2019 Kirkland Saint-Julien Bordeaux

$18 at Costco.

Dark cherry color, nice legs.

I smell dark cherries or blackberries, chocolate, tobacco and cigar box.

Sort of week fruit and chocolate flavors at the start due to strong toasted oak of the barrel. Not unpleasant, but I expected more fruit and chocolate.

Nice, long lasting finish with tobacco and pepper.

I would buy this again at this price to go with a good steak.

2021 Trader Joe’s Petite Reserve Paso Robles Barbera

Dark, dense purple color.

Aromas include a chocolate brownie, dark cherries, oak, leather.

Flavors warm, thick, almost sweet dark fruit at the beginning.

Finish the dark fruit is hiding something more vegatative. As the fruit disapears, something bitter or astringent like rhubard starts to come out. It intensifies, then eases off slowly.

It’s quite good, but tastes a lot like a typical Paso Robles Syrah rather than a Barbera. Don’t take my note in the last paragraph as a negative, but rather as a sign that this is a Barbera. I actually wish that I had a Trader Joe’s Paso Robles Syrah to compare it to.

I would buy this again.