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The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut (2024) is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. The North Coast AVA is Sonoma, Mendocino, Napa, and Lake County, which are the best known but also Marin County and Solano County. This Bubbly is made for TJ’s by Rack and Riddle of Healdsburg California.
Rack and Riddle is a custom Sparkling wine/Bubbly producer founded in 2007. They make a lot of Bubbly. There are wineries on the West Coast with Sparkling wine facilities, but most leave the Bubbly production to Rack and Riddle. I had a friend who visited their warehouse, and he was amazed by the number of palates of different Sparkling wine brands on display.
The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut (2024) is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Blanc, all these grapes are officially approved for use in Champagne, so the blend is legit.
In Champagne, the second fermentation (where the bubbles are created) lasts for a minimum of 18 months, California does not have any standards as to how the wine is produced. The length of 2nd fermentation/triage has a direct relation to the price of French Champagne, but this is a $9.99 store-brand, so we must not expect extended aging.
The alcohol content is 12.5%. The Brut edition of most Champagne houses is an example of the House-style. While this is a Bubbly that Trader Joe’s releases every holiday season, they are not a Sparkling wine House.
The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut (2024) Tasting Notes
The color is gold with a hint of peach. The nose is apples, spice, brioche, a little lemon, cherry, and lightly floral. The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut (2024) is crisp, clean, and tasty, with pretty good length.
This Bubbly tastes like a crisp slightly sweet apple, tart grapefruit, a hint of peach, light yeasty bread, a little spice, a touch of cream, and faint black cherry. This is a very balanced and delicious Bubbly.
The acidity gives the flavor length and provides a nice structure.
The Summary
- The Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Brut (2024) makes you wonder why anyone would pay more for a Bubbly.
- The best Champayne and Champayne-style Sparkling wines are well worth the price, but this value Bubbly is tough competition for other under $30 Sparkling wines.
