We have a nice string of new Pinot Noir reviews going in the past few weeks. Largely because we're finding new ones that look tasty, but also because we love drinking them this time of the year.
Here's another one from Oregon (just posted about this lovely Argyle Pinot), this time from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA.
Costco's price came in at $19.99 which looks pretty good considering we see it going for $25 online, and a retail price more than that. And it's a very nice wine, and a good buy especially at this price.
This wine pours a pale ruby in the glass with aromas of spice mixed with red and dark fruit; medium bodied with good acidity; flavors a little more on the dark fruit side, pomegranate, blackberry, black cherry and plum; some mocha and vanilla notes toward the finish which is dry and lasting.
Overall, a nice find in the Pinot aisle at Costco and a good choice under $20. Kind of cool too that there were only 300 cases produced.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 89 points
Costco item number: 1920246
Availability: We buy our wine at multiple Costco warehouses around the Atlanta area. The best way to locate wines near you is by using the new Costco mobile app and search with the Costco item number we listed above.
Alc. 13.5%
Joe Roberts says
300 cases produced pretty much guarantees that nobody reading this review is going to be able to find it at their local Costco--- reinforcing the biggest complaint that followers of this blog have----availability.
Arthur H. Aske says
You must have an awesome wine steward at your Costco's. I probably only get 5%
or less of the wines you see, and I live in Washington State. However I clue my son in to your suggestions as he is in central Florida. Keep up the good work and remember my wine tasting suggestion. If it tastes good, drink it. If not, pour it in the sink.
Maria Jette says
NO! Use it in a wine-heavy recipe! Try my version of stock-free French onion soup:
Slice a LOT of onion—3 quarts or so.
In a couple of large sauté pans, or a big pan and your Dutch oven, melt half a stick of butter per pan, and add half the onions to each, add a tsp of salt to each pan, and start slowly sauteeing them. After 10 minutes or so, grind some pepper into them, stir well, and cover. Now turn the heat down to medium low, and cook them at least half an hour, stirring occasionally and re-covering. When the onions are quite soft and completely cooked, remove the lids and stir well, add a tsp or 2 of black pepper, turn up the heat to medium, and start frying them to caramelize and reduce them. Patience is the key! This process should really take a good 45 minutes— you’ll finally have truly caramelized onions.
Now take that bottle of wine you hated, which you’ve kept with bits of other rejects in the fridge for a couple of weeks or even months. Pour some into one pan to deglaze it thoroughly, then pour that into the Dutch oven (or soup pot) with the rest of the onions. At that point, I usually have a good 1.5 bottles’ worth of old or disliked or just boring wine in the pot. I’ll usually add another quart or so of water, plus a tablespoon of dried thyme, and a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce (that’s the non-French part), then turn it down to low and simmer for at least another 30 minutes, checking for seasoning (add more soy sauce if needed). Sometimes too much liquid boils off— add more water to keep it soupy.
Ultimately, you’ll have an intensely flavored onion soup without a drop of meat stock, and the delectable flavor which only a LOT OF WINE can give to that soup— even lousy, boring, dead wine!
At that point, you’ll take those pieces of stale baguette you’ve saved for the occasion, toast them, and then broil a sufficient quantity of grated Gruyère onto them before plopping them into a bowl of your salvaged wine, now reborn as glorious onion soup!
Henry says
C'est magnifique!
A while back I tried cooking with a wine I didn't like and it tasted like, well, the wine I didn't like. If it works for you, it's a great way to use the wine you didn't like (or left in the bottle too long, etc.). From your write-up, it appears the cooking process and the flavor of the onions and other ingredients are front and center vs what I tried with fewer ingredients and a larger percentage of the wine I didn't care for.
Bon appétit!
Maria Jette says
Exactement, mon frère! Heat and time are the keys. (And butter, of course.)
Chuck Sherline says
I can't believe that a market like Chicago doesn't carry more of the wines you review. I am so disappointed in Chicago once again. I routinely search two of these stores in the city of Chicago....