Cabernet Sauvignon

I would recommend passing on this bottle for $20 and look for a nice French Cotes du Rhone, or any Spanish wine in the same price range.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 86 Points (ok wine, too expensive)
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA
Costco item number: 413826

Wait, wait, wait.  Pretty great!   That pretty much summarizes the Casarena Reserva 2011 Cabernet.   It is made from 82-year-old vines and the mature vines show:  this is a rich, plush Cabernet with a nose of prune, blackberry, coffee and toast.  But, like a bad first date, this wine doesn’t show-off much on the first day.   When it finally emerged from a self-imposed exile on the 2^nd and 3^rd days, some really lovely characteristics began to show.

The palate was very soft, ripe, and supple. This does not drink like a typical Cabernet Sauvignon, typical of the South American Cabs.    Instead of complexity, it is plush and lush:  Medium-dark ruby; sleek, glossy, good legs. Nice aroma of vanilla bean and white pepper, with some nice lingering fruit in the finish.  By the 4^th day (yes, I waited that long to finish the bottle) it continued to drink very nicely – long legs and long life!   I found that I had to wait, but this wine came through.   Decanting is a must and a second date is highly recommended.   For the price, this wine offers a lot, but not early.   

Note:  The pricing suggests that Costco may be phasing out this wine.   The early birds will likely be the only ones get this wine.   Happy hunting.

– Review by Michael S

Rating:  90 (for value)

Price: $14.89

Costco Item #: 712496

Purchased at Costco in: San Diego, California

This wine really changed with some air.  At first the nose was earthy and spicy, but after an hour or so, it became much more floral.  In the mouth, the wine feels soft and juicy at first, then the big body and flavor creeps in and hits you with a burst of energy.  Flavors of dark fruit, blackberry with hints of leather, tobacco and black licorice.  The wine picks up its spice notes toward the finish.  This is a nice bottle for the money.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 Points
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA
Costco item number: 784198

As I poured what would be my first taste, the wine color was deep purple and it’s nose exhibited traditional black fruited currant flavors.  Unfortunately, my first sip was disappointing.  Maybe I expected more because the Kirkland brand has delivered some great value wines, but this one clearly needed some time to open up and figure out how it wanted to present itself.  To those that pop and pour, beware.  If you judge it right out of the bottle you will be disappointed.  

For those just getting into red wine, that brings up an important point.  After being in a bottle a while, most wines need time to open up and let being exposed to air do it’s thing.  Couldn’t be truer in the case of this wine.  I decided to decant the bottle and forget about it a couple hours.

Coming back to the wine and starting over gave it a second chance to impress.  This wine has some good qualities, but they seem out of order.  There’s a quick rush of black fruit which isn’t as ripe as I hoped and held it back.  Before I could think more about the fruit, I was greeted with traces of oak and chocolate, soon to be followed by a surprising tasty dusty cocoa flavor that lingered momentarily (which happened to be my favorite part).

This wine sells for $12.99 and I’ve seen it at a few Costcos.  Give it a good amount of time and it will not disappoint in the end considering you don’t have high expectations.
— Adam L

Rating 86 Points
*KirklandWine*

The nose is young, floral with hints of cinnamon; flavors of fresh cherry, blueberry, more cinnamon; the flavors come as kind of a quick pop and the wine settles into a slow smooth, dusty finish.  2011 wasn’t the best year for California, and I was told by winemakers on a recent trip to Napa to be picky about what to buy; but this wine seems to come together.  It’s a nice food wine, and an ok buy for CA Cabs overall.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 86 Points

Costco item number: 236764

Nose was tight at first, a little floral and pepper to note.  On the palate the fruit is just fantastic; ripe and pure blueberry, blackberry, cedar, a touch of green pepper.  I wanted to learn a bit more about the fruit and found the following line from the 75 Wine Company website: “…a blend from our Lake County vineyards, Mendocino fruit and Valley floor fruit from our beloved Napa Valley.”  Beckstoffer seems to own grapes everywhere and can really pick and choose how to make his wines to deliver great quality for the dollar.

Finish brings a touch of pepper, a little dry and very smooth.

This is a good buy and a solid California wine for the money.  It also seems to be pretty widely available at a lot of Costco stores so I hope you can find it.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points

Costco item number: 241276

Nose is fresh, floral and earthy;  in the mouth, the first thing you notice is the beautiful tannic structure.  This wine feels like it’s about 5 years older than it is since the tannins are so subtle; love this mouthfeel.  Fruit is dark berry, tobacco, a little black licorice and pepper spice, but young and fresh.  Finish is amazing for something in this price range.  Long, touch of spice, sticky.

I’m really impressed.  This one hit me right across the board.  I’m going to add it to our Bronze Rated wine list, and highly recommend you try it.  I’m going to buy a couple more to keep on hand.  These are the kind of wines I like to try a year or two later and see how they’ve changed.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 91 Points
*Bronze Rated*

Costco item number: 345392

The Kindle version is only $3.99 and it includes information on major French wine regions including Bordeaux, Loire, Burgundy, Alsace, Rhone, Languedoc-Roussillon and Champagne.  This book is short and conscise, written to help the beginner wine drinker become more familiar with French wines that may seem overly complicated and complex.

It’s blended with a few other varietals so the final make up is 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 4% Cabernet Franc, & 2% Petite Verdot. Quality Napa nose, dark as could be in the glass, the wine definitely ramps up to a great finish.  Flavor is dark fruit, blueberry, black currant, black licorice and black berry.  Definitely a little stickiness to the finish which is great.  Dusty and dry on the close too, which demands a red meat dish.

A good wine at a fair price.  I’m a fan of the mountain wines so will gravitate toward them a bit more.  If you’re looking for more of the juicy Napa Cabs you might want to stick closer in the valley. 

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points

Costco item number: 123399

“Had to try this one to see what they can do with Oakville cab at this price…and the result is pretty good. One of the better Kirkland wines I have tasted (Their Chtf. Du pape is good as well).

Nose hits you right away with dark cabernet fruit, what I expect from Oakville. Surprisingly maintains some distinct characteristics of leather, black currant, raisin, blackberry, and vanilla oaky finish – much of what you can find in more expense big name wines from Oakville…Some dusty mild tannins suggest this has some potential for smoothing out a little bit with time. Relatively thick coat finish feels good, but a little bitterness and heat. Falls a tad short overall in terms of complexity (somewhat one-dimensional), but it is a big dark fruit driven wine that could fool many in a blind tasting. Better than expected, and overall I would recommend this one – especially for under $20.

*Give it some time to breath….big improvements”
— CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points

— TJ Cohen

*KirklandWine*