A Red Wine full of Pleasant Surprises – and just $7.99 at Trader Joe’s

Fast facts:

• 2020 Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Single Vineyard Syrah, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina  ($7.99 @Trader Joe’s; California)

Argentina is regarded as one of the most dynamic wine-producing nations in the world, and the most important wine-producing region in South America. Only four countries in the world produce more wine than Argentina, but this wine is more about quality than mere quantity.

Within Argentina,the  Mendoza region is the most important. And its Uco Valley is widely considered one of the top wine regions in Mendoza, and all of Argentina

As most of our readers know, here Malbec (among other Bordeaux varietals) reigns supreme.  But today’s featured wine is a relatively rare Syrah bottling from the region.

The first thing that caught our eye after the magic words “Uco Valley” were two others: “single vineyard”.  The latter is almost always a good thing to see on a wine label. As we so often say when looking for great wine finds, we are looking for clues.

We were not disappointed. On the contrary, we were happy to find this one bottled as a Petit Reserve when it had the right stuff to be included in the more costly Trader Joe’s Reserve program.

In the Uco Valley, climate and geography elements come together to provide excellent fruit ripening and concentration, developing colors, aromas, flavors and textures that result in wines that are deep in color, intense in aromas and rich in flavors.  This wine from Trader Joe’s is no exception:

Tasting Notes:

Medium to deep ruby in the glass.  Assertive aromas of savory herbs, cassis, black currant and hay. These follow through upon tasting, with additional flavors of ripe red fruit, blackberry and oak, and even some notes of bacon fat that we enjoy so much in a well put together Syrah.  Finishes dry and fruity. Would pair well with soft cheeses and roasted meats.

If you are lucky enough to find this label in your local Trader Joe’s, put several in your cart.  Trust us on this one. This is a wine that is going to disappear quickly.  We are sure of it. Heck, we are going to help making it so by stocking our own cellar.

If you’re  shopping finds you at Trader Joe’s, keep an eye out for our Lucky 13 list of TJ’s wine.

If you’re headed to Costco soon, you can find our most recent reviews of Costco wines here in our Lucky 13 list.

Happy hunting!

Cheers!