Trader Joe’s Reserve Petit Verdot Napa Valley – A Bit of a Letdown

Last Updated on February 3, 2023

Checking out the Trader Joe’s Reserve Petit Verdot Napa Valley Lot #211.

Trader Joe's Reserve Petit Verdot Napa Valley - A Bit of a Letdown

Petit Verdot from Napa Valley, California. There’s no other info on the wine available.

This wine is available exclusively at Trader Joe’s and sells for just $9.99.

We had high hopes for this one. I mean, what’s not to like? Napa Valley plus Trader Joe’s prices and their track of record of success with this under-appreciated grape (Petit Verdot). (We have previously enjoyed their Reserve Paso Robles Petit Verdot and their Grand Reserve Rutherford Napa Valley Petit Verdot.) Let’s check it out.

From the bottle:

Complex flavors of berry fruits, rainier cherries and dark chocolate.

Cellared and Bottled by Behind The Scene Wine Company
14% Alcohol

The 2016 Trader Joe’s Reserve Petit Verdot Napa Valley Lot #211 opens with lots of tart cherry and plum aromas plus spice and vanilla.

The wine tastes juicy, fruity, smooth with similar flavors to the nose but I would not have pegged this as Petit Verdot or from Napa at all. That’s not necessarily bad it’s just not a very memorable wine. While it’s still worth the $10 there are better options at this price.

It ends with a dry, medium-long finish with some lingering cocoa notes under the fruit. While it still gets a recommended buy rating, all in all it’s a bit of a letdown as it is not up to the level of previous Petit Verdot wines from Trader Joe’s.

2016 Trader Joe’s Reserve Petit Verdot Napa Valley Lot #211

TASTE: 7       COST: 8
OVERALL RATING: 7.3

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.

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

You can also find more of our favorite Petit Verdot here!

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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...