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The Gearbox Pinot Noir 2020 is $5.99 at Trader Joe’s. This is a wine that had retailed for an average of $15 at wine retailers, though it seems that there has been a recent price reduction occurring. So this may be a wine close-out.
The Gearbox Pinot Noir 2020 is produced by Precision Wine Company, they have several brands of their own wines and have made wine for Trader Joe’s in past vintages. The Gearbox wines include Burgindian-style Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
According to Precision WInes, this is a negociant line of wines. A negotiant buys surplus wine from existing wineries and either relabels the wines or possibly takes smaller lots of surplus wines and blends them into a new unique wine.
There do not seem to be technical notes for this Pinot Noir, but various wine retailers mention the grapes came from Northern California, with mentions of the Carneros AVA and the Clarksburg AVA. The bottle merely says California as the origin, but North Coast Grapes with the addition of Clarksburg grapes would account for that.
The Gearbox Pinot Noir 2020 looks like a wine initially selling for $15 now on Trader Joe’s shelves for $5.99. The alcohol content is 13.8%.
The Gearbox Pinot Noir 2020 Tasting Notes
The color is a see-thru garnet red. The nose is classic old-school California Pinot Noir, there is cherry, mushroom, dried autumn leaves, black pepper, spice, vanilla, and ripe raspberry. The Gearbox Pinot Noir 2020 is smooth with interesting flavors, very unexpected for a wine selling for $5.99.
This Pinot Noir Tastes like black cherry, plum, a shot of spice, blueberry, and toasty vanilla. The mid-palate shows tart cranberry, licorice, a different flavor of spice, orange zest, and a hint of milk chocolate.
The tannins are smooth and sweet and the acidity does its job well.
The Summary
- The Gearbox Pinot Noir 2020 is a can’t-miss bargain at Trader Joe’s for $5.99 price. It was a good Pinot Noir at the original $15 price.
