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The Trader Joe’s Growers Reserve Organic Chardonnay 2023 is a Trader Joe’s $5.99 exclusive made from certified organic grapes farmed in California. The back label states this wine was vinted and bottled by ASV Wines.
ASV Wines is a family-owned wine business with over 50 years of experience and started converting its vineyards to organic in the 1980s.
The terms vinted and bottles indicate that the named company did not grow the grapes or produce the wine, but did the bottling. That sounds simple but today’s wineries can be a maze of LLC companies and different corporations. One entity owns a certain vineyard, another the production facilities, and another owns the company that produces private labels.
A wine can be grown and produced by what seems like one company but legally is several entities.
The Trader Joe’s Growers Reserve Organic Chardonnay 2023 does not have available production notes but the back label gives us clues to the production. It mentions peach, melon, and stone fruit as flavors and they would suggest malolactic fermentation which changes the natural acid in the grapes to lactic acid which is softer and more rounded. There is also a mention of vanilla imparted by some oak influence. At A $5.99 selling price oak barrels may not have been used, but there are other methods available to get the desired flavoring. The alcohol content is a low 12% and again these grapes are certified organic.
The Trader Joe’s Growers Reserve Organic Chardonnay 2023 Tasting Notes
The color is a pale wheat beer yellow. The nose is green apple, lemon, melon, a little honey, soft spice, peach, pear, and a floral edge. The Trader Joe’s Growers Reserve Organic Chardonnay 2023 has fresh fruit and citrus flavors with a slap of vanilla on the mid-palate.
The Chardonnay tastes like a stew of apple, lemon, pear, and lime, there is a soft spice and ripe peach. The mid-palate adds that creamy vanilla and nectarine.
The acidity is well-balanced.
The Summary
- The Trader Joe’s Growers Reserve Organic Chardonnay 2023 is an extremely drinkable and useable wine at $5.99.
- It would pair with fish, shrimp, and some pork dishes while being a reliable sipper.
