Here's another fantastic buy at Costco from Gerard Bertrand. We recently reviewed the Cotes des Roses Rosé, which was very nice, and we have tasted quite a few wines from them at Costco over the years.
This is a new GSM blend, grenache, syrah and mourvedre, we found for only $9.99. That compares to a Wine.com price of double at $19.99, and it looks to be between $15-$20 most other places.
This bottle also pulled down a huge 93 point score from Wine Enthusiast.
In the glass the wine pours a deep ruby with red fruit, herbs and spice notes that carry throughout; medium plus in body, grippy tannins; flavors of blackberry, black cherry, raspberry; acidic and dry in the finish.
Lots to like here for fans of GSM blends, and the reds of southern France, which of course are among our favorites. We're going a solid 90 points, making this quite the buy for only $10.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 points
Costco item number: 907691
Availability: We buy our wine in Costco warehouses around the Atlanta area. The best way to locate wines near you is by using the new Costco mobile app and searching with the Costco item number we listed above.
Alc. 13.5%
Ron says
This is a comment on the Wine Enthusiast's ratings, not this wine, which I have not had. I thought Suckling was the champ at overrating wines, but he now has a competitor in Wine Enthusiast. I recently held a tasting of wine available at CostCo rated over 90 by WE. With a few exceptions, they were at least 3-4 points above where they should have been. Out of 18 wines our group thought 2 were very good, 3 ok, the rest not worthy of purchase. So the CCWB rating at 90 vs WE 93 is more accurate as they generally are.
PapaPaer says
This will be my first and last contribution to this debate, because I’m absolutely right and anyone who rates wine with points is completely off the mark.
All wine scoring systems are utter nonsense because they assign a numerical value to something that has no objective definition. Numbers create the illusion of precision where no measurable variable exists. And when something can’t be measured, it’s nothing more than a subjective opinion.
Let me give you an example: the definition of one meter is the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. That’s an exact, objective standard — one of the cornerstones of the International System of Units (SI). This system matters because it provides:
• Standardization: a common foundation for measurements.
• Accuracy: SI units are precisely defined, ensuring consistent and reliable measurements.
• Reliability: By using SI units, you can be confident that measurements are consistent and comparable, no matter where or when they’re made.
Wine point scales have none of this. There’s no standardization, no accuracy through definition, and no reliability in the sense of being consistent or comparable.
So what makes a good wine in my humble opinion?
A wine should be clean on the nose and palate, preferably show some varietal character, but above all — it needs to be well-balanced. Good balance between acidity and fruit, without one overpowering the other. Ideally, it should also be complex in both aroma and flavor, and not have an overly high alcohol content that dominates the experience.
So here’s my suggested scoring system:
1️⃣ Exceptional
2️⃣ Very good
3️⃣ Good
4️⃣ Acceptable
5️⃣ Not acceptable
6️⃣ Undrinkable
Simple, honest, and actually useful.
Larry S. says
Suckling has a somewhat different rating system, and has commented on it at times. He rates wines with consideration for both quality and value. So if a wine is relatively good, and relatively less expensive, it will get a higher score.
Agree, that Wine Enthusiast seems to have crept up in its ratings for no apparent reason. Also agree with the comments below that there are better ways to rate wines than the "point system". It's almost like people don't really pay attention to wines until that "90 points or more" label is slapped on the bottle for marketing purposes.
Develop your own system and preferences. We all have different palates, likes and dislikes.
Ron Walter says
For years, I don't remember a single time when the review price was not equal to what my local Costco in San Francisco advertised.
This one is significantly different - $14.99 rather than $9.99 - That's 50%
Paul says
Got it for $6.97 at a Costco in San Diego.
Doug says
Not sure what happened, but yesterday I had a server error on everything related to Costco Wine Blog; emails, website, everything, and it continuued into earlier this morning. Suddenly you're back. Weird.
Editor says
That’s weird. First we heard of an outage. Glad everything is back up.