Grape Expectations: When Delicato Meets Coppola in a Bottle @ TJ's

Send us a text

Discovering exceptional value in the wine world feels increasingly rare, but Compass Bridge Sonoma County Chardonnay 2023 proves quality affordable wine still exists. At just $8.99 from Trader Joe's, this newcomer delivers surprising complexity and balance that would satisfy even at twice the price.

Behind this bottle stands an intriguing partnership. Compass Bridge comes from Manteca, California and Geyserville - connecting Delicato Family Wines (celebrating their centennial year) and Francis Ford Coppola Winery (acquired by Delicato in 2021). These established producers combine their expertise in creating accessible yet quality-focused wines, resulting in something special for budget-conscious wine lovers.

Upon tasting, the wine reveals a harmonious "stew of flavors" - creamy vanilla notes balanced perfectly with refreshing acidity. Stone fruit, dried pineapple, pear, and green apple flavors integrate seamlessly rather than competing for attention. The mouthfeel suggests both partial barrel aging and malolactic fermentation, creating that ideal tension between richness and brightness that makes Chardonnay so beloved. Most impressively, it offers surprising length and complexity on the palate while remaining approachable for casual wine drinkers.

Compass Bridge emerges during challenging times for the wine industry, with major producers scaling back operations across California. Yet this bottle demonstrates that strategic partnerships can still deliver exceptional value. Whether you're hosting dinner guests or simply enjoying a weeknight glass, this Chardonnay punches well above its modest price point. The line also includes Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir varieties worth exploring. If you've been searching for excellent affordable wines, your compass has found true north.

Follow our podcast for more hidden wine gems that keep pleasure affordable without sacrificing quality. Your perfect bottle awaits!

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at [e-mail]

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
hey, domain dave sheep wine findercom.
Another value price wine review, like we always do over and
over again for year after yearafter year, and today we've got
the compass bridge sonoma countychardonnay 2023.
This is a new brand of winesfrom trader joe's I think it was

(00:25):
8.99, if I'm not mistaken,under 10 bucks for, uh, sonoma
california chardonnay.
And that said that, um, compassbridge is from mantica,
california, and geyserville.
Mantica isca is where DelicatoWines is located.

(00:46):
That's Lodi, and they do.
Gnarly Head and Geyserville Ithink it's Geyserville is where
Coppola Wines is located and in2021, delicato bought Coppola
Wines.
So this is a wine that's fromManteca, coppola wines.
So this is a wine that's fromMantica, coppola.

(01:06):
So if you like gnarly head andyou like the Coppola wines,
you're going to like this wine.
It's made along those lines.
Let's see, delicato is mostlyLodi and they're having their
100th anniversary this year andthey do.

(01:29):
Lately they've been doing a lotof interesting Zippendale wines
.
They've done some crazyHalloween wines with
Frankenstein on it and thenthey've been doing Grateful Dead
wines.
It's interesting and Coppola'sCoppola, coppola's been going on
for a long time doing qualitywines up and down.
They got value price all theway up until the higher price

(01:50):
range.
I'm gonna take a sip of this onebecause this is just a.
You know, sonoma's a huge area.
I mean, you got the Sonomacoast, you got Russian River,
you got Dry Creek, you got justSonoma County.
You've've got all thesedifferent areas, and just being
from Sonoma doesn't tell youthat much.
This wine has a little bit ofvanilla cream to it.

(02:20):
You know, sometimes you getoaked wines and I'm not sure if
this is 100% oaked.
That's buttery.
No, this is kind of creamy, andI'm not sure if it's 100%
barrel aged or whatever, or ifit's 100% malolactic
fermentation, because there'ssome tart flavors too.
Usually malolactic fermentationchanges the tart acid to

(02:40):
grounded more fruit forward acid, and here we get a little bit
of both.
There's some tart flavors goingon here, which kind of goes
well with a creamy type.
You get those two things goingon too and it works.
So I'm not sure they don't tellyou production notes.
They.
They give you just enoughinformation to not know anything

(03:01):
sometimes.
But this is a quality littleChardonnay for under $10.
Made by two people, both Coppolaand both Delicato.
Their brands are pretty muchquality wines and they make good
, value-priced wines, and Ithink they both make high-end

(03:23):
wines too, though that's notsomething I've really known
about.
I always drink their moreaffordable wines.
So here we go, another sip.
So this is a nice wine.
It's got a.
It's a rounder, softer flavor.
Chardonnay it's got a.
It's a rounder, softer flavor,chardonnay.

(03:43):
It's got a good acidity.
It's got a nice length to it.
There is a creamy part of itand then there's this tart thing
to it and there's some stonefruit and there's maybe dried
pineapple bits and pears andgreen apple.

(04:04):
You know, none of these areripe and juicy.
They all just kind of blendtogether.
It's kind of more like a stewof flavors, which to me is
pretty good.
I mean, when one thing sticksout, then maybe that's not right
.
You should probably get alittle bit of everything, which
is why it's from Sonoma County,because they probably used

(04:26):
multiple locations.
I don't know.
They could have used a singlevineyard.
For all we know.
When you put the label on therelike Sonoma on the front label,
that just means that all thegrapes came from Sonoma.
But it could come from a singlepart of a single vineyard, and
that'd be perfectly legal too,although I doubt it did a single

(04:47):
part of a single vineyard, andthat'd be perfectly legal too,
although I doubt it did.
This is a nice, easy to drinkwine from people who know how to
make value priced wines thatare easy to drink and don't cost
too much.
Third sip it's smooth.
Third sip it's smooth,reasonably complex, reasonably

(05:15):
long on the palate and it's$8.99.
They also have a CabernetSauvignon and a Pinot Noir.
Don't know about that.
I just found this one.
It's a new brand for TraderJoe's.
We'll be trying those other onesin a bit, but this Compass
Bridge Sonoma Chardonnay 2023 isa winner.
I mean, it is for the price.
It is a delicious Chardonnay.

(05:38):
It'll be liked by a lot ofpeople.
You don't need to be anexperienced wine drinker to like
it.
There's some softer flavors,then there's some little rougher
edge things, but it's all easyto pick out.
So there you go, this ninedollar trader joe's compass
bridge, snoma chardonnay 2023from one of the better value

(06:04):
price producers out there.
It's a good wine.
So there you go.
I'm Domain Dave.
Like us where you like yourpodcasts, we will.
It makes a difference.
I have no idea why it'sirritating to me.
But there you go and I haveother wines coming.
This summer has been actuallypretty good.
I figured, wine.
There's a lot of trouble in thewine world.
Coppola, not Coppola.

(06:24):
Gallo just shut down theirentire Central Coast division.
Things are closing down, thingsare changing, but we've been
drinking good wines.
So, adios, keep it cheap andI'll be talking to everybody
later.
Adios, bye-bye.