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2012 12 Linajes Reserva Tempranillo Ribera del Duero

2012 12 Linajes Reserva Tempranillo Ribera del Duero

Long time readers will know that I love my Ribera del Duero wines, so when I see a new one, like the 12 Linajes, arrive in my Costco stores, it’s almost a no brainer.  I can’t think of a time in recent years when the Ribera wines at Costco didn’t deliver a lot of bang for the buck.

And this one is a perfect example.  This is a 94 point Wine Enthusiast bottle (also an Editor’s Choice) with a retail price of $40 that Costco is selling for $27.89. Exactly what I’m looking for to taste and share with you.

12 Linajes Reserva Tempranillo RiberaGranted we enjoyed the wine with grilled steak (yes, we eat a lot of Green Egg steak in our household), but this wine was outstanding throughout the night; perfect with the meal, but the glasses we had following were excellent, maybe even better than the pairing since the wine had a little air time.

Spicy, earthy, floral on the nose; big cherry flavor rounded out by some dark fruit; full bodied and powerful; a little of that old world dusty library book; and a dry sticky finish.

This is an excellent wine that I would put up next to almost anything else in its price range.  I think it’s drinking much closer to its retail price, if not closer to $50-$60 range.  Six years of age is helping it drink really nice right now, and I’d venture to say it will only improve further in the years to come.

12 Linajes Reserva Tempranillo RiberaThis is one of those examples of why buying wine at Costco is so much fun.  At a major wine warehouse store, a bottle like this could easily fall out of sight, lost in the mix of racks and racks of wine, and that would be a shame.  At Costco however, it jumps out right away, as a new offering, from a premier area, and you know Costco is just giving you the goods at a great price.

That’s the story here.  Enjoy if you’re able to find it in stores near you.  It’s worth every penny of its $28 price tag, and will be added to our Top Picks list.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 92 Points

Costco item number: 1258637

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 14.5%

If you hung around this long, then I’m guessing this wine sounded interesting to you, and perhaps you are a fan, like me, of Spanish wines.  We have a new book on Spanish wine going live very soon.  I can’t wait to share it with you.  If you enjoyed our Italian Wine book, this new one is a big step up.  Stay tuned.

Also, remember that we have the Costco Wine Blog Forums where you can share your opinion of the wines we review, as well as a host of other wine related topics.  Check them out.