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This is the first time I’ve seen this red blend from Columbia Valley come in under the Kirkland brand label, and the price was right at only $8.99. A little note on the back of the bottle describes the wine and it’s signed by the winemakers, Jeremy Santo and Emily Haines.  I always love when …

Read More about 2015 Kirkland Signature Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot

I first saw this wine about a month ago in my hometown club.  The interesting label and name immediately caught my attention and so I decided to look up the ratings on my phone. I was pleased to discover that it got a 91 from Wine Enthusiast and 4.0 user rating on Vivino. That was …

Read More about 2013 Inconceivable “After The Flood” Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley

Joe Phelps’ first “Insignia” was the 1974 vintage. The blend was 94% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District of Napa Valley since this was a particularly good year for Cabernet. Each year the blend for Insignia changes based on the winemakers’ opinion of varietal expression. The 1975 vintage was predominantly Merlot, and in 1976 Cabernet …

Read More about 2012 Joseph Phelps Insignia

I got wine-nerd-excited when this wine arrived in the wood a few weeks ago at my local Costco.  The reason being that I love mountain fruit Napa cabs.  The higher elevation vineyard fruit struggles on the vine, resulting in smaller grapes with more concentrated flavors that produce fairly tannic wines.  These are the kind of …

Read More about 2014 Kirkland Signature Mountain Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a Costco staple that seems to hang around in stores for quite a while, so I hope that many of you are able to find it, especially those looking for a rather simple, every day, affordable red blend, because this one fits the bill. I thought the 2013 vintage was pretty good, and this …

Read More about 2014 Francis Coppola Black Label Diamond Collection Claret

When I first noticed this wine in my local Costco club, I read the name and immediately pictured Josh Brolin’s face. You may remember that he played an antagonist in the Revisionist Western Film by the Cohen Brothers, True Grit. I can’t say for sure if the wine and the movie are related, but I …

Read More about 2015 Parducci “True Grit” Mendocino Cabernet Sauvignon

This is a classic, quintessential Howell Mountain Cab that is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon and 8% Petit Verdot, all of which is mountain fruit.  And that mountain character shines through in a wine that I really enjoyed.  At $42 at Costco, for a Howell mountain wine of this caliber, it is still a very …

Read More about 2012 Burgess Estate Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

We had a small get together with some wine friends and I decided to put two popular Napa Cabs from Costco blindly against each other.  Both wines were from 2013, and reasonably close in price.  I have tried both before from different vintages but have never tasted them side by side so was excited to see …

Read More about 2013 Duckhorn and Peju Cabernet Sauvignon – A Blind Tasting

2014 is the third in a string of great vintages from Napa so I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the ’14 Kirkland Napa Cabernets, which appear to be arriving in stores now (the ’14 Stags Leap has been around a bit longer).  This line includes the broad Napa Valley Cabernet, along with bottles specific …

Read More about 2014 Kirkland Signature Napa County Cabernet Sauvignon

It’s easy to recognize a Michael David wine. The labels are bright, eye-catching, and often feature some sort of circus scene. The wines have unique names as well, such as “Seven Deadly Zins,” named after the seven different vineyards that the grapes in this wine are grown. “Petite Petite” is a Petite Syrah & Petite …

Read More about 2013 “Freakshow” Lodi Cabernet Sauvignon

The Kirkland Signature wines are, at the very worst, great values. The really good Kirkland wines are impressive expressions of whatever they are supposed to be. This Columbia Valley blend does not disappoint. The back of the bottle mentions a unique combination of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah, and sangiovese. The front label prominently displays “ALC …

Read More about 2014 Kirkland Signature Series Columbia Valley Red Wine