Trader Joe's Hot Tip on Two French Wines

Trader Joe's has two French wines that I just love.

(1)  Laurent Reverly 2010 Sancerre from the Loire Valley.  It's 100% Sauvignon Blanc and it's superb.  Lots of citrus but not as grapefruity as the New Zealand versions.  Personally, and this is just my humble opinion, but I think that Sancerre is the benchmark for Sauv Blancs.  At $12.99 a bottle, this is a lot less costly than my wife and I were paying on our last visit to France in October (wow, over two months ago).

(2)  G. Chevalier 2009 Sauternes.  This incredible dessert wine is rich with guava and apricot.  This 375ml bottle is $12.99 and worth every penny!  As soon as it came into our store I bought a bottle to take home and taste.  My wife and I finished the entire bottle before the night was over.  That means it was very good.  Again, it's very difficult to find a decent Sauternes for a mere $12.99.  Yes, I said "mere."

This Sauterne is from the Bordeaux region so the grape blend, while unspecified, will consist of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and probably a little Muscadelle.

For those of you who like the Hillgate Zinfandel from Lake County, it has returned to TJ's.  This 2010 vintage is not quite as good as the 2009 but still good enough at $6.99 a bottle for a case purchase...that means I like it.

Hope all of you have a great year in 2012 despite the Mayan Calendar!


Tom da Wine Guy