Fast facts:
- 2020 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier (California) $11.99 (@Trader Joe’s; California)
I have to admit that the first time I encountered this wine in the wilds of the Trader Joe’s wine section, I was puzzled. I knew Pine Ridge well, but exclusively as a producer of fine and expensive ($65 to $225 per bottle) Napa Cabernet Sauvignon.
Heck, this is how their own website describes themselves:
“Since our founding in 1978, Pine Ridge Vineyards has become known for elegant Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the heart of Stags Leap District in Napa Valley.”
Nonetheless, the winery has been inexplicably (at least to me) churning out fairly large quantities of this white wine blend of two relatively obscure and/or undervalued grape varieties. And take note that this is not Napa juice. But that is not to say that is is not a delicious wine that has a really high QPR. Bonus: it pairs really well with more difficult cuisines like spicy Asian dishes.
Tasting Notes:
Crisp, bright, and vivacious, this aromatic white blend boasts a bouquet of honeysuckle, lemon lime, yuzu, and ginger spice. The entry is both crisp and clean, exhibiting refreshing acidity and roundness, opening to flavors of lemon curd, fig, honeysuckle, lemongrass, and ripe melon. This delicious wine has vicsocity in the mid-palate and finishes clean and long with a lingering hint of honeydew melon.
This is not our first time reviewing this wine. You can find a review of the 2016 vintage as well as another CB+V blend you can still find at Trader Joe’s. It strikes a nice balance between Sauvignon Blanc and an unoaked Chardonnay. If you are intimidated by not being familiar with the grape varieties, well, get over it.
If your weekend preparations find you shopping at your local TJ’s, also keep an eye out for our Lucky 13 list of TJ’s wine. It’s a shopping list comprised of our most recent reviews.
If you’re headed to Costco soon, you can find our most recent reviews of Costco wines here in our Lucky 13 list of Costco wine finds.
Cheers!