Trader Joe's $7.99 Sauvignon Blanc: Not Your Typical Central Coast Pour

Ever had a wine that stops you mid-sip and makes you think, "Wait, what's happening here?" That's exactly what Seek to Find Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023 did to me. Found at Trader Joe's for just $7.99, this isn't your typical budget Sauvignon Blanc – it's a thoughtful departure from the norm that deserves your attention.

What makes this wine stand out is its production method. While virtually all value-priced Sauvignon Blancs are fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks, Seek to Find takes a different approach by incorporating oak barrel aging – a technique more commonly found in premium Bordeaux Blanc and high-end California wines. The result? A fascinating flavor profile that delivers familiar notes of lemon, melon, peach, and apple, but with an unexpected layer of exotic spices that only oak aging can impart. It's like getting a hint of Bordeaux, a touch of Loire Valley, and the sunshine of Central Coast all in one affordable glass.

Behind this wine is Treana Wines, a division of the respected Hope Family Wines from Paso Robles, who've been crafting quality wines for over 30 years. They also produce a $50 Sauvignon Blanc using similar techniques, which explains the surprising complexity found in this budget bottle. The highest compliment I can give any wine is that it makes you slow down and truly notice what you're drinking – and this one absolutely delivers on that front. For anyone looking to expand their wine knowledge or simply enjoy something different without breaking the bank, this is a must-try. Check out ChiefWineFinder.com for more detailed notes and similar value-priced wine recommendations that'll surprise your palate without emptying your wallet.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Seek to Find Sauvignon Blanc
• 0:58 Hope Family Wines Background
• 1:27 Unique Oak Barrel Aging Process
• 3:12 Tasting Notes and Flavor Profile
• 5:11 Final Thoughts and Website Info

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey, domain Dave, cheapwinefinercom again with another value price wine review and this time we've got a Sauvignon Blanc Trader Joe's at $7.99. And this one's kind of interesting, which is something weird that's happened in the last few years. That kind of snuck in there For a long time. Value price wines were good, but they were kind of along the same line as every other wine. They're kind of uh, you know, they're made to taste like a wine that is more expensive, that type of thing and this one's a little bit different. This is a seek to find central coast savion blanc and I've checked out who produced it and, according to the California Wine Cola Registry, it was Trina Wines, which is a division or a brand of Hope Family Wines out of Paso Robles. They do Liberty School and a bunch of other wines. They're a solid, really good winery out of Paso Robles been around for 30 years and they made this wine. And the one thing that is a little bit different about this virtually every value price and this is an $8 value priced wine is that they're they're fermented and aged for whatever aging usually a short period of time, in stainless steel. The Sique de Fine Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023 is a blend of stainless steel and oak barrel. Now, oak barrel aging is something that happens in Bordeaux Blanc, which is Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, and some of those wines can be aged for 25 years, and so it's. You know, typically speaking, california Sauvignon Blanc is more like the lower value, that lower valley, where that doesn't happen. It's all quickly produced and you want it to be bright and alive.

Speaker 1: 2:05

But this has another flavor. I mean, this isn't the same old, same old. It'll throw you back at first. When I first tasted it, I was like what's going on here? When I first nosed it, it's like hmm, this isn't the same. The spice is different. It does open up and become more familiar, but you're going to get lemon, you're going to get melon, maybe some peach and some apple, and you're going to get exotic spice, because the spices that come from barrel oak barrel is going to be different than the spice that's naturally in the wine or then the grape. So you're getting that flavor and even if they're using neutral barrels, there's still that different flavor that comes through that a barrel can impart. So it's got the kind of flavor profile of it backwards or something, but it works. I mean, this is a $7.99 wine. That kind of expands your knowledge of Sauvignon Blanc. It's giving you a little Bordeaux. It's giving you a little Loire Valley. It's giving you a little Central Coast.

Speaker 1: 3:25

I checked the Hope family website and their wines and they do do a. I think it's under the Trina brand, I'm not sure because they have five or six brands. They do a $50 Sauvignon Blanc that does this too. I'm not suggesting that this is that $50 wine, but what they learn from that goes into this. So they're not going blind here. They've done it before, which is a good thing.

Speaker 1: 3:54

I mean, they're from Paso Robles and a lot of their wines are from their vineyards and what have you. And this one is from the cold central coast. It doesn't say that there's any estate ones, but that's fine. I mean, there's a lot of grapes to be had, and really good grapes. Most commercial vineyards do really good grapes. I mean, um, you know, a lot of a lot of marketing is oh, this is from this vineyard and this is from that vineyard. And if you know those vineyards and love those vineyards, that's great. But if you don't know the vineyards, it doesn't really make that much of a difference to you, as long as it's a good vineyard and the wines taste good.

Speaker 1: 4:32

We're taking another sip of this and we're going to close this up because this is a good find. Seek to find it. Actually, this is Trader Joe's 799. Seek to Find Central Coast Sauvignon Blanc 2023. It's from a good producer. It is not the same as every other Sauvignon Blanc Trader Joe's sells, because it has that mix of oak barrel aging and fermentation. So there you go. I mean, this is a wine that is going to taste a little bit different, but not so you don't know. But it's just going to go.

Speaker 1: 5:13

Hmm, this is interesting. I need to, rather than just sip it, I need to actually take a moment and notice what I'm drinking, which, for a $7.99 wine, is a huge compliment. Any wine that makes you sit up and think is a good wine, and this thing tastes great. I mean, it's a Sauvignon Blanc from the Central Coast. It's going to taste good, but it's going to be a little bit different. So there you go. This is Domain Dave. This is ChiefWineFindercom. Check out the website. We've got all the links to the whole family vineyards and information about the Central Coast, everything about this wine, and a little bit of written stuff on top of it too. There is no production or tasting notes, so everything we learned, we had to learn by sipping, which is always a good way to learn about wine. So, adios, keep it cheap, and I'll be talking to you. I got a bunch of kind of fun wines coming up, so next few days are going to be fun. I'll be talking to you. Hang in there, keep it cheap, bye-bye.