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Home » All Wines » Other Red

2016 Department 66 Others Grenache

Published: Apr 1, 2023 by Editor ·

This was a fun new find and a wine that we didn’t know existed. It is a French Grenache made by Dave Phinney of Orin Swift and Prisoner fame. 

We found it at Costco for $14.99, which seemed like a great price and sure enough, a later Google search shows the wine selling between $28-$34 most places online.  So a half price Costco find; we love trying those. 

Department 66 Others Grenache

This is labeled as a Grenache but it’s actually a slight blend consisting of smaller parts Syrah, Carignan, and Mourvedre.  The blend percentage varied among the places where we found it mentioned.

And as far as the critics go, it’s pulled down a nice 92 points from Jeb Dunnuck, and 88 points from Wine Advocate.  We ended up landing in the middle.

In the glass this wine pours a medium purple; it has an expressive nose of tobacco, cigar box and a little bell pepper; in the mouth is dark fruit, black cherry, plum and some black licorice and chocolate notes; it is earthy, peppery, full bodied with a big finish.

Department 66 Others Grenache

Fans of Mr. Phinney’s other wines will like this one too, and the price is right.  This is a big, bold, complex, and very enjoyable bottle.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 89 points

Costco item number: 1072276

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Woodstock)

Alc. 15.2%

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Comments

  1. Chris Buck says

    April 01, 2023 at 9:11 am

    Catalan is apparently a region that is know for it's sweet wines. I've tried this. It's been in my local COSTCO for several months now. Though I love Grenache, I found this too sweet for my taste. If you like the wines of Chateau St. Michelle, I think you'll like this. Not a true sweet wine, and certainly not dry.

  2. Stephen Rejto says

    April 01, 2023 at 10:09 am

    We have lots of this on sale ($31) in our COSTCOs in Massachusetts.
    WOudl love to see a review if you can find it.
    Thanks
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhOXIILq0NM

    clos de napa stags leap Cabernet

  3. Mike says

    April 01, 2023 at 10:13 am

    I bought several cases when my local Costco was selling it out for $7.97

  4. Deborah says

    April 01, 2023 at 10:47 am

    Makes me want to drive up to Atlanta! We seldom get any of these great finds in Tallahassee!

  5. Kevin Knox says

    April 01, 2023 at 11:00 am

    I've had other vintages of this wine that I enjoyed but found the 2016 to be both a bit long in the tooth and far too port-like in its sweetness and ended up returning the rest of the bottles I'd bought after opening the first one. I really taste the 15.2% alcohol; it reminds me of over-the-top California Zinfandels...impressive to taste but undrinkable with most food and sure to cause a headache the next day.

  6. Joe Roberts says

    April 01, 2023 at 11:11 am

    I tried to like this wine but found the high, and noticeable, alcohol content interfered with the pleasure of the grapes. Curious too is the fact that the wine is 7-years old----2016 vintage.

  7. Ian says

    April 01, 2023 at 11:17 am

    My local Costco locations have had the 2017 vintage for months now for this same price but not the the 2016 vintage. I bought one bottle already but haven't had it yet. If I see it going for $8 I'll be buying many bottles of these.

  8. Jonathan says

    April 01, 2023 at 11:35 am

    This was at my local Costco last year. I tried it and loved it. Hope it returns.

  9. William Staley says

    April 02, 2023 at 10:57 am

    This has been at our Costco (Sterling, VA) for quite a while. Current price is $22.99 since there is not a lot left. If you find at your Costco and want to purchase, monitor the supply since the process will go up when supply gets low.

  10. Joe Roberts says

    April 02, 2023 at 4:04 pm

    Why is my previous comment "pending" ?? This has happened before it is sometimes 3 or 4 days before it gets posted. Also it apparently blocks all the other comments during the time my comment is "pending". What's going on ???

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