Two Buck Chuck wins Best Chardonnay from California
Trader Joes is a cult grocery store every Californian knows that sells exotic and tasty goods cheaply - hope you have one in your neighborhood. They sell a $1.99 bottle of California Chardonnay under the Charles Shaw label. "Two Buck Chuck 2005" just won Best Chardonnay from California at the California State Fair Commercial Wine Competition, scoring 98 points, a double gold, and the accolades of Best of California and Best of Class.
What does this say about wine critics? Here's a great book that chronicles the shock of the rise of Napa Valley wines: Judgment in Paris: California vs. France and the historic 1976 Paris Tasting that Revolutionized Wine
I use Charles Shaw's red (I don't even know what the varietal is) for spaghetti sauce and a swig, and wouldn't try the white because cheap chardonnays can be like lighter fluid... but I'll be buying a case of Chuck Chardonnay now, and so will everybody else.
As you may guess, I crack up when institutions are upturned... now we need $99 title insurance...
Update 7/1/07: Trader Joe's sure is humble... or marketing challenged... no signage announcing their wine award coup. I cracked open the Chardonnay... and am surprised at how it could fool the wine critics. I'm no expert... it's not bad but it sure doesn't have that velvety smoothness of a good Chardonnay. With no marketing at the store, it almost feels like an April Fool's joke... in July
Was Boone's Farm Wine in the running? j/k
If you're not familiar with it, it's known as soccer mom gatorade.
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Ha Ha.....Pat - How about a $199.99 Realtor commission?
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But $99 title insurance would bring 99 exceptions to coverage along with it.
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Next time I see someone make the "you get what you pay for" arugment against discount brokers I'll point them to this post.
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Exactly Chris... "you get what you pay for" is one of those phrases that grates on me too
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Trader Joe's is the best. Luckily a lot of them are starting to pop up in my area so I can have easy access.
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It's 3 buck Chuck here in Chicago, lol.
Brian Nygard
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Like Chicago is shaking down Trader Joe's! Capone lives?
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It's three-buck-chuck in Arizona too. Something about import taxes, I think. Regardless, its good stuff at the right price.
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Import from Manteca, California? Did the truck drive through Nogales? Just kidding... my relatives notice wine prices tend to be cheaper here in California... Save a dollar per bottle and in a few thousand years, we have enough for a down payment on a 1 BR condo.
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Ah Pat, wine tasting is subjective. The style you like, smooth and buttery is a different style than 2 Buck Chuck, as is the French chards. Just because you don't like it doesn't make it a very good wine. As for $99 title insurance, sound good to me, since they only have to go back through the current title and not all the way back down the chain. It should be much less than it is. Won't happen will it!
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Um, did they include the level of hangover? I actually am a fan, and I'm delighted that Trader Joe's in now in our nations's capital! Alas, here we have "Three Buck Chuck" I guess to include shipping from California!
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