I should confess my biases upfront. As a reader of this site, you might wonder why we don't cover a lot of Australian wines, and the answer is two fold. First, I don't see that many at Costco stores near me. And second, I'm just not a huge fan of Australian wines, although I will admit, my interest is growing as I believe the price to quality equation is becoming more favorable.
This bottle is a case in point. The standard Costco price is $15.99 but I found it with $5 off, knocking it down to $10.99. In the spirit of exploration and a desire to move out of my comfort zone, I gave it a shot.
In writing this post it was pretty evident early on that this wine was a winner. As I poured it into the decanter, I took a whiff, and a small sip. Signature Shiraz, but well done, elegant. Not bity or sour like so many of these wines can be.
As I'm letting the wine grab some air, I give it a quick Google. Parker says 91 points and the Wine.com price is $21.99. What a steal at Costco for half that, and indeed, that is the case.
This is a great wine and one that I wish I had purchased more of since once I publish this review, they are likely to start going fast.
Incredible bargain buy from a region that I shy away from in favor of anything from Spain and Rhone or Loire when I'm looking for value buys.
This wine is a lot of what you expect, but with great delivery. Yes, it's dark, bold and spicy with tons of pepper notes on the finish. But the arc throughout is near perfect. Big fresh nose, loads of black fruit flavor and a sticky finish.
This is a foodie wine for sure that would fun to enjoy while cooking and while eating. Quite a remarkable buy for only $11, and even a good buy minus the discount which is still less than the (unavailable) online price.
If you like Australian Shiraz, you should go nuts here. If you are on the fence, I'd buy a bottle or two as I think you'll be surprised what they have going on here, as I was.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points
Costco item number: 785134
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA
Alc. 14.5%
srh says
Enjoyable review -- as ALWAYS! And, I agree re COSTCO & Aussie wines: Even here in SoCA [where one might expect more, being closer to AU] they rarely ever make an appearance. 🙁
Re their "general" style, I find the majority have a ZESTY acidity that, e.g., CA reds with similar ripeness would commonly *never* exhibit. But they'll certainly NEVER be confused with something French, or for that matter, Spanish.