The color is a dark, but see-thru garnet red. The nose is enticing, smoke, bacon fat, herbs, cherry, vanilla, mushroom, this Pinot has aromas found in the expensive stuff. This is a nicely balanced Pinot Noir, ripe, balanced fruit upfront, along with plenty of texture and flavors of interest. It tastes of ripe cherry, followed by a slap of herbs and black pepper, soft spice, and toasty vanilla. The mid-palate shows tart cranberry, toffee, salty pecan, orange zest, and sour cherry with cream. The tannins stay out-of-the-way and the acidity gives the flavors plenty of room to unfold. The finish is subtle, but persistent.
While I was sipping the Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2017 Lot 23, I was thinking that I prefer my Pinot Noir to be a little more etherial, to have delicate waves of flavor that roll across your palate, and then I remembered I’m drinking a $12.99 Trader Joe’s Pinot. Any $12.99 Pinot that puts me in a head space where I’m thinking about some of the finest Pinot Noirs I have ever tasted is a very solid, real-deal, don’t worry about the low price Pinot Noir. So what if it isn’t exactly on par with Pinots going for 4 or 5 times the price, the Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Carneros Pinot Noir 2017 Lot 23 just kills at $12.99.
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