Wine bargain alert! I’ve just discovered what might be the steal of the year hiding in plain sight at Trader Joe’s. The evaluna Mendocino Chardonnay 2023 is quietly sitting on shelves for a mere $9.99, while the same bottle commands $30-50 at other retailers nationwide.
This isn’t just any budget wine—it’s a certified organic, sustainably farmed Chardonnay from Mendocino County crafted by the prestigious Boisset Collection. Jean-Charles Boisset, the renowned French-American wine entrepreneur behind brands like JCB, Deloach, and Raymond, clearly put serious care into this bottling before apparently discontinuing the Evaluna line. Their loss is our tremendous gain.
What struck me most was how this wine defies typical California Chardonnay stereotypes. Instead of overwhelming butter and oak, you’ll discover a more elegant, French-inspired style—lean, complex, and beautifully balanced with moderate 13.5% alcohol. Each sip reveals different flavor notes, from subtle toasty brioche to bright fruit, creating a sophisticated experience that would feel right at home alongside bottles three times the price. The cooler Mendocino climate gives this wine remarkable restraint and nuance.
The current wine market downturn has created amazing opportunities just like this, reminiscent of 2008 when premium bottles were suddenly available at fantastic discounts. If you appreciate high-quality, organic wine and love a genuine bargain, grab several bottles while you can—this deal won’t last forever. Have you discovered any exceptional wine values recently? I’d love to hear about your finds!
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Introducing Evaluna Mendocino Chardonnay
Speaker 1
0:01
Hey
,
welcome
Domain
Dave
,
here
from
CheapWineFindercom
again
.
We
write
up
three
value
price
wine
reviews
a
week
on
the
CheapWineFindercom
website
and
then
we
plug
in
the
microphone
and
there
we
are
.
Right
now
and
today
we've
got
a
wine
that
is
actually
it's
cheaper
at
Trader
Joe's
by
a
lot
than
everywhere
else
,
so
it's
the
place
to
be
.
It's
the
Ivaluna
Mendocino
Chardonnay
2023
.
Ivaluna
is
referring
to
the
phases
of
the
moon
and
while
this
doesn't
say
this
is
a
biodynamic
wine
,
there's
nothing
on
the
bottle
that
says
anything
about
that
.
It
is
an
organic
,
certified
organic
wine
and
certified
sustainably
farmed
wine
from
Mendocino
and
it's
from
Boisette
Collection
,
who
is
JCB
JC
Boisette
,
who
is
a
big-time
wine
guy
from
France
and
from
California
.
They
have
about
50
different
brands
.
You
see
the
JCBs
in
the
Premium Wine at Closeout Price
Speaker 1
1:04
stores
.
They
do
Deloge
,
they
do
Raymond
.
Speaker 1
1:07
This
Evaluna
wine
seems
to
be
a
closeout
.
It's
no
longer
supported
on
their
website
.
You
can't
.
If
you
go
on
the
web
to
look
for
it
,
the
only
picture
has
a
banner
on
it
that
says
get
it
while
you
can
,
or
that
sort
of
thing
.
When
it
was
new
,
it
sold
for
over
$40
.
And
you
can
still
see
listings
in
wine
shops
for
people
who
still
have
the
wine
.
Speaker 1
1:32
2023
is
not
old
at
all
.
It's
a
current
,
selling
it
for
over
$30
.
In
most
of
the
places
it's
$30
to
$50
.
This
is
not
a
$9.99
wine
,
but
it
is
a
Trader
Joe's
,
so
it's
30
to
50
dollars
.
This
is
not
a
9.99
wine
,
but
it
is
a
Trader
Joe's
.
So
it's
one
of
those
things
that
if
you
Trader
Joe's
has
the
Evaluna
Mendocino
Chardonnay
and
my
Trader
Joe's
doesn't
say
anything
about
it
just
one
of
the
wines
in
the
Chardonnay
section
and
you'd
figure
that
they
would
want
people
to
know
,
but
they
don't
.
So
this
is
a
organic
,
high-end
Chardonnay
from
a
big-time
wine
producer
at
a
cutout
price
.
Speaker 1
2:14
And
let's
take
a
sip
and
is
it
any
good
?
And
the
answer
is
yeah
,
it
is
.
Tasting Notes and Wine Characteristics
Speaker 1
2:29
It's
delicious
.
Actually
,
it's
more
in
the
French
style
,
which
is
more
subtle
,
more
balanced
,
full
of
flavor
.
But
you
might
get
I
mean
value-priced
California
Chardonnays
which
tend
to
be
from
warmer
climates
.
Mendocino
is
north
of
Sonoma
.
It
starts
getting
cooler
and
the
coast
gets
colder
up
that
way
.
So
it's
13.5
in
the
alcohol
,
which
is
kind
of
balanced
these
days
for
a
Chardonnay
,
but
the
more
body
,
the
bigger
the
flavors
.
And
this
one
is
subtle
.
Speaker 1
2:58
This
is
Even
though
it's
California
grapes
.
It's
not
French
grapes
.
It's
kind
of
in
the
French
style
where
it's
longer
and
it's
leaner
and
it's
complicated
and
complex
and
they
don't
go
for
the
big
finish
and
they
don't
go
for
like
the
butter
I
think
it's
oat
.
There
are
some
tasting
notes
on
the
back
label
.
Otherwise
there
is
no
written
documents
for
it
.
That
mentioned
the
toasty
brioche
and
that's
something
that
would
come
from
a
barrel
,
but
you're
not
getting
that
buttery
,
caramelized
thing
going
on
at
all
.
What
you
do
get
is
this
wide
array
of
interesting
flavors
.
The
borders
aren
on
complex
.
I
mean
it
actually
does
.
You
take
a
sip
and
you're
going
to
get
a
different
mouthful
of
flavors
there
,
which
is
really
a
nice
thing
.
Speaker 1
3:55
This
is
a
wine
.
You
put
a
nice
little
chill
on
it
,
you
kick
back
.
You
know
this
is
a
wine
over
two-thirds
off
.
I
mean
you
buy
a
couple
bottles
of
this
.
You
buy
three
bottles
.
You're
getting
a
hundred
bucks
worth
of
wine
for
$30
.
And
keep
that
.
You
know
when
you
want
to
show
off
,
your
friends
come
over
when
it
starts
to
warm
up
and
anybody
want
wine
.
You're
sitting
out
there
,
it's
a
cool
evening
and
you're
pulling
out
the
good
stuff
.
Yeah
,
it's
long
,
it's
lean
.
It's
a
cool
evening
and
you're
pulling
out
the
good
stuff
.
Yeah
,
it's
long
,
it's
lean
,
it's
balanced
,
good
acidity
,
good
finish
and
two
thirds
off
.
I
mean
,
I
don't
know
what
to
tell
you
on
this
.
Speaker 1
4:45
This
is
the
Evaluna
Mendocino
Chardonnay
2023
.
It's
a
bargain
.
They
kind
of
erase
the
brand
from
their
website
the
Cabernet
Sauvignon
,
which
is
$45
on
their
website
,
the
Eva
Luna
Cabernet
Sauvignon
,
that's
$45
.
And
there's
not
much
on
it
anymore
.
It's
just
a
brand
.
Speaker 1
5:11
Like
I
said
,
I've
been
talking
about
this
recently
.
There's
been
a
downturn
in
the
wine
market
worldwide
and
they're
getting
rid
of
brands
that
aren't
producing
Wine Industry Downturn Creates Bargains
Speaker 1
5:22
.
They're
getting
rid
of
ones
that
are
in
the
wrong
price
range
.
They're
getting
rid
of
contracts
for
vineyards
that
they
don't
need
,
and
I
don't
know
if
that's
the
reason
for
any
of
this
,
but
it
could
be
.
And
this
is
the
time
to
look
for
bargains
.
In
2008
,
there
were
$60
wines
going
for
$10
.
And
this
,
I
believe
,
is
like
a
$35
wine
going
for
$10
.
It's
getting
there
.
Speaker 1
5:53
You
don't
really
want
to
profit
too
much
from
people's
mishaps
and
hardships
,
but
when
it
comes
to
wine
,
yeah
,
I'll
do
that
.
So
there
we
go
again
,
the
Evaluna
.
It's
a
small
E-E-V-O-L-U-N-A
Organic
,
certified
organic
Mendocino
Chardonnay
2023
.
From
a
very
good
producer
,
in
the
French
style
.
At
Trader
Joe's
.
It's
just
sitting
on
their
shelves
.
I
don't
know
who's
running
their
wine
department
anymore
,
but
these
people
are
not
Final Recommendations and Goodbye
Speaker 1
6:30
on
the
ball
.
So
,
adios
,
keep
it
cheap
.
This
is
a
go
.
If
you
find
a
,
buy
it
one
,
so
keep
it
cheap
.
We'll
get
more
wine
.
If
you
find
a
,
buy
it
one
,
so
keep
it
cheap
.
We'll
get
more
wine
after
Easter
and
I'll
be
talking
to
everybody
.
Hopefully
it'll
be
warmed
up
on
a
full-time
basis
.
So
,
adios
,
keep
it
cheap
,
stay
cool
,
warm
or
whatever
,
and
dry
and
I'll
be
talking
to
you
.
Bye-bye
.
