Just a heads up, I'm working on a book about Spanish wines as part of my Decoding Wine Series, so I'm going to be scooping up as many as I can find at Costco and in particular, will be looking for those from smaller, more diverse regions within Spain. I am a big fan of Spanish wines, and believe right now, that they offer some of the best quality, style and value in the world of wine. At $6.99, which about as cheap as a bottle gets, even at Costco, I figured this was a good one to start with, but it ended up falling a bit flat of my expectations.
At first, it tastes like a red Starburst (Cherry) and after a little air tasted like the pink Starburst (Strawberry). Lots of candy, tart, Pez. Not really what I was in the mood for and the high sugar was a bit of a distraction that was hard to get past. There's not a lot going on here at all, finishes fast, not very memorable, so this is not a wine that I can recommend, even at $6.99. I guess it would make a good late night drinker when you don't want to open something expensive.
Tempranillo can be a lot better than this. If you're on a budget at Costco, and looking for super inexpensive bottles, I think that you can do better with some other options.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 85 Points
Costco item number: 1043557
Purchased at Costco in Atlanta, GA
Alc. 13%
Bernard Showman says
I agree totally with your review. I tried it a few weeks ago and it was too sweet for me.
jos says
Spot on review - I do have a couple of bottles of these, but I only open them after we've finished the better stuff!
jos says
By the way, any recommendations for a better wine at this price point at Costco? I loved the Kirkland Rioja Reserve which was an absolute steal at $6.99, but it is no longer in stock at my local Costco.
Editor says
That Rioja is a steal. The Kirkland Cotes Du Rhone Villages is too at around this price. It's tough for $7 but those are some of my go tos.
carl says
Trying to understand your rating scale. You struggle to imagine when you might drink a wine that is this far off the mark, comparing it to Starburst, yet you give it an 85? But other wines that you seem to like much more get 88/89? To me, and 85 in an $8 wine doesn't sound bad, until you read the review. So, what would a wine have to do to get below an 85?
Editor says
80-85 is low end for me. i put this one on the higher end of that range. I've had wines I disliked much more