The Trader Joe’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Lot 225 is a $9.99 Trader Joe’s exclusive. This is a wine produced for Trader Joe’s by Precision Wine Company which makes custom wines and several of their own brands from Napa Valley grapes.
The Alexander Valley is about twenty-five miles from the Pacific Coast along the Russian River. The Russian River Valley AVA is located to the south and west. The temperature in Alexander Valley can get very hot. Mountains to the west block cooling ocean breezes and block the morning fog from rolling in.
It would be too hot for growing quality grapes except that while the temps can be in the 90s during the day they drop down to the 50s at night. That is something wine grapes love, the sun gets the grapes charged up during the day, and then the cool temps slow them down at night. That cycle allows the grapes to have a full growing season.
Trader Joe’s does not say where the grapes for the Trader Joe’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Lot 225 were sourced, but Alexander Valley is home to many top-notch wineries, Coppola, Ridge, Simi, and Ferrari-Carano to name but a few. Alexander Valley is known for outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as other Bordeaux grapes.
So what do we know about the Trader Joe’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Lot 225? Well, it is made by a producer that specializes in Napa Valley wine, you have to have serious credentials to compete in that segment. Second, it is sourced from an excellent growing region for Cabernet Sauvignon. So, the basics seem to be solid.
We never know about the oak aging program, what happened in the vineyard, or special production details. Experience has shown these $9.99 Trader Joe’s reserve wines to be equal in quality to retail wines selling in the $15 plus range. So while it would be better to have more information concerning an Alexander Valley Cab Sauv Trader Joe’s is pricing the wine right. The alcohol content is 14.5%.
The Trader Joe’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Lot 225 Tasting Notes
The color is a deep, dark black cherry red. The nose is rich and bold, there is ripe blackberry, plum, blueberry, jammy raspberry, oak spice, faint vanilla, green pepper, and light herbs. The Trader Joe’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Lot 225 is smooth on the palate with good length.
This Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like blackberry, licorice, raisin, a little exotic spice, cold coffee, and plum. The mid-palate offers bitter chocolate, ripe blueberry, and a hint of cream. The tannins are in the mix but do not bite and the acidity allows the flavors to unfold.
The Summary
- The Trader Joe’s Reserve Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 Lot 225 is a very good Cab Sauv, full of flavor with a bit of complexity and depth.
- I have learned to expect that these Trader Joe’s Reserve wines are some of the best values on the market.
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