Budget Bliss: Trader Joe's Raorao Sauvignon Blanc Delivers Unexpected Quality

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Uncorking a genuine bargain that punches well above its price tag, we delve into the surprising quality of Trader Joe's exclusive Raorao Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023. At just $5.99, this New Zealand white delivers the vibrant character and complexity you'd expect from bottles twice the price.

The moment you pour this Sauvignon Blanc, its distinctive Marlborough personality leaps from the glass with enticing grassy aromatics. Each sip reveals layers of contrasting yet harmonious flavors - bright grapefruit mingles with soft peach notes, while green apple, tropical fruits, and nectarine dance across the palate. Most impressive is the wine's structure - a pleasantly viscous mouthfeel balanced by crisp acidity and finished with a subtle salty minerality that keeps you coming back for another taste.

What makes this wine such a standout value? We explore how Marlborough's unique coastal valleys create the perfect cool climate conditions for Sauvignon Blanc, allowing for extended growing seasons where grapes develop complex flavors while maintaining vibrant acidity. Whether paired with elaborate salads, seafood dishes, white pastas, or simply enjoyed on its own as a refreshing summer sipper, the Raorao offers exceptional versatility. Perfect for stocking your fridge without straining your budget, this Trader Joe's exclusive proves that with a little knowledge, you can enjoy remarkable wine experiences without breaking the bank. Grab a few bottles while supplies last - your taste buds and wallet will thank you!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, domain Dave, cheapwinefindercom, Another
podcast for wine.
We wrote up on theCheapWineFindercom website, as
always, three times a week.
We write them up and we've beendoing it for a long time, and
then we hit the microphone andhere we are going to talk about

(00:21):
it.
Today we got a 599 Sauuvignonblanc from marlboro, new zealand
.
It's the trader joe's exclusiverayo rayo.
Marlboro sauvignon blanc 2023.
Rayo rayo I think that's howit's pronounced r-a-o-r-a-o.
It was a brand that traderjoe's had back in 2017, 2018.

(00:46):
I checked the website and wemissed it back then.
For some reason Got it now.
It was $4.99 then.
Now it's $5.99.
$5.99 for a good wine is a crazyprice, and is it it good wine?
Yeah, this is a tasty,well-made, typical Marble

(01:10):
Sauvignon Blanc.
It's grassy on the nose.
It's got a bunch of really I'mgoing to take a sip and because
it's Marlboro Sauvignon Blanc,it's got flavor galore.
It's got a nose that jumps outand grabs you.
It's got a nice viscousmouthfeel it's got there is a

(01:36):
grassiness to it.
There is grapefruit kind ofmixed with peach, which is kind
of a weird thing, but it kind ofworks together and it's got
green apple and it's gottropical fruit.
It's got nectarine and it's gota salty sensation and it's got
these flavors, that just kind offlow.

(01:56):
It's got a salty sensation andit's got these flavors, that
just kind of flow, which meansthe acidity is just fine.
The acidity gives it thebackbone so the flavors can
exist in it and that's kind ofthe whole thing about Marlboro,
sauvignon Blanc.
The vineyards there are all invalleys around coastal bays that

(02:18):
are nice and cool.
They have a long growing season.
The wine, the acidity in thewine fully develops, the flavors
in the grapes fully develop Isaid wine before, but I mean it
in the grapes and it's just agood place to make Sauvignon
Blanc.
And Sauvignon Blanc, especiallyin the value price, is a fairly

(02:39):
simple wine to make.
There are choices that have tobe made.
You know what, what's yeast ora combination of yeast, because
yeast brings out differentflavors in the grapes.
What temperature you're goingto ferment it at, that type of
thing.
But once you're done, once youmake those choices, you age it
for a little bit just to let theflavors and the acidity um kind

(03:00):
of catch their balance, andthen you sell it.
So it's um, this is a 2023,which is in 2025 a little bit
old, not really.
But you know, a 2024 could beout right now.
Take another sip.
I don't know a thing about it.

(03:20):
Um, the say who produced it isa bottling company that's from
Australia and New Zealand andthey don't do wines other than
bottling.
They do the full-servicebottling.
But so where it came from andit doesn't really matter,
because there are several tasteof Marlboro brands out there in

(03:40):
the market right now where theyjust buy grapes from a variety
of different vineyards and theyput it all together because
they're all pretty goodvineyards.
You know, at this point the anyanybody who's not growing good
grapes is kind of out of themarket.
So you're gonna get prettyquality stuff going on.

(04:01):
And then it's fairly simple,doesn't need aging, it's always.
If you go someplace and they'retrying to sell you an
inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc andit's like four years old, don't
buy it.
If it's a Bordeaux Blanc, whichis Sauvignon Blanc, then it's
different, because some of thosewines are age-worthy.
But these wines are meant to bedrunk in the first two, maybe

(04:25):
three years, and the sooner thebetter.
They're bright and alive.
I mean they'll stay bright andalive for a while.
It's not like it's going to youknow, it's not like the flame's
going to extinguish it for toolong.
They got some rum, but they canlet us up this.
That it's that kind of wine youjust want to take a sip.

(04:46):
It's a quality six dollar whitewine for the summer period.
It tastes good.
It's.
It's um, you know, is it thegreatest sauvignon blanc in the
world?
No, not really, but it's a goodsauvignon blanc and it's six
bucks and you chill it and, youknow, at $6, you can buy three,
four and put it in the fridgewhen you're ready and pull them

(05:07):
out over the course of a week ortwo and when it gets a little
warmer it's not that warm yet,at least not here in Chicago and
there you go.
I mean, you got yourself a goodwhite wine, plus Trader Joe's
is going to have it for a while.
I don't think it's a limitedamount, but if it looks like
they're running low, I'd grab afew $6 for an everyday white
wine.
That kind of brings it without.

(05:28):
You know it's not going to be.
Maybe it knocks your socks offfor the price, but it's.
You know it's not going to be awine you're going to want to
splurge for, but it's going tobe a wine that's going to taste

(05:52):
really good and you're going towant to drink again.
I'll take one last sip andwe'll think of all I had to say.
It's a very sippable wine.
You could pair it with fancysalads, you could pair it with
shrimp, white pastas, that typeof thing, or just sip it.
I mean, I think, just sip it isprobably just as well.
But there you go.
This is Domain Dave fromcheapwinefindercom.

(06:15):
This was the Rayo.
Rayo Marlboro Sauvignon Blanc2023, $5.99.
What else can you ask for?
A value-priced wine that kindof delivers the goods is a good
thing.
So, adios, keep it cheap andI'll be talking to you.
Adios, bye-bye.