Good California Cabs are hard to come by for under $15 (although at Costco you can do ok), but when you make that jump to the next price bracket ($20-$30) you really get a big jump up in quality. I’ve always found the Beringer Knights Valley Cabs to be a strong buy in this range and at Costco you can find it for around $25, which is on the lower end of prices I’ve seen.
This wine pours thick and dark; you can’t see through it at all, even around the edges. And this weight carries into the drink; the wine is big and bold, earthy and chewy in the mouth. I think this vintage, like previous years, includes a handful of other Bordeaux varietals, which I’m guessing could be Malbec, Petit Verdot or some Cab Franc blended into the mix. Flavors of dark fruit, anise, dark chocolate with some herbal notes on the finish, especially pepper.
I like this wine for $25. If you had to choose between two glasses of a less expensive wine, or one glass of this, you’d be crazy to opt for the former. I also think this wine could age for a few more years and gain even more depth and complexity. (As a side note, my local wine club – I am all about supporting the small guys too – this month is featuring the 2012 Beringer Quantum, which is a red blend/great year/highly regarded wine that I’ve never tried. Let me know in the comments if you’ve tried it and what you thought).
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points
Costco item number: 32801
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Cumberland)