The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2020 is a $7.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from grapes grown in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. There is a chart at Trader Joe’s that says Petit Reserve wine equals retail wines selling in the $12 to $15 range. A quick check of the web showed several Barossa Shiraz wines in that category, so it looks like TJ’s is correct.
It has been a few years since Australian Shiraz wines went viral, they were a hot commodity 10 or 12 years ago. What goes up must come down and Shiraz wines have been quiet for the last few years. The Barossa Valley is located inland off a bay in South Australia. It is maybe the premier growing region in Australia and the best Red wines from Barossa can be aged for decades.
The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2020 back label says this wine was vinted and bottled by Portavan SA which is a wine support company. They have a mobile bottling line, they do airplane wine and keg wines. Interestingly enough, one of their services is taking a label off a bottle and replacing it with a new label.
Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape, it just picked up a slightly different name in Australia. Trader Joe’s offers no production information concerning the making of this Red wine. And they did not leave a lot of clues.
One clue that stands out is the Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2020 has a real cork. The majority of value-priced wines have composite or some sort of plastic cork. High-end wineries use better corks, so when you see an inexpensive brand of wine with a real cork you think the wine may have been produced by one of the better wineries.
A wine from the 2020 vintage is about right for a $12 to $15 Barossa Shiraz and a 14.6% alcohol content is lighter compared to some of the leading Barossa Shiraz from a decade ago.
The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2020 Tasting Notes
The color is an inky black cherry red, almost purple. The nose is rich blackberry, molasses, soft spice, cherry, clove, faint French vanilla, and strawberry. The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2020 has a soft, smooth mouthfeel, with ripe flavors and rougher textures.
This Shiraz tastes like ripe sweet cherry and rich extracted blackberry, a touch of coffee with cream, a shot of spikey spice, and black pepper. The mid-palate adds blueberry, a little brush of rougher herbs, and vanilla. The tannins are sweet and the acidity is well-balanced.
The Summary
- The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2020 is a very solid $7.99 Red wine. it does taste more like a wine closer to $15.
- If you are a fan of California ZInfandel there is a veru good chance you will really enjoy the Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2020
