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This is a nice Chateauneuf at a pretty good price ($39.89 at my Costco). It’s not a knock-your-socks off wine like I recently found in the (much more expensive) Beaucastel, which if price is no object you should definitely buy. But if you’re looking for a Chateauneuf on the lower end (and $40 is the lower end), the Chateau La Nerthe is a good pick.
This wine is purply dark ink color in the glass, nose is lively with earthy, spicy nutmeg scents. On the palate the wine feels great, it’s light and fluffy with softer tannins. Flavors of red fruit, a bit of strawberry into a spicy ending. Good food wine. All around solid wine. Not a bad buy at $40, but you could probably find other Rhone wines in the $20-$25 that would taste similar. But I’m still giving it 90 Points. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points Costco item number: 482702 |
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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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This wine is huge on the dark fruit, just begging to be enjoyed with a hearty Italian or red meat dish. It took me a while to figure this wine out (which is a good sign); its nuances hit you a little different on each drink (mostly Sangiovese grapes with a little Canaiolo). For $17.79 at my Costco, I think this is a real bargain for the quality.
Surrounding the dark fruit are hints of leather and tobacco that hold on throughout the finish. This wine really coats your mouth which is again why I think it would be awesome with the right dish, maybe something a little spicy; I’m thinking sausage and peppers. It’s a big one, full in body and it hangs strong all the way through. I’m down to my last glass now and wish I had more. This is a nice one and it will make a good addition to our Bronze Rated wine list. Low 90’s. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points Costco item number: 695794 |
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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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It’s always fun to find a $11.59 Oregon Pinot Noir at Costco. And this one was even more interesting given that it’s from the Rogue Valley. This wine would have been nice for the Thanksgiving Picks we posted earlier this week.
This is a dark Pinot, in the glass and on the palate; it felt a little heavier on the palate than other Pinots. Flavors of black fruit, plum, and blackberry come through first, then it’s more spicy cherry toward the finish. Finish is nice and got better and longer with a little air. Overall a nice package for under $12. Definitely recommend for almost any meal. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 Points Costco item number: 526760 |
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You don’t find a lot of Cru Bourgeois in this price range ($13.89) so I was looking forward to seeing what this wine was all about. Plus the mix of 50% Merlot, 49% Cabernet Sauvignon with only 1% Petit Verdot was interesting. But this one came together very nicely. A solid Bordeaux for the money, and at $14, a great overall offering among sub $15 bottles.
Nose is fresh and lively, especially it being only a 2010, more of a medium body, but full on flavor. Loads of red fruit, strawberry, cherry and red licorice. Finishes up dry and spicy. This is an excellent Bordeaux buy at Costco. It seems like we’ve seen quite a few of these lately, so let’s hope it’s a trend that continues. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points Costco item number: 235122 |
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The Kirkland Signature Russian River Pinot Noir is a staple at Costco during the fall months. I’ve reviewed quite a few of the past vintages of this wine and have found them to be nice for the money ($12.99).
I think the 2011 vintage is one of the better ones of the last few years. It’s really young, ripe and fresh which sometimes can mask anything interesting about the wine, but the winemakers have really balanced in some nice spicy notes, and created a nice, light Pinot Noir that I could drink all day long. It’s a good bargain at this price point, and one that I would certainly pick up again. Plus, you can drink this with almost any meal. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 Points Costco item number: 555512 |
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A stunning value for only $6.99, this is a ripe and juicy, Merlot dominated Bordeaux that’s a must buy if you see it on your next trip to Costco.
The grapes are sourced from Chateau Le Gardera and are 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, aged in French oak for 12 months. The wine is fresh on the nose, showing a little hint of spice, medium in body with cherry and plum flavors. Tight tannins lead into a dry finish. I would never guess this wine could be scored for $7. It’s nice all the way through and probably one of the best value Kirkland wines in recent memory. A good addition to our Value Picks list. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 Points *ValuePick* Costco item number: 595394 |
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Lovely Shiraz from Australia and the awesome McLaren Vale region. I’m a big fan of these red blends that include a dash of white grapes, which I covered extensively in my latest wine book. This bottle is an excellent example of the quality you can get under $15 ($14.59 at my Costco).
This wine is 95% Shiraz and 5% Viognier. The result is a smooth drinking, nicely layered wine with more complexity that you get from a typical Shiraz. It has that signature spiciness but adds more floral aromas, and a remarkable finish. Each drink keeps you guessing a bit and the wine performs best with a little air. Nice medium body with rich red fruit flavor and a lingering spicy accent to the finish. I love these wines with all types of food too. This one is a winner and a good addition to our Bronze Rated wine list. Nice pick Costco. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 91 Points Costco item number: 550239 |
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This is a sweet white blend, consisting of Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and a couple other grapes I can’t be certain of, some of which I think were grown on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC (others sourced from the west coast). I reviewed the Biltmore Century Red blend last week and found it to be nice for Costco’s $8.99 price tag. This white follows suit so long as you know what you’re getting into (I grabbed it quickly off the shelf and wasn’t sure what to expect).
This wine is fresh out of the bottle, crisp flavors of peach, pear and grapefruit. Healthy dose of sweetness on the finish, although the blend mellows it out a tad; a nice wine for before or after dinner, or a hot summer day. Could be paired with the usual Reisling favorite dishes of something spicy or thai, or both. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 84 Points Costco item number 969817 |
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The Century Red Wine from Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC is an easy drinking, everyday table red. I don’t know a lot about the grapes and where they were sourced exactly but the wine includes some Sangiovese and Merlot (maybe something else?).
It’s a simple drinking wine that’s fruity on the palate with a quick dry finish. But the flavor is much better than other sub $10 table wines like this. It’s easy going, not a lot of complexity but would be a nice complement with almost any meal which is what I think it was aimed at. Price at Costco was $8.99. And I bought their white wine too that I will likely drink this week. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 84 Points |
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Very pleasant Chardonnay, kind of a combination of new school (citrus fruit) and old school (butter, oak) and the flavor really worked for me. Price at Costco was $11.99 which I think is very good for this wine.
More of the citrus comes off on the nose, smells like a Sauvignon Blanc a bit; in the mouth though you get that creamy texture you expect from a good Chardonnay with apple, lemon and pear flavors. Finish starts to bring in a bit of the oak element, in a nice dose though that’s not overbearing. A solid Chardonnay for the money. Give this one a look. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 86 Points |
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This has ‘ridiculous value’ written all over it. Anytime I see a Ribera Del Duero bottle under $15 I have to scoop it up. This one was $11.49 at my Costco and I swear I’ve had this before and paid more than that for it (and still thought it was a good value).
This bottle is 100% Tempranillo from a 70 year old vineyard. It has a fantastic feel to it immediately noticeable on the nose, but on the palate, the tannins are gentle and soft. Flavor band starts with more dark fruit but ends on cherry, red licorice notes. Finish is perhaps a little brisk. But this wine remains stellar at this price, and is super food friendly. I’ll add it to our Value Picks, and highly recommend you give this one a try if you see it. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points |
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A hodgepodge of different grapes come together to create this rather nice and super inexpensive red blend from California. This wine was recommended by a reader who mentioned it was his go-to everyday red. And at $8.49 at Costco, I can see why he would say that.
Comprised of Zinfandel, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (not sure on the blend percentages), the wine starts with a thick pour in the glass, and opens up into big red fruit flavor, with chocolate and vanilla, and then gets almost sweet on the finish from the ripe fruit. Nice one for the money. I can’t think of another California red quite like this one. A good party wine too. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 Points |
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This is a real stunner for only $10 at Costco. I casually threw this in my cart as I do with a lot of $10 Riojas because I know they will be good, but this one really caught me off guard. This tastes like a $25 Rioja. What a bargain.
Dark, but not too dark in the glass, the nose has a little earth and spice (distinctly Spanish); medium in body, this wine hits with intense red fruit and cherry flavors balanced perfectly with the oak aging. This leads to a nice dry finish, very clean and elegant throughout. It’s hard to believe this is only $10. I plan on putting a few of these away. Definitely try this wine. I’m going to place it on our Value Picks and our Bronze Rated wines lists. When a wine makes two lists, it’s almost always worthy seeking out. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points *ValuePick* |