Smooth and juicy or green and harsh? We review the Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma Valley Cabernet Franc Lot 144 to see which camp this one lands in.
Cabernet Franc from Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California.
Available for $12.99, exclusively at Trader Joe’s.
We’re big fans of Cabernet Franc when it is done well. Often, however, we find examples that are rather harsh and full of green notes (pyrazine), which comes in part at least from underripe grapes – a common issue with this variety. Let’s see where this example from Trader Joe’s lands.
From the bottle:
2023 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma Valley Cabernet Franc
Lot #144
Sonoma Valley
Sonoma CountyVinted and Bottled by Vinoenology LLC.
14.5% AlcoholWould You Like To Save This?
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The 2023 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma Valley Cabernet Franc Lot 144 opens with pleasing aromas of black cherry and other dark fruit plus touches of a herbal and spicy notes, cola, licorice and a little toasty oak. It’s a good start
The wine tastes smooth and juicy and has similar flavors to the nose with just a touch of earthiness in the mouth. We’re not getting any of the pyrazine/green pepper notes common to the variety, which is a good thing in our opinion.
It ends dry, long, grippy and a bit toasty. We found it didn’t hold up quite as well on day 2 where it was less balanced and showed a lot of oak influence. We’d recommend taking steps to preserve it if you don’t finish the bottle on day 1.
2023 Trader Joe’s Grand Reserve Sonoma Valley Cabernet Franc
RECOMMENDED BUY
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 Cabernet Franc here!
Review Summary
Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Sonoma Valley Cabernet Franc Review • Reverse Wine Snob
Smooth and juicy or green and harsh? We review the Trader Joe's Grand Reserve Sonoma Valley Cabernet Franc Lot 144 to see which camp this one lands in.
7
Pros
- Smooth and juicy
- 87-88 points
- No green notes
Cons
- Rather simple
- Didn't hold up well on day 2
