Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019

Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive, a Sparkling wine made from the Pinot Noir grape sourced from vineyards in Napa Valley.

There are a couple of odd details concerning the Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse. First, if you look at the title, the “o” in Rose has the punctuation, not the “e.” I checked Google to see if that is actually a thing and came up empty.

This is a Sparkling wine that is supposed to have been made by a big name Napa Sparkling wine producer, so is the misplaced accent some clue?

The second odd detail is that this wine is labeled as a “carbonated Róse wine.” That can mean any wine from Champaign to wine spritzers. Or the dictionary definition of a carbonated wine is one that obtained the bubbles artificially.

Artificially as in not some fermentation process, more like the Soda Stream you can but at Target. The bottle is then topped by a cork and cage, used with Sparkling wines that have a great deal of pressure inside the bottle.

The bottle is a heavy-duty Sparkling wine bottle; it has thick glass and a good-sized punt; the indentation on the bottom of the bottle adds strength.

Is Trader Joe’s simply being coy about the real producer of the Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019? Carbonated soft drinks, which are artificially carbonated, do not need a cork and cop enclosure. So who knows what the real story is?

Trader Joe’s Frequent Flyer says this wine is from Napa Valley’s premier producer of Sparkling wine. Several wineries fit this description. Still, the Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 label name is owned by a family-owned winery from Lodi, California, that also produces Bubbly. They show a Brut Rose’ made from Pinot Noir on their website that lists for $16.

That does not mean that the original winery did not pass this wine through another winery to get to Trader Joe’s finally. The lack of any useful information concerning this Bubbly leads me to believe that TJ’s is hiding the winery’s identity.

Here is what we know, the grape is Pinot Noir, from vineyards in Napa Valley, that may be from a fancy Napa Bubbly producer, or it could be from a fine Lodi family-owned winery and it is a vintage-dated wine. And it still sells for $9.99.

The alcohol content is 11.5%, which puts in the Traditional Method (Champagne) and Charmat Method (Prosecco) territory.

Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 Tasting Notes

The color is serious pink with a hint of peach, and it has plenty of energetic bubbles. The nose is strawberry hard candy, faint tomato, cherry, light herbs, and roses. This is an interesting, unexpected aroma for a Pinot Noir based Sparkling wine.

This is a bright Sparkling wine with good acidity. It tastes like a mix of cherry and lemonade, tart cranberry, a chewy, lightly yeasty sensation, and tangerine and raspberry.

I have not had a Sparkling wine that tasted like this for as long as I can remember, but I like it. The Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 has bright acidity and is equal parts flavor and texture. It is a unique drinking experience.

The Summary

• The Lakeville Napa Valley Brut Róse 2019 is an interesting drinking experience. I am not sure if it is tasty or delicious; it is new or a sensation. But I do know I want another sip.
• $9.99 Pink Bubbles is just the ticket for Valentine’s Day. It may be different, but it does drink well.

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