I'm always a sucker when I see a good limited time discount on Costco's wine. You figure generally the bottles are already priced 10-20% lower than most other outlets, so when you take a bit more off the price, the deals just get that much sweeter.
An almost $5 discount (price valid until 8/2 at my GA Costco) puts this bottle at $10, which is pretty awesome. The same wine is $17 over at Wine.com. I notice some pretty impressive 90 point ratings for the wine too throughout recent vintages, including the 2017 which must be the latest one out.
In the glass the wine pours a pale yellow; citrus fruit with mild oak on the nose, the wine is medium in body; in the mouth, I picked up flavors of lemon, white peach and apple. This is a super clean Chardonnay all around; a little vanilla creme on the finish and not a lot of oak influence.
It's the style of Napa Chardonnay I can get behind. I think this is a fantastic buy at $10 and even a good one for its normal $15 price tag. I think this bottle will appeal to a wide range of Chardonnay fans.
It reminds me in some ways of the Foxglove Chardonnay we reviewed recently and really enjoyed (for only $12), although that one might have had a touch more acidity. Both bottles are good summertime drinking for $10-$12.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 89 points
Costco item number: 19851
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Kennesaw)
Alc. 14.5%
Rick says
The downside of those special prices is that they aren't always chain-wide. I've noticed individual stores do appear to have some leeway to discount things that they're probably either heavy in, or they're trying to finish off the last remaining items. So even if my store has this bottle, it won't necessarily have the special pricing.
Rick Grooms says
My favorite >$20 Chardonnay at my Costco in Raleigh, NC is the Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Estate. Forever it was $12.99 and then went up to $13.99. After the Wine Spectator's review of 90 in their Chardonnay Issue, it's gone to $15.99. (2017 vintage) It's still a great buy. I love the complexity of fruit, minerality, and oak.
Dan Rastler says
I have been reading your reviews of Costco's Pinot Noir's. I recently picked up a Gehricke
It was really nice full bodied. Have you tried it? WS says 91 pts.
Editor says
Hi Dan
I have not seen that one around here (Just made a run yesterday) but will keep an eye out. Thanks for sharing.
Robert Bittner says
Certainly an appealing price for 88-89 rating Napa Chard. I'm concerned about it being 2016 though.
Editor says
Yes I was surprised to see the ‘16 vintage too but it’s still drinking fresh. I didn’t detect any signs of its age.
Tom says
Why the labels are different between bottles offered by Costco vs Totalwine? Are the quality the same?