Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Oak Knoll District Merlot Review

A nice cheeseburger wine! We review the Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Oak Knoll District Merlot Lot 148.

Merlot from the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, California. No further info is available on the production of the wine.

Sample submitted for review. The 2022 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Oak Knoll District Merlot Lot 148 is available for $12.99, exclusively at Trader Joe’s.

As usual, there’s little to no info available on this Trader Joe’s private label, but it is Oak Knoll District and it is Merlot, which can offer good value in this area, so let’s check it out.

From the bottle:

2022 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Oak Knoll District Merlot
Lot #148
Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley

Cellared and Bottled by DNA Vineyards
14.9% Alcohol

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The 2022 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Oak Knoll District Merlot Lot 148 opens with a bit oaky but attractive aroma of dark fruit, spice, some light herbal notes and a bit of coffee and black tea. It’s a good start.

Tasting the wine reveals it to be smooth and the spice is better integrated in the mouth where it blends well with the dark, juicy fruit. Give it a couple hours to breathe for it to be at its best. This would make a very good cheeseburger wine. Quite nice, it is still probably better for those who like a lot of oak influence in their wine.

It ends dry, a bit spicy and quite long on the finish and was similar on day 2 where it was still a bit oaky.

 
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 Merlot here!

Review Summary

Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Oak Knoll District Merlot Review • Reverse Wine Snob

A nice cheeseburger wine! We review the Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Oak Knoll District Merlot Lot 148.

Editor's Rating:
7.8

Pros

• 89-90 Points, Highly Recommended
• Great price for this exclusive area

Cons

• Might be a bit too oaky for some