Charles Shaw, aka Two Buck Chuck.   People buy this wine by the case at Trader Joe’s and its wildly popular, mostly due to the price.   When my friend Louise called me and told me that she found a 2000 vintage Two Buck Chuck Cabernet in a collection of dusty wine bottles her friend had given to her, I was flattered that she wanted to share the bottle with me  :-)

I opened it verrrrry carefully, almost convinced the cork would disintegrate.   But it stayed intact, a good sign!   Then, I poured a glass.   Brick red-brownish color – this baby is OLD.   Swirl… and another good sign – no funky odors.   What I did get was lots of prune, a teeny bit of bell pepper and a bit of leather.   Its definitely oxidized and has that prune/raisiny quality.   Finish was pretty much nonexistent.  But then again… is there ever a big finish on a cabernet that costs $2.99?  ;-)

I’m not scoring this one, because drinking it was more of a novelty.   No one buys Two Buck Chuck to put away for a special occasion… the wines aren’t meant to age.   But I’m glad I got to try it!