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The VINTJS Redwood Valley Zinfandel 2021 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Trader Joe’s seems to have taken a break from the VINTJS house brand. We last reviewed a VINTJS wine for the 2019 vintage, which was a $6.99 wine. The last VINTJS wine we reviewed was a 2019 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir which you never see selling for $6.99. That may not have been a sustainable business model, so we now have the $9.99 VINTJS.
The Redwood Valley is in the northern section of Mendocino County and the vineyards are near the Russian River. While it is inland from the Pacific Coast a gap in the coastal mountains funnels cool Pacific Ocean air into the valley. The Redwood Valley has a cooler climate than the surrounding area, which should help the grapes to have a long and full growing season.
Mendocino County has the same advantages as Sonoma County, it has the Pacific Coast and the Russian River along with a variety of microclimates and soil conditions. Mendocino can produce outstanding wine, but it lives in Sonoma’s Shadow.
The VINTJS Redwood Valley Zinfandel 2021 does not have production or tasting notes. I did look up the producer on the California Wine Cola Registry. A Napa Valley winery came up as the name on record, but since the back label says “vinted and bottled by” basically means that they only bottled the wine. There could well be an unlisted second producer in the mix.
The back label does have a line or two on the aroma and flavor and they mention several oak barrel influences, so this Zinfandel saw some sort of oak conditioning. The alcohol content is 14.6%.
The VINTJS Redwood Valley Zinfandel 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is garnet red with a clear halo. The nose is a little shy, there are some red berries, a touch of spice, a little chocolate, and a little herbs. The VINTJS Redwood Valley Zinfandel 2021 is soft, and jammy with a nice rustic counterpoint on the mid-palate.
This Zinfandel tastes like ripe black cherry, a soft slap of spice, Red Twizzlers, herbs, and plum. The mid-palate shows strawberry, dusty chocolate powder, soft spice, and tart cranberry. The tannins are soft and smooth and the acidity does its job well.
- The VINTJS Redwood Valley Zinfandel 2021 is an easy-to-drink, good-tasting wine.
- Most Zinfandel wines lately have reminded me of Red blends, that tasted ok but had no personality.
- The VINTJS, while not a “WOW” has a bit of an attitude and is fun to drink.
