Fast facts:
- 2022 Motif Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Hills, Lake County California ($4.99 @Trader Joe’s, California)
Our wine of the week (WoW!) is a wow indeed.
Crazy good QPR. Great look. And an interesting/less common appellation. Long time readers will know that this is like catnip for the Vinopointer.
This wine stopped me in my tracks at Trader Joe’s and I didn’t dare have very high expectations for a wine selling for just $4.99. Well, turns out this 90 point (from the credible Wine Enthusiast I might add) wine sells elsewhere for nearly $20. It would be a good value even at that higher price. With any luck, your local TJs is stocking it. It has been years since we have found a wine with this kind of off the charts QPR.
Red Hills is part of the larger Lake County appellation, which is northeast of Napa. Their wines share certain traits with their high-falutin neighbor, especially when it comes to soil and their volcanic origins. You can taste it in their wines.
Soil, climate, and elevation care the keys to understanding Red Hills. More than any other appellation in Lake County, the Red Hills AVA exhibits the influence of the area’s volcanic past. Mt. Konocti, whose peak lies just north of the Red Hills AVA, last erupted 11,000 years ago, but the volcanic activity that created Mt. Konocti is largely responsible for the terrain in this AVA. The earth here includes black obsidian, quartz crystals and volcanic gravel content. It’s rich in iron, which is responsible for its strikingly red color and the region’s name. The average elevation for vineyards in the Red Hills AVA is higher than any other in Lake County. Vineyard elevations range from 1,350 to 2,600 feet, with the majority of the AVA’s acreage planted at or over 2,000 feet. When it comes to vineyards at elevation, remember this: elevation elevates.
Tasting Notes:
Dark ruby in the glass. Notes boyenberry pie and vanilla on the nose. Cinnamon, red plum and black cherry flavors in the mouth. Nice medium body, smooth long finish of espresso, and salt pocked dark chocolate bars. Nicely polished tannins. Unbelievable stuffing for $4.99. Would pair well with hard cheese, vegetarian chili and cuts of lean meats. ABV = 14.5%
We’ll be back next week with a new Wine of the Week. But we’re not sure it’s going to pack as big a WoW! as this one.
Need More Wine Picks from Trader Joe’s – or Costco?
If your search for this wine lands you in Trader Joe’s, take along our handy Lucky 13 list of TJ’s wine here.
And if your wine shopping excursions land you in Costco, prepare by grazing our most recent reviews of Costco wines here in our Lucky 13 list.
Cheers!
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