This $12.99 Ribera del Duero was one of our top Costco wine finds last year, and it made an appearance on our annual Best of the Year list.
That was the 2017 vintage which we rated 92 points. And now the 2018 vintage is hitting Costco stores, and it is coming in at the same $12.99 price point, which is welcome news.
While we thoroughly enjoyed this vintage, and the tasting notes are very similar to the 2017, we felt this new 2018 was just a small step behind, lacking some of the depth and mouthfeel we remember enjoying from the prior vintage.
That said, it is still a very good wine, just not quite 92 point range this time around.
In the glass the wine is a medium to dark ruby, with dried herbs, earth on the nose; medium bodied with flavors of black cherry and blackberry; chocolate notes and a good peppery spice throughout; finishes nice and dry.
There's a lot to like here and we're going a solid 90 points on this vintage. This wine also really evolved with air so it will settle in after 30-45 minutes of decant.
It was fun to taste this one again, and let's hope we continue to see future vintages in Costco stores.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 points
Costco item number: 1764979
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Kennesaw)
Alc. 14%
JJ says
This is a delicious wine. Very excited to see it back in the store. As you said, just a tad below 2017 but not by much. Enjoyed and glad I snagged several bottles.