The VINTJS Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016 is a $6.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive sourced from a vineyard or vineyards in Napa Valley, California. Trader Joe’s says this Sauv Blanc came from a well-known Napa winery/vineyard with whom they have had a 10 year relationship. I think I know who that is, but I can’t be certain, but the winery in question is known for their Sauvignon Blanc and their estate bottling lists for $22. Even if I guessed right, that does not mean that the $22 bottle and the $6.99 bottle are related, maybe, it is a possibility, but probably not. The VINTJS Napa Sauv Blanc is not a one-off wine, a new vintage of this wine has been available for a several years. No vineyard owner in Napa ever planted a grapevine with the intention of producing a $6.99 wine, the economics of Napa Valley do not work that way, so keeping this wine under 7 dollars for all these years is a rather impressive accomplishment. While this most likely isn’t an estate wine at 1/3 price, it is a Napa wine at a price point rarely seen for Napa wine. In the past some of these VINTJS Sauv Blanc had some Semllion blended in, which makes sense since Napa wine and Bordeaux wine do have similarities. Still Napa and $6.99 do not occur in the same sentence very often, so enjoy. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The color is a see-thru golden yellow, with just a hint of green. The nose is subdued compared to the Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, and dominated by ripe fruit aromas, apple, pear, lemon curd, lime, peach, and a touch of honey. There is a mellow, rounded mouth-feel, I checked back at a review of the 2011 VINTJS and I thought it was too acidic, that is not a problem here. It tastes of apricots, limes, green apple, pear, and grapefruit, it is very tart, but not acidic. The mid-palate adds orange zest, guava, spice, and tart lemon. The acidity is in force, but not at the expense of sipping pleasure. The finish is full, but does fade.
The VINTJS Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016 is not a shy wine, it is full flavored and reasonably complex. I am not good at blind tasting, but if there is a portion of Semllion blended in I wouldn’t be surprised, it does have a bit of a Bordeaux feel to it. Thinking that a $6.99 wine reminds me of Bordeaux White wine, without even taking the Napa origin of the grapes into consideration is pretty lofty talk for such an inexpensive wine. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t the greatest Sauvignon Blanc or anything close, but it is a wine that is well worth trying.
