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The Trader Joe's Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, the actual name on the bottle is Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Oakville Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Lot #97. The name was too long to fit in the title section.Trader Joe's features an array of Napa Valley sub-AVA Cabernets. I saw Atlas Peak, Yountville, Spring Mountain in addition to Oakville. All sell for $14.99. A typical Nappa sub-AVA starts at $24 to $30 and goes up.I picked the Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon because Oakville is the home of Screaming Eagle, a 100 point Red that sells for thousands of dollars. This Trader Joe's wine is not Screaming Eagle, but Oakville is not that big, the vineyard these grapes came from was not that far from the Screaming Eagle vineyard.I do not know which vineyard or vineyards the grapes for Lot #97 came from, but we do know who made the wine. Precision Wine Company offers 11 different wine brands, one of them, Technique, is sold at Trader Joe's. They offer an Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon under their own label that lists for $48, so they know their way around Napa wines.This is a 2018 vintage wine which means it is a drink-it-now wine that has had almost two years of aging. We do not know what sort of oak barrel aging treatment the Trader Joe's Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 had. Not knowing key production facts is one of the reasons this wine sells for such a low price for an Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon.With the expensive Napa Cabs who the cooperage was and which forest in France supplied the oak important features. Which vineyard supplied the grapes, which famous winery, and which rockstar winemaker was involved are the details that lead to coveted wines and super high price tags.With Trader Joe's Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, we don't know any of that. We do know that Oakville is a load production wine, less than 5,000 cases (12 bottles to a case) and the grapes came from a premium vineyard. We know that because that is the only type of vineyard they have in Oakville.Knowing we are getting a wine made from great grapes is all we really need to know. Trader Joe's has enough of a history and a reputation that we expect solid winemaking techniques. Add great grapes to that along with a low price and you have the makings of a bargain.Trader Joe's says this Cabernet Sauvignon under a retail wine label would sell for $30. They do not typically over-sell their wines so if they say it is a thirty dollar wine I believe them. The alcohol content is 15%.Trader Joe's Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is deep, dark, opaque purple. The nose is smokey, spicey, dark, and brooding. There are extracted blackberry, black licorice, black pepper, mushroom, herbs, exotic spice, slow-cooked BBQ in a smoker, and sweet chocolate. The nose is worth the cost of the bottle.This is a drink-it-now wine, it shouldn't need decanting, but give the wine plenty of time to open up. This is a sleek, rich Cabernet that is full of flavor. It tastes of blackberry mixed with slightly sweeter blueberry, slightly bitter dark chocolate, a hint of green pepper, and black pepper. The mid-palate brings slightly rough spice, cranberry, a tug from the tannins, and a late hit of strawberry.This is a smooth, sleek wine, it has medium weight on the palate. The acidity does a fine job of allowing the flavors to unfold.The SummaryThe Trader Joe's Napa Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 is a terriffic $14.99 Napa Cabernet SauvignonI was originally planning on giving one of Trader Joe's current crop of Napa sub-AVA Cabs and then move on to something else.But this Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon brings huge value for the price. I am going to give some of the other sub-AVA Cabs a try.These are wines you need to try.

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The Trader Joe's Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2019 is actually Carneros Napa Valley Lot #204. There is a Lot #205 which I imagine is from a different producer. Some Trader Joe's get the 204 and others get the 205, both are $9.99.Carneros is an interesting AVA, it is located half in Sonoma and half in Napa. If the vineyards are on the Napa side you almost always see Napa shown on the label. Sonoma side vineyards just say Carneros, which shows you the name recognition for Napa,The San Pablo Bay, which is the northern part of the San Fransico Bay defines the southern border of Carneros. Without the Bay, Carneros would be too far inland and too warm to be a premier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing region. But with the Bay providing cold Pacific winds Carneros is home to many high-end wineries and vineyards.The Trader Joe's Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2019 is a young, drink-it-now wine. As a 2019 vintage, the grapes were picked about a year ago, which does not leave much time for fermentation and aging. Young wines are not common in Carneros, as a premier wine location they prefer to offer higher-end wines.This is a $9.99 2019 vintage wine, but if a Carneros winery produced a Chardonnay to ready a year later, the 2018 vintage, they can easily charge twice the price. There is not much incentive to offer a ten buck young Carneros Chardonnay.That is where a store like Trader Joe's comes in handy. TJ's is good at finding grapes from some of the best growing areas but turned into wine with value-priced wine production methods. Young wines do not experience complicated production techniques, they let the qualities of the grapes shine through.When you have grapes from an expensive growing region, such as Carneros, letting the qualities of the grapes shine is a good thing. It is not common to find Carneros Chardonnay at a bargain price.The back of the bottle says this wine was vinted and bottled by Avid Winery, which may be related to Avid Vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA, they are both headquartered in the same town. Avid is a producer of expensive, boutique Pinot Noir.There are clues that whoever made this wine for trader Joe's is a high-end producer. The bottle is heavy this is no inexpensive eco-bottle and the cork is an actual cork. I save my corks, for some reason, so I can verify that under twenty dollar wines almost never use real cork, it is always a composite or some plastic thing.Wineries that are used to producing value-priced wines have cheaper bottles and corks in stock. The boutique wineries use what they have on hand.The only tasting notes available for the Trader Joe's Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2019 is a sentence on the front label. It gives very little detail but does mention oak as a flavoring. That usually means a little spice and some vanilla. The alcohol content is a ripe 14.6%.The Trader Joe's Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is pale golden yellow. The Chardonnay you can often tell how much oak aging the wine had by how deep the color is. This is a moderate yellow. The nose is a mix of lemon, melon, apple, and spice, along with unsweetened pineapple, a whiff of butter, and a little tropical fruit.This is smooth well-balanced Chardonnay with a nice mix of fruit-forward and tart flavors. It starts with peach, pear, and Golden Delicious apple, a touch of spice, and a little grapefruit. The mid-palate shows a salty, nutty "on lees" thing and nectarine. The acidity is well-balanced it allows the flavors to unfold but otherwise stays out of the way.The SummaryIf you are looking to explore California Chardonnay the Trader Joe's Reserve Carneros Chardonnay 2019 is a must-try.It is a rare opportunity to find a well-made Carneros Chardonnay at a value price.

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The Aruma Malbec 2018 is a joint project between Nicolas Catena and Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) of Bordeaux fame. Both represent families that have been in the wine trade since the 1800s.They created Bodegas Caro is 1999 which is dedicated to growing high altitude (the vineyards 3,000 feet above sea level) focusing on Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Malbec was once a prominent wine in Bordeaux. Problems with disease and pests over the years have led to a decline in Bordeaux Malbec.None of the issues that plagued French Malbec exist high up in the Andes foothills. Argentinean vineyards are planted above the line where pests can flourish and the mountain plateaus provide plenty of uninterrupted, intense sunlight.The days can be quite warm and the mountain nights are very cool which provides the grapevines ideal conditions. Heat up during the day, calm down and cool down at night, then repeat.Aruma, which translates to "Night" in the local indigenous language is Bodegas Caro's entry-level offering. I think it lists for $15 and should be found at a high volume wine shop for $12 to $13.This Malbec is produced in the drink-it-now style, meaning drink it when you buy it. It will not necessarily improve with age if you cellar it, so it is not wise to wait to drink it.Aruma Malbec 2018 is fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in cement tanks. It has enough intense flavor and natural tannins that it does need oak barrel conditioning. Cement tanks keep the wine at a constant temperature, they are less affected by outside temps than steel tanks or wooden barrels.Wine loves to be aged at constant temperature and humidity which is why caves are seen at the ideal place to store wine. I always find value-priced wines produced by wineries that focus on more expensive offerings to be interesting. They seem to have a different philosophy than wine made by value-wine producers. The alcohol content is 14.5%.Aruma Malbec 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a seriously dark raspberry red. The nose is ripe blackberry, black pepper, plum, and soft spice. This Malbec has extracted focused flavors.It starts with rich blackberry, and licorice, black tea, pepper, and soft spice. The mid-palate adds tart cranberry, slightly sweet blueberry, and some dusty tannins.This is one of those wine that with your first glass you think, "this wine is nice." With the second glass, you think, "this wine is very nice." The flavors seem to bloom as the wine opens up.The SummaryThe Aruma Malbec 2018 is an excellent value-produce Malbec. There is plenty going on in the glass, you will not miss the lack of oak barrel aging.

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The Taymar Russian River Chardonnay 2019 is a $7.99 Trader Joe's exclusive produced for them by DNA Vineyards who have made some of the best TJ's wines over the years. DNA Vineyards is Dennis Patton and Andrea Silverstein. Dennis has been a leader in the Mendocino wine industry for forty years and Andrea has been in the industry for 25 years and a part of DNA Vineyards since 2008. Here is a link to DNA Vineyards showing their Trader Joe's wines and their own wines.The Russian River Valley AVA is a premier Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing region. The Russian River started out following east-west but long ago a massive earthquake caused the river to take a sharp right turn going north, It now runs thru Sonoma and Mendocino to the Washington State border.While DNA Vineyards has long been a Mendocino based wine company they purchased a vineyard in the Sonoma Russian River AVA in 2012. The Taymar Russian River Chardonnay 2019 is not sourced from their estate vineyard, but the grapes are taken from a single well-known Russian River grower.The Taymor is a 2019 vintage which would categorize this Chardonnay as a young wine. You could probably wait 2 or 3 years to drink this Chard, but the sooner the better. waiting will not yield better results it is ready to go, right now.One of the fun things about Trader Joe's wines is that you get to sample wines from top-notch growing regions at an extremely low price. Russian River Valley AVA Chardonnay does not sell for $7.99. At this price, it probably was not produced with the exact same techniques as a $20 Russian River Chardonnay. It was made to a drink-it-now style, but it was made with the same grapes as the more expensive wines.The difference between a $10 wine and a $20 wine is not a good or bad situation. Drink-it-now style wines have less complicated production and are designed to come together quickly and be ready for sale sooner than more complicated wines.It is the difference in style that causes the difference in price. not a good wine, bad wine thing. Wines are in the drink-it-now everyday style are the largest selling wines in the world. The reason is not simply the lower price. There are a great many drink-it-now wines that are truly tasty.So, the Taymar Russian River Chardonnay 2019 seems to be a wine made from grapes that usually make it into more expensive wines but now are made in a more affordable style. It gives you a taste of what the Russian River Chardonnay is all about without the price tag. The alcohol content is a ripe 14.3%.Taymar Russian River Chardonnay 2019 tasting NotesThe color is a very pale wheat yellow. You can sometimes tell how much oak barrel aging a Chardonnay has by how dark the yellow coloring is. A $7.99 Chardonnay does not figure to have an extensive oak program if oak barrels were used at all. The nose is really nice, this has one of those fruit stands at harvest aromas, there is apple, peach, pear, lemon, lime, even banana, and a little tropical fruit, all bright and juicy.This is a Chardonnay with an engaging mouthfeel and full, husky flavors. It tastes of a stew of apple, melon, and lemon, followed by peach. The mid-palate offers vanilla, a salty, nutty sensation, pear, and guava.This is not an oaky Chardonnay, it has some oak flavors, but whatever oak flavoring is here is lightly done. Even though this Chardonnay is not oak heavy there is weight to its flavors. With modern heating and cooling, there really aren't warm weather and cool weather wines anymore. But I would say this is a fall or winter Chardonnay.The SummaryThe Taymar Russian River Chardonnay 2019 is an excellent $7.99 Chardonnay.At this price, it is hard to say anything against it. It tastes great, it has grapes that you rarely see at this price point and was produce by folks with 40 years in the wine industry.Don't pass this one up.

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The La Burgondie Brut Rosé is an $11.99 Trader Joe's import Sparkling wine made in the Traditional Method with grapes farmed in the Burgundy region of France. This is a Cremant which is French for Sparkling wine or Bubbly.The grapes used in this Cremant are 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Gamay. If you are not familiar with Burgundy the southernmost growing region is Beaujolais which produces wine with the Gamay grape. The northernmost region is Champagne, which, well, you know what they are famous for.Burgundy, in the middle, is the home of some of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the world. The La Burgondie Brut Rosé is made with the same production techniques as Champagne. With that method, the final fermentation, where the bubbles are created, occurs in each and every bottle. An important difference between Champagne and Cremant is that the 2nd fermentation must last at least 18 months in Champagne, while this Cremant is only required to have 9 months of aging. Winemakers will often age their wines beyond the minimum.Trader Joe's import wines can often have mysterious patronage, but we know who produced this Bubbly. Bailly-Lapierre is a group of 430 grape growers who have been producing Cremant since the 1970s. They are very well regarded and produce 3,500,000 bottles of Bubbly per year.Trader Joe's has a price advantage over the typical wine retail shop. For one thing not only is Trader Joe's nationwide store in the US, but it is also ALDI Nord (North) is Europe and other places. They have an almost worldwide sales reach. Wine shops are usually confined to a city or a state. Supermarket chains can have a larger reach, but they do not typically focus on their own brands.Trader Joe's does not advertise or market their products other than the in-house Fearless Flyer and their distribution costs are reduced. I do not have information on every deal they have with wineries, but they often pay for the wine on delivery which allows them to negotiate a better price.The La Burgondie Brut Rosé at $11.99 may well be the equivalent to a Sparkling wine with a price closer to twenty dollars. It is difficult to make exact comparisons, but Bailly-Lapierre sells a Brut Rose' under their own label that lists for $24. How similar that wine is to the La Burgondie isn't clear.What is known is that Burgundy is an outstanding location for Pinot Noir grapes and this Sparkling wines producer makes quality wine. A Brut Buubly is wine talk for a dry or not sweet wine and the alcohol content is 12%.The La Burgondie Brut Rosé Tasting NotesThe color is Barbie doll pink with a hint of amber and the bubbles are plentiful. The nose is strawberry seltzer, ripe black cherry, faint crusty bread, and cherry hard candy.This is a crisp, delicate Bubbly, with excellent acidity. It tastes of tart, slightly sour cherry, a hint of vanilla, nectarine, and just a touch of yeasty bread. The mid-palate adds sharp cranberry, a little spice, cherry cough drops, and salt.For a Bubbly that has very light and delicate flavors, it is especially tasty and the acidity calls you to take another sip.The SummaryThe La Burgondie Brut Rosé is a very controlled Bubbly. Everything is right where it is supposed to be. That is not typical of value-priced Sparkling wine. Cheap Bubbles are often tasty and loads of fun, but rarely elegant and sophisticated.I am partial to Pinot Noir based Bubbly and La Burgondie does not let me down.This is Trader Joe's sleeper Bubbly. It looks like all the other value Sparkling wines on the shelve, the label gives nothing away. But this is a very solid example of a Cremant from Burgundy at a bargain price.

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The Lange Twins Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 is an Estate grown Zinfandel sourced from vineyards in the Lodi AVA of California's Central Valley. The Lange Twins are identical twins Brad and Randall Lange, their family have farmed in Lodi since the 1870s and first purchased vineyards in 1916.They are the 4th generation farming grapes with the 5th generation also part of the family business. It is not uncommon for Lodi wineries and vineyards to trace their roots back to the 1800s. While it is not unheard of in other California growing regions, it is almost typical for Lodi.The term "Old Vine" is not a legal definition the usual interpretation is 40 years plus. But in Lodi, many vineyards survived Prohibition because the Catholic Church had an exemption for communion wine. The Church went through a great deal of wine, but the authorities looked the other way.The White Zinfandel craze of the 1960s, it was a semi-sweet Rose' wine, caused many Zinfandel vineyards to be planted to keep up with demand. Those vineyards may not have been highly regarded at the time they have become but after 60+ years they are sought after vineyards.So, why "Old Vines"? The simple and short explanation is grapes need to struggle to develop complexity. Some of the best vineyards in the world are situated on land that provides the bare minimum of nutrition and water for the vines to survive and thrive. Older grape vines struggle they same way older folks have a harder time doing what they did in their younger days.The 2017 vintage in Lodi was the first one after California's extended drought and the late summer and early fall were extremely warm. So the grapes had a long growing season. For most grapes a long growing season is a very good thing, it allows the grapes to fully ripen with the most complexity.This Zinfandel was taken from the Lange Twins best performing vineyards. The wine was aged in mainly American oak barrels. They did not specify the length of aging, but the 2017 vintage is the current vintage, so it has had a pretty good amount of age for a wine that lists at $15 and I found for $12.99. The alcohol content is 15%.The Lange Twins Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 Tasting NotesThe color some serious purple with a clear halo. The nose is raspberry and spice, blackberry and black pepper, cold mocha coffee, and French vanilla. This is a full-flavored Zinfandel, half sophisticated and half rustic, kind of how I like it.The Lange Twins Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 tastes of a stew of blackberry and licorice, plum and herbs, and a slap of spice. The mid-palate shows raisin spice, chocolate powder, tart cranberry, and ripe strawberry. The tannins do not get in the way (they rarely do in modern value wine) and the acidity allows the flavors to unfold. There is a soft, rounded mouthfeel that contrasts well with the tart flavors and the shocks of spice. The finish is full and long.The SummaryThe Lange Twins Old Vine Zinfandel 2017 is an excellent Zinfandel.There are some great Zinfandel producers in other parts of California that mainly produce up-scale Zins. They have great reputations and deservedly so. But I like my Lodi Zinfandel.Not only are they usually less expensive, but I am a fan of the Lodi style. That is not to say the Lodi ZIns are all the same, they are not. But there is usually this classy meets farmhouse vibe that they have.I love that style, it is typically delicious, and that it is often to always less expensive is a great bonus.

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The Riff Pinot Grigio 2019 is an organic inexpensive (around ten bucks) Pinot Grigio sourced from vineyards in the Delle Venezie DOC of northern Italy. The vineyards are situated in the Dolomites which are part of the Southern Alps Mountain Range.The Delle Venezie is a White wine grape growing region and they grow as many German grape varietals and Italian varietals. Alto Adige is included in this region and it is considered the prime Pinot Grigio region. Riff Pinot Grigio is a brand from Aldis Lageder and this is a certified organic wine everywhere except the United States. It is a wine made from organically grown grapes but their certification paperwork in the US has not been completed.This Pinot Grigio is also vegan and vegetarian friendly. If you wonder why would something made from grapes not be vegetarian? Wineries traditionally "fined" the wine with egg products. To "fine" the wine is to remove the solids in the finished wine. Vegetarian-friendly wine uses minerals to fine the wine.The Riff Pinot Grigio 2019 is a "young" wine, meaning a wine with just a little aging and meant to be consumed shortly after purchase. The website says if properly stored it will last two to three years, but I think it is best not to wait.As a young wine is was fermented in stainless steel vats and then aged for about four months (on lees). On lees is an important White wine term, it means the dead yeast and grape residue is left in the tank while aging. The "lees" are stirred to give the wine a creamy texture. Stirred a little, not so much, stirred a lot, very creamy. On lees also adds a nutty, salty flavor. The alcohol content is 12.5%.Riff Pinot Grigio 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a very pale wheat yellow. The nose is fresh and delicate, there is lemon, melon, green apple, peach, Anjou pear, light spice, and dried pineapple bits. This is a light, but tasty Pinot Grigio with mouth-watering acidity.It tastes of a mix of peach, grapefruit, lemon, and apple, the flavors make a nice stew. The mid-palate shows some of that nutty, salty thing from the on lees, a hint of spice, and juicy pear. The acidity does not bite, I have had value Pinot Grigio where the acidity can burn, but it well controlled here.The SummaryThe Riff Pinot Grigio 2019 is a fine everyday Pinot Grigio. Maybe not as intricate as the more expensive Alto Adige Pinot Grigio, but not too far off, either.It has that acidity I like that gets you reaching for the next sip sooner than you think.This Pinot Grigio has a very "clean" flavor profile.

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The 30 Miles Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ALDI is a $14.99 store exclusive. That is about all I know about this wine. I can usually do some sleuthing and figure out who made Trader Joe's wine. But ALDI does things a little differently.With Trader Joe's wines, I can do a trademark search and find out which producer holds the trademark. That does not completely tell me who made the wine, but it is a start, a solid clue. ALDI owns the trademark for their wines. They can change wineries if conditions and costs change and still keep the wine brand they have promoted for years.I was hesitant to pay 15 bucks for an ALDI wine, but their $19.99 Champagne was one of my favorite wines from 2019. Typically an $8 dollar store brand is the equivalent to a $10 to $12 retail wine. The difference between an $8 to $12 can be significant. Taking a chance on a store brand that you know nothing about is a good, safe bet at that price point.The difference between a $15 wine and a $20 is not always noticeable. Sometimes it is a higher status AVA or a more established winery, but the wines themselves do not have that many changes. So a $15 store brand, with zero available production information needs to be significantly better than the competition to take the leap of faith.I have had pretty good luck with ALDI wine so that means something. But what can we figure out about this Napa Cab? It is a 2017 vintage which is a decent amount of aging for this price range. The front label only says "Napa" and not a sub-AVA so it seems to be sourced from more than one Napa AVAIf a wine is sourced from Napa grapes you could show California as the place of origin. A winery wouldn't do that it makes no marketing sense, but they could. They can use a more broad location if they wish, but not a more narrow one if it is not warranted. There is a Cabernet Sauvignon grape glut in Napa and Sonoma that is further aggravated by the COVID 19 crisis shutting down restaurants and large gatherings. The major outlets for expensive Cabs are closed off for 2020. You can keep most of these Cabernet Sauvignons aging for another year, but then you start stacking up next year's release.The economic troubles of 2008 caused pressures on the wine industry that helped Trader Joe's make their reputation with wines sold off for a quick cash infusion. Is the 30 Miles Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ALDI a product of the Napa Cabernet glut? It seems to have been released sometime in 2019 (my ALDI only recently stocked this wine), but since ALDI owns the Trademark is this a different newer version? Do not know, just hope it is worth the higher price. The alcohol content is 14.3%.30 Miles Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ALDI Tasting NotesThe color is a pretty, shimmering black cherry red. The nose is ripe dark berries, spice, dark chocolate, plum, black pepper, and oaky vanilla. This is a silky, smooth Cabernet, sleek and fruit-forward, with interesting spice accents.It tastes of blackberry, vanilla, creamy chocolate, exotic spice, licorice, and juicy plum. The mid-palate offers blueberry, tea, and orange zest. This is a very balanced wine, all the transitions are smooth and the flavors flow seamlessly into each other. The tannins are sweet and the acidity does its job well.The SummaryThe 30 Miles Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ALDI is a very solid, tasty Cabernet. It is well worth its $14.99 price tag.I expect a 15 dollar Cab to be good. There is enough of a budget for a legit oak aging program and you would expect the wine to have the full production techniques.With that said, the 30 Mile Napa Cabernet drinks very well, good flavor, and wonderful balance.

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The Deep Valley Red Blend 2018 is a $5.99 Trader Joe's exclusive sourced from vineyards in Mendocino County. Deep Valley is not an AVA inside Mendocino, it is a local name for the region around the town of Ukiah.This Red blend, Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Syrah, was produced by the custom wine department of one of the oldest wineries in Mendocino. Since they didn't put their name on this wine I won't name them, but there is a national trademark registry website that lists the owner of brand names.Just because a well-known winery made a custom wine for a store such as Trader Joe's does not mean that the wine is something the winery would sell under their own name. Often the style of wine and the price point is dictated by the customer. The Custom wine department is making wine to the customer's specifications, The wine can be very different from their usual offerings, though I expect the quality to stay the same.Mendocino is north of Sonoma County and west of Lake County in the North Coast AVA. The coastal vineyards produce fine Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, while the more inland valleys are known for Bordeaux and Rhone-style grapes.Normally I would think that $5.99 is a little too cheap for a full-bodied Red wine. But Trader Joe's has some price advantages over retail store wines. There is no advertising and marketing budget, they do not need the full distribution services, and they often pay for the wine upfront, which will get you a discount. So a Trader Joe's wine will match up with a retail wine selling for several dollars more.There is not any technical information available for the Deep Valley Red Blend 2018, but the back label says it is rich and bold and suggests pairing with stews and grilled steak. It is a 2018 vintage which would indicate it did not have extended oak aging, not that you would expect that at this price point.I read in Wine Folly that Petite Sirah, Merlot, and Syrah are some of the least expensive grapes to buy. They can make great wines, it is just that the demand is less than grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Seeing less expensive to buy but good quality grapes in an inexpensive Red blend is a good sign. They cut costs but in a way that does not affect quality. The alcohol content is 14.5%.Deep Valley Red Blend 2018 Tasting NotesThe color is a barely see-thru black cherry red. The nose is bright red and dark berries, slightly herbal, with black pepper, oak spice, and spearmint. This is a fruit-forward and lightly spicy red blend.It starts with a mix of extracted blackberry and sweet/sour raspberry, followed by chocolate, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds ripe, soft plum, sharp spice, and black cherry. This a food wine, it sips fine, it isn't a delicious wine, but it tastes fine. But it will balance nicely with burgers, pizza, burritos, and such.The SummaryThe Deep Valley Red Blend 2018 is a legit $5.99 food wine.This is a sort of wine that you can pair with good carry-out food.Or just drink it, it is a solid Tuesday night just because wine.

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The Fleur de Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 is a $6.99 Trader Joe's exclusive. If Napa Valley is not your first thought when you think of American Sauvignon Blanc, that is ok because Napa has concentrated on the other Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon.But back in the 1960s, Robert Mondavi kick-started they whole Sauvignon Blanc craze with a wine he called Fume Blanc. The story I heard is that he could not sell his Sauvignon Blanc wine, nobody knew what it was. So he gave it a name change and promoted the wine until it caught on. So if you are a Sauv Blanc fan you can thank Mr. Mondavi for his efforts.This is a Trader Joe's own brand wine so the who, what, when, and where of this wine is not known. There is a National Trademark Registry website that you can Google to find. You may be able to find who holds the Fleur de Napa trademark, but with brand wines that do not always tell you who actually produced the wine.The store itself or a third party may own the name. That way if they build a following for the brand they can keep it going if there is a contract dispute with the winery or they need to keep costs in check.The Fleur de Napa Sauvignon Blanc is 2019 vintage which indicates that this is a "young wine" meaning that it had a fairly short aging period and is made to be consumed near the time it was purchased. Cellaring this wine or waiting a few months before drinking will not improve it. With young wines, the sooner is the better.A quick check of the web showed a typical Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc selling in the $15 range. Since it does figure that the vineyards used for those wines are likely the same vineyards used for the Fleur dr Napa, this wine is we;;-priced at $6.99.These young Sauv Blancs are simply produced wines, they do not need fancy techniques and complicated aging. Take good grapes, keep the winemaking simple and Sauvignon Blanc wines can shine bright. The alcohol content is 14%.Fleur de Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 Tasting NotesThe color is a fairly clean, shiny, wheat yellow. The nose is a very pretty, bright tropical fruit, peach, pear, apple lime and lemon, with a touch of fresh spice. This Sauv Blanc has a syrupy mouth-feel, it has some weight on the palate.It tastes of a mix of grapefruit, green apple, and peach, there is a salty sensation (aged for a while "on lees"?), stone fruit, a light grassy flavor, and lime from a Gin and Tonic. The acidity is good, not quite lip-smacking good, but close. You will be reaching for another sip before you know it.The SummarySauvignon Blanc, Napa Calley, $6.99, what else do you need to know.A great drink-it-now, Tuesday night wine. The Fleur de Napa Sauvignon Blanc 2019 drinks like a more expensive (young) Sauv Blanc, but is bargain priced.

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