Finding good Cabernet from Napa in the $20 price range is always a challenge. Right now if I was shopping at Costco with this goal in mind, I’d probably go for the Kirkland Stags Leap, which was pretty solid this year.
Outside of Costco another good name to look for is Joseph Carr, who consistently makes a very nice Napa Cabernet for around $25. But there’s not a whole lot of other producers that stand out to me.
While perusing the aisles this last time though, I grew curious about this Sean Minor bottle. I’ve seen it before many times, but just never really felt a need to taste it until now.
Costco’s price was $18.99, which is decent but not unbelievable. Several outlets I found online and even Total Wine have it priced just a few dollars more.
Getting into the wine, there’s a lot to like, and $19 is a very fair price for this juice. It pours ruby red in the glass, cherry aromas; loaded with cherry flavor, a little sour and spicy, some plum and red licorice; finishes nice, a little hint of sweetness but it hangs around for a while.
We paired it with some Green Egg grilled NY Strips (huge 4 pack at Costco for $35, amazing deal) and it was a delicious combo.
I think this is a good representation of a fairly priced Napa wine around $20. Nothing to dislike, but nothing really jumping out at you either. It’s a decent bottle. I’d still opt for the Kirkland Stags in this price range, but you could do a lot worse for your money when looking for inexpensive Napa Cabernet.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points
Costco item number: 493750
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA
Alc. 13.5%
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