Table of Contents
The Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Red Wine 2021 is a $5.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This wine is produced for Trader Joe’s by ASV Wines who have been in business since 1982 and own several sustainably farmed vineyards in the Central Coast AVA and an organic vineyard in southern Monterey County where they grow Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
The Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Red Wine 2021 is made with certified organic grapes, which is all we know about this wine. California is the place of origin and they even call it a Red wine, not a Red Blend. A Red wine can be a single varietal or it can be a blend. The descriptors for this wine seem to be needlessly vague.
A 2021 vintage released in the spring of 2023 indicates that this Red had over a year of aging. That indicates that this is not a young wine and has a shelf life of 5 years or so, but few folks will cellar a $5.99 wine. The alcohol content is low by today’s standards 12.5%. The alcohol content typically shows how ripe the grapes were when picked. There is much that we do not know here, the tasting portion is going to tell us everything we do not know.
The Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Red Wine 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is a dark garnet red. The nose is bright berries, a hint of chocolate, faint spice, and raspberry. The Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Red Wine 2021 is a yin/yang wine, both smooth and spicy.
The Red wine tastes like blackberry with a little cooling blueberry mixed in, and then plum and soft spice. The mid-palate mirrors the main body of the wine but does add strawberry jam and a slap of sharp spice. The tannins are smooth and the acidity does its job well.
The Summary
- The Trader Joe’s Grower’s Reserve Red Wine 2021 was so nondescript that I feared the worst, but it is actually a tasty unassuming Red wine.
- It has a good mouthfeel the spices are an interesting addition and the fruit flavors work well.
