Ever wondered if you could find a legitimate Napa Valley wine for $20? The Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Rutherford Meritage 2022 might just be that unicorn. This isn’t your typical grocery store wine – it’s a serious Bordeaux-style blend from one of Napa’s most prestigious growing regions.
The Rutherford AVA sits in the widest part of Napa Valley, benefiting from abundant sunshine and dramatic temperature shifts (90°F days to 50°F nights) that create perfect conditions for developing complex flavors. This particular Meritage combines all five classic Bordeaux varieties – predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon (68%), supported by Merlot, Petit Verdot, the rarely-seen Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. What makes this especially intriguing is that it’s crafted by a company owned by a Master Sommelier, bringing expert blending skills to an accessible price point.
Don’t let the modest price tag fool you – this wine received premium treatment with 20 months aging in French oak (30% new barrels), a regimen typically reserved for much more expensive bottles. The result is a fruit-forward yet balanced wine offering layers of blackberry, blueberry, pomegranate and plum, complemented by savory notes and subtle spices. At 15.3% alcohol, it delivers impressive structure without veering into sweetness. Current challenges in California’s wine industry likely explain how such quality has found its way to Trader Joe’s shelves at this price.
Whether you’re a curious wine explorer or a seasoned Napa enthusiast looking for a weeknight bargain, this Diamond Reserve deserves a spot in your glass. Try it alongside your next special meal and see if you agree it drinks like a wine at twice the price. Then let us know what you think – have you found other hidden gems in Trader Joe’s wine section?
Check us out at http://www.cheapwinefinder.com
or email us at [email protected]
Introducing Trader Joe's Diamond Reserve
Speaker 1
0:01
Hey
,
welcome
.
It's
Domain
Day
from
CheapWineFindercom
again
,
like
always
,
here
to
do
a
podcast
for
a
wine
we
wrote
up
on
the
CheapWineFindercom
website
Three
a
week
we
do
and
three
times
a
week
we
do
a
companion
podcast
and
we
got
one
of
the
more
expensive
Trader
Joe's
wines
.
This
is
the
Trader
Joe's
Diamond
Reserve
,
rutherford
AVA
,
napa
Valley
,
meritage
2022
.
Meritage
means
Bordeaux
Blend
.
There's
an
organization
in
California
that
promotes
and
studies
the
Bordeaux
grapes
and
the
blends
in
California
and
you
have
to
pay
a
fee
to
put
the
name
on
there
,
which
I
always
find
it
funny
because
sometimes
you
get
these
Trader
Joe's
reserve
wines
that
are
$8.99
.
Someone
paid
so
much
a
bottle
to
put
the
Meritage
Reserve
name
on
there
.
But
that's
what
this
is
.
It's
a
Bordeaux
Understanding Rutherford AVA Terroir
Speaker 1
1:02
wine
.
It's
mostly
Cabernet
Sauvignon
,
I
think
,
like
68%
.
I
thought
it
was
like
15%
Merlot
,
10%
I'm
going
off
memory
so
I
could
be
wrong
Petit
Verdot
and
then
like
4%
,
malbec
and
3%
Cabernet
Franc
,
and
those
are
the
five
grapes
of
Bordeaux
red
grapes
.
The
Malbec
you
do
not
see
very
often
the
Malbec
that
grape
was
decimated
during
the
phloxera
days
of
1800s
in
Bordeaux
and
a
lot
of
those
vines
did
not
get
replanted
after
they
were
decimated
and
they
end
up
getting
shipped
to
Argentina
,
and
that's
where
you
get
good
Malbec
nowadays
.
So
there
you
go
.
So
one
bad
thing
turned
into
something
good
,
so
there
we
go
.
So
we
have
this
$20
Rutherford
AVA
.
Speaker 1
2:02
Rutherford
is
in
Napa
Valley
.
It's
in
the
widest
part
of
Napa
Valley
so
it
gets
a
lot
of
sunlight
.
It
doesn't
have
the
steep
walls
blocking
the
sun
.
The
bench
land
on
the
west
side
is
the
best
stuff
and
that's
where
a
lot
of
these
really
fancy
,
fancy
wineries
and
vineyards
are
.
But
the
whole
area
is
pretty
,
pretty
pristine
.
It's
pretty
good
.
Speaker 1
2:28
Where
these
grapes
came
from
,
I
don't
know
.
Uh
,
it
was
made
by
a
um
a
company
that's
owned
by
a
master
sommelier
who
mostly
makes
wines
in
passeroble
area
,
uh
,
of
um
central
coast
.
So
this
isn't
one
of
their
um
strongholds
.
But
uh
,
they
obviously
know
how
to
make
wine
and
they
actually
made
it
a
lot
of
times
.
It's
dummy
companies
.
This
is
produced
and
bottled
by
it's
ACE
1542
,
which
is
part
of
Myria
Vineyards
.
The
links
are
on
the
website
of
cheapwinefindercom
.
So
Rutherford
is
legitimate
.
Speaker 1
3:05
It
has
90
degree
weather
during
the
days
In
the
summer
it
can
,
but
then
it
can
go
down
to
50
at
night
and
that
temperature
differentiation
is
wonderful
for
the
grapes
because
the
sunlight
gets
all
there
,
the
photosynthesis
going
nuts
,
and
then
the
cool
hits
and
they
go
to
sleep
.
And
then
the
cool
hits
and
they
go
to
sleep
and
then
so
it
actually
kind
of
allows
it
in
warmer
temperatures
to
have
a
longer
growing
season
.
It
also
makes
it
kind
of
riper
.
This
is
15.3
,
I
think
on
the
alcohol
,
like
10
,
12
years
ago
when
Shiraz
from
Australia
with
all
the
rage
you
know
they
were
typically
15
and
16%
alcohol
because
it's
kind
of
cold
on
the
south
side
of
Australia
and
they
are
thought
to
be
mad
dog
wines
.
But
like
12
years
later
it's
starting
to
be
kind
of
normal
in
California
.
Speaker 1
4:04
Let
me
take
a
sip
.
It's
fruit
forward
,
slightly
jammy
,
but
it's
not
a
sweet
wine
.
With
all
those
five
grapes
going
on
,
you've
got
a
bunch
of
different
flavors
Tasting Notes and Oak Aging
Speaker 1
4:24
.
You're
going
to
have
a
blackberry
,
blueberry
.
You're
going
to
get
pomegranate
.
You're
going
to
get
plums
.
You're
going
to
get
some
savory
notes
.
You're
going
to
have
a
blackberry
,
blueberry
.
You're
going
to
get
pomegranate
.
You're
going
to
get
plums
.
You're
going
to
get
some
savory
notes
.
You're
going
to
get
some
cool
spices
.
Speaker 1
4:34
It
was
20
months
in
French
oak
barrels
,
30%
new
.
That's
kind
of
a
lot
of
new
barrels
.
New
barrels
give
off
more
influence
than
a
used
barrel
,
depending
on
how
you
know
.
Some
barrels
can
be
used
two
,
three
times
,
three
,
I
think
by
five
times
it
doesn't
they're
considered
neutral
.
But
30
new
barrels
for
20
months
is
a
legit
,
high-end
california
napa
uh
red
wine
,
um
barrel
program
which
you
don't
get
in
1999
wines
,
you
know
.
Speaker 1
5:07
I've
always
wondered
it's
like
can
I
get
a
wine
from
a
at
a
retail
store
for
close
to
this
,
from
napping
in
the
?
You
never
know
,
because
they
don't
know
anything
about
this
.
They
don't
tell
you
anything
,
you
don't
know
what
side
it's
from
,
who
made
it
the
?
The
people
who
made
it
aren't
really
napa
vintners
,
um
,
so
you
don't
really
know
what
you're
getting
,
though
the
place
is
run
by
a
master
sommelier
who
doesn't
know
how
to
taste
wine
.
So
we
,
you
know
the
blending
is
the
key
,
since
he
knows
what
he's
doing
.
So
,
um
,
I
always
wonder
you
get
towards
20
bucks
,
but
but
then
again
there
was
a
Cabernet
Sauvignon
from
Napa
Value Assessment and Final Thoughts
Speaker 1
5:50
,
just
I
think
.
Last
week
we
did
another
black-labeled
Diamond
Reserve
and
that
was
a
single
vineyard
in
Napa
which
they
couldn't
tell
you
where
it
was
from
,
it
was
so
exclusive
.
Speaker 1
6:02
So
these
wines
seem
to
be
coming
from
places
that
are
a
little
bit
ahead
of
what
the
price
is
,
and
there's
problems
in
California
and
wine
right
now
.
So
these
things
happen
.
So
keep
an
eye
out
for
these
bargains
,
because
this
is
a
bargain
.
It's
worth
$20
.
Even
if
it's
not
a
$30
wine
,
it's
still
worth
$20
wine
and
it
might
be
a
$30
wine
.
So
there
you
go
.
This
is
the
Trader
Joe's
Diamond
Reserve
Rutherford
Meritage
2022
.
Keep
it
cheap
.
So
there
you
go
.
This
is
the
Trader
Joe's
Diamond
Reserve
Rutherford
Meritage
2022
.
Keep
it
cheap
.
This
is
Domain
Dave
cheapwinefindercom
.
Check
us
out
and
like
us
where
you
like
your
podcasts
and
adios
.
Keep
it
cheap
.
I'll
be
talking
to
everybody
later
.
Adios
,
bye-bye
.
