2nd Annual Thanksgiving Taste Test

In this corner, Charles Shaw 2004 California Sauvignon Blanc from Trader Joes for $1.99.

What is there to say?

There are legions of wine drinkers who claim the "Two Buck Chuck" is just as good as the more pricey bottles in the stores!



Competing for votes, the low-priced entry bought at Ralphs, the Meridian Vineyard's Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2002 for $6.99.

Here is what the web page says about it:
This is a wine that I have to be careful not to “over-make” – since I am starting with fruit that essentially tastes how I want the finished wine to taste.  To end up with this fresh, lively flavor in the wine, I simply need to guide it gently through the winery and into the bottle.  I do all I can to retain the original fruit flavors. 

I barrel fermented half of this wine, mostly in French oak from several coopers and forests – Combined Woods, Never, and Center of France.  I then let it rest in the barrel for five months.  This short stint gives the wine subtle toasty aromas and flavors without masking the essence of the varietal.




And the last contestant, the mid-priced Matanzas Creek Winery 2002 Sauvignon Blanc for $16.99 at Cost Plus

Here is what the winery says about it:
Our 2002 Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc with a hint of both Semillon and Sauvignon Musque. Following the footsteps of the vibrant 2001 vintage, this 2002 wine is bright in both color and flavor, yet remarkably complex for a Sauvignon Blanc. This unique complexity is the result of precise selection and blending of fruit from five prestigious wine growing regions - Russian River, Knights Valley, Alexander Valley, Sonoma Valley and Mendocino Valley. Also adding to the complexity of the blend is our historical practice of fermenting up to fifteen-percent of the wine in French oak barrels.

Stay tuned for the results from the taste-off!

UPDATE:
The results are in!

With a sample size of eight taste testers and a scoring system of first place vote equals one, second place vote equals two and third place vote equals three points ... it was essentially a tie!!

Trader Joe's "Two Buck Chuck" got 15 points (3 first place, 3 second and 2 third)
Matanzas Creek ($16.99) entry got 16 points (2 first place, 4 second and 2 third)
Meridan's ($6.99) offering got 17 points (3 first place, 1 second and 4 third)

I conducted this taste test last year on some Merlot and got these results.

Got an explaination?

I suppose since red wines tend to have more flavor (they afterall get red because of the grape skins) variations might be greater?