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The Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a $19.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This is the third-ever Diamond Reserve wine last year saw the $19.99 Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Stags Leap District Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 and the $14.99 Trader Joe’s Platinum Reserve Diamond Mountain District Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2017.
Trader Joe’sgives very little information on this Oakville Cab, The Fearless Flyer says it “is home to some of the most prestigious Cabernet Sauvignon-focused wineries in the entire world. And this particular wine comes from what is arguably the most famous and influential of them.”
The back label says the Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is cellared and bottled by Isolated Cellars, Napa, California. I checked the trademark registry (Yeah I geeked out and did that) showed me the name of the owner and another company named Limited Barrel Vineyard Partner.
It is not clear how that company or other unnamed entities participated in this wine. This Cab is trader Joe’s negociants, who buy excess wine from wineries and sell them under their own label at considerable savings. A negociants reputation is everything if they consistently offer excellent wine a good prices they succeed if not they fade away.
Here is a partial list of Oakville wineries that fit the Fearless Flyer description, Mondavi, Grgich Hills, Inglenook, Far Niente, Nickel & Nickel, Opus One, Silver Oaks, and Screaming Eagle. That is but a small selection and they are the Who’s Who of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.
Where did the Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 originally come from? Is it an expensive wine that sells under another label or was it made exclusively for Trader Joe’s? These negociant wines sometimes take a long, strange trip to get from the producing winery to Trader Joe’s shelves.
While we know next to nothing and $19.99 is not exactly cheap for a Trader Joe’s labeled wine, Diamond reserve or not. The potential is enough to make you give the Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 a try. If it really is a $50 or $60 Cabernet Sauvignon selling for twenty bucks you will kick yourself for not giving it a try. The alcohol content is a ripe 15%.
The Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Tasting Notes
The color is a dark, barely see-thru black cherry red. The nose is rich and intense, with blackberry, spice, black pepper, a hint of herbs, mocha, dark chocolate, coffee beans, and plum. The Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is rich and balanced with a good depth of flavors.
The Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like a mix of extracted blackberry and sweeter blueberry, followed by fancy dark chocolate, almonds, spice, licorice, and raisins. The mid-palate brings black coffee, oak vanilla spice, cranberry, and a welcome slap of dusty tannins. The acidity is balanced and allows the flavors to unfold.
The Summary
- Is the Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 a $60 Oakville Cab selling at a bargain price?
- I am the Cheap Wine Finder, and my knowledge of high-end Napa Cabs leaves much to be desired.
- I do know a thing or two about value-priced wine and the Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Oakville Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 is a $19.99 bargain.
- It drinks expensive, with more depth, balance, and complexity than you normally see in this price range.
