Fast facts:
- 2022 Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville, Napa Valley, California ($19.99 @Trader Joe’s, California)
Oakville is what you could think of as the heart of Napa Valley. It is arguably the most prestigiou$ wine region in America. It includes famous vineyards like ToKalon and Martha’s as well as “cult” and coveted Cabs like Opus One, Groth, Harlan, and Far Niente.
That said, we are not saying that this Trader Joe’s branded Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon is going to hold its own against the aforementioned titans, but we do believe it delivers a higher QPR! And in some ways, it is the antithesis of a Napa Cab. It is not heavily oaked, heavily tannic and heavily extracted. It is a very un-Cab, Cabernet!
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious.
Tasting Notes:
Heady aromas of blackberry and oak, signaling its Napa origins. Pours a nice opaque deep violet. Flavors of blackberries, cassis, blueberry and toast. Unlike more costly Cabs from Oakville, this wine goes light on the tannins and is so medium-bodied, soft and approachable, you’d think it was a red blend, or – gasp! – a Merlot. NOT a bad thing. This wine would pair really well with a mixed grill, roasted red meats, charcuterie or simply a pepperoni pizza. ABV = 15.1%
So you may be asking yourself: “How is it that an Oakville Cab from the decidedly high rent district of Napa ends up in a $20 Trader Joe’s program?’ Well, the answer is: we don’t know. But we can speculate. There are any number of reasons wine doesn’t make the cut when a winery is deciding what is going to be put out under their label, or even their second label. I often like to compare it to making a movie. While the film may ultimately only have a running time of two hours, there are countless hours of film that get left “on the cutting room floor.” The same is true of fine wine. The winery knowingly produces more than they know they will need, if for no other reason than it gives the winemaker much more latitude when it comes to crafting the final blend. The rest, as we say in the trade, gets “bulked out.” Everybody wins. Even us, if we snap up several bottles of this beaut.
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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