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CostcoWineBlog.com - Reviews of wines found at Costco
2008 Sbragia Home Ranch Merlot Sonoma
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A good example of a quality, enjoyable California Merlot at a reasonable price ($21.99). I opened this at a dinner party after discussing the good values you can find in California Merlot since the Sideways effect still seems to have some legs. And this bottle is a pretty good example from Dry Creek. It's a very approachable wine; floral nose, a little earth. Pleasant red and dark fruit flavors on the palate with really nice structure. The wine feels good in the mouth with soft tannis, medium body and finishes with a hint of spice and pepper. A nice offering, good crowd pleaser and a solid choice to put into a discussion about California Merlot. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 Points |
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2006 Atlas Peak Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
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I've really been enjoying the high elevation Napa Cabs lately, particularly those from Howell Mountain, and this bottle, assembled from various moutain vineyeards, fits into the group quite nicely. It's taste is instantly recognizable and it benefits from a few extra years in the bottle. Costco's selling this for $21.99 and I think it's a spectacular deal on a great wine. Nice deep color in the glass; the nose has that upper elevation slate, stone smell to it, and then the fruit is a dark berry and cherry with great balance. It's certainly going to get you thinking because it's not your standard Napa Cab. At $21.99, I think this wine is a steal so I'm going to scoop up another one for the cellar as I think it could get even better with another few years in the bottle. Highly recommended. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 91 Points *Bronze Rated* *Value Pick* |
2009 Vieux Chateau Landon Medoc
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This is a good one, tastes like a much more expensive Bordeaux. This bottle was only $12.99 at my Costco and from the moment I smelled it, I knew it would be on the Value Picks list. Just what you expect from a good entry level Bordeaux, and it's Medoc so it's predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon with 30% Merlot. Nose is Frenchy, earthy, kind of old viney, which I like. It's fairly light in the mouth, medium bodied, good spice, tobacco hints and plum flavors. Finishes great, long and smooth, and that's really where it excels. This is a great inexpensive Bordeaux and the Cru Bourgeois designation seals the deal. (it's a designation that is just now returning after disappearing years ago. Usually indicates a wine that's a cut above the rest). CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 89 Points *Value Pick* |
2009 Ben Marco Malbec
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This is one of my favorite under $20 Malbecs and it was my first taste of the 2009 which once again hits it out of the park. What an amazing wine for $15.99. Notes are similar to the 2008 that I reviewed a little over a year ago. Big red fruit, cherry flavor, feels great in the mouth, not too heavy; finish is smooth with some spice and a little oak. It's mostly Malbec grapes with a little Bonarda and the wine was aged in new French and American oak. Really an attention grabbing wine from beginning to end. Costco's price is fantastic so I would scoop up a couple of these while you still can. I'm putting it on this year's Bronze Rated wine list. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 91 Points *Bronze Rated* |
2008 Bodegas Langa Calatayud Pi 3 1415 Concejon
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Well, you surely won't forget this label. It's covered in numbers with very little decipherable information, particularly the vintage, which I am almost guessing at. All I can tell you is that it's from Spain and it's 100% Concejon, which to me tastes similar to Spanish Tempranillo, more Navarra (young, ripe) than Ribera (refined). An hour after I wrote that first paragraph, the wine is getting much better, and more refined - kind of a sleeper as many of these Spanish wines can be. I was a little bored with this one at first, but now it's getting a little more dpth as it opens up. Nose still retains that young ripeness, but the flavor has really gotten nice. Big round black cherry flavor, a little plum, lots of cherry carrying into the finish that's a touch dry but certainly full. This is a nice Spanish wine. Price at my Costco was only $12.99 so it's a good bargain as well. Just give it an hour or so in the glass to open up. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 Points |
2010 Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio
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Huge, puckery tropical fruit here that's lively, bright and really fresh. I knew I had reviewed a prior vintage of this a while back, and here's a link to that review. Much of the same this year, except it look like Costco's price went up a buck, to $8.60. The wine is really big and forward with the fruit. Tons of lemon, green apple, almost grapefruity flavors with a lot of acidity that hangs in your cheeks. It's really exactly what I was expecting from this bottle. I'm just not in love this style of wine, but for those who are, there's a lot going on in a pretty inexpensive package. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 85 Points |
Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne
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Here's my pick for a Costco bottle for New Year's. This is what I'll be drinking tomorrow so come midnight, it's highly likely a review will not be written. If you're interested, here's a good write up on the bottle from K&L, who are always on the mark. Price at my Costco was $26.99. There have also been a few posts on Twitter and Facebook about the Kirkland Champagne. Sadly, we didn't get a review up prior to the New Year, but that bottle seems to be a consistent $20 at most stores around the county. Whatever you choose, enjoy. And thanks again for supporting this site. -- Radcliffe, editor |
2009 Primarius Pinot Noir
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I love finding these Oregon Pinots at Costco because they typically taste great and they come in at a solid price. This one was $11.99 and it's a very nice wine for the money. It's really marked by a great body that's light and fluffy in the mouth; the wine is a see through red color in the glass. Great nose, that's inviting with a lot of spice. And that spice carries through to the finish. Flavors of red fruit, cherry, raspberry. The finish gets better and better the more I get into it. Needed a little bit of air. A nice wine and a good value for Oregon Pinot. This is a fun wine to have on hand. CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 Points |
2009 Sebastiani Sonoma Chardonnay
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A really fresh, fruity, not-overly-oaky Chardonnay that I bet even non-Chardonnay fans would enjoy. What a nice surprise for only $9.99 at my Costco. The Sebastiani name seems always tied to their highly rated Merlots, so I was curious how this Chardonnay would play out. And it really delivered. Tons of citrus flavors - apple, pineapple and lemon, that are just crisp on the palate and the finish is remarkably smooth with only a hint of oak. Just a great execution from start to finish. This one will earn a spot on our Bronze Rated wine list, and it was under $10. A clear winner in my book. -- CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points *Bronze Rated* |
CostcoWineBlog.com's Highest Rated Wines of 2011
I know everyone was waiting for this - the annual look at some of the highest rated wines of the year from CostcoWineBlog.com. As usual, the disclaimer, it may be hard to find some of these at your local Costco given the speed at which Costco moves inventory. But browse the list, hopefully you see some wines you already enjoyed this year, and perhaps you'll spot a couple that are still in stock at your local store. Thanks for supporting this site for another year.
-- Radcliffe
It's been a pretty good year for wine at Costco. I haven't ever listed this before, but if I had to pick my Wine of the Year, based on the one that really surprised me, that overdelivered and made me want to explore every wine from its region, it would be the 2004 Vina Mayor. This wine was spectacular as is just about anything from Ribera del Duero.
But the best wine I drank in 2011 overall was consumed at The Kitchen restaurant in the Grand Lisboa casino in Macau, China. This is not only one of the best restaurants on the planet but it has what they claim is the second largest private collection of wine on the planet. The only way to navigate this list is with the incredible sommelier there and the iPad they provide for browsing. The bottle we had that we loved was the 2007 Antinori Solaia. Give that one a shot sometime.
-- Radcliffe, Dec 2011<< MORE >>
-- Radcliffe
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It's been a pretty good year for wine at Costco. I haven't ever listed this before, but if I had to pick my Wine of the Year, based on the one that really surprised me, that overdelivered and made me want to explore every wine from its region, it would be the 2004 Vina Mayor. This wine was spectacular as is just about anything from Ribera del Duero.
But the best wine I drank in 2011 overall was consumed at The Kitchen restaurant in the Grand Lisboa casino in Macau, China. This is not only one of the best restaurants on the planet but it has what they claim is the second largest private collection of wine on the planet. The only way to navigate this list is with the incredible sommelier there and the iPad they provide for browsing. The bottle we had that we loved was the 2007 Antinori Solaia. Give that one a shot sometime.
-- Radcliffe, Dec 2011<< MORE >>
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