The Purple Moon Chardonnay 2020 Trader Joe’s is a $3.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This wine is one of TJ’s perennial wines we first reviewed the 2011 vintage, it was $3.99 9 years ago. How they keep the price the same after all these years is a small miracle.
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This wine along with other wines in under the “Moon” (they have a whole line of different value-priced varietal wines) is produced by a large family-owned winery from Lodi, California. In the years since the 2011 vintage, they have branched into Napa and Sonoma.
The Purple Moon Chardonnay 2020 Trader Joe’s is sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape-growing AVA. Since the producing winery has expanded its holdings in the last decade they have increased its ability to find grapes that will help them hold the price.
Coming in at under four dollars you would not expect the Purple Moon Chardonnay 2020 Trader Joe’s to be aged in oak barrels or undergoing extensive production techniques. I recall past vintages to have some oak influence and interesting flavors, so there may be more going on in production than you would think. The alcohol content is a sensible 13%.
The Purple Moon Chardonnay 2020 Trader Joe’s Tasting Notes
The color is a shiny clear butter yellow. The nose is fresh and clean, there is lemon, apple, melon, peach, pear, dried pineapple, and lime, not a bad Chardonnay nose. The Purple Moon Chardonnay 2020 Trader Joe’s is light-bodied with pleasant flavors and surprisingly decent length.
This Chardonnay tastes like vanilla cream, green apple, lemon curd, Anjou pear, and ripe peach. The mid-palate offers that nutty/salty “on lees” sensation (I was not expecting that in a $3.99 wine), stone fruit, and soft spice on the finish.
All the flavors are subtle and nicely balanced and the acidity allows the flavors to flow.
The Summary
- The Purple Moon Chardonnay 2020 Trader Joe’s is a miracle wine, a tasty perfectly useable $3.99 Chardonnay.
- While it is not “Wow” in the usual sense, it is definitely a “Wow” wine for the price.
