The Story
The Purple Moon Chardonnay is a non-vintage $3.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from vineyards in more than one California grape growing AVA. There is not going to be much of a story here, I am pretty sure which winery produced this wine, and they are a quality winery. But other than that there isn’t much information to go on. They don’t spend a great deal of time writing technical notes for 4 bucks non-vintage White wine. The details are not going to “wow” you, the worth of the Purple Moon Chardonnay will be found in the tasting notes. If it does not taste good, a cheap price doesn’t mean anything. The alcohol content is 13%.
The Tasting Notes
The color is a very clear, clean, pale, wheat yellow. The nose is not bad, apple, lemon, soft spice, a little peach, some pear, a hint of lime. The Purple Moon has a decent mouth-feel, not watery, not complicated, but has good flavor. It starts with grapefruit and lemon, followed by tart apple, and pear. The mid-palate shows white pepper, a touch of cream (this $3.99 Chard was aged “on lees”?), dried apricot and a salty, nutty sensation. The acidity is balanced, especially considering the price. The finish is full and lingers.
The Summary
- Well, I was expecting nothing from this $3.99, non-vintage Chardonnay and instead, I got a tasty, very usable, very drinkable wine.
- In Europe, in places where they drink wine with every lunch and every dinner, they typically don’t spend more for a bottle than the Purple Moon. The Purple Moon Chardonnay would fit into that scenario, with the right menu, this Chardonnay would work well.
- Don’t judge it until you drink it. Wine is not priced on how it tastes. Cheap wines can thrill you and pricey wine can disappoint you.
I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it, especially for the price. The tech nites are on point. It paired well with fish.
How do I buy this? My local Trader Joe’s is out. They are putting out rumors this wine may discontinue, I think, for the money, this is a very good wine.
Trader Joe’s has a major supply chain problem with its wine brands. I am not sure which wines are discontinued and which wines are simply behind schedule. The Moon series of wines are made exclusively for TJ’s and if they do not have them then you are out of luck. The Moon wines are made by the same company that make Gnarly Head wines.