Upon opening. this wine was a bit on the spicy side with a heavy alcohol laden finish (the wine is 14.2% which some might say is too high but it’s really not that outrageous for a Napa red). As the wine matured with some air, it really developed into a pretty decent drink for only $10.99. Peppery …
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Charles & Charles is a collaboration between Charles Smith (of his namesake winery and K Vintners) and Charles Bieler. Smith is a former rock band manager and while on the road developed a particularly good sense for rockstar wines. A self-taught winemaker, Smith’s wines have garnered a lot of media attention and furrowed brows by …
I haven’t reviewed one of The Sum red blends in quite a while but I was looking forward to this 2012 vintage, which was a stellar season for California. Plus, this wine is made by Tuck Beckstoffer, a legend of the area, and The Sum marks the lowest entry point I’ve seen into his wines. The …
While this blog is 98% focused on Costco wine, occasionally I like to branch out and cover other areas of the wine industry that seem timely or interesting to me at the moment. I’m a big fan of always exploring the full world of wine, and that stretches way beyond the areas that are most …
I’m writing this from the 62nd floor of the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas where I am staying for work, but I never forget my duties to this site. A few readers have asked my opinion of the Coppola wines at Costco and as I went out to the nearby Walgreens (bottom of Planet Hollywood), …
First off, thanks so much for visiting and supporting this site. It’s been seven years since we started this site, and it began completely on a whim as I posted random stories online about buying wine at Costco. At that point I never thought it would have the readership and following that it does now. So …
I found this to be a decent buy for an $8 Chilean Cab. The wine is certainly not without its faults but overall in this price range you can’t really complain. The wine is dark, inky purple on the pour. Campfire, toasted wood on the nose with some spice notes. Initial flavors of black currant and …
This is an unbelievable buy at Costco if you can still find it. This wine was held back by the producer to age for 10 years and is making its way through stores now. But don’t expect it to last. Robert Parker rated the wine 96 points and it can be scored at Costco for …
This Prosecco is exactly what you think it will be, and I guess hope it to be too. $13, light, a slight mineral character, citrus, white peach, dry finish. The wine had medium to low acidity. We enjoyed it on a crisp Atlanta evening with some friends who are visiting from out of town. They are still …
This is a lovely Oregon Pinot at Costco for $19.99 and a perfect companion for almost any food. We enjoyed this on a crisp fall evening with butternut squash ravioli (also from Costco, if you haven’t tried it yet, you should) and it was a great accompaniment. Good pinots like this are so versatile, and …
I usually find the Kirkland Signature wines to offer at the very least a good wine for the money, but I’m going to have to recommend steering clear of this one. I haven’t reviewed one of the Kirkland Alexander Valley Cabs since the 2007 vintage and I reread my notes on that one which I noted as being …
An absolute gem of a red wine drinking perfectly right now. This was a surprise find for $16 at my Costco. When I’m looking for a very nice wine at a good price, I typically gravitate to Spain and Portugal. In this case I actually had a higher priced Rioja in my hand and made …
Just as I was leaving the wine aisle, this bottle for $7.99 caught my eye. In passing I mistook this for an Italian wine, so the irony of seeing Napa Valley listed on the label through me for a loop. I was already buying five bottles, all of which were priced more than this one, …
This McLaren Vale Shiraz from Two Hands hits big in every way. I have tried prior vintages of the higher priced Bella’s Garden Shiraz from Two Hands and thoroughly enjoyed them. This lower priced entry ($26 at my Costco) turned out to be a real find. I posted a photo to Twitter showing how the Costco bin …
A California bubbly can be a nice change of pace now and then. I’m a fan of Gloria Ferrar over in Sonoma, and have had good experiences with Domaine Chandon, which is located in Yountville with the grapes for this wine coming from Carneros. It had been a while since I had a Domaine Chandon …