The 2010 Cocobon Red is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. We reviewed the 2009 Cocobon Red and we thought it was a good bargain. All wines vary from vintage to vintage, even wines sourced from the same vineyards and made by the same winemaker, with Trader Joe’s under $10 wines, since they are buying grapes on the open market, who grew the grapes and where they were grown can change with every bottling. Cocobon may be the exception, it is produced by UnderDog Wine Merchants, the makers of Cupcake Wine and Spirits, along with Big House Wines (and many other labels). Cocobon’s winemaker, Georgetta Dane, took over the wine blending chores for Big House Wines from Randall Grahm, the man behind Bonny Doon Wines, those were big shoes to fill and she has done well. Like many Trader Joe’s exclusive bottling’s there is very little information available on the grapes that went into the blend and how the wine was made. The label says this as a California wine which indicates that the grapes were grown in more than one grape growing AVA. The alcohol content is 13%.
The color is a crystal clear garnet red. The nose is cherries, raspberry, a whiff of smoke, a floral bouquet and Nestles Quik powder. Medium bodied with tasty, jammy fruit flavors. It starts off with black cherry and a thin layer of dark chocolate, followed by sweet strawberry and herbs. The mid palate shows plum and raspberry iced tea. The tannins are soft and hidden in the blend and the acidity shows itself in the finish were it helps a mild finish linger for a respectable time.
I have only sampled a few Georgetta Dane wine blends, but I have been impressed with each one, she really gets the most out of the grapes available to her. No $7 wine should be this tasty, it does not have much depth, but to be complaining about that in a seven dollar is a complement. This a full flavored everyday wine at a price that real people can drink every day (for your livers sake take a break once in a while).
