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Liberté Paso Robles Pinot Noir 2023

Liberté wines, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, have been $9.99 at Trader Joe's for 15 years.

These are wines from Ancient Peaks Winery, a family-owned and operated winery in the Paso Robles AVA.

This is a quality, value-priced Pinot Noir.

The Liberté website says the vineyards are within 14 miles of the Pacific Ocean.

This Pinot Noir would pair well with most folks' Thanksgiving Feast.

It is a quality, tasty Red wine that would not overpower a Turkey Feas...

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Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Paso Robles GSM+ 2024

This is a GSM+; the + is Cinsault, from one of the entities of McMyers Price Wines.

This is a top-quality winery from the Central Coast and directly from Paso Robles.

A GSM is a Red wine blend from the Rhône Valley.

Wineries from the Central Coast of California have been making wine that pays homage to France.

This is a value-priced wine from a top winery that does justice to both France and California.

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Trader Joe's Reserve Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2025

Napa Valley has made Sauvignon Blanc since Robert Monfavi called it Fumé Blanc to get folks to drink it.

That's 50 or 60 years.

Since then, New Zealand has made Sauvignon Blanc a hot commodity.

Mondavi and Napa are synonymous, and years later, Napa Sauvignon Blanc still delivers.

Now Trader Joe's has a $9.99  entry into that world..

Value-priced ain't half bad!

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Aldi Specially Selected Brut Cava

This Cava is from a 130-year-old winery.

Their House Cava is Macebeo (grape) only, rather than the usual 3 traditional grapes.

This wine seems to be a relabeled wine from Torre Oria, a well-established Spanish Bubbly producer.

This Bubbly does not taste like the typical value-priced Cava offerings.

This $8.99 Aldi Bubbly drinks well above its price range.

A good wine (or Bubbly) is a good wine no matter the price!

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Kirkland Signature Côtes Du Rhône Villages 2025

This GSM wine is one you wouldn't think twice about paying $17.49 instead of $7.49.

A solid, well-made, tasty Southern Rhône Valley Red blend.

The winemaker, new this vintage, is from a Châteauneuf-du-Pape winery.

He did an excellent job on this Costco value-priced Red.

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Moon X Red Blend 2024

2015 was the first vintage CWF reviewed, and it is still a value option.

Back then, it was a dupe of the $40 Prisoner wine.

A rich, extracted Red blend.

Today, the Prisoner is still around, but not the force it once was.

The Moon X Red Blend 2024 is, today, more balanced but still true to its extracted roots.

Oh, by the way, this wine sells for $6.99, the same price as 2015!

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Courtier California St. Helena Sauvignon Blanc 2025

A Negociant buys surplus wine from a winery and sells it under their own label at a discount.

The negociant never tells where the original wine came from; secrecy is important.

Well, not so much here; listen to the podcast!

A St.Helena Estate vineyard wine is amazing at $13; this is a good wine.

In the podcast, I mentioned barrels, and this wine was probably fermented and aged in Stainless Steel tanks.

Still, this is...

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Aldi Bear Bros Reserve North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

California has no legal definition of Reserve wine, but it typically denotes a wine that is a cut above.

The North Coast is Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake County, and Napa Valley. Not bad places to source grapes.

This 2023 vintage is a little old by Aldi wine standards; I'm not sure what to make of that.

Bear Bros. brand has been at Aldi since at least 2017; I do not recall another Reserve wine.

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Brisall Albariño 2025

Albariño is the White wine of Spain's and Portugal's Western Atlantic coasts.

This $7.99 Albariño is from Spain's east coast.

Not being from the prime location gives this wine bargain status.

While Albariño is not too pricey, eight bucks from TJ's is a bargain.

Albariño is a White wine that Sauvignon Blanc fans will immediately recognize.

It is a wine you should be, as a cheap wine lover, should know.

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Aldi Specially Selected Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2024

Aldi's 2025 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a 2024 vintage.

The new 2026 wine is a Specially Selected  Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2024.

Different wine, but same vintage.

A year more aging and a dollar less.

Why didn't Aldi separate this wine from last year's?

Maybe they hoped you wouldn't remember.

Just the same, it is a very good Pinot Noir!

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Compass Bridge Sonoma Chardonnay 2024

Wine has changed; California has changed!

Just because last year's wine had perfect conditions does not mean this year's wine has the same.

Trader Joe's, in the past,  may have had five to ten new wines a month.

Those times are gone.

Each vintage needs to be taken on its own merits.

This Chardonnay.......pretty good!!

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Dearly Beloved Lodi Red Blend 2024

This is the now-famous Trader Joe's Day of the Dead Skull wine.

It has been available at Trader Joe's for about 15 years or more.

This is the wine with the silk-screened, flowered skull!

Over the years, the grapes have been sourced from Mendocino, the Central Coast, and now Lodi.

This wine has been very consistent, a quality sub-$10 wine, year after year.

Dearly Beloved Lodi Red blend is well worth giving a try!

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Underwood Oregon Pinot Gris 2023

Ok, Ok, so Oregon Pinot Gris has nothing in common with New Orleans Voodoo culture!

Except they are both pretty cool.

This is an affordable, tasty Oregon White wine that sips great.

Gris is French for grey, and Grigio is Italian for grey, and it refers to the grapevine leaves at harvest.

Dr John's 1960s album is a must-play around Halloween, and the Underwood Oregon Pinot Gris is a Fall patio classic!

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Trader Joe's Reserve Santa Barbara Pinot Noir 2024

This is a value-priced Pinot Noir that I have enjoyed for several vintages.

I never knew I liked Santa Barbara Pinot Noir and Chardonnay until Trader Joe's started offering these wines at value prices.

Buying at full price would never have given me a glimpse into Santa Barbara wine.

Value-priced wine often leads you to unexpected places.

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TraderJoe's Platinum Reserve Stags Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Stags Leap District is a very exclusive AVA.

Value-priced wines are definitely not the norm.

One of the wineries won the Judgment of Paris award for Cabernet Sauvignon in 1976!

These wines are the real deal.

And now, in 2026, these wines can be value-priced!

Buy them now and figure it out later.

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Kirkland Signature Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2024

This is a Kirkland wine that has been around since 2014; they have a stable supplier from Stags Leap AVA

The reason they say Stags Leap District is because Stags Leap Winery has a worldwide reputation, and they do not want to make you think this is their wine.

Stags Leap AVA is a small AVA with 14 wineries and  8 growers. All of the vineyards are first-rate.

Is this a $50 wine selling for $20? Probably not.

What it is i...

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Renwood Amador County Old Vine Zinfandel 2023

This is the $7.99 Costco Renwood Zin.

The podcast has a story about Renwood.

There have been major changes recently.

Renwood, in spite of the changes, is still a remarkable wine.

Amador County still makes excellent Zinfandel.

This is a bargain; find out why!

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Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Brut Cuvée

This is a Bubbly that sells in the $20 range that I found at a sale price of $7.99.

I was very happy.

This is a Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and French Colombard blend made with the Charmat Method.

This is not a cookie-cutter Bubbly; it has a very definable flavor.

A tasty and enticing flavor.

Find it on sale and enjoy.

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Revelation Pays D'Oc Chardonnay 2024

A French IPG wine from a family-owned winery (since 1995).

It has a little oak seasoning and maybe some malolactic fermentation.

All good things for a $7.99 French Chardonnay.

IGP wines are made to be affordable; they are the wines that the average French wine drinker uses.

Trader Joe's has a winner here!

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Bread & Butter California Pinot Noir 2024

I found this wine at Trader Joe's for $11.99; it sells elsewhere for $12 to $16.

Bread and Butter is a brand from WX Wines.

Bread and Butter has a full portfolio of wines.

This Pinot Noir is an excellent value-priced Pinot.

It is a classic California Pinot Noir, not one of those heavy, mixed-grape Pinots.

This wine is 13.5% alcohol and is long, soft, and lean!

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Aldi Specially Selected Uco Valley Malbec 2025

This is a single vineyard from the Belhara Estate Winery. Trader Joe's has had a couple of Malbec wines from this Estate.

The Uco Valley is a high-altitude vineyard region in the Mendoza Valley in Argentina.

It is an outstanding region to grow the Malbec grape, after all the problems Bordeaux had in the 1800s.

This is a solid value wine bargain!

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Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay 2024

This is Costco's $7.39 Chardonnay, down from $7.99 in past vintages.

It is good to you and good for you, if I may quote Andy of Mayberry.

A sub-$10 Sonoma Chardonnay that has no issues and has plenty of flavor.

This is no bare-bones Chardonnay; it has oak influence and flavors.

It drinks far beyond its price.

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Method California Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

The podcast goes into detail, but this California Cabernet Sauvignon is a 93-point wine and Wine Enthusiast's Value Wine of the Year 2025.

Multiple wine reviewers give the 2023 vintage 93 points.

A ten-buck, 93-point wine is a joy.

A 2025 Value Wine of the Year is awesome at $10.

This is a wine that you should buy!

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Juvé & Camps Gran Reserva Brut Nature Cava 2022

A vintage-dated Cava is typically only produced in the best vintages.

A Gran Reserva Cava undergoes a 2nd fermentation that lasts at least 30 months; here, it lasted 36 months.

The grapes are organic.

Brut Nature means that no sugar is added; listen to the podcast to hear what that means.

These are Bubbly details that often cause the Bubbly to go up in price, but are a Costco value-priced bubbly!

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Nikau Point Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2024

A tasty Sauv Blanc from a family-owned, independent producer.

Nikau Point is a beach on the North Island, and Marlborough produces 2/3 of New Zealand's wine from the NorthEast corner of the South Island.

This is a tasty, balanced, inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc that drinks beyond its price tag.

Not spiky or grassy, but bright and juicy.

An excellent summer sipper at a nice price.

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VulTour Napa Valley Red Blend 2023

VolTour is a boutique winery based in Napa. They make wines from small plots of prime Napa vineyards.

The wines routinely get 94 points on up and sell for $125+.

The Voltour Proprietary Napa Red 2023 is a blend of Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, and Zinfandel. The exact percentages are a secret.

This wine sells on the VolTour website for $85.

It sells at Costco for $11.99.

That is a bargain too good to pass up!

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M. Chevallier Carte Noire Brut Cava

This Bubbly is produced by Spain's oldest winery and Cava producer!

Carte Noire indicates that the Champagne was produced with only Red grapes.

A quick check of the internet didn't confirm this and only showed the 3 traditional white grapes.

I am confused.

I think this is a Red grape Cava, but I am not sure. It is only $7.99, check it out and let me know!

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Corvelia Paso Robles Sauvignon Blanc 2025

This is a $9.99 Trader Joe's wine sourced from the Paso Robles AVA.

It has more body and is smoother than the average value-priced Sauvignon Blanc.

It still has good, solid flavor; there aren't the flavor spikes and acidity often associated with Sauvignon Blanc.

Paso Robles is a warmer growing region, while the coastal vineyards are cooler, but we do not have info on how the grapes are grown.

Still, this is a tasty, inexpensive, and very drinkable Trader...

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Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Eola Springs Vineyards Pinot Noir 2024

A single-vineyard estate vineyard $15 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

This does not happen often.

Economic conditions have to apply.

Let Trader Joe's take you to the promised land!

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Sauvigio Sauvignon Blanc/Pinot Grigio 2025

This is a 50-50 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.

Produced for Trader Joe's, an entity of Delicato Family Vineyards/Coppola Wine.

It does not exactly taste like a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Grigio.

But it is tasty and easy to like.

Seven dollars buys you a quality summer sipper.

When everything is more expensive, Trader Joe's delivers a quality value White blend.

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Neleman All Day Long Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2024

This is a sustainably farmed, certified organic, vegan-friendly Sauvignon Blanc from Costco.

It is sourced from a winery in the Valencia DO in northeast Spain.

Yes, it is a value-priced Sauv Blanc, just like thousands of others.

But this Valencia Sauvignon Blanc is a little creamy and salty on the finish, which sets it apart from other Sauvignon Blancs.

This is a solid $7.99 summer sipper with enough going on in the glass to put a smile...

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Kirkland Signature Carneros Pinot Noir 2024

This wine has been available at Costco for several vintages.

Carneros Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are seldom inexpensive, except if they are for Costco or Trader Joe's.

Carneros wines get pricey.

There are no "bad" vineyards in Carneros; virtually all of them have expensive wines.

AN $8.99 Carneros wine made by a talented winemaker is a wine you should seek out.

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Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2024

The Kung Fu Girl Riesling 2024 has a long history.

Originally a wine from Charles Smith, but he sold the brand off 6 or 7 years ago.

Since then, it has been sold 2 more times. Is it still the same?

The podcast explains most of this, but it has changed. Not for the worse.

I preferred the original Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling, but I do enjoy the 2024 vintage.

This wine is still well worth buying and enjoying.

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Foggy Veil Paso Robles Grenache 2023

This is a wine from the Miller Family Vineyards, which includes the Central Coast Wine Services.

The Miler Family owns some of the elite vineyards in the Central Coast AVA.

They also, though, their various companies produced some of Trader Joe's best exclusive wines.

This is a $5.99, which probably was never intended to be  6 Buck wine.

Listen to the PODCAST and read the review for all the details.

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Sea Dream Mediterranée White 2025

This is a wine from Emma Bertrand of the French Gérard Bertrand Wine Company.

She is in her early 20s and makes a tasty White wine.

The Sea Dream is a blend od 50% Grenache Blanc, 30% Chardonnay, and 20% Sauvignon Blanc al from the Mediterranée IGP region of the South of France.

This is an exceptionally tasty value-priced White wine that sips great and can pair well with Thai spicy noodles, among other dishes.

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Kirkland Signature Chablis 2023

Chablis is 100% Chardonnay, no oak, but malolactic fermentation.

This is an AOC wine which is typically $20 plus, at Costco it's $14.99, which is bargain price.

The winemaker is from one of the top wineries in Chablis and the grapes come from some of the best vineyards.

All the that equals a top quality wine and it tastes great!

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90+ Cellars Paso Robles Cabernet Sauvignon 2023

Check out the podcast for a description of 90+ Cellars business mode;, it is an important part of the story.

90+ Cellars do not create their own wines they buy wine from existing wineries.

There fore all of 90+Cellars wines are good wines and they are all value priced wines.

Not a shabby business model.

In France these are Negociant wines, in the US they are good wines at a good price.

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Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Sonoma County Brut

This is a Bubbly from Trader Joe's in the wrong time of the year.

Sparkling wine traditionally is popular in November and December, the Holidays!

The Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Sonoma County Brut and Rosé dropped in June.

Withe all the turmoil in the alcoholic beverages industry, I figure that this is a bargain that dropped into Trader Joe's lap.

A bubbly at a price that was too good to wait til D...

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André Brunel Cuvée Bécassonne Cotes-Du-Rhone 2025

This is a White wine from a well respected Chateauneuf-du-Pape producer who produce fabulous Red wines.

They have been in the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region since the 1700s, they are legit!

This wine comes from a single Estate vineyard just outside of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape growing area, but that is OK since this is a White wine.

This is an affordable, delicious wine that is made for the French drinkers and not a wine made for export.

If you fin...

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Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Blanc 2024

Bordeaux Blanc is Sauvignon Blanc blended with some Semillon.

These wines can be aged for 20 years and cost a small fortune.

This Costco wine isn't one of those, and for most people might be better.

This is possible the cheapest amazing Bordeaux wine!

This may well be the White wine of the 2026 summer.

Cheap but delicious!

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