Tasting notes:
Cherry, red berries, and vanilla on the nose
Round and slightly sweet on the palate
Cherry, red candy, and oak
Well, I haven't reviewed a "Two Buck Chuck" in a few years, so I thought I'd grab a couple bottles on a Trader Joe's run. I need to level with you here- this run was a year ago and I just didn't ever get around to opening the bottles (mostly because my wine philosophy of late has centered around this simple principle: "Life's too short to drink bad wine".) I just assumed this wine would be pretty lame.
After opening, the wine showed very predictable results with red fruit, vanilla, and oak. I felt I could have written the review without even popping the cork. For $3 though ("Three Buck Chuck now"), what do you expect? Actually, at this price the wine is drinkable and something I realize many people stock up on for that very reason.
Then, three days later something interesting happened. I found the remainder of the bottle- about one glass full- on my cellar floor. I had forgotten about it and simply set it back down in my wine cellar with a cork stopper in it. With this discovery, I decided to pour the last glass and see how it tasted.
Amazingly, the wine was much better three days later without even being properly cared for. It had an extra dimension of cedar and spice that wasn't there before, and even the texture was better. I can't explain it other than to say that wine is an amazing and highly unpredictable potion. Raise a glass!
I am not a huge of Charles Shaw. It's cheap, and while it's better than other comparably priced wines, it's certainly not favorite. I prefer pricier wines in the $4-$7 range. At any rate this wine is OK. I certainly prefer it to their "normal" chardonnay. There isn't much of a scent to this, and the taste is rather mild. There is a bit of an acidic finish, but as I drink my current glass, I am finding that the acidity decreases the longer the wine has a chance to breathe. Not my favorite, but not bad for something cheap.
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