03 Tuesday Nov 2015
Posted in Bargain Alert, Wine
Saw this at our Costco today…it’s a great buy, if you like a decent Garnacha for a good price. $9.99 (normally $18.99).
This vintage scored really well too. 90/91 points. Earthy & spicy really does sum it up.
If you’d like to read about it:
http://www.wine.com/v6/Borsao-Tres-Picos-Garnacha-2013/wine/141625/Detail.aspx?state=CA
03 Thursday Sep 2015
Posted in Bargain Alert, Wine
Beaulieu Vineyard BV Napa Valley 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon
14.9% ABV
While I know it is Beaulieu’s lower end Cabernet, Costco’s wine buyer rarely lets me down; so I picked this up yesterday for $14.99. If it’s even half as good as their higher end wines, it should be an absolute bargain for holiday and winter evenings. I’m waiting for cooler weather to sample.
Let me know if you’ve tried it & what you think!
From the label:
“I am pleased to offer this elegant and balanced wine, which expresses velvety layers of blackberry, ripe plum & chocolate” ~ Jeffrey Stambor, Winemaker
31 Sunday May 2015
Posted in Bargain Alert, Wine
Tags
I picked this wine up on a whim when I was last at Costco. It was $14.99 (the closest price online I could find was K&L’s $19.99).
I didn’t think it was a great bargain, just an average Costco savings, until I’d tasted the wine. I hadn’t looked it up until after I tasted it either…since it was just a whim. But it is such a nicely balanced, nuanced Cab/Shiraz blend, I felt compelled to do some additional research & review it.
Penfolds gives you tasting notes so I’m linking them here: Penfolds Bin 8 Cabernet Shiraz Blend
Also, it appears that the wine has been well scored across the board (We found that our experience with the wine was a cross between James Suckling’s notes & Stephen Tanzer’s):
92 points James Suckling
A newer wine that is composed of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Shiraz, sourced from the Barossa Valley, Wrattonbully, McLaren Vale, Padthaway and Langhorne Creek. The nose is quiet striking, there’s a nicely crafted oak element layered into the mix, the Shiraz comes across flambouyant and chocolatey, the Cabernet adds leafy notes. There’s a little dark olive and plenty of dark fruit flavours on the palate, great depth and well-judged ripeness. This is succulent and rich, quite silky and even, showing plums and spice, deep red and purple fruit flavours, some gentle mocha oak and smooth, approachable layered tannins. 
90 points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
90+ points. A blend of 57% Cabernet Sauvignon and 43% Shiraz, the deep garnet-purple colored 2012 Bin 8 Cabernet Shiraz is a little closed on the nose, with pure blackcurrant and blackberry notes coming through along with some baking spices in the background. Medium-bodied with classic flavors, it is quite expressive in the mouth, with low to medium levels of grainy tannins carrying it through the long finish. (LPB)
90 points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
(a 57/43 blend): Glass-staining ruby. Textbook cabernet aromas of cherry, cassis, pipe tobacco and woodsmoke, with a vanilla undertone and a touch of cracked pepper. Offers pliant black and blue fruit flavors, a note of bitter chocolate and good spicy kick, plus a subtle licorice nuance. Finishes sweet, gently tannic and long, leaving smoke and dark berry notes behind (7/2014) *
Overall, an above average offering at a very affordable price. We returned and re-purchased.
*If you do not have a local Costco, K&L Wines still has this wine in stock for a very reasonable $19.99 a bottle.
25 Wednesday Feb 2015
Posted in Bargain Alert, Wine
This is not a review, just a bargain buy update for Costco.
For the Tempranillo lovers out there, Kirkland Rioja Reserva 2009 has just shown up at our local Costco. Priced at $6.99 and 100% Spanish Tempranillo, this is an excellent buy. Aged 24 months in French and American oak casks and another year in the bottle. At $6.99, this is definitely bargain alert material!
Also, while I was there, I saw a choice bottle from Portugal.
Vina Regional Alentejano Vinho Tinto Ramos Premium 2012 wine, $14.99. It’s a red blend consisting of:
40% Aragonez
30% Syrah
30% Touriga Nacional (one of my favorite wine grapes)
The winemag buying guide gives it a 91 points and very good review.
This one looks like it might cellar well too.
Also, since we are on the subject of wine, Cameron Hughes is having a 24hr sale that ends today. Some pretty good deals and free shipping with three bottles or more on using the promo code: Savage
13 Tuesday Jan 2015
Posted in Wine
Well I’m not sure if it’s a great buy, but for $7.50/bottle, it’s worth trying, right?
I haven’t had any of these in particular, before now, but they are not high-priced bottles. Pretty little wooden box though, with a plexiglas style front. I figured it couldn’t hurt to see if any of the wines tasted higher than their Costco price point. I’ll report back if there’s a gem to be found.
15 Monday Dec 2014
Posted in Wine
Tags
I’ve gotten away from Costco wine recently and every time I have some, I ask myself “Why do you wait so long?” Their prices are great and the quality is usually always better than you can expect for the price.
The Costco wine-buyer, more often than not, makes excellent choices. My only complaint is that our region doesn’t carry more of the Spanish or Portuguese wines that other Costco stores stock.
This Giordano Toscana Rosso is quite a lovely Super Tuscan though and a bargain at $10.
It is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet & Merlot.
Their tasting notes (with which I happen to heartily concur):
Deep brilliant red in colour, it has a complex aroma that reminds of leathery black fruits with hints of chocolate, violet, blackberry, spice and vanilla. To the taste it is mellow, with ripe tannins and a long spicy fruit finish; Tuscany has a lovely fine texture and a lingering aftertaste.
It really is a most excellent wine, even at 2x the Costco price. Interestingly enough, I wasn’t a great fan of the last vintage of this, that Costco carried. I am glad I tried this one though.
I picked up another half a case (I was happy they let me keep the box), along with a few bottles of the very tasty Kirkland Signature Asolo Prosecco Superiore DOC ($6.99) for the holidays. It’s a nice, dry Prosecco at a killer price.
29 Wednesday Oct 2014
Posted in Wine
Cellared & Bottled by: DC Flint MW Domaines and Estates, Napa, CA
2012, 2013 & 2014 are considered, by Napa growers, as “picture perfect vintages”; shaping up exactly like they wanted. On the positive side, the weather was perfect, harvests were massive. On the negative side, wine makers were not prepared for the amount of grapes that were harvested. However, that “negative” side should turn out to be very good for the consumer. At least with the 2012 harvest there have been lots of “spot market” sales (both grapes and finished wine) to 3rd party vendors and negociants (2013 may or may not show some damaged or less than ideal wine…because of the disruption of the fermentation caused by the Napa earthquake…and it’s possible that we may or may not see the results of that on the market soon; 2014 is yet to be determined but looks to be excellent, 2012 has pretty much proved itself already). That is good news for us, better wine at lower-than-normal prices. While quality will always be something to seek out, on average, the Napa 2012’s are showing well…and in a wider range of known & unknown labels.
Since it’s pretty rare to find a decent Stags Leap Cabernet for under $40 (often they start at $50-65+) and knowing Costco often finds stellar bargains, I thought this one would be worth a taste test. The blend is: 88% Cabernet Sauvignon 12% Merlot. Happily I was not disappointed.
Upon opening, it was very drinkable; already fruit forward. Not sweet, just fruity. Cherries & plums are prevalent. An under-taste of cocoa nicely supports the fruit. Tannins are firm. After about an hour in the air, it was smoother; a lush, full mouthfeel.
I would say that if you are fond of Stags Leap wines, this is a Bulk Buy; comparable to wines at least 2.5x this price. One of the best Kirkland-brand wines I’ve tried so far (and I’m a fan).
Update: 2.5 hrs after opening, this wine moved to a completely different class. The fruit receded a bit, balanced by the tannins. Graphite showed in the taste and the mouthfeel became even more silky. I would upgrade this from a very good deal to a great deal. I didn’t think it would be necessary to decant but I’ve changed my mind. Style and substance here.
14 Tuesday Oct 2014
Posted in Wine
Someone asked me some questions the other day that really got me to thinking. “Doesn’t it bother you to recommend re-labeled or non-vineyard designated wine as ‘excellent’? Aren’t you deceiving people into thinking they can buy good wine when you really can’t get truly good wine for anywhere near the prices you list? Or from the retailers you feature?”
I gave a funny answer (my go to response when I don’t want to offend anyone) but I thought about the questions for quite a while and this post is my honest answer.
While I love excellent wine, I’m definitely not a wine snob. I don’t have to have a “label” or pay “X-amount” (i.e. $$$) in order to enjoy a wine. And more importantly, I don’t really care if anyone else is impressed with my cellar or not. As long as I am impressed….that’s all that matters.
Yes, I really hate bad wine and wine that disappoints me does affect my enjoyment of the meal (or whatever I happen to be enjoying it with…). So where do I fall? I don’t know. I’m a person who would prefer to spend less $ for better quality. I’m not defined by what I own or how much I spend. And yet, I will still slaver over an exquisite Egyptian cotton (bazillion count) sheet set. lol.
I used to think, like the person who asked the above questions, that you could only get good wine if your starting price point was $75+. I honestly don’t believe that anymore. It was quite the epiphany. I’ve had some excellent wines from Costco (their buyer can certainly nail it at times….and get real stinkers at other times), some decent wines from Trader Joe’s (though I admit, I’m not a fan of the “Two-Buck Chuck”) and World Market. Even more exciting, I have found wines I would cellar from Cameron Hughes. None of them cost me more than $39 (ok, a couple of Costco wines did go beyond that price point) and closer to $25 on average. These wines, I would happily serve blind to the above questioner and I would wager they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference from one of their pricier wines.
Now am I bashing a lovely, costly, labeled cellar? Nope. If that’s what you love, do it and do it well. I’m just saying that regardless of the general opinion, there are wines out there that can knock your socks off, for under $40 and I have no problem labeling them as “excellent”.
And on that note, I would like to recommend the 2009 Bartholomew Tempranillo. I paid $39 for it at a local specialty wine shop, however I notice that the 2010 is being sold at the winery for $22. I haven’t tried the 2010 but 2009 is still on the shelves and it’s quite lovely. Smooth, spicy, medium-full mouth-feel and a more Spanish-style to it than a lot of the Western Tempranillo wines. It’s my first experience with this winery but it definitely won’t be my last.
08 Wednesday Oct 2014
Posted in Wine
Tags
Another great bargain (found this one at Costco for just under $10.00) is the 2012 Yaso Toro wine. It’s 100% tempranillo and at this price I wish that I’d purchased several more bottles. Sadly our local Costco has no more of this wine (it sold out very fast) but I’m actually going to check out of town to see if I can locate any more. It’s that good and in a daily drinking price range.
When I first tasted this wine, I hadn’t decanted it. Just poured and tasted. It was a bit harsh and not very well balanced. We decided to leave the glasses alone and after about an hour and a half, it really showed to be an excellent wine. Spicy & dry…true to the Spanish Tempranillo style, if you love that.
We had our second bottle the other night. This time we actually decanted it for an hour before serving. It was perfect. Smooth and nicely balanced.
I would say this wine tastes 2.5x it’s price point. Just a great deal if it’s still available near you.
I couldn’t find a website for the wine but I did find this link from the Costco Wine Blog:
http://costcowineblog.com/2012-yaso-toro-tempranillo-3/
