Trader Joe’s Reserve Santa Ynez Valley GSM Lot 248 Review

A GSM blend with a high percentage of Mourvedre, we review the intriguing Trader Joe’s Reserve Santa Ynez Valley GSM.

47% Mourvedre, 34% Syrah and 19% Grenache from the Santa Ynez Valley in Santa Barbara County, California.

Available exclusively at Trader Joe’s for just $9.99.

This wine, just like the Trader Joe’s Reserve North Coast Meritage and the Corvelia Cabernet Sauvignon, is produced by a company (Bozzano) that specializes in the sale of bulk wine and grapes. They produce private label wines for a number of retailers like Trader Joe’s.

None of this means the wines are necessarily lower quality, but, there’s also no way to tell if they’re not without tasting them. It’s a bit of crapshoot, really. So, let’s find out!

From the bottle:

Lot #248
Notes of baked blueberry pie layered with toasted oak, raspberries, pepper and nutmeg before a lengthy, velvety finish.

Vinted and Bottled by Bozzano & Co.
13.9% Alcohol

We love GSM blends in general, but the high percentage of Mourvedre on this one definitely caught our attention. Typically in much more of a supporting role, we were excited to see how this wine tastes.

The 2022 Trader Joe’s Reserve Santa Ynez Valley GSM Lot 248 opens with aromas of dark berry fruit, plum, floral notes, licorice and light touches of spice and vanilla. It’s a nice, savory start.

Taking a sip reveals this to be a tasty blend. The high amount of Mourvedre definitely pays off here. The wine features good depth on the fruit, a bit of a chewy texture and similar flavors to the nose.

It ends dry, juicy and quite long and gets even better with air. It was similar on day 2.

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 GSM blends here.