• Cheap Wine < $10
  • Cheap Wine +/- $20
  • Cheap Wine – Red
    • Bubbly (blanc de noirs)
    • Cabernet Sauvignon
    • Grenache/Garnacha
    • Malbec
    • Merlot
    • Mourvedre
    • Petite Sirah
    • Pinot Noir
    • Red Blend
    • Rosé
    • Sparkling Rosé
    • Syrah/Shiraz
    • Tempranillo
    • Zinfandel
  • Cheap Wine – White
    • Bubbly (blanc de blancs)
    • Chardonnay
    • Chenin Blanc
    • Pinot Gris/Grigio
    • Riesling
    • Sauvignon Blanc
    • Torrontes
    • White Blend
    • Other White Grapes
  • CheapWineFinder Podcast

Cheap Wine Finder

Remarkable wines that pair nicely with your wallet

You are here: Home / Cheap Wine - White / Chardonnay / Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020

Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020

August 4, 2021 by Domaine Dave Leave a Comment

The Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s wine made for them by Owl Creek Wine Services, a custom wine company operating in the Russian River AVA for the last 12 years. The Russian River AVA is located near the Pacific Ocean. The Sonoma Coast AVA is west and closer to the Pacific, but parts of the Russian River AVA are within 10 miles of the Ocean.

Trader Joe's Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020

So, why is the Russian River AVA an important detail? Since this is Chardonnay, let’s start in Burgundy, France. White wine in Burgundy is Chardonnay, and it is the home of the greatest Chardonnay wines in the world. There are new release wines that sell for thousands of dollars.

The Champagne region is on the north end of Burgundy, and the reason they produce Bubbly and not still wine is the climate can be so cool that in some vintages, the grapes never ripen. Sparkling wines are picked before they are fully ripe, so that solves that problem. The main section of Burgundy is the farthest north and east; you can go in France and have the grapes fully mature.

Burgundy has a long growing season, and the grapes are at their peak in terms of development. Add to that unique soil and climate conditions and winemakers that have generations of experience with the grape. It is easy to see why they make some of the finest Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

California has a different climate condition from France, but coastal areas allow the grapes to have a full long growing season. Santa Barbara, microclimates in the Central Coast, Sonoma Coast, Carneros, Napa, and the Russian River all have locations that treat the Chardonnay grape well.

The Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020 is sourced from the Russian River AVA, but the north portion is warmer with different growing conditions than the southern half. What makes a Russian River AVA Chardonnay sell for $60 to $100 is the Burgundian-like growing season.

We do not know where in the Russian River AVA the Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020 the grapes came from, the southern part, the northern, a mix of both? So, is this a $25 Russian River Chardonnay selling for $9.99? Probably not.

This is a Trader Joe’s Reserve, not a Platinum Reserve; the higher-end TJ’s Reserve wines may actually be expensive wines at a bargain price. Another clue is this is a 2020 vintage. The Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020 is a new release, but the grapes were picked last September or October, which is less than a year since harvest.

The vintage date the bottle of wine is released gives us clues about how the wine was made. A wine with a 2020 vintage date in August 2021 was made in a style that allowed the wine to come together quickly. A 2019 or 2018 vintage released in 2021 had more extensive production and went thru processes that took time to meld together.

While this is a Russian River Chardonnay and may well be sourced from the more Burgundian southern part of the AVA, it is probably produced in style more in keeping with value-priced Chardonnay. Not that that is a bad thing, the largest selling Chardonnay wines are made in that style. The more Burgundian Chardonnay is more expensive. The typical value-priced Chardonnay is more California in style and is very popular.

The Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020 may not be an inexpensive version of the high-end wines. An alcohol content of 14.2% may suggest the vineyards were located in the northern, warmer half of the AVA. But at $9.99, none of that is important if this is a pleasing wine.

Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020 Tasting Notes

The Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020 is a well-balanced wine with excellent weight on the palate. The color is a pale wheat yellow. The nose is lemon, lime, peach, pear, apple, a little buttercream, soft spice, and lightly floral.

It tastes like a mix of peach and lemon chiffon, grapefruit, spice, creamy vanilla, and tart apple. The mid-palate adds that salty, nutty “on-lees” sensation, dried pear, and lightly fizzy grapefruit. The acidity is well controlled; it gives the flavors plenty of room to unfold and gets you reaching for another sip.

The Summary

  • The Trader Joe’s Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2020 is an excellent tasting ten buck Chardonnay.
  • While I think some of these fancy AVA but cheap wines are a marketing gimmick more than an exploration of the wines from those high-end areas. If they taste this good at a super affordable price, then I am all in.

Related Posts:

  • Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2018
    Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Chardonnay 2018
  • Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir 2020
    Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir 2020
  • Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir 2018
    Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Pinot Noir 2018
  • Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Sauvignon Blanc 2019
    Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Russian River Sauvignon Blanc…

Filed Under: Chardonnay, Cheap Wine < $10, Cheap Wine - White, Cheap Wine Podcast Tagged With: best cheap wine 2021, Russian River Valley, sonoma county, Trader Joe's, wine podcast

Cheap Wine Podcast – Latest Episodes!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cheap Wine Photos

cheapwinefinder

New #podcast #episode: Beauty In Chaos Pinot Grigi New #podcast #episode: Beauty In Chaos Pinot Grigio 2019 (link in bio)
.
.
.
#BeautyInChaosPinotGrigio2019, #BestCheapWine2022, #ColumbiaValleyAVA, #PinotGrigio, #TargetWine, #WinePodcast
New #podcast #episode: La Burgondie Cremant de Bou New #podcast #episode: La Burgondie Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Rosé (link in bio)
.
.
.
#BestCheapWine2022, #FrenchBubbly, #LaBurgondieCremantDeBourgogneBrutRosé, #TraderJoe039SWine, #WinePodcast
New #podcast #episode: Trader Joe's Reserve Alexan New #podcast #episode: Trader Joe's Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Lot 225 (link in bio)
.
.
.
#BestCheapWine2022, #TraderJoe039SReserveAlexanderValleyCabernetSauvignon2020Lot225, #WinePodcast
New #podcast #episode: The Pale Rosé 2021 (link i New #podcast #episode: The Pale Rosé 2021 (link in bio)
.
.
.
#BestCheapWine2022, #IGPWine, #ProvenceRose, #ThePaleRosé2021, #WinePodcast
New #podcast #episode: Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blan New #podcast #episode: Josh Cellars Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (link in bio)
.
.
.
#BestCheapWine2022, #CaliforniaWine, #JoshCellarsSauvignonBlanc2020, #WinePodcast
Kicking off the weekend with some #mezcal from #Oa Kicking off the weekend with some #mezcal from #Oaxaca! Get some of this @garfieldsbeverage - @prolijomezcal! Couple of #espadin (one aged in Kentucky oak for 2 months) , a #madrecuishe & a #pechuga. Tasty! Also available soon - an #anejo aged for 12 years! (whistles) 
.
.
.
#agave #varietals #espadín #pechugadepollo #mexico #mexican #nottequila
Load More... Hit us up on Insta

Cheap Wine Events

Cheap Wine Subscription

You know you want our latest & greatest cheap wine articles delivered right to your inbox, so go ahead and slide us your email.

Cheap Wine Info

  • Advertise
  • Cheap Wine Photo Gallery
  • CheapWineFinder Staff
  • Contact CheapWineFinder
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Service
©2022, CheapWineFinder.com
Advertise | Log in

Posting....