November's Last Wine Review

As I spent the afternoon cleaning up my office, I have a pile of bottles that I need to toss out.  Before doing so, I wanted to briefly mention them here.  All of these were drinkable, enjoyable, affordable, and bought at my local Bressi Ranch Trader Joe's grocery store.  None of them were more than $10 a bottle with the exception of the Pinot Noir, which was about $16 a bottle if my recollection is accurate.

The Monique Cellars 2016 Sauvignon Blanc Central Coast white wine was pretty good.  Screw top, not corked, it was fine quality.


The Castle Rock Winery 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Mendocino County has a straight-forward label, was less than $6 a bottle, and is shelved right next to the Trader Joe's branded wine bottles I mentioned earlier.  Screw-top also, this wine did not suffer from a poor quality cork, oxidized shelf life, or any skinny or undrinkable aspects.  Recommended as an affordable go-to wine, if you're not near a Trader Joe's.


Kidia Sauvignon Blanc, estate bottled 2016, D.O. Loncomilla Valley Chile.  It had some citrus notes but was not over-powering like a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.  I tried it, liked it, and thought I'd mention it to you here.

Reserva Orquídea Rosario Estate Sauvignon Blanc, D.O. Valle Central Chile.  Like the Kidia Sauvignon Blanc, this was an enjoyable white wine. Also a screw top, shelved beside the Kidia, it was a delicious dual bottle purchase.


Lastly, Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir Carneros 2015, 1430 cases produced.  Dr Desert Flower really enjoyed this wine, stating it had notes of currant and a smooth follow-through on tasting (as of February 2016 I can't drink red without getting itchy).  I had a sip, and it was yummy.  More pricey near $16 a bottle (or two to three times as much as the other bottles mentioned above in this post) it's not for every-day drinking chez nous, but it is a good recommendation and something we'll enjoy from time to time (while supplies last).



For tasting notes and nuances, it's been too long since I enjoyed these to be very descriptive here.  However, if any of these were bad, I would have either dumped them down the drain, or not mentioned them here... rest assured.