September 3, 2010

2009 Trader Joe's Petit Reserve Pinot Noir - $7

This private label Pinot has juicy berry flavor and a luscious mouthfeel. The fruit is big right off the bat, but the wine is best on day two. Give this bargain wine some breathing room and impress your friends.

thumbs up - 90

13 comments:

  1. Brendan, thank you for your wonderful wine blog. I went through, looked at your ratings and the comments and made a list to take with me to my local New York Trader Joe's wine shop. Unfortunately because of NY State law wine cannot be sold in the TJ's groceries here and there can be, by law, only one wine shop. I had tried only one of your selections, Zarafa Pinotage from South Africa and totally agreed with your assessment--thumbs up. I want to recommend another South African wine for your review: Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon. Please check it out and put your score it. I happen to love it. Again, thanks for all the good info.
    NY Wine Lover--especially of Trader Joe's

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  2. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the Excelsior. Did you find it at Trader Joe's?

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  3. I've enjoyed looking through your wine selections. Especially since Trader Joes is a favorite wine buying location for me as well! Headed to TJs tomorrow, and will be sure to pick this one up!

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  4. Just discovered your blog!
    Right on!
    Be checking back often!

    www.tjsartisthub.com

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  5. Charlie & TJs Artist Hub, thanks for visiting. Hope you enjoy the wine selections.

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  6. Hi Brendan: Yes I found Excelsior at Trader Joe's wine shop in NY. I think (and hope) it is widely available. South African Cabernet Sauvignon. Look forward to your rating of it.
    Thanks for keeping it real!

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  7. I love this wine but it's realty hard to get it now-do u know when they usually have it in stock
    Thanks,
    Katie

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  8. Katie, hard to say when your local store will have it in stock. Your best bet is to check with one of the TJ's wine folks (usually milling around the wine section, asking folks for help) and see if they have details. From what I've learned talking to these people in the Portland area, availability is based on regional distributions and individual store preferences.

    One thing I've also realized, is that if you find a wine you love, head back ASAP and buy a bunch before it's gone.

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  9. Thanks Brendan! And beleve me this time I'm going to get few cases at a time:) this a great wine!!
    Thanks again!

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  10. Just tried this one last night. Very nice.

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  11. FACT: This wine is excellent. Goes very with chicken parm.
    QUESTION: What does petit mean? Small grapes, or small body of flavor.

    please advice.

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  12. Hathachips, my presumption is that the word "Petit" with this wine is just fancy marketing speak for a small batch. With wines like Petite Sirah, the "petite" is in reference to the size of the grapes.

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  13. Excellent blog! Before I even knew it, I bought a bottle of this wine 2 weeks ago. I was floored with how good it tasted. Just bought another one this past weekend. Exaggeration aside, this is possibly the best "less than 10 bucks" bottle of wine I've ever bought at TJ's.

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