Trader Joe's Diamond Reserve: The Secret $20 Napa Cab Worth Three Times the Price

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The unexpected bargains of wine industry disruption take center stage as Domain Dave explores Trader Joe's Diamond Reserve Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2023. At $19.99, this single-vineyard wine represents the upper tier of Trader Joe's offerings, yet delivers value far beyond its price point.

What makes this bottle particularly intriguing is the mystery behind its origins. While Trader Joe's typically provides subtle hints about their premium wines' sources, this label remains conspicuously silent—suggesting a particularly prestigious pedigree. The clues are tantalizing: it's a single-vineyard Napa Cabernet from a specific sub-appellation, aged 14 months in French and American oak, with classic Bordeaux-style blending (touches of Petit Verdot and Merlot). All signs point to a wine that would typically command $50+ at retail.

The current wine market echoes conditions last seen during the 2008 recession, with major players like Duckhorn, parts of Coppola's Del Cato, and Constellation Brands shedding assets and canceling contracts. These disruptions create opportunities for value-minded wine enthusiasts willing to explore. As Dave explains, wines never intended for value channels suddenly appear at bargain prices when producers face financial pressure. This Diamond Reserve Napa Cab drinks well immediately but shows potential for further improvement with six months of additional aging. The challenge? As a limited-edition release, it won't be available for long.

Have you noticed other unexpected premium wines appearing at value prices recently? The current market conditions suggest we might see more such opportunities. While you contemplate this Napa Cabernet, stay tuned for Dave's upcoming review of a $6 New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Remember to keep your wine adventures affordable without sacrificing quality. These distress sales from premium producers represent perfectly timed opportunities for savvy wine lovers.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hey, welcome Domain Dave CheapWineFightercom.
Again, another value wine.
This one is a little bit moreexpensive.
It's $19.99.
It is the Trader Joe's DiamondReserve Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon 2023.
The Diamond Collection is theirupper end and they say that

(00:25):
even though it's $20, that it ismaybe a wine that originally
would have sold for two or threetimes the price.
And that could possibly be true.
It says Napa Valley CabernetSauvignon, which is about as
generic as you can get for oneof these wines, because you

(00:47):
actually as generic as you canget is putting California on
there.
And they could do that for aNapa Valley wine, but no one
would because Napa's a sellingpoint.
But this is actually a singlevineyard wine, which means it's
from a sub-AVA.
And since it's a singlevineyard wine, it's probably an
estate wine.

(01:08):
That's how estate wines go.
Or if it's not an estate wine,the grapes were purchased.
It's purchased from a prettyfancy vineyard that you would
not want to add anything elseonto.
All of that says 1999 is abargain, it's got 14 months in

(01:32):
both French and American oakbarrels.
They don't do any detail.
They literally say that wecan't tell you what this is all
about.
They often will give hints ontheir diamond and platinum
reserves.
They're kind of obscure hintsand you can never be 100% sure,
but it can point you in theright direction.

(01:52):
Here we get nothing.
The back label says Vinted andbottled by Vino Ecology.
I think it is Vino Ecology Ithink it is which is a website
that has everything you everneeded in making wine.

(02:12):
In there you can hire employees, buy equipment, buy the grapes,
find distributors, find peopleto help you make the wine
Everything.
I just scratched the surface,what they do.
But they vented and bottled byme.
As they bottled it.
They have a bottling line.
So what is this?
This is a hundred percent.
Well, not 100%.
This is Cabernet Sauvignon witha touch of Petit Bordeaux and a

(02:35):
touch of Merlot added on, whichis the Bordeaux style.
Those are the other two grapesare that and Cab Franc are the
Bordeaux grapes.
So what's going on here?
I don't know How's it taste.
I'm going to take a sip.
Tastes good actually.
It's very flavorful and it'sgot good length.

(03:07):
You know I'm not an expert atall on anything at all, but when
it comes to wine, you know Iknow more about value-priced
wines.
I know that I don't know.
I've had them, but I don'tstudy them Expensive Napa wines.
But if you ask me, this winecould use maybe another six
months of age just to let it.

(03:30):
You know, pull it out aroundChristmas.
But the problem is this is alimited edition wine.
When this is gone, it's gone.
So you're going to have to makethat decision now and hopefully
, because this might well be a$50 wine or more or whatever.
You know, single vineyard Napawines are usually kind of pricey

(03:54):
.
2023 might be a little bitearly, not too early.
It drinks, it sips well.
I'm not saying it doesn't sipwell, it does just fine.
But I think there's more forthis wine to give with a little
bit of time.
So there you go.
So what's going on here?
Duckhorn got rid of some oftheir brands.

(04:17):
Part of Coppola Del Cato shutdown a winery facility.
Castellation Brands sold off abunch of their brands.
It's happening everywhere.
There's brands being mothballed.
There's contracts beingcanceled with vineyards.
There's wineries that we'regoing to be doing making so many

(04:40):
wines.
They're not making them anymore, and it's all happened kind of
suddenly.
There's been a downturn in themarket.
I don't think they wereplanning on it, so there are
bargains to be had.
Back in 2008, when we startedout the website.
There was a major worldwiderecession and there was crazy
bargains $60 wines for $10.

(05:01):
$40 wines for $5.
I remember Bronco Wines had aMerlot that a winery needed
quick cash and they only wantedto sell him one year's worth of
grapes and he made them do twoand he sold it for five bucks
just because he could.
And that kind of stuff used tobe happening all the time and

(05:21):
it's starting to happen again.
Like I said, this is not a winethat was ever meant to be a
Trader Joe's wine.
This is a single vineyard.
Napa sub AVA has such a goodpedigree that if they told you,
people would start rush to thestore and buy this or wouldn't
buy the original bottles, whichis kind of how the negotiant

(05:43):
works.
But you know, negotiantssometimes wink, wink, nod, nod.
Let people know where it comesfrom.
This might not have the fullwinery production going on.
It might be, you know, somebodyelse might have took over.
So it's not that all together,but it's still under $20.

(06:05):
So there you go.
This is Domain DaveChewinefindercom.
This is the 1999 Trader Joe'sDiamond Reserve Napa Valley
Cabernet Sauvignon 2023.
There's more here than meetsthe eye, but it does meet your
taste buds.
So it's 1999, which is aboutthe upper reach of Trader Joe's
wines.
You might think twice aboutbuying it, but this might be one

(06:29):
of the better diamond reservesaround.
In the past there were winesthat probably didn't have the
distress sale sign on them.
So here we go, we're getting abargain.
So, adios, keep it cheap.
I'll be talking to everybody.
In a couple of days.
I've got a Sauvignon Blanccoming up from New Zealand.

(06:50):
I almost couldn't pronounce it,but we have one coming up in a
couple of days and it's like a$6 wine.
It should be a fun one.
Adios, keep it cheap, bye-bye.