On a whim last week I picked up a few bargain-priced wines at my local Trader Joes. Mostly these turn out to be worth about what they are priced at, nothing more. But occasionally there is that diamond in the rough that delivers quality well above the price point, and one such wine emerged from this most recent TJ’s venture. It is the 2012 Trader Joes Yountville chardonnay (Lot 82), priced at $9.99. I opened this bottle last night to “test drive” with a dinner of roast chicken and was very pleasantly surprised with the overall quality at this price point. Fresh apple and floral aromas are prominent on first sniff, with pear and vanilla coming through on the palate. It has a crisp, light body and pale yellow color; a definite CA chard, but restrained with good acidic balance. It's not the typical big “butter bomb” that you often get with lower-end CA chardonnays that are heavy with artificial personality. This chardonnay is entirely pleasant, well balanced and deliciously restrained in its flavors. This wine is a real bargain at this price. I shall head back to TJ’s for a few more bottles of this one while the supplies last!
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