The name is appropriate here as this wine definitely has a cult-like following online, and with good reason. We missed it on its last go around at Costco, but luckily caught it on our most recent trip.
Costco's $19.99 price is insane considering this bottle retails for $125, and online the best prices hover between $40-$60. And it is an amazing bottle, especially for Napa Cabernet fans who like them big and bold.
This 15th Anniversary bottle was crafted by winemaker Julien Fayard, who consistently delivers amazing wines under a few different labels and even his own name.
This is by far the lowest price wine you will find from him. Most others are $100+ and still worth every penny.
Getting into the wine, it is a dark deep ruby in the glass; a little musty on the initial pour but dissipates with a little air and unveils dark fruit, spice and cedar on the nose; rich black fruit, blackberry, black cherry flavors; full bodied with firm tannins; finishes long with some spice.
A stunning wine at a stunning price, Napa fans need to grab these while they can. We've seen these bottles disappear quickly from Costco shelves before, and we got lucky we caught it this time.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 93 points (a Costco Wine Top Pick)
Costco item number: 1511348
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. 14.5%
Andrew says
This is a fantastic wine to be sure, and you're incredibly lucky to be getting it for just under the $20 mark. My warehouse (Woodland Hills, CA) has is at $24.99 which is still an absolute steal but interesting to see the not insignificant price difference.
Cliff Peebles says
Yorba Linda has it for $20, but not worth the drive from Woodland Hills. I don't understand the different stores in the same region with different prices.
Malcolm Parr says
Mine in Palm Desert @$22.99 which is fine . The '22 is a far better wine (having drunk them both) . IMO nothing special at all for the money .
Dave says
Not a bad deal necessarily but also not a $125 wine. 2022 vintage which is actually better is available for $35 online. Just saying.
Daniel Ward says
It's on sale for that "low price" because they can't sell it for the absurd higher price tag. There are so many cumbersome, over extracted, high alcohol, clumsy fruit bombs out there no wonder California is entertaining a wine depression. There are only so many high dollar label collectors out there to support wines like this.
Marco Gurevitz says
$23.99 here for that Cult wine.
Michael Acierno says
I've had this wine before and it drinks like a $20 - $30 bottle of wine. Additionally, here is some backdrop (found on Reddit) from somebody who works(ed) at the winery: Thanks so much for your inquiry. We realize this is a bit confusing to our customers, hopefully, I can explain it a bit better for you.
The Cult that you see at Costco is actually a slightly different product that we sell on our website. We have an exclusive contract with Costco to sell this wine and because they purchase so much their pricing is fantastic. Isn't that the beauty of Costco and why we are members?!
So how are they different from each other? Up until barrel aging, the wine is the exact same product. Once the wine is placed into the barrel it has an opportunity to be enhanced by the barrel itself and each barrel enhances the wine differently. The reasons for this are many, but examples could be the barrel itself or the location of the barrel in the winery. The winemaker selects a handful of barrels that are showing the wine particularly well and keeps those aside for personal handling. This is what the industry calls "barrel select." At Beau Vigne, we keep this wine for ourselves to sell on the website.
The rest of the barrels get blended together at bottling so there is consistency in the larger lot. Those bottles are sold to Costco.
So while the product at Costco is fabulous - the product on our website is just a teeny bit better with this special handling by the winemaker. I encourage you to do a side-by-side tasting for yourself and see if you can taste the nuances!
Editor says
Incredible info and super interesting. Thanks so much for sharing.
Andrew says
To echo the other response, this was hugely informative and helpful. Thank you!
I hate to be cynical, but now this makes me wonder how many other wines at Costco that are similarly great deals may be different from what's sold on winery websites or elsewhere.
Cliff Peebles says
I heard the same story from a local in Paso Robles regarding the Cass Winery, which sells some of their wines in the local Albertsons. Cass selects the barrels that are earmarked for the tasting room and to the grocery store. For the whites that don't see oak, the wine tastes exactly the same. But the store is still cheaper than winery member price.
Ian P. says
Out of stock already at Issaquah Costco. I'm not into "big, cult Napa Cabernets", but at this price I was intrigued to try one. Oh well!
Doug C says
It's listed at $29.99 at my Western Washington store, but is out of stock there and at every store within fifty miles of me.
Thanks to Michael Acierno for the scoop from the winery!
Steve says
Found it at my Costco here in Houston. They’re selling it for $23.99, so it’s still a heck of a deal!
Matthew Pearlman says
Thanks for that Beau winery info. Very helpful and informative. This is a great bottle and when it opens up it drinks like a $35 Napa. It for sure ain’t at the $50 level. Thanks Costco wine blog, you guys know wine!!!!
Bill Barden says
Sadly, all warehouses in North Texas are "Out of Stock."
Richard says
Smiling at the apparent name play of the vintner, Beau Vigne. Too bad they couldn't sneak an embossed cow's head on the label. (Agree with Andrew: Sad to learn that the Costco product is somehow different than the usual release.)
Ian P. says
Sold out very quickly at the Issaquah Costco. I'm not into big Napa cabernets, but I would have tried this one at the price offered. Interesting comments above essentially describing the Cult wine as a "second label", which is a respected, established practice from the top Bordeaux chateaux.
Emma Carter says
A good tutorial should teach naturally through play instead of stopping the experience too often.
Ian P says
What??
George says
I give this wine 93 points. Medium-bodied, it has nice tannins, lush and smooth mouthfeel, tasty dark fruit flavors (without being jammy), spice, cocoa, and other notes, and a lingering finish. I wouldn’t pay $125 for it, but would consider $50-75 to be reasonable (given Napa Valley cab prices these days). My local Costco’s price of $19.99 is an absolute bargain.
Ian P. says
This wine sold out very quickly at the Issaquah, WA, Costco. I'm not a fan of big Napa cabernets, but would have tried this wine at that price.