Quite nice for the price. We review the Trader Joe’s Reserve Rasteau Lot #254.
The label doesn’t specify but the wine is a blend of predominately Grenache plus some Syrah and/or Mourvedre from the Rasteau region in the southern Rhone Valley of France.
This is a nice find from Trader Joe’s, as you don’t often find wines from the Rhone cru of Rasteau. The region itself used to be known for its fortified sweet wines, but the majority of what is produced here now is dry. The area was previously one of the named Cotes du Rhone Villages but in 2010 became it’s own stand-alone appellation, or cru.
The Trader Joe’s Reserve Rasteau Lot #254 is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s and sells for $9.99, a great price for wines from this area. It is imported by Plume Ridge and like a lot of the French selections at Trader Joe’s it is bottled by Vignobles & Compagnie. It has 14.5% Alcohol. No other information is on the bottle.
The 2022 Trader Joe’s Reserve Rasteau Lot #254 opens with an attractive and well put together aroma of black cherry, strawberry, spice, a little licorice and just a touch of meatiness.
The wine tastes smooth, dry and balanced and features similar flavors to the nose. With good depth and well integrated spice, this is a really nice example of a Rhone Valley wine at a great price.
It ends dry and surprisingly quite long. It was even slightly better
This Article was originally published on The Reverse Wine Snob
