The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2021 is a Trader Joe’s limited release exclusive. It is produced for Trader Joe’s by the Miller Family Wine Company which also makes Trader Joe’s Lazy Bones Cabernet Franc, also from Paso Robles grapes.
The Miller Family Wine Company also owns the Central Coast Wine Warehouse which seems to have produced half of all TJ’s exclusive wines in the 2010s. Miller Family has excellent vineyard holdings in the Central Coast AVA, including French Camp and Ben Nacido which are world-class vineyards.
The back label of the Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2021 reads that the wine was cellared and bottled by Miller Family. Cellared and bottled by means they aged the wine an unspecified amount and bottled the wine. It does not indicate who exactly produced this Cabernet Franc, just which was the last company to get their hands on the wine.
One of the different entities of Miller Family Wine Company, which a company started in 1871 and has been in the hands of the Miller family since the 1940s, could have made the wine or it is possible they got it elsewhere. Though with their extensive vineyard holdings it figures that somebody in their company made the wine.
Cabernet Franc is one of the three great grapes of Bordeaux blends, there are five grapes approved for Bordeaux, but Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc are the most used grapes. Fun fact: Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc are Cabernet Sauvignon’s genetic parents, which looks to have happened in the 1600s.
The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2021 is said to have hints of mocha and toasty oak which are oak barrel flavors. Wines that sell for $7.99 do not always have the budget to include actual oak barrels and get their oak influence with oak staves, chips, or powder. There isn’t any information on the wine production, so we do not know any of the details. The alcohol content is a reasonable 13.5%.
The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is a deep, dark cherry red with black highlights. The nose is black cherry, spice, black pepper, light herbs, plum, and perfume. The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2021 is a smooth wine upfront that shows some spice on the mid-palate.
The Cabernet Franc tastes like ripe black cherry, black pepper, plum, licorice, and a little vanilla. The mid-palate adds a slap of spice, orange zest, brown sugar (not sweet), and blackberry. The tannins are sweet and stay out of the way and the acidity is well-balanced.
The Summary
- The Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Paso Robles Cabernet Franc 2021 is a fine-tasting Red wine, it is amazing how good a wine you can get for $7.99.
- As I recall the Lazy Bones Paso Robles Cabernet Franc was also a terrific bargain, it seems the Miller Family Wine Company knows how to produce a good Cab Franc.
