Perfectly acceptable Pinot Noir but is it really worthy of the Platinum Reserve label? The Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia Highlands, Monterey County, California.
This wine is available for $14.99 exclusively at Trader Joe's.
Our Platinum Reserve Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands is the definition of a great wine. It’s rich, dark, and deeply fruity, with layers of ripe cherry and wild berries, and a fine, velvety mouth feel. And while its flavor profile definitely skews big and bold, its smooth texture and firm, crisp finish lend it an elegantly easy-drinking quality that expertly meets the expectations of Monterey Pinot.
Cellared and Bottled by Behind The Scene Wine Company
14.5% Alcohol
The 2020 Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Lot 102 opens with a pleasant enough aroma of strawberry, cranberry and some red cherry along with cola and a bit of forest floor type aromas.
The wine tastes smooth with a similar flavor profile to the nose but it just seems a bit disjointed. Perhaps it's just too young at this point.
It ends dry and grippy with decent length. It was about the same on day 2.
At the end of the day this is perfectly acceptable Pinot. And while it really benefits from a few hours of air this isn't what I would consider Platinum Reserve level stuff. As we've noted with their Napa Cabs, it seems like Trader Joe's is basing this designation more on the prestige of the region rather than the quality of the actual wine inside the bottle which is unfortunate.
2020 Trader Joe's Platinum Reserve Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir Lot 102
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You can also find more of our favorite Pinot Noir here!
