I found this bottle on the corner of the "cheap seats" (the aisles, not bins of wines), where we seem to have frequently found an abundance of good, inexpensive Bordeaux over the last year. I hope it's trend that continues in 2020, and maybe this bottle is the first indication that it will.
A lot of these Bordeaux bottles we find here are from Bordeaux Superieur and therefore consist of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with smaller parts of other varietals including Cab Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. You can find some of the other inexpensive Bordeaux we reviewed in our French wine category.
I'd say loosely 90% of these Bordeaux wines we find are highly drinkable and turn out to be a good buy. Occasionally, you find a gem like this one. The Chateau de Ribebon that we are drinking today falls about mid-pack. It's a good buy for Bordeaux fans looking for a mid-week bottle that's tasty but nothing special.
The wine is slightly see through around the edges in the glass; juicy ripe red fruit on the nose; medium plus in body; cherry and dark fruit flavor, blackberry notes, a hint of vanilla, smoke and spice; super dry finish.
Nothing really memorable here, but also not a bad buy for only $9. It looks like retail is around $25, so Costco appears to be offering a fantastic price. We've had a nice string of good buys that we've tasted under $15 lately. Be sure to check out the previous ten or so reviews for some of those wines if you're looking for others like this.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 points
Costco item number: 1209292
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA
Alc. 13.5%
Richard Rusnica says
I recently found the 2015 vintage for $7.99. After drinking the first of 4 bottles I went back and bought a case. What value. Solid 88 pts.
Ed Neely says
By “super dry finish” do you mean tannins? I think of dry as meaning lack of sugars. The opposite of sweetness. Tannins are a different matter and not related to sweetness.
Editor says
Yes. More tannic, dusty dry.
Ed Neely says
Okay, thanks. To me, "dusty dry" means not a hint of sugars, which has nothing to do with tannins.
Jean says
I tried to find this at my Atlanta Costco as soon as this was posted with no success. I even showed the photo to the wine person. They said it was probably a holiday wine since they could see another holiday bottle in the photo. Disappointed.