2016 Department 66 Others Grenache

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. 

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.

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%