Sauvignon Blanc
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This one is always a summer favorite of mine. At $7.79 this is a nicely made New Zealand style Sauvignon Blanc. For fans of these wines, this is exactly what you expect at a great price.
In my review of the 2011 vintage I compared this to the Kim Crawford and White Haven, two very nice wines that taste similar to this one for a few dollars more. The 2012 retains the same sub $8 price as the 2011, and it really hit me right on the super hot sunny day when I enjoyed it. Bright citrus flavor all over the palate; a lot of lemon and lime, and some apple and grapefruit. Finishes pretty quick with some tangy acidity. I’m going to add this bottle to our Value Picks list. As I said before if you like New Zealand Sauv Blancs, this is a no brainer. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 Points (same as last year) Costco item number: 301904 |
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I’ve been working diligently on the latest version of my French Wine Book, “Decoding French Wine: A Beginner’s Guide to Enjoying the Fruits of the French Terroir,” and I’m happy to say that this new second edition is live today on Amazon.com.
The Kindle version is only $3.99 and it includes information on major French wine regions including Bordeaux, Loire, Burgundy, Alsace, Rhone, Languedoc-Roussillon and Champagne. This book is short and conscise, written to help the beginner wine drinker become more familiar with French wines that may seem overly complicated and complex. |
I wanted to really make this simple to digest, and to help turn more people on to these amazing wines. If you’ve followed this site for a while, you know I have a tendency to review many of the French wines, particularly the 2010 Bordeaux because they are an amazing vintage. But I also look at many other French wines and regions, because the value is typically so great, especially at Costco. So here’s a chance to boost your knowledge and ultimately, your enjoyment, of these awesome wines.
Download a free sample chapter here.
Thanks for supporting this site.
Andrew, Editor
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I wasn’t expecting much from a California Sauvignon Blanc priced under $8 but this bottle was a pleasant surprise. It’s a good wine for the money, and a nice summer one to have on hand.
Not a lot going on with the nose, a little floral, citrus perhaps. But once the wine gets in your mouth you immediately sense its combination of both freshness and dryness, with a good dose of lemon and lime, with some grapefruit flavors. It’s clean and rather simple, which might be its saving grace at this price point. It’s not trying too hard; just enough to be above expectations at this low price point. And that’s not a bad thing. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 Points Costco item number: 162023 |
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This is a decent value Sauvignon Blanc for only $7.99. It’s a little bland on the finish, but the bright fruit and citrus flavor packs a pretty good punch early on for a super inexpensive summer white like this.
Floral nose, citrusy too; the flavor is fresh and vibrant with apricot, peach, lime and grapefruit flavors. It’s a wine that starts better than it finishes (drops off quick), but for something in this price range, it can easily be looked past. As is usually the case with Chilean wines, this one offers a good bang for the buck. A fun summer wine at a great Costco price. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 86 Points Costco item number: 753880 |
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An excellent New Zealand offering for only $11.99. If you typically like New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs, this is a must buy.
It’s bright and vibrant, starts with pleasant floral scents on the nose which leads to big tropical fruit – grapefruit, pineapple, lemon. Nice acidity. This one hit me right from almost every angle. A very solid buy. Pair it up with some summer fare that can hang, and you’re in for a real treat. I’m going to put this one on our Value Picks list. It’s hard to beat for a summer white at this price point. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points Costco item number: 222230 |
I’ve been running this site for several years now and it amazes me how it’s grown over the years. The idea for this site originated from a simple blog post I made about buying wine at Costco for a now defunct website that I used to maintain with some friends. That article generated 50X the …
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A Costco staple, the Horse Heaven Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc from Chateau Ste. Michelle is always a solid white for under $15, and the 2011 is another good offering especially considering its $11.99 price tag.
The nose has light floral scents, a little earth and a hint of its citrus flavor. On the palatte, the grapefruit, pear and apple flavors come together nicely; medium in body, a little dry on the finish, but the acidity helps stick it out. This would be a great summer bottle so I might buy a few more to save for when I want a crisp, clean white for sunny days. I reviewed the 2008 vintage of this wine, and gave it 89 Points, which is perhaps a little on the high side for the 2011, which I’ll bring in just a point below that at 88. Recommended. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 Points Costco item number: 229303 |
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Just a lovely wine all the way around, and a must buy for Sauvignon Blanc fans, especially for $14.79 at Costco. Sancerre is in France’s acclaimed Loire Valley and almost every wine I’ve tasted from here has been excellent.
Big citrusy nose, almost like you’d expect from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc but in the mouth it takes on a life of its own. Flavors of lemon, lime, grapefruit, maybe some apricot, all very palatable. A good dose of acidity as you expect from these wines. Lovely on the finish. Super food friendly, probably moreso than the New Zealands. I really enjoyed this one. Nothing I would change, and it’ll join our Silver Rated wine list. Don’t let the label and lack of description turn you away (shameless plug: if you’d like to learn more about the wines of France, check out my pocketbook primer on the subject: Decoding French Wine). CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 91 Points Costco item number: 685573 |
Once a year we assemble the Costco wines we rated the highest over the past 12 months. From glancing through the list, I think it’s safe to say that we found a lot of great wines at some fantastic prices. Our series in September on high end Costco wines provides quite a few placements on this list, but that’s not to say there weren’t some big bargains as well.
As always, it’s going to be hard to find many of these wines since Costco moves their inventory so quickly (but I’ve seen at least 3-4 of these still available at Costco stores near me). So keep an eye out. These are all winners. Click on the label to read our review of each wine.
Thanks for another fun year.
— Editor
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This is a regular addition to Costco’s wine roster each year, and this time it showed up right as the wonderful sub-$10 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc ran out at my Costco. At $8.99, here’s another Marlborough favorite that’s a great replacement for the Nobilo.
I reviewed the 2010 vintage of this wine and found the 2011 to carry many of the same qualities. It’s characteristic Marlborough with a nose that just leaps out of the glass. Citrus like Starburst with grapefruit, apricot and a lemony acidic finish. Slightly sweeter on the finish than the Nobilo and as I remember prior vintages being. But it rounds out an awesome wine at a great price at Costco. Pick up enough to save a few for the summer when these really shine. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 Points (same as 2010 and the Nobilo) Costco item number: 335929 |
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Wine Spectator just released their top 100 wines for 2012. Here’s a PDF of the list.
A reader of our website suggested we try to list which of the wines from the list were available at Costco. I thought it was a fantastic idea. But given the different selection of wines in Costco stores around the country, I thought it would be best to ask for help from all of our readers.
If you see any of the wines on the list, please tell everyone what you found and where on the Costco Wine Blog Facebook page. Also, please list price, and of course any tasting notes if you’ve already opened the wine.
I’ll start by listing a few of the wines from the list that I’ve seen at Costco stores in Atlanta in the last few months (in some cases different vintages).
#51 Bodega Norton Malbec Mendoza Reserva 2010 (my review of the 2008 vintage)
#58 Perrin & Fils Vinsobres Les Cornuds 2010 (my review of the 2007 vintage)
#92 Altamura Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2009 (my review of this wine. Scored it a point ahead of WS)
So keep an eye out next time you hit your local Costco, and please report back anything you find. I plan on hitting a few more stores to see what I can find.
— Editor
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I’m happy to announce the publication of my latest wine book titled Around the Wine World in 40 Pages: An Exploration Guide for the Beginning Wine Enthusiast.
It’s $3.99 for the Kindle with a physical version coming down the line. The book takes readers on a journey throughout the most popular and notable wine growing regions in the world, providing an inside perspective on what wine drinkers at all experience levels need to know about the grapes and styles from each region, along with the price points and suggestions on specific wines to try. I even include references to a lot of wines that can be found at Costco. I hope you enjoy. |