This bottle is always a go-to for me, whether I’m at a restaurant looking for a reasonably priced wine I know I can depend on, or if I’m just looking for a versatile, food friendly bottle that I can always put on the table no matter who’s sitting around it.  For $16.99 at Costco, this bottle is a solid buy for all red wine fans.  It drinks like it cost at least 2X that price.

This bottle is considered a Super Tuscan, meaning it’s a blend of several red grapes that falls outside of the traditional Italian winemaking classifications (if you want to dive further into Italian winemaking for more info on this, check out our book, Decoding Italian Wine).  In this case, the blend is 55% Sangiovese, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot and 5% Syrah.

The wine starts earthy and spicy on the nose with dried fruit, and then opens up with rich red fruit and cherry flavors; feels tight and tannic in the mouth; finishes super dry and sticky.  Lots to like here at this price, so I’ll be adding it to our Top Picks list.  It’s been a couple years since I reviewed one of these wines, but I’m going to stay with the 91 points I awarded the ’08 vintage.  These are great wines for the money.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 91 Points

Costco item number: 799299

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Cumberland)