Trader Joe’s slashes the price on an expensive, high scoring Bordeaux. We review the B by Fonbadet Bordeaux.
OK, we’re not quite sure how Trader Joe’s managed this one. Unlike a lot of the wines they stock, there have been a few big-name sellers of this wine. Wine Access and Wine.com had it at $25. Wine Library currently sells it for $30 (and lists the SRP at $50!) (You can search for current sellers here).
Of course, given that the winery is located in Pauillac and the consulting winemaker is Michel Rolland, the price is no surprise. A flashy 97-point score from Decanter World Wine Awards doesn’t hurt either.
The B by Fonbadet Bordeaux is a blend of 40% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 30% Merlot from the winery’s vineyards outside of Pauillac in the larger Bordeaux region of France. The wine has just 2 g/L of residual sugar.
And now the best part. Trader Joe’s sells this wine for just $7.99! It is imported by Latitude Wines.
From Trader Joe’s:
Vin De Bordeaux B by Fonbadet Bordeaux 2019
It would be hard to overstate the importance of Bordeaux in the history and culture of wine as a whole. Perfectly situated at the intersection of an ideal terroir (the physical conditions like soil and climate that affect a wine’s character) and a wine-making tradition with nearly 2,000 years of history behind it, the Bordeaux wine industry could easily make claim to being the absolute finest in the world. Unfortunately, that often means that Bordeaux wines come with a price tag to match their lofty reputations. We believe that fine wines ought to be accessible on any budget. The makers of B by Fonbadet happen to agree.Located quite literally next door to one of the most celebrated First Growth estates in all of Bordeaux, Fonbadet has created a wine with all the signature stylings of a left-bank Bordeaux: aromas of ripe red fruit and complex flavors of violets and tobacco, all carried by a superlatively smooth tannic structure and firm notes of oak.
13.5% Alcohol
The 2019 B by Fonbadet Bordeaux opens with very pleasing aroma of dark fruit with a little spice, licorice, cedar and a hint of tobacco.
It only takes one sip to know this is a really excellent wine. The dry, medium to full-bodied wine features a smooth, grippy, almost chalky mouthfeel along with more dark fruit (that’s a bit juicy in the mouth) plus touches of spice, earth, licorice, cedar and tobacco. While quite good now, it still tastes a bit young to me, so I’m guessing this will likely improve even more with time in the bottle. .
It ends dry, grippy, a bit chewy and quite long. While it’s nowhere near 97-points, this is still really delicious. Stock up!
As always you can find an updated list of our recommended wines from Trader Joe’s as well as more info on their pricing model and some tips and tricks for shopping the store in our giant guide.
You can also find more of our favorite French wines here!
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