Let's get ready to rumble with our latest Trader Joe's find, we review the Rough & Ready Red Blend Petit Verdot vs. Petite Sirah.
A blend of Petit Verdot and Petite Sirah from Lodi, California. No other info is available on this wine that retails for $7.99 exclusively from Trader Joe's.
As soon as I saw the varieties on the Rough & Ready Red Blend I knew I had to try it out but my first thought was whether this is a Petite Petit rip-off (as TJ's is wont to do) or if it is made by Michael David Winery (the producer of the Petite Petit) themselves? Given it is from Lodi which is where Michael David is based, it's highly suspicious. Let's check it out.
A brawling bout between two heavy hitters. Deep ruby with purple hues, this mighty duo of a blend is filled with aromas of raspberry jam, black pepper and maraschino cherries.
Like any good wine, too much and you're in for a K.O. Please drink responsibly.
Cellared and Bottled by Rough & Ready Wine Productions
14% Alcohol
The 2018 Rough & Ready Red Blend Petit Verdot vs. Petite Sirah pours super dark and inky in the glass, just as you would expect for these varieties.
It opens with an attractive aroma full of spicy dark fruit, plenty of mint and touches of licorice, vanilla and other assorted spice notes.
The wine tastes big and rich just like the Petite Petit but, just like that wine, it is also really well balanced. It features similar flavors to the nose with touches of leather, cola, coffee, black tea and more. The fruit is a bit sweet and jammy but this is definitely crowd pleasing stuff.
It ends dry, tannic and quite long. Yum, this is really good and a pretty amazing deal at this price point.
I'm guessing Michael David Winery is the source for Trader Joe's on this one. Not that it's necessarily the exact same wine/blend as the Petite Petit, but it's no doubt similar, regardless of the producer, and also about $5 less!
2018 Rough & Ready Red Blend Petit Verdot vs. Petite Sirah
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You can also find more of our favorite Red Blends here!
