What makes a Napa Chardonnay truly special, and how does an extra year of aging transform its profile? Discover the magic behind Trader Joe’s exclusive Rock Station Napa Chardonnay 2022, as Domain Dave from CheapWineFinder.com shares his tasting journey. With a tantalizing price drop from $15 to just $9.99, this bottle promises an experience filled with layers of coconut, vanilla, melon, apple, peach, and pear, all wrapped in subtle oak undertones. Dave dives into the intriguing story of its family-owned Napa Valley roots, the art of crafting custom labels, and how these elements elevate this Chardonnay.
Join us for a deep exploration of this Napa Valley gem, where an extra year of aging brings out a harmony of flavors that defy its price point. Dave not only shares his tasting notes but also offers insights into the Napa Chardonnay style, known for its oak influence and balanced creaminess. The Rock Station’s connection to a historic stone building adds an extra layer of narrative to this delightful wine. Whether you’re a seasoned wine lover or a curious novice, this episode promises to enrich your understanding and appreciation of Napa’s renowned winemaking legacy.
Check us out at http://www.cheapwinefinder.com
or email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com
0:05
Hey, welcome, it's Domain Dave, again from CheapWineFindercom, another podcast companion for a wine we wrote up on the CheapWineFindercom website. This is the Rock Station Napa Chardonnay 2022. It's a Trader Joe's exclusive wine and it's from Napa Valley. I have who made the wine and all that on the website, if you want to read that, with links to all their websites and whatever.
Speaker 1:
0:43
One thing about this wine and about Trader Joe's wine in general lately is that I've been watching the Fairless Flyer and a lot of the wines they're showing are from last year. I mean, they were released this time last year, before last year. And this wine I'm kind of a nerd on these things. When I try to find out who made it, I go to the California Wine Cooler Registry that's the organization in California that approves the labeling and that type of things on the wine and you can find out who the wine's made from, because it has to be labeled in California and I couldn't find it at first because I was looking for this year and it was last year. So this is a wine that was released last year and I think it initially sold for $15. And now it's $9.99, which is a good deal, because an extra year is an extra year of aging, which isn't a bad thing at all. So what's this wine all about? It's from Napa. It's made by a family-owned wine company from Napa Valley that actually does their own brands and they do a lot of store brands, especially brands. You know, restaurants who have a wine that looks like it's their house wine, that's, you know. They could have made it. But all that, like I said, all the information's on the website in the review.
Speaker 1:
1:54
I'm going to taste this one. Let's see how it is. It's pretty good. It's pretty interesting. Chardonnay it definitely drinks above its $10 price tag. It's $9.99 price tag. There's one little.
Speaker 1:
2:16
This is not clinical by any stretch of the imagination, but if you see Napa Chardonnay there is kind of a house style which means there's going to be oak in it. I mean, and enough that you can taste the oak and there's oak here. That's not overpowering. You get some coconut, you get some vanilla, but it doesn't get into the buttery, cloying thing that it can be. And it hasn't like Napa Chardonnays, other than some really well-known wines, chardonnays that have that as their calling card. They're less, but you can almost. If it says Napa, you can pretty much figure on it having decent oak to it.
Speaker 1:
2:59
This one does. It's got a little bit of creaminess to it. It's got melon. It's got apple. It's got peach and pear and a little bit of creaminess to it. It's got melon. It's got apple. It's got peach and pear and a little bit of melon and some kind of sweet spice and some sweet and sour things going on. It's got flavor. This is not flavor challenged at all.
Speaker 1:
3:24
Take another sip. Actually, I had this wine in the refrigerator Before I popped the top and as it's warming up, more flavors are coming out. It's a really nice wine. If it did sell for $15 last year and it's $9.99 this year, it was probably at $15, an equivalent to maybe an $18, $19, or $20 wine, because Trader Joe's does have some price advantages. So at $9.99, you probably should pick this up. If you see it.
Speaker 1:
3:52
I think they also have a Cabernet Sauvignon for the rock station. The rock station is a stone building on the vineyard, not this vineyard. This is probably not the vineyard of the winery. They probably bought these grapes, but the back label talks more about this building that does about what the wine is. But it doesn't matter because once you taste it you go oh okay, this is a good Napa Valley wine and this is a very nice Napa Valley Chardonnay. It's very clear and see-through, but it has a golden glisten to it. There you go, just had my third sip. I don't give it, I don't give stars numbers anything, but I do take sips. So there you go. This is the Rock Station Napa Chardonnay 2022.
Speaker 1:
4:49
It seems to be last year's wine from Trader Joe's, on sale this year too, but, like I said, not a bad thing. And Trader Joe's on sale this year too, but, like I said, not a bad thing. And Trader Joe's needs to sell out their warehouse so they can get new wines in, because they're kind of slacking on new wines. And there you go. So this is a good wine. If it once cost $15 and is now $10, well, more power to them, because it's now a better bargain than it originally was. So that's it for me. Domain Dave cheapwinefightercom. Like us, we like your podcast, if you will and if you don't. I hardly ever push buttons on that thing too, but if you will, it does help. So, adios, keep it cheap. I'll be talking to everybody. Like I said, we're going to be going off scale and doing bubblies and that type of thing, and this will be Bear With Us. We're going to party on until the new year, so adios, bye-bye.
