 13,0%
Degustado na Vinícola — 7 months ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.2

One of the few CA Chardonnay I enjoy. You can spend more on one, but for under $40, this works really well.

Arnot-Robert’s rides the fence of CA Chardonnay & White Burgundy nicely. Has a bit of Ca Chardonnay backbone with the creamy body of White Burgundy.

Nose does not show much at first. Green apple, pear, lemon, lime. White peach, caramel notes, cardamom, paraffin, cream, yellow & spring flowers.

The body is creamy with nice viscosity. Green apple, pear, lemon, lime. White peach, caramel notes, cardamom, paraffin, cream, very light honey notes, sea spray, light chalkiness, yellow & spring flowers. Excellent round acidity, beautiful, soft structure, well balanced and a pleasant finish.

A couple more years in bottle add a point or two & more complexity. .

A little history from their website. Watson Ranch Vineyard is perched on a steep hillside overlooking the San Pablo Bay at the southernmost end of the Napa Valley. The ranch was named after early Napa attorney, Augustus Watson, who owned the property in the early 1900s. The adjacent property is an abandoned limestone quarry which historically employed over 300 people, mining material to make portland cement used to rebuild San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. — 2 years ago