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A very enjoyable expression of Cabernet from Washington’s Columbia Valley, and really a great wine for Costco’s $19.99 price tag.
This is a big red, full bodied and just causes you think “wow” instantly. Predominantly dark fruit, some cherry flavor with a little leather, tobacco and herb. The finish adds spicy notes, and it’s elegant mouthfeel just makes it a joy to drink, even without food which it would complement to no end. Got even better with some air. A nice all around Cab from the Northwest (and I love my Northwest wines). CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points Costco item number: 241279 |
Cabernet Sauvignon
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Not bad at all for a Sonoma Cab that was only $11.99 at my Costco.
Nose kicks off some cherry and vanilla scents, maybe a little mint even; then on the palate, flavors of plum, ripe cherry and red berry. The wine does a nice job of hanging around on the finish, which got even better as the wine had some time to breathe. All around a solid buy. I was a little surprised since you just don’t find a lot of these inexpensive California Cabs to be quite this good. I recommend giving this one a shot. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 Points Costco item number: 42944 |
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I can’t think of the last time I truly enjoyed a bottle for under $7, so this one at Costco for $6.59 may be the bargain of the year. This is a nice wine for the money.
Signature Argentina in its makeup, the wine instantly reminded me of some Patagonia Cabs I’ve tried recently. Fresh and ripe, this wine feels surprisingly good in the mouth; more on the medium body side; flavors of dark berry, blackberry, black cherry and tobacco. Really enjoyable on the palatte. Finish is pretty quick and dry. As I said already, this could be the bargain wine of the year. Kind of like the Etim from 2006, one of the best bargains I’ve found at Costco. So scoop a few of these up and enjoy. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 Points Costco item number: 690794 |
Once a year we assemble the Costco wines we rated the highest over the past 12 months. From glancing through the list, I think it’s safe to say that we found a lot of great wines at some fantastic prices. Our series in September on high end Costco wines provides quite a few placements on this list, but that’s not to say there weren’t some big bargains as well.
As always, it’s going to be hard to find many of these wines since Costco moves their inventory so quickly (but I’ve seen at least 3-4 of these still available at Costco stores near me). So keep an eye out. These are all winners. Click on the label to read our review of each wine.
Thanks for another fun year.
— Editor
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A decent Napa Cab for the $12.99 price point at Costco. Since I’ve always gone kind of middle of the road on these Kirkland Napa Cabs, I had a few other people try it, and they all agreed it was a nice wine for the money, but nothing special.
I gave the 2009 vintage of this wine 86 points and will do the same this year. What you have is a nice Cab (although I’d guess there’s a touch of something else in here, likely Merlot), that starts fresh and ripe on the nose, it’s medium to full in body with tight tannins, a little cocoa on top of the dark fruit flavors, and some spice on the rather quick finish. Not a bad wine by any stretch, and ok at this price point. See what you think and let me know on our Facebook page. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 86 Points Costco item number: 929290 |
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Wine Spectator just released their top 100 wines for 2012. Here’s a PDF of the list.
A reader of our website suggested we try to list which of the wines from the list were available at Costco. I thought it was a fantastic idea. But given the different selection of wines in Costco stores around the country, I thought it would be best to ask for help from all of our readers.
If you see any of the wines on the list, please tell everyone what you found and where on the Costco Wine Blog Facebook page. Also, please list price, and of course any tasting notes if you’ve already opened the wine.
I’ll start by listing a few of the wines from the list that I’ve seen at Costco stores in Atlanta in the last few months (in some cases different vintages).
#51 Bodega Norton Malbec Mendoza Reserva 2010 (my review of the 2008 vintage)
#58 Perrin & Fils Vinsobres Les Cornuds 2010 (my review of the 2007 vintage)
#92 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2009 (my review of this wine. Scored it a point ahead of WS)
So keep an eye out next time you hit your local Costco, and please report back anything you find. I plan on hitting a few more stores to see what I can find.
— Editor
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Rockaway is a lovely wine from Rodney Strong. This bottle marks the end of our month long series reviewing some of the higher end Costco wines, and it’s a nice note to go out on. I usually prefer my $70-$100 Cabs to come from Napa when I have a choice, but this bottle turned a corner for me. It’s delicious, marked by an awesome finish and reaffirms the strength and boldness of Alexander Valley Cabs.
The wine starts pleasant on the nose, lots of pepper and spice; delicate in the mouth with a flavor punch that starts soft and then hits pretty big (like bass fishing, first thing that came to mind because I’ve been fishing a lot lately); definitely a good spice, nutmeg component on the palate with dark fruit, some plum. But what’s special about this wine is the finish. I love it. Big, deep, lasting, just won’t go away. Really a lot of fun. This one opened my eyes to what Sonoma offers above $50. This bottle was $64.99 at my Costco and worth every penny. Enjoy with your favorite red meat or hearty dish. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 93 Points |
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I’m happy to announce the publication of my latest wine book titled Around the Wine World in 40 Pages: An Exploration Guide for the Beginning Wine Enthusiast.
It’s $3.99 for the Kindle with a physical version coming down the line. The book takes readers on a journey throughout the most popular and notable wine growing regions in the world, providing an inside perspective on what wine drinkers at all experience levels need to know about the grapes and styles from each region, along with the price points and suggestions on specific wines to try. I even include references to a lot of wines that can be found at Costco. I hope you enjoy. |