The question: Can you find a decent bottle of red wine at Trader Joe’s for less than ten bucks?
Since Laurie Cavanaugh asked about good, cheap reds, I thought I’d see if I could provide the answer. So off to my local TJ’s I went, in search of likely candidates. I came home with nine bottles, ranging from $4.99 to $9.99. Two Cotes du Rhones, two Cabernets, one Merlot, three Zinfandels, and one Petite Sirah.
With the exception of the Petite Sirah, all of these wines came from a specific place. None were generic Californians, they all were grown in well-known wine regions, with good track records for producing great examples of each wine. OK, the Russian River Valley really isn’t known for great Merlot, but it makes great wines, so I took a shot. Shit, it was only $6.99.
All of the chosen ones were lower alcohol versions of their types. Why, because that’s what I like, and no way do I sniff, sip, swirl and spit my way through nine wines I know I won’t like. And yes, I did spit each taste out, some more happily than others. In between slurps I also noshed on bits of nice La Brea bread.
I tasted each on Saturday, corked them up (without gas) overnight, and tasted them again on Sunday. This was to find out how the wines changed with a good breath of air. I did this because most of them were young wines, and needed a bit of air.
Each wine was judged on its color, nose, taste and finish. Then I rated them on the whole with 0 to 5 stars, and added over all thoughts on each wine. All that said, here’s how the corks fell. Some excelled, some failed, some just laid there. But there were definitely a few I can recommend. Have a look & see what you think.
The Wines
Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Petite Sirah CA 2010 — 13% Alc $4.99
COLOR — Deep purple red, with very slight fading to pink on the edges.
NOSE — Plums, black cherry with a touch of orange peel
TASTE — Black & tart cherry, a touch of plums with bright acid & Med body. A bit light for a Petit Sirah (they’re usually teeth-staining monsters), but very nice.
FINISH — Tart cherry with a touch of orange zest on the juicy, medium length finish. No real tannins.
RATE — 3.5 Stars. Great sip for $4.99 Try it. A good way to discover Petite Sirah.
Perrin Reserve Cotes du Rhone 2009 — 13% Alc $9.99
COLOR — Purple red of med depth
NOSE — Plums black cherry, with a touch of soy sauce, lavender and pepper
TASTE — Deep red cherry & plums with a touch of soy sauce, brush and stones
FINISH — Juicy red cherry, with slight tannins medium weight and length
RATE — 4 Stars Buy it. There are better Cotes du Rhone out there, but for the money, this is a great way to learn about the wine.
Valréas Cuvée Prestige Cotes du Rhone Villages 2009 — 14% Alc $5.99
COLOR — Purple red with slight fading to pink on the edge, medium depth
NOSE — Red cherries, Mission Figs, a bit of lavender crushed black pepper
TASTE — Tart red cherry with a touch of plums, ginger & soy. Medium body
FINISH — Bright and juicy cherry, mouth-watering medium length some tannins
RATE — 3 Stars. Pretty good for $5.99 Try It. A good way to try a Cotes du Rhone
Three Knights Russian River Valley Merlot 2007 — 13.1% Alc $6.99
COLOR — Deep garnet red all the way to the edges
NOSE — Dusty red cherry with a touch of sage and a little vanilla from oak (oak faded with air, and that’s a good sign).
TASTE —Big dusty sweet cherries with a touch of mocha and vanilla, mouth filling (opened overnight, so give this some breath time before drinking).
FINISH — Bright and juicy, very light tannins, cherry/vanilla is the last taste, medium. length Will improve with about two years, but doesn’t need time.
RATE — 4 stars. Buy it. This is silly good for $6.99 I might think it was from Napa. What Merlot should be.
Spiral Wines Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 — 13% Alc $4.99
COLOR — Clear garnet, medium-light depth
NOSE — Vegetal red cherry with a bit of funk. Maybe slightly corked?
TASTE — Vanilla red cherry simple not deep. Nothing to make you think Napa
FINISH — Tart cherry fades quickly with nothing extra. .Some tannins, some bright juiciness
RATE — 1.5 Stars Skip it. Goes to show you can’t get good Napa Cab for $4.99
Trader Joe’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 — 13.7% Alc $9.99
COLOR — Med deep garnet all the way to the edges
NOSE — Dusty, deep currents and red cherries with a bit of sage.
TASTE —Currents and black cherries a hint of vanilla and brush, with a touch of velvety tannins. Smooth, deep and dark.
FINISH —Black cherries & currents and a kiss of vanilla, a touch of dusty tannins at the end, medium body & longer velvety finish
RATE — 4.5 Stars Buy it! Stupid value. An amazing Alex Cab for $9.99! Almost Silver Oak Alex (big, world-famous cab), and I used to collect that wine, at $32+ a bottle! (I quit after`95 because the price jumped & the quality dropped, IMHO) Wine of the First Night. Drank it with dinner.
Hamilton Steven’s Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2009 — 14.5% Alc $8.99
COLOR — Deep red/purple all the way to the edges
NOSE — Vegetal & green, funky a hint of red fruit. This is a Zin?
TASTE — Better than it smells. Vanilla dominates some red cherries. Lots of oak on this, with just a hint of pepper
FINISH — Vanilla & wood from the oak and something green
RATE — 1.5 Stars Skip it. Especially for $9.99 A disappointment.
Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Paso Robles Zinfandel 2010 — 13.5% Alc $4.99
COLOR — Purple medium depth, no fading
NOSE — Crushed red berries, candied cherries and bit of brush
TASTE — Fruity red berries with a bit of vanilla from oak. Simple but nice. Fills the mouth
FINISH — Bright berries and vanilla. Slight tannins. Medium length
RATE — 1.5 Stars Eh. A decent drink for $4.99. Cheerful but nothing special.
Stonehedge Reserve Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel 2008 — 14.5% Alc $9.99
COLOR — Deep purple/red All the way to the edges
NOSE — Minty red cherries, odd for a Zin then green veg
TASTE — Plumy with a bit of red cherries, then lots of vanilla/oak
FINISH — Green and not nice
RATE —0 Stars Skip it Worst wine of the lot. Dumped it out!
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