Hey, hey!
Bottom Line: Tough to argue the value proposition this wine presents. Very respectable. Good value. $14
The Rest Of The Story: No surprise that TJ's is private labeling wine, too. It's their model and, after all, they've got the ability to move serious quantities. Just ask Fred Franzia, father of Two Buck Chuck.
But a recent trip to Trader Joe's revealed an interesting development - their private label wines are going higher market. This wine (and a couple of others we saw) are made by the respected Mazzocco Winery in Dry Creek which in an ongoing supplier to Trader Joe's. On a brief call to the winery we learned that the wines being made for TJ's are of separate and broader origin than Mazzocco's own, so it's not as though the winery is just selling off its excess capacity in bulk. Still, the same skilled hands are assembling this product...
So, how is it? Easily worth $14 but/and will be better in 5 years. A cut above most $20 Cabs, this one's got all the right stuff with a nod towards serious quality. Mouth-coating tannins, vanilla oak, good grip, a nut of chocolate, and a tight finish. Certainly more than expected from Trader Joe's. Warm, generous, and packing a it of a punch, it's moderately extracted, but not over the top.
The Rest Of The Story: No surprise that TJ's is private labeling wine, too. It's their model and, after all, they've got the ability to move serious quantities. Just ask Fred Franzia, father of Two Buck Chuck.
But a recent trip to Trader Joe's revealed an interesting development - their private label wines are going higher market. This wine (and a couple of others we saw) are made by the respected Mazzocco Winery in Dry Creek which in an ongoing supplier to Trader Joe's. On a brief call to the winery we learned that the wines being made for TJ's are of separate and broader origin than Mazzocco's own, so it's not as though the winery is just selling off its excess capacity in bulk. Still, the same skilled hands are assembling this product...
So, how is it? Easily worth $14 but/and will be better in 5 years. A cut above most $20 Cabs, this one's got all the right stuff with a nod towards serious quality. Mouth-coating tannins, vanilla oak, good grip, a nut of chocolate, and a tight finish. Certainly more than expected from Trader Joe's. Warm, generous, and packing a it of a punch, it's moderately extracted, but not over the top.
