The Story
The Revelation Pinot Noir 2018 is a Trader Joe’s $7.99 American exclusive sourced from vineyards in the Languedoc region of southeastern France. The Languedoc growing area borders the Mediterranean on the east, the Pyrenees Mountains to the west and Spain to the south. This is a Pays d’Oc (IGP) designated wine which is rated a step below AOC wines. Pays d’Oc is wines that are representative of the region but don’t follow the AOC wine rules and regulations or are grown in vineyards outside the AOC boundaries.
This Pinot Noir is produced by Badet Clément which is a winery founded in the 1990s by two winemakers from the Burgundy region. They produce Estate wines and Brand wines and create 15,000,000 bottles a year. The Révélation does not seem to be a Brand made exclusively for Trader Joe’s since the full line of Révélation wines are available in Great Britan and possibly elsewhere. The Languedoc region is the largest growing region in France producing about a third of all French wine. This is the region were everyday French wine is produced. There are several winemaking regions in France with more acclaim, but this is where the affordable wines are produced.
Pinot Noir isn’t the first wine you think of when you consider Languedoc wines. They grow a wide variety of grapes in the region and most are grapes associated with slightly warmer growing conditions, but the Mediterranean Ocean does offer cooler coastal growing areas. This brand has been in Trader Joe’s for several years, we reviewed the 2010 vintage of the Révélation Cabernet-Merlot blend and thought it was a solid bang for the buck wine, in those days the wine sold for $4.99.
There aren’t any technical notes for the Révélation Pinot Noir 2018, so I don’t have any winemaking details. But I will be interested in how this differs from inexpensive California Pinot Noir, which has undergone a large improvement in quality in the last several years. There was a time when value-priced French Pinot Noir would have outdistanced the California value wine, but at this point, I am not so sure. So the tasting will tell. The alcohol content is 13%.
The Revelation Pinot Noir Tasting Notes
The color is garnet red. The nose is black cherry, herbs, black pepper, spice, and a little mushroom. This is a balanced Pinot Noir, with a silky side and a little bit rougher edge. It starts with tart cherry and slightly sharp spice, followed by plum and herbs. The mid-palate adds ripe black cherry and orange zest, and a surprise salty sensation, and a slightly rough brush of the tannins. This is not the most complicated Pinot Noir, but it is interesting, the balance of fruit and structure is attractive. The finish is lively and while it does fade it lingers for some time.
The Summary
- I liked the Revelation Pinot Noir 2018, while California cheap Pinot Noir has made great strides it was fun to match those up to the cheap French stuff.
- This is a tasty wine, good fruit, good structure.
- The price has increased by three dollars since we first reviewed the 2010 Révélation wine and even with the upcharge it is still a bargain.
