Trader Joe's Reserve Rasteau Lot 254. 2022

The letters RASTEAU are engraved right into the bottle, and this is a true Rasteau, worthy of the appellation and a very good Cotes du Rhone Villages. At $9.99 it is a good value, and, after tasting it, I went back to buy half a case. Medium crimson, bright but translucent. Fresh cherries, berries, black papper and licorice. Has the dark mineral tones that I associate with Rasteau and Vacqueyras. The peppery structure I expect from a good CDR Villages wine. And a pleasing ripe fruit finish. This is probably made by a cooperative, and coops in the Southern Rhone are generallky very good and likely to use traditional winemaking practices.