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The Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc 2022 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s wine and is the same price as it was in 2012 when we first reviewed this brand. In places where there are no Trader Joe’s stores, this wine can sell for $11.99. The back label mentions this wine was “vinted and bottled by” Trader Moon Wine Company, Manteca, California. Manteca is the home of the Delicato Family Wines who are known for Gnarly Head wines (along with several other brands), the recently purchased Coppola Wines, and they own vineyards in Napa and Monterey.
The 2012 vintage of Bay Moon was sourced from vineyards in the Monterey AVA while the 2022 vintage only says Californi on the label. The back label says the grapes came from coastal vineyards (Manteca is in the Lodi AVA and Lodi is not coastal). That would leave the Central Coast AVA and the North Coast AVA.
We thought the 2012 Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc was an excellent inexpensive wine, but that was ten years ago and I have no recollection of that wine. The 2012 version was 13.5% on the alcohol and the Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc is 2022%, so the sourcing and the wine production seem to have changed over the years.
This is a young wine fermented in stainless steel vats with only a few weeks or months of aging. It is made to be consumed within the first year of release. Allowing the Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc 2022 to age will not produce better results.
The Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc 2022 Tasting Notes
The color is pale yellow with a hint of green. The nose is bright and alive, there are notes of lemon, melon, grass, grapefruit, nectarine, and tropical fruit. The Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc 2022 has good acidity and a stew of citrus and fruit flavors.
This Sauvignon Blanc tastes like apple, pineapple, grapefruit, lime, and melon. The mid-palate offers a soft splash of spice, pear, juicy peach, and a hit of tangy tropical fruit. The acidity is very well-balanced, and this $5.99 wine has good length.
The Summary
- The Bay Moon Sauvignon Blanc 2022 was a bargain 10 years ago and is an excellent bargain today.
- It is more subdued than the Sauvignon Blanc of New Zealand and not as bright as the Sauv Blanc from the Loire Valley, but it holds its own in the flavor category.
- This $5.99 Trader Joe’s White wine is well worth drinking.
