The 2011 J W Morris Gewurztraminer is a $3.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. J W Morris is one of Bronco Wines (2 Buck Chuck) multitude of wine labels. Bronco Wines is very focused on keeping production costs down so there is rarely any promotional material available on the making of their wines. I will say this about Trader Joe’s, they routinely get people who have never heard of any wine grapes other than Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to drink wines made from less well known or regional grapes. You hear people complain that there are better wines made from the same grape available at the local mainstream wine shop, but that is beside the point (and in many cases, very debatable). There is a whole generation of wine drinkers that have been turned on to wines made from a wide variety of grapes made in the whole spectrum of winemaking countries by Trader Joe’s and these are people that the mainstream wine sellers never found an effective way to influence. This Gewurztraminer was sourced from more than one California grape growing AVA and the alcohol content is 12.5%.
The color is very pale lite beer yellow with a slight amber tint. The nose is pink lemonade, pineapple juice and tart rock candy, it is a pretty aroma, it reminds me of the spring day. This is a light bodied wine with a slightly oily mouthfeel. It is a touch on the sweet side, but not cloyingly so. The flavors are light and delicate, canned pears in light syrup, fresh peach, lime juice, lemon chiffon, sour gummi candy and a faint mineral edge at the end. No real mid palate or transition, what you get up front is all there is, but the flavors up front are pleasing. The sweet and the sour mix well and there is a decent amount of relatively balanced acidity running thru the body of the wine. The finish is light but manages to linger for a while.
The J Morris Gewurztraminer is a terrific back porch or party wine. Serve it well chilled, there are no off flavors, it tends toward the sweet side of things, but the sour flavors balance out the sweet flavors. This isn’t a food wine, unless you are having very spicy food and need something to put the fire out. This is a balcony on a hot simmer night wine or an open up a few bottles when friends stop by (at 4 bucks a bottle, $20 bucks buys you a party) kind of wine. A few years back, I dreaded drinking under $5 wine, you just never knew what you were going to get, but in the last couple of years very inexpensive wine has become downright competent.
The 2011 is much drier than the 2010 was, which is OK, if a dry Gewürztraminer is your kind of thing…
The 2011 Gewurztraminer is a great wine at a low price. I’ve tried all ages and prices and this one is a true find. Thanks Trader Joe’s.
I used to buy JW Morris White Zinfidel At Trader Joes, But they stopped srlling it a couple of years ago. Is there anywhere in the Chicagoland area where I can Buy it? Or did they stop making it?
Mistakenly bought this wine as it was put in the Shaw Sauvignon Blanc location..When I got home I found the mistaken purchase, but was interested to taste the new wine. It was terrible, way too sweet. I would never buy this, in fact I through it down the sink. 🙁
Now what do we do now that TJ’s no longer carry this wine?
Why does trader joes not have the j w morris gwurtwminer anymore?
I fell in love with this wine a few years ago and was surprised a few months ago when TJs was no longer carrying it. I now get the BlueFin Gewurztraminer which tastes great. One of the store associates told me they replaced it with this, don’t know if that’s true but it tastes fine to me. Price went up a bit, but that’s okay, I still purchase 6 bottles at a time and they don’t last very long. I also tried this other one, a 2012 Vintjs…..extremely dry and bitter. So for those who don’t like the sweet Gewurztraminer, this one is for you. There will be plenty there because I’m certainly not buying it…
I wonder if you can still get the J.W. Morris brand online or somewhere else…
Why don’t you carry the J.W. Morris wines anymore? Is there anyplace else in Phoenix where it is available? It is available online?
Trader Joe PLEASE bring back JW Morris Gewirtztraminer!!!
Here is a link to Bronco Wines and JW Morris website http://classicwinesofcalifornia.com/jwmorris.html
The Gewurztraminer is no longer listed