Trader Joe’s Reserve Napa Valley Merlot Lot 202 Review

Last Updated on January 24, 2023

Smooth and round, the highly recommended Trader Joe’s Reserve Napa Valley Merlot Lot 202.

Trader Joe's Reserve Napa Valley Merlot Lot 202

Merlot from Napa Valley, California. As is typical with these wines, no other info is given on the label.

The wine retails for just $9.99 exclusively at Trader Joe’s.

From the bottle:

Aromas of fresh black cherries, plum and sweet spices.

Cellared & Bottled by Little Valley Wine Company
14.5% Alcohol

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The 2018 Trader Joe’s Reserve Napa Valley Merlot Lot 202 begins with an inviting aroma of black cherry with a little black pepper, spice and vanilla.

Tasting the wine reveals that signature smooth and round Merlot mouthfeel. With similar flavors to the nose plus some licorice in the mouth, this is quite tasty.

It ends with a dry, long finish that does show a bit of heat. All in all, this is quite a nice value for just $10.

This is another nice find in the Trader Joe’s Reserve line. With the addition of the Platinum Reserve wines a few years ago these plain old Reserve wines seem to be a bit forgotten, sitting behind both the Grand Reserve and Platinum wines. Of course, all these names are just marketing labels with no real meaning behind them, which is why we like to try them all to find the best!

2018 Trader Joe’s Reserve Napa Valley Merlot Lot 202

Taste: 8       Cost: 8
OVERALL RATING: 8

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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.

The Best Wines at Trader Joe's - The Reverse Wine Snob Picks

You can also find more of our favorite Merlot here!

Jon Thorsen

ABOUT JON THORSEN

Author and independent wine consumer helping millions of people find great wines without breaking the bank since 2011. Sign up for my FREE GUIDE to learn how! Read more about me...