Two Killer Deals on Chardonnay – One Costco, the Other Trader Joe’s

Fast Facts:

• 2018 Technique Chardonnay, Knights Valley, Sonoma County, California ($8.99 @Costco, in California – Item #1389461)

• 2018  Revelation Chardonnay, Pays d’Oc, France ($5.99 @Trader Joe’s in California)

More often than not, we feature a wine (or wines) from Trader Joe’s or Costco.  Going forward, look for us to be featuring a pick from Trader Joe’s and Costco in our posts. That’s because not all of you have convenient access to both chains, and in some cases, your local Trader Joe’s may not stock wine. Or maybe you just aren’t planning a trip to your local TJs or Costco anytime soon. Hopefully these changes mean you’ll find something that you can conveniently access in your local area. While we won’t always been angling to feature two wines with so much in common, this week we’re featuring two 2018 Chardonnays. Their heavier weight makes them perfect as the weather cools and we lean into winter. Although these wines were harvested nine time zones apart (one in California and the other in France) they actually are stylistically similar. After all, they are made from the same grape variety. Let’s just they they are not identical twins, but they taste like they might be cousins…

This Week’s Pick from Costco: 

Tasting Notes:

This wine strikes a nice balance between new and old world style Chardonnays, meaning the oak and buttery qualities are present, but restrained. It pours a nice straw color and a whiff of the wine once poured reveals notes of lime zest, pink grapefruit, wet stone and floral notes. Medium-bodied, it has typical notes of oak and butter, alongside light toffee, fall orchard fruits and vanilla. Although the photo doesn’t entirely do it justice, the label (with its copper colored medallion) is lovely and would look right at home for your holiday entertaining.  No matter how you feel about Chardonnay, you can bet that this will be a crowd-pleaser this holiday season since “Chard” is still the best selling white wine in the United States.

This Week’s Pick from Trader Joe’s: 

Tasting notes:

Nice bright golden color. The nose is rich, very aromatic and full of ripe fruit with fresh banana and pear aromas followed by a hint of oak. This medium bodied wine is full and fresh on the palate, featuring flavors of citrus, peach and vanilla pudding. Revelation Chardonnay can be enjoyed as an aperitif and is also a perfect accompaniment with fish with a creamy sauce, seafood and fresh goat’s cheese. Like the Technique Chard above, this wine too has packaging that dresses the wine to impress.

Cheers!