A new Rhone-style blend from TJ’s, we review the 2022 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Santa Barbara GSM Lot 132.
A GSM blend of 42% Grenache, 39% Syrah and 19% Mourvedre from Santa Barbara, California.
The wine is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for $12.99.
There’s not much info on the producer of this wine, ACE 1542, but Wine Enthusiast lists another wine (a Santa Barbara Syrah) from the same winery as a “collaboration between winemaker Curt Schalchlin and sommelier Emmanuel Kemiji”. The former is a winemaker who focuses on Rhone varietals and has his own label (San Liege Winery) but also makes wine for a number of different wineries. Not a lot to go on, but at least it sounds like the winemaker specializes in these types of blends. Let’s check it out.
From the bottle:
Lot 132
42% Grenache, 39% Syrah, 19% Mourvedre
Produced and Bottled by 1542 ACE
14.9% Alcohol
The 2022 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Santa Barbara GSM Lot 132 opens with a pleasing aroma of black cherry, a little strawberry, a little licorice, some mint and spice, and perhaps a touch of blood orange.
Tasting the wine reveals it to be a really light, easy sipping example of a GSM. I probably wouldn’t age it too long but it’s a nice, balanced drink right now. It features similar flavors to the nose with some light but well-integrated spice.
It ends dry, soft and long and was similar on day 2.
2022
This Article was originally published on The Reverse Wine Snob
