We've had a few readers write in about this discounted red blend from Spain. The consensus is that it's a solid everyday drinker at this price, and we concur after finding it in a warehouse near us.
The discount this time is half off, which is one the bigger ones we've ever seen. $7 off of $13.99, brings the price to only $6.99. Almost seems hard to believe, especially for a wine from Navarra, which is an area that consistently delivers.
The wine also received 92 points from Wine Enthusiast who listed the retail price of $24.
The blend here is likely led by Tempranillo and Garnacha, along with some blending varietals. In the glass it pours a medium ruby with dark fruit and herbs on the nose; the wine is medium plus to full in body with moderate tannins.
A nice mix of red and dark fruit flavor; black cherry, raspberry, plum; notes of earth, leather and oak into the grippy finish.
Not a bad wine at all, and it might surprise you for only $7. A fantastic buy at this price, and an easy 88 points from us this time around.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points
Costco item number: 1176814
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%
Hal Bumbalough says
I continue to enjoy the Costco Wine Blog and appreciate your efforts to enlighten value driven wine buyers. Can you explain why the numerical wine rating system used by most wine rating platforms is such a narrow range? For a system that uses a 100 point scale, most drinkable wines seem to fall into the 86 to 92 range with rare exceptions above 92. Also, how significant is price as it relates to wine quality? Obviously, two wines that receive a 90 rating, with one costing $15.00 vs one that is $90, cannot be that close in quality.
I would love to see a column that addresses wine ratings and what we are to make of them. Thank you.
Editor says
Hi Hal, thanks for comment, and it's an excellent question, and probably a topic we should explore in a more depth post.
In short though, for our site, we've adopted the popular 100 point system that is widely used.
For us, it looks like the following:
98-100 - Classic; The Pinnacle of quality
94-97 - Superb; A great achievement
90-93 - Excellent; Highly recommended
87-89 - Very Good; well recommended
83-86 - Good; Suitable for everyday consumption
80-82 - Acceptable
We haven’t gone much below 80 and that’s largely due to the fact that Costco’s selection is already curated by their wine team. So you’re typically finding wines that have scored in the mid to high 80s and above.
Price is not a factor, rather we look at the following main elements:
- expression of terroir
- varietal representation
- complexity, balance, depth
Here are some links to stories that we feel best represents the complexities of the system and how we follow it:
https://winefolly.com/tips/wine-ratings-explained/
https://www.marketviewliquor.com/blog/how-does-the-wine-rating-system-work/
Gary says
The new BV wine, Tapestry, from Paso Robles, is a lovely, lush, flavorful gem. Would love to see an evaluation.
Editor says
Absolutely Gary, we'd love to taste it and get a post up. Stay tuned as I think it's in stores near us.
Cliff Peebles says
Thanks for the mention of Spain's Navarra region. I love wine from Rioja and have never heard of it's neighbor Navarra.