2011 Flying Heart Cellars Red Wine - $5

Not sure what I was thinking when I picked up this Ed Hardy-esque labeled red blend, but it is down right awful. Overly sweet and completely unbalanced. This bottle is going back to Trader Joe's and I suggest you avoid at all costs.

thumbs down

2010 Spiral Wines Cabernet Sauvignon - $6

Deep dark purple color. Perfumey nose. Dark fruit flavors, but ultimately tastes cheap. Little nip of tannic bite at the end.

All that, and $1 more than last year's batch? No thank you.

thumbs down - 77

2010 Old Moon Old Vine Zinfandel - $6

Tastes like bad raisins. Drink with at least four straws.

thumbs down - 65

2010 MGM Pinot Noir - $7

Heavy color for a Pinot. Tight nose with hints of gasoline and perfume. Strawberry fruit leather and a bit astringent on the taste. Not good. 

thumbs down - 70

2010 Chateau Moulin de Beausejour Bordeaux - $8

Why I continue to try old world French wines from Trader Joe's is beyond me. Avoid this like the plague.

thumbs down - 55

2010 Rabbit Ridge Allure de Robles - $6

Big bold blackcurrant flavor that's heavy on the oak with a funky fishy aftertaste.

thumbs down - 73

2007 Picket Fence Chardonnay - $9

This smallish production (9400 cases) golden Chardonnay hails from the Russian River Valley. It's light golden, nearly transparent in color with a thick, fruity nose. Then, the bad news comes on the taste - all oak with a dab of buttery pear and another giant scoop of oak. There's a hint of redemption with a dabble of acid, but it's simply not enough to balance out the oak bomb.

Bottle bonus: there's a pull tab on the label so you can remember what wine it was you had if you ordered this in a restaurant.

thumbs down - 74

2008 Jacques Bourguignon Chablis - $8

Light and pale in color. No nose what so ever. Flavor is pretty light too - a bit citrusey, some hints of pear and apple, not a ton of finish... nothing offensive, just not a ton to get excited about

thumbs down - 70

2008 VINTJS Chardonnay - $6.99

This Russian River Valley Chardonnay has a great golden straw color but a real stingy nose. Flavor wise, however, it packs a big punch of tart Granny Smith apple. Strangely, on the finish, we're back to almost nothing. In all, too many ups and downs for me.

thumbs down - 78

2008 Panilonco Merlot/Malbec - $3.99

It could just be the tumbler glass out of which I'm drinking, but this wine is deceptively thick in color. On the nose, heaps of blackberry jump right out. In the mouth though, the cheapness comes through. It's sloppy, disjointed and completely unexciting.

60% Merlot, 40% Malbec.

thumbs down - 70

2009 Fuerza Malbec - $4.99

This wine looks, smells and tastes big, dark and clunky. Worst of all, the flavor seems disjointed - though I can't quite put my finger on why.

thumbs down - 70

2006 Nerelo Del Bastardo - $7.99

My second bottle of this is gone and I have nothing to report. The first bottle got taken down by some friends for tacos & game night while I was out of town... their consensus: delicious. I snuck a taste of the second bottle before it disappeared, but didn't take careful note... my consensus: forgettable. Sounds like wine roulette to me. Suggestion: buy as gift, sneak a taste, buy another if you like it.

thumbs down

2009 La Finca Malbec - $3.99

Swirl as I might, I get absolutely nothing on the nose. Mellow, slightly tannic taste of beets and plum. Could probably use more decanting than the two hours I gave it. Serviceable, especially for a $4 wine, but you can do better.

thumbs down - 73

2008 Vin-Koru Sauvignon Blanc - $5.99

Proposed by the nice new wine lady at my local Trader Joe's as a cheaper version of the King Shag, that's exactly how this feels. Similarly fruity and tropical on the nose and citrusy and acidic in taste... but something here feels hollow and generic. Spend the extra $2 and get the King Shag.

thumbs down - 71

2008 Picton Bay Pinot Noir - $7.99

Nothing special here. The search continues for another sub-$10 Pinot to compete with the Mission Point.

thumbs down - 70

2007 Cellier du Rhône Côtes du Rhône white - $5.99

This wine hits a bit sweet on the palette right after being opened, but by day two it's dried up a bit. Strange. Hints of spearmint on the nose. Some green apple flavor hiding here. A passable wine, but nothing mind blowing.

thumbs down - 72

2007 Epicuro Aglianico - $5.99

Tart. Funky. Blackberry. Nose like a barnyard. Not bad enough to put down. Not good enough to go back for a refill. Though others have raved of previous vintages, this one's not for me.

thumbs down - 70

2006 Aquila D'oro Toscana - $3.99

Another endcap disaster. I snagged this from below the shiny display on my way to a family vacation thinking it was the Archero Nero d'Avola that I'd enjoyed a number of times before. Not the case. Acidic, lackluster, all around unenjoyable.

thumbs down - 68

2007 Louis Vergé Morgon "Les Pierres Fines" - $5.99

Light color, tight nose bitter/acidic/lightly tannic taste. A bargain for sure, but there's a price to be paid.

thumbs down - 70

✉ 2004 The Mutts Nuts Shiraz - $6.99

Sometimes I find myself at Trader Joe's, face to face with a wine I've
tried but not reviewed here on TJWC. Since I can't visit every store
to place secret warning notes near the junk, nor do I want to spend
another $7 to detail the reasons to avoid this wine, perhaps this
whole slapdash/quickie/onsite review thing will work.

thumbs down