CheapWineFinder Podcast
Talking about remarkable wines that pair nicely with your wallet! Because we like to keep it cheap but excellent.
CheapWineFinder Podcast
Aldi's Specially Selected Napa Sauv Blanc that hits above it's $11.99 price tag
Searching for exceptional wines that won't break the bank has become increasingly important in today's uncertain economy. During my latest exploration, I uncovered a hidden gem at Aldi that deserves serious attention from budget-conscious wine enthusiasts.
The Specially Selected Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2024, priced at just $11.99, represents what makes the wine world so fascinating - those moments when price and quality defy conventional expectations. From the first sip, this wine reveals a surprising complexity with its silky, serpentine mouthfeel and perfectly balanced flavor profile of tropical fruits, stone fruits, and subtle citrus notes. Unlike its New Zealand counterparts that lean heavily on grassy characters, this Napa expression showcases the region's ability to produce sophisticated, fruit-forward whites with just the right acidity.
What makes this discovery particularly intriguing is its production background. Bottled by Isolated Cellars (part of the respected Precision Wine Company), this Sauvignon Blanc might represent an industry trend where premium wines find new homes under store labels during market downturns. With wine sales declining globally throughout 2024, savvy shoppers should pay special attention to higher-end store brands that might be harboring exceptional values. Whether enjoyed as a casual "porch pounder" with friends, paired with seafood for dinner, or sipped while streaming your favorite show, this versatile white demonstrates why sometimes the best values in wine come from unexpected places. Try it yourself and discover why Aldi's wine selection deserves a second look during your next shopping trip.
Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com
or email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com
Hey, it's Domain Dave. Again and again and again and again, with another podcast for a wine review, we wrote up on the cheapwinefindercom website. We write things up and put links to everything and then we kind of plug the microphone in and kind of talk a little bit more about it. I've been trying to keep things a little bit on the cheaper side, since the economy is kind of up and down and all around lately and what we have today is an Aldi wine. It's part of their specially selected series. This is the specially selected Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2024. I think we've already put the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Chardonnay on the website from this, and what the specially selected series is is wines from some of the best growing regions in the world. They have Bordeaux and they have the Piedmont and you know all that type of thing, and here they're doing Napa Valley and that's a good thing. And so how is this wine? Let me take a sip. This is pretty good.
Speaker 1:I'm not all that familiar with Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc. I mean, I know a lot of other places that are famous for it. You usually hit Chardonnay and Cabernet and Pinot Noir and Zinfandel before you get the Sauvignon Blanc. But this one's pretty good and at $11.99, which is on the high end for Aldi. Usually when they get high end, that means it's pretty good. I'm going to bring up something now. That is pure speculation. I have no idea A precision wine company made this.
Speaker 1:No, it said that isolated sellers bottle the wine. Isolated sellers is part of a precision wine company. They're out in Napa Valley. They have wines I know in Costco They've done Trader Joe's. They're out in Napa Valley. They have wines. I know in Costco They've done Trader Joe's. They've done wines for Aldi and they have wines in your wine shop. They're a big company and they do a really good job. So all their company did is bottle it, which goes oh, why didn't they just bottle it? Which means usually it's vinted and bottled, which means or cellared and bottled. They aged it already. So does that mean that this wine was already aged and ready to go? Question mark Okay, and here's the thing 2024 was a down year for wine worldwide and it was trending down.
Speaker 1:It's not something that is going to like pop back up in 2025. It's expected to keep was trending down. It's not something that is going to like pop back up in 2025. It's expected to keep on going down and wineries are getting cautious and a lot of wineries that were going to expand cut contracts with vineyards If they were going to have a new brand come out. They canceled that brand.
Speaker 1:So all of a sudden, in 2024, there was wine and grapes to be had which back in 2008, during that big meltdown, the subprime meltdown, trader Joe's went nuts. I mean, there were $60 wines for $10. I don't think we're there yet. Dollars. I don't think we're there yet, and I don't even know that this wine has anything to do with that, because Precision Wine Company had no problem finding grapes before. So I'm not saying that this kind of fell under your lap from that, but I'm saying that could be out there. That's a possibility. I have no idea if it is or not, but there are wines out there that are initially made to be maybe more expensive or from a name brand, not a store brand. That ended up and a store brand. So there's wines to be had. So don't hesitate when you see a store brand with what seems to be a higher level wine than they normally do. Not that they normally do low level wines, but there is a difference with some of the higher levels and this is a very nice wine.
Speaker 1:Let's go back to tasting it again, since I just did all that speculation and conspiracy theory there. A lot of nice to go around with this, a lot of nice things. There's kind of a serpent serpy mouth feel which makes it feel sleek, and it's kind of a bold flavors, but it's very balanced flavors. It's got the usual things. No, it's not grassy like you get in new zealand, but it's very balanced flavors. It's got the usual things. No, it's not grassy like you get in New Zealand, but it's got the flavors the tropical fruit and the Midwestern peach, pear, apple, lemon, that type of thing, melon. It has all the good flavors and those flavors are kind of all in the right place and all in the right proportion. All tasting pretty good.
Speaker 1:And the acidity gives this wine good length, you know. But it's just a good wine, meaning it will pair well with salads and seafood. But you could probably get away with a not too heavy chicken and pork meals too. And it's got enough acidity. It's 3.5 the alcohol, so it's got a little bit of body. It's got a little bit of bold flavor, but it's not a bold wine per se. It's not like a red wine which you can match up with a steak or something. This isn't steak ready, but it's a good wine.
Speaker 1:That is a porch pounder, a backyard sitting with friends. It's a Netflix wine. A porch pounder, a backyard sitting with friends, netflix wine. It does all those things plus. It can go upscale and it's $11.99. It's from Napa Valley. It's from a good producer who makes good wine. So there you go. It's a specially selected Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2024. It might have a higher pedigree than we know, but then again it might just be just good wine. So that's it for me. Domain Dave cheapwinefightercom. Like us. We like your podcast, if you will. It does help. Keep it cheap and I'll be coming back to you at least one more time before Easter. Adios, keep it cheap. Stay warm or dry, or whatever it is out there.