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 …
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 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 …
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 …
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 …
I didn’t hesitate for long dropping this one in my cart. I’m a big fan of Stags Leap wines and you rarely see a Stags Cabernet for the price I found this bottle at ($19.99). And the wine was exactly what I hoped it would be – a big, rich, nicely structured red. It has …
I thought this was an amazing buy for only $11 at Costco. I’m a fan of King Estate wines, so was anxious to dig into this bottle which is priced below their other wines that you can frequently find at Costco too. For an entry level white, regardless of your favorite varietal, this is one …
Unlike the less expensive wines available at Costco and reviewed here (like the well-regarded/excellent Schug), this is a complex and full-bodied Pinot Noir. While Shea’s vineyard and estate fruit hearkens from the same area in Oregon as Domaine Serene (the wineries are only about 5 miles as the crow flies) and Ken Wright (who uses …
As we continue our summer Chardonnay scouting expedition, we’ve come across a particularly nice Chardonnay value in the Costco aisles. This was a shy and skittish selection – the bottles were tucked away in the Chardonnay aisle with literally nothing drawing attention to it. Yet, it’s sort of a big deal: it is the first …
Kirkland Signature wines historically offer a nice bang for the buck (like most Kirkland items at Costco), and the KS Cotes du Rhone Villages always seems to lead the way in terms of unbelievable value since it is priced at only $6.99. You just can’t find wines from this region priced that low so I highly …
I’ve been slacking a bit on reviewing some Merlots and thought this bottle from Freemark Abbey would be a nice way to get going again. I love their Cabernet Sauvignons, and really want to try some of the straight Cab Francs they’re putting out. But I found the Merlot at Costco. Price was $28.99 which is …
[Reviewed by Josh L] Recently I had the rare – and accidental – opportunity to do a “vertical” tasting after buying two bottles of wine at Costco. In the store, I wasn’t fully paying attention, and after arriving home, I learned that I had one each of the 2012 and 2013 vintages of the A …
I’m a big fan of this Chardonnay. It just hits me right on every accord, and I’ve heard from quite a few readers who have also enjoyed previous vintages. So to see the 2012 pop up was a real treat. It pours a medium yellow; aromas of citrus and a bit of oak. Mid-end palate …
Albarinos are perfect for breaking up the summertime routine of defaulting to your standard Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays when seeking hot weather wine refreshment and summer fare accompaniment. We made a spinach and kale salad (most fresh from the garden), threw in some beets, goat cheese, carrots, almonds and a homemade vinaigrette, and this bottle, and it was …