This is an absolute steal at Costco right now; another killer Rioja buy right on the heels of the amazing 2012 Hidalgo Tradicion H Rioja we just reviewed.

That wine was only $15 and I went 92 points, and this one is slightly more at $21.49 but I might have to move beyond 92 points as it really is that exceptional.

2010 was a great vintage in Europe, and being a Gran Reserva this wine spent at least 2 years in oak and 3 years in the bottle before being released.  I’ve mentioned before how I love to grab these already aged wines where the winery did everything for you.

This wine is drinking nicely now and could go for a bit longer but it’s a real treat to just walk up to the bin at Costco and drop this in your cart for just over $20 without having to think about a thing.  Prices online range from $30, to $38, so Costco again comes in way below the going price.

So what’s in the bottle?  I get big time cigar box on the nose and throughout, cedar toward the beginning and more oak towards the finish.  In the middle this wine is medium in body, with tannins settling in gently, leading to a soft, elegant mouthfeel.  Flavors are predominantly dark fruit, blackberry with black cherry, anise, and a little vegetal component towards the very dry finish.

So well done for the money it’s hard to compare to other $20 bottles from anywhere else in the world.  I’m afraid to review more bottles moving forward after this as I feel like I’m going to be disappointed.

Lots to love here everyone.  Let’s just hope they hang around long enough, and are distributed wide enough, for you all to find.  Let me know what you think if you have a chance to try it.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 93 points (a CostcoWineBlog Recommended Wine)

Costco item number: 1215883

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Kennesaw)

Alc. 14%

The post 2010 Baron de Ley Gran Reserva Rioja appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com .

What makes a good wine an even more unbelievable buy?  When Costco works their magic, and knocks a whopping $7 off a bottle that was already fairly priced.  This is that wine.

Here it is at Wine.com on sale for $28, marked down from $35.  I picked it up at Costco for only $15.99 with the $7 off the original price of $22.99, which lasts through 4/8/18 (at least at my Costco, and I hope yours too).

After the first taste, I knew I would have paid full pop for this wine.  Regular readers know I love these Gran Reservas and anything under $25 is worth exploring.

Note: the wines on both sides of this Rioja are also excellent buys, particularly the Perrin Cotes du Rhone for only $8 on sale. That is a steal on the base wine from a famed Rhone winemaker (same one that makes Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape, my favorite)

The key to these Gran Reserva Riojas is the aging.  It’s already taken care of for you  Sure, this one could go a bit longer, but what you’re getting is a wine that already has two years of oak aging, and another three in the bottle, likely in mostly stellar conditions at the winery, delivered right to your Costco.  A sweet deal in my opinion.

Right out of the bottle on the first taste, I could tell we had a winner, but after chilling out with some air it really started to get in line.  It pours semi dark although you can see through in some areas; the nose is a joy, super floral, peppery and herbal.

But in the mouth is where this one really shines.  Elegance all around; the result of aging good grapes and enjoying the wine in a great drinking window.  Soft and smooth, with dark fruit, blackberry, black licorice flavors with dark chocolate notes and a spicy earthy and dry finish.

This is a really an unbelievable package at this price point, and I hate to say it, but a quality of wine that is really hard to find at this price almost anywhere else in the world.  This is the reason why we’re only months out on publishing a book about the awesome value priced wines of Spain.  Stay tuned for that, and in the meantime, prime the pump with this wine if you can find it.  I’m a huge fan.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 points

Costco item number: 33878

Alc. 13.5%

The post 2009 Bodegas Montecillo Rioja Gran Reserva appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com .

Almost instinctively, I will purchase new wines that I find from Spain’s Toro region because they are some of the best buys in the wine world today.  So obviously, I love when they pop up at Costco.

This bottle was of particular interest, initially due to its massive weight in the hand but also for the 96 point sticker from Wine Enthusiast proudly displayed on the front of the bottle.  For a $28.99 wine (Costco price) to receive 96 points, I was both impressed and skeptical.

I cheated and gave the wine a quick Google before purchasing, only to find that 96 point rating along with the wine’s retail price of $110.  So is Costco really offering it at less than a third of retail?  That appeared to be the case.

But what’s inside?  Is this a good wine, even at the Costco price of $29?  It turns out the answer is a resounding yes.  This is a beautiful wine that is giant in body and flavor but also generously elegant with a modern feel.  I’ve had a few similar Toro wines in the past, where it comes across as a combination of old vine grapes in a more new world style.  And I’m a fan.

The wine pours near black in the glass, and yes, it’s a hefty drink with alcohol at 15%, but it really worked for us.  Super vibrant aromas after the wine had a chance to breathe; smells like a flower shop with a heap of fresh soil dumped in the middle of the store; big and bold in the mouth with loads of black cherry, blackberry, anise, a touch of dark chocolate; super super dry into the finish.  Maybe one of the driest wines I’ve had in quite a while.

We didn’t pair this wine with a meal which is really too bad.  A huge juicy steak would send an already amazing wine over the top because of the chalky finish.  There’s a lot to this wine, keeping you guessing and interested on every drink, which I want good wines to always do.  I can’t recommend this one enough, and at $29 it’s not an inexpensive wine, but for what you get, it really is a steal.

This is an obvious addition to the Recommended Wine list.  I can’t go as high in my rating as Wine Enthusiast, but this is a solid low 90’s wine, so I’m going to go 93 points.  I’d like to taste it again in another 2-3 years to allow it to develop a little further and I think it would be magnificent.  Enjoy this Costco buy if you find it.  I bet these go fast.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 93 points (a CostcoWineBlog Recommended Wine)

Costco item number: 555346

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Cumberland)

Alc. 15%

The post 2012 Bodega Carmen Rodriguez Carodorum Seleccion Especial Reserva Toro appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com .

Here’s another Spanish wine gem that I scored at my Costco for $21.99.  I say ‘another’ because there seems to be a stream of awesome bottles from Ribera, Toro and Rioja in that sweet spot of $15-$25 that I have found to generally be super strong buys.

Our latest reviews of this Toro wine and this Gran Reserva Rioja from Costco are great examples, and we rated them all in the 90s, as we will do with this bottle we are reviewing today.  For straight up price to quality, Spain is hard to beat right now, and certainly worth exploring if you’re still on the peripheral.

This wine has a spicy, earthy nose with a little campfire; it is super dark on the pour and full in body.  Big, juicy flavor in the mouth, led by spicy cherry and red fruit, a little wild strawberry; herbal and clove notes towards the finish which is super, super dry.

This wine is built for pairing up with red meat, which is how we enjoyed it, and although it’s elegant enough to ride on its own, the pairing brings so much more out of the food and the wine.

If you’re a fan of well crafted, big reds, don’t pass this one up if you see it at your local Costco.  And keep an eye out for other Spanish wine buys that might be in your store that we haven’t found near us.  If you find any gems, send them on.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 91 points (a CostcoWineBlog Recommended wine)

Costco item number: 1171939

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Cumberland)

Alc. 14%

The post 2013 Bodegas La Horra Corimbo Ribera del Duero appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

Love seeing the new 2013 vintage of this one arrive at Costco and I’ve had quite a few readers write to us asking if it was around.  Yes, it is, and the remarkably low price of $6.99 is carried over once again.

For $6.99 there are few bottles of wine that are as drinkable as this one.  Going in this year, I had high hopes.  The prior vintages have impressed us, and this one did too.

Earthy on the nose, signature Rioja smell; like we’ve noted before, you will definitely want to give this wine a little air before jumping in.  Even just 20-30 minutes, and it begins to open up more.

Mostly red fruit flavor, with some tobacco and spice; a really long finish for an inexpensive wine.

Absolutely ridiculous at this price.  Spanish wine fans will love this bottle, and for anyone else who likes medium to full bodied reds that are packed with flavor, this is one to try.

Rioja is made from the Tempranillo grape, which in just about any of its primary forms (Toro, Ribera, Rioja) delivers good quality to price.  I’m going to bump up the rating to 88, from last year’s 87 as this wine really impressed me.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points (a CostcoWineBlog Recommended Wine)

Costco item number: 917056

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 13.5%

[There are a lot of great Kirkland buys in stores right now; here’s a list of all of our recently reviewed Kirkland wines.  And don’t forget to jump over to the forums to see what others are saying about this wine and other Costco finds]

The post 2013 Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

Long time readers will know that I love my Ribera del Duero wines, so when I see a new one, like the 12 Linajes, arrive in my Costco stores, it’s almost a no brainer.  I can’t think of a time in recent years when the Ribera wines at Costco didn’t deliver a lot of bang for the buck.

And this one is a perfect example.  This is a 94 point Wine Enthusiast bottle (also an Editor’s Choice) with a retail price of $40 that Costco is selling for $27.89. Exactly what I’m looking for to taste and share with you.

Granted we enjoyed the wine with grilled steak (yes, we eat a lot of Green Egg steak in our household), but this wine was outstanding throughout the night; perfect with the meal, but the glasses we had following were excellent, maybe even better than the pairing since the wine had a little air time.

Spicy, earthy, floral on the nose; big cherry flavor rounded out by some dark fruit; full bodied and powerful; a little of that old world dusty library book; and a dry sticky finish.

This is an excellent wine that I would put up next to almost anything else in its price range.  I think it’s drinking much closer to its retail price, if not closer to $50-$60 range.  Six years of age is helping it drink really nice right now, and I’d venture to say it will only improve further in the years to come.

This is one of those examples of why buying wine at Costco is so much fun.  At a major wine warehouse store, a bottle like this could easily fall out of sight, lost in the mix of racks and racks of wine, and that would be a shame.  At Costco however, it jumps out right away, as a new offering, from a premier area, and you know Costco is just giving you the goods at a great price.

That’s the story here.  Enjoy if you’re able to find it in stores near you.  It’s worth every penny of its $28 price tag, and will be added to our Top Picks list.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 92 Points

Costco item number: 1258637

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 14.5%

If you hung around this long, then I’m guessing this wine sounded interesting to you, and perhaps you are a fan, like me, of Spanish wines.  We have a new book on Spanish wine going live very soon.  I can’t wait to share it with you.  If you enjoyed our Italian Wine book, this new one is a big step up.  Stay tuned.

Also, remember that we have the Costco Wine Blog Forums where you can share your opinion of the wines we review, as well as a host of other wine related topics.  Check them out.

The post 2012 12 Linajes Reserva Tempranillo Ribera del Duero appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

We’ve been hoping the Kirkland Ribera del Duero would hit stores soon, and what a nice little holiday treat, just like it was last year with the 2011 vintage.

Look for the blue striped bands on the bottle’s neck and you’ll have no problem picking this one of the sea of Costco wines.  This marks the second year for the Kirkland Ribera, and it is every bit as good as the debut wine was a little over a year ago.

The price bumped up $1 this year to $13.99, but it’s still an amazing value.  I might say that even if I paid $20.  This is one of those perfect “why I buy wine at Costco” examples, access to Kirkland value buys from premier wine regions.

The wine is 100% Tempranillo and carries the Gran Reserva aging designation, which is the one you want. This means an extended aging period of 3-5 years in oak barrels and the bottle. 

To that extent, this wine is ready to drink now, but could also age for a bit more if you wanted (I still have a ’11 vintage in the cellar that I’ll open down the line for our Cellar Series).

This wine is similar to the ’11 in style and quality, and is made by the same producer in Spain. In the fine print on the back of the label you can see that this wine is produced by Bodegas Vina Solorca, a well known estate in Ribera del Duero, whose lesser wines (non Gran Reserva) cost more than this one.

Definitely give it a little decant to open up; the wine pours dark in the glass with slightly light edges indicating it has a touch of age on it.  Nose of dried fruit; then sour cherry, nyquil/cough drop, a little anise and some oak towards the finish. 

Nice mouthfeel, the wine is light but powerful. Spectacular mouth-coating finish that is ultra dry and lasts forever.

This bottle is every bit as good as it’s been in year’s past.  I’m keeping the rating consistent at 90 points, and highly recommend this one if you like red wines, particularly Spanish Rioja or Toro.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 points (a CostcoWineBlog Top Pick)

Costco item number: 1169328

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 15%

The post 2012 Kirkland Signature Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

This is one of those staple wines that are consistent year to year, and typically bring in strong ratings from critics each vintage while still maintaining a fair price.  I wish more wines fit this bill.

Costco’s price was $12.99 which is just ok.  I found it at Total Wine for the same price, and online it’s right in that ballpark depending on where you look.

So you’re not really getting a special price buying it at Costco, but I still think you should buy it because it is a nice wine for the money.

Monastrell is also known as Mourvedre especially in France’s Rhone region where you see Mourvedre in most of the red blends from the area, hence the term GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre).

But in Spain and the Jumilla region where it is commonly grown, the grape is more often called Monastrell.  We are so, so close to releasing our book on Spanish wine that dives deeper into all of this.  Can’t wait to share it with you soon….

Monastrell is a dark skinned grape, and you can see it immediately on the pour as the wine is about as dark as it can be.  The nose has loads of juicy black fruit, and blueberry pie, which is a descriptor that we kept coming back to when tasting this wine.

It’s full bodied and fruit forward, spicy and dry; flavors of blueberry, boysenberry and black currant; a little smoky and earthy on the finish which is bone dry. The wine tasted young, very juicy, ready to be consumed right now.

The alcohol was high at 15.5% and I know that turns off some readers, but it didn’t stand out to me.  My initial tasting was all done before I looked at the alcohol, and I didn’t make any notes about it.

I’d recommend trying a single bottle to see if you like this style, and then running back to buy more if you do. 

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points

Costco item number: 967359

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 15.5%

The post 2016 Juan Gil Monastrell Jumilla appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

It’s finally here. We’ve been working on this one for a while now and I’m super pumped to finally put it out in the world and be able to share it with you.

Our new book “Decoding Spanish Wine: A Beginner’s Guide to the High Value, World Class Wines of Spain” is now available in print on Amazon. This is the follow up to our previous book, “Decoding Italian Wine.”

The goal with our wine books is to deliver tons of relevant info in the most easily digestible and fun to read way possible. I think we did it again with “Decoding Spanish Wine” and it would mean the world to me if you gave it a read and shared your feedback with me.

The book covers all the main grape varietals and wine regions in Spain along with information on vintages, classifications, top value picks (specific bottles to buy, some from Costco), how to read a Spanish wine label and wine and food pairing recommendations.
​
Spanish wine deliver some of the best values in the world right now in my opinion and we put all of our effort into creating a book that will help you take your Spanish wine drinking to the next level and find new awesome wines for great prices.

Clink the book cover below to check it out on Amazon. Thanks for your consideration, and thank you for following this site.

Andrew, Editor

The post Special Announcement: Decoding Spanish Wine Is Now Available appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

Here’s a really interesting bottle that showed up in my Costco and caught my eye.  It’s a wine from Spain’s premier Priorat region that is only $12.99 (most bottles from here are $30+).  So I was a bit skeptical but wanted to test it so I could report back to you what I found.

In short, this is an amazing buy.  Online the bottle ranges from $15-$22, so Costco’s price is pretty good.  And the wine inside is equally tasty, drinking really good right now with five-ish years of age on it.

This is not the big sexy Priorat bottle that you often find from this region (and pay for it too).  Instead this is a quality red blend at a great price.  It’s comprised of Garnatxa Negra (another name for Grenache), Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, aged for 10 months in French oak.  There are various percentage breakdowns of the varietal makeup online, but I couldn’t find a clear consensus among them.  I’m guessing very heavy on the Grenache and Carignan.

The wine needed a little air to come together so keep the swirling going.  The wine is light, almost see through on the pour, showing early signs of a little age around the edges.  The nose is an interesting combination of spices and wet rock.

The wine is medium plus in body with dried red and dark fruit flavors; spicy cherry, plum and blueberry, a dry finish that is super lasting.

Quite a remarkable value here for under $15; it’s kind of an outlier in a league of its own.  Wine Spectator went 90 points on this wine, and I’m pretty close, but think I’m going to come in just below at 89 points. For the money, this is probably one of the better Costco wine values of the past six to nine months.  It’s just not easy to find good quality juice priced this low.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 89 points

Costco item number: 1270833

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 14%

Also, if you haven’t already please consider checking out our new book about Spanish wine, Decoding Spanish Wine. We cover Priorat in detail as well as all the other major Spanish wine regions you need to know about. There’s so much value to find there, and we’ve tried our best to unlock it for you in this book. It would mean a lot for you to support me and this site. Thank you.

The post 2014 Grifoll Declara Predicat Priorat appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

Yecla is a sometimes overlooked region in Southeastern Spain that consistently delivers good value priced wines, predominantly made up of the Monastrell grape (which is the ame as Mourvedre). 

But it’s an area that should certainly be on the radar of red wine fans looking for bang for their buck.

This bottle is a perfect case in point priced at Costco for only $7.99. The blend is 60% Monastrell and 40% Garnacha, and the wine is just delicious for the money; a perfect everyday table bottle for almost any cuisine.

The wine is light purple in the glass, almost see through, round cherry nose and medium in body.  It’s simple and clean in the mouth, no funk throughout.

Flavors of sour cherry, a bit of Vicks cough drop, licorice followed by dark fruit and blueberry that became more pronounced as the wine opened up.

It finished a little quick, but was satisfying overall and it’s a nice drink for the money.  It wasn’t as spicy or peppery as I anticipated either.

Nicely packaged. Parker went a whopping 91 points which I feel is a bit generous, but I’m still a fan and will give it 88.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points (a CostcoWineBlog Top Pick)

Costco item number: 1305430

Purchased at Costco: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 14.5%

If you’re interested in learning more about the Yecla region and Spanish wine in general, don’t forget to check out our new book, DECODING SPAINSH WINE: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO THE HIGH VALUE, WORLD CLASS WINES OF SPAIN.  It’s packed with valuable info on regions and grapes you need to know along with a whole chapter with our picks for the ultimate value buys.

The post 2014 Seborio de Barahonda Nirea Yecla appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

I know a lot of you have been waiting for the next vintage of the Kirkland Rioja to arrive in Costco stores, and for us to review it. This is always one of our most anticipated Kirkland offerings of the year, largely because of the ridiculously low price of only $6.99.

At that price point, there just isn’t a lot of competition in terms of good, everyday, very drinkable, robust red wines. But this is that rare bottle that fits the bill, and the new 2014 vintage hitting stores now is every bit as good as year’s past.

Let’s take a quick look back at our ratings on the previous vintages of this wine.

2010 Kirkland Rioja: 88 points

2012 Kirkland Rioja: 87 points

2013 Kirkland Rioja: 88 points

The tasting notes between all the different vintages are pretty similar and that’s a theme that carries on into the new 2014 vintage, which I’m going to give 88 points.

It’s right in line with what I expected, and remains an insane value buy for $7. If you’re looking for other good Costco wine values, check out this round up we published recently of solid picks under $10.

This year’s Kirkland Rioja has that signature Rioja smell all over the nose, and you immediately know what you’re getting into. Fruit is predominantly red, strawberry licorice, cherry, a bit of pepper and spice; feels great in the mouth, nice and soft since it has a little age built into it. Drinking perfect right now.

I’ve tasted a lot of Riojas in the past 2 years as we worked on our Spanish wine book. I can say that I haven’t tasted anything in this price range that comes close to this bottle. I did find it perhaps a little light on the flavor and punch that you would get out of a higher priced Rioja, but there’s still so much to like at this price point. Stock up while you can.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points (a CostcoWineBlog Recommended Wine)

Costco item number: 917056

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 13.5%

The post 2014 Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

I’ve found a few new whites on my last couple trips to Costco, and love to put them in the mix as an alternative to Sauvignon Blancs and Chardonnays. Next up on the review list is a Gavi priced at $11.99.

Albariño is one of my favorites.  Here’s one that Costco is selling at a substantial discount at $11.99, whereas retail is around $20.  Also note the Wine Enthusiast 90 point score which I think is dead on for this bottle.

In the glass this wine is a light yellow, with stone fruit on the nose and aromas of white cake; flavors of peach, lemon and grapefruit in the mouth; this wine is tarty and sour with a great lingering finish, perfect for summertime.

With the growing popularity of Albariño it’s getting harder and harder to find bottles of this caliber from Rias Baixas priced under $15.  That wasn’t the case a handful of years ago, so access to this bottle is almost like a throwback in time. 

[If you’re interested in learning more about Rias Baixas as well as all the other top regions and varietals in Spain, be sure to check out our new book, Decoding Spanish Wine.]

If you’re a fan of Nora, Burgans, and Martin Codax Albariños, I think you’re going to be really surprised with what you can get here for only $12.  This wine will be a staple around our house this summer.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 points (a CostcoWineBlog Top Pick)

Costco item number: 1071357

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 13%

The post 2017 Bodegas Muriel Pazo Cilleiro Rias Baixas Albariño appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

This is definitely not a wine for everyone, but if you like a little age on your reds, it’s nice to run into a decade old wine ready to drink right now, with no cellaring necessary.

That’s the case with this 2009 Gran Reserva Rioja.  The key here is to give the wine some time to breathe.  I timed it and 30 minutes was the minimum time before it started to open up, but if you can wait an hour, it gets even better.

That said, this isn’t the greatest Gran Reserva Rioja I’ve tasted.  It may be one of the best priced for only $17.99 at Costco, compared to a retail price of $40 and online it’s around $28.  The other thing I noticed is that the critic ratings for this wine are all over the board.  Wine Enthusiast went 86 points while Wine & Spirits went 93 points.  I personally think they both swung too far in each direction, and believe it’s somewhere in between. 

The wine pours an inky purple with light edges, but it’s not too obvious it’s a ten year old wine.  The nose was really beautiful with dried flowers, dried fruit and the scents of an old dusty room.  Flavors once the wine opened up were cherry, plum, prune and dried black fruit that completely coats the mouth and digs in; fantastic finish with just a touch of sweetness.

Overall, a very good wine and a fun one to explore especially for people who are curious what a wine like this will taste like.  It’s a fair representation and a good one to buy at this price at Costco. For its retail price of $40 though you can do much better, including the La Rioja Alta 904, which occasionally graces Costco shelves (but unfortunately it’s been a while).    

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88-89 points

Costco item number: 1370949

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 13.5%

If you’re curious about Spanish wines, and what terms like “Gran Reserva” mean, we recently published a super easy to digest book all about Spanish Wine, called Decoding Spanish Wine.  We would love your support if you want to check it out.  And Gran Reserva means the wine is from a premier vintage and aged at least five years with a minimum of two in the barrel before release.

The post 2009 Siglo Gran Reserva Rioja appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

This is an interesting bottle that caught my eye.  It’s a Spanish Cabernet Sauvignon from Valencia, Spain, made from organic grapes, it’s a 2014 vintage so it has a couple years in the bottle, with a 93 point Wine Enthusiast score and the price was right at $9.99.

I did a quick Google search to confirm the Wine Enthusiast score, and also noticed that the retail price on this wine is around $30.  I’m interested.  Valencia is known for a number of white varietals and the reds are primarily Monastrell, Bobal and Grenache, so I’m interested to taste 100% Cabernet wine from the area.

Side note: if you want to learn more about Spanish wine, we wrote an easy to digest, beginner’s guide to the regions, varietals and styles of Spanish wine to instantly build your Spanish wine knowledge.  Check out Decoding Spanish Wine.

The wine was a little funky initially on the pour, and I was glad to see it blow off after a 30 minute decant.  The style here is a bit different; much more stone, gravel and earth than Cabernet from many other regions. There’s a good bit of acidity and grip to the wine. 

Combination of red and dark fruit, full in body.  After the wine matured, the finish got more complex with a touch of spice but before that it was a little weak.

Overall, I thought this wine was pretty good, not great.  A fun buy for $10, but certainly not something I would like to find in the $30 range.   For the adventurous red wine fans, and those who like the style of many Spanish reds, I’d recommend giving this one a go. 

If juicy Napa reds are your fancy, this might be a bit rustic for your tastes.  I’m glad I tried this one and am able to share it with you, but it’s not one that I plan to buy again.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 points

Costco item number: 1280486

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 14%

The post 2014 Los Frailes Sinergia Cabernet Sauvignon appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

Wine buyers who know about this wine and see it at their Costco are probably like me, and go on autopilot, feverishly shoveling these in their cart until they’ve reached their budget (or their spouse starts asking questions), only to put the bulk toilet paper back in the hopes to squeeze in one more.  Or maybe it’s just me.

This bottle is certainly not inexpensive, but for the quality of the juice inside, especially this vintage, it is an unbelievable buy.  There are many wines priced 2, 3, 4X this one that aren’t even in the same league.

Compared to year’s past, Costco’s price did go up a tad here.  Historically you’ve been able to score this wine for $39.99, but the price today is $48.99.  Still a bargain in my opinion.  Here’s what we had to say about the 2001 vintage, and the 2004 vintage.

The Rioja 904 and its more premium older brother, the Rioja 890, are not produced every year.  There was no 904 in 2008, but there is going to be one for 2010 that I’ve already heard high praise about.  But for now, this 2009 vintage of the 904 might be the gem to know about it and I’ll tell you why.

In, 2009 they didn’t produce the higher end 890 bottling.  So all the grapes usually reserved for that higher end wine (priced $100+) are in this 904.  And perhaps that’s why it’s standing out to me this year a bit more compared to previous vintages.

Those grapes by the way are a blend of 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano.  Give the wine a little air as it needs to open up.  It’s almost a decade old but it fresh, juicy and drinking really nice right now.  That’s not to say it doesn’t have aging potential too.   

I’d recommend buying a few, opening one now to see what you’ve got and enjoy.  Then put a couple away for whenever the time comes.  That’s what I do every time I see this wine and now I have a handful of every vintage the wine was produced dating back to 2001.  A vertical taste would be fun sometime.

The nose jumps out of the glass, spicy with a little vegetable garden; cherry, strawberry and plum flavors surrounded by peppery spice, a touch of bell pepper; delicate and elegant, I could drink this wine all day long.  Finishes dry and spicy.  Super fresh for its age, with the structure to go for the long haul.  This is a beautiful wine, and an easy addition to our Top Picks list.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 94 points (a CostcoWineBlog Top Pick)

Costco item number: 11321

Alc. 13.5%

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I know many of you, like me, are always looking for good, solid red wines from Costco for under $10, and here’s one to put on the top of your list. This is an excellent bottle for the price.

Once again, Spain continues to prove itself as a hotbed for big time value, the regions of Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Toro in particular. That’s why we wrote a whole book about it.

I would highly encourage red wine fans who aren’t exploring the wines of Spain to check them out, and this is a great wine to start with. It’s a mix of 80% Tempranillo, 15% Mazuelo and 5% Graciano.

The wine pours fairly dark on the pour; spicy nose with a little paprika; medium plus in body; big flavor, acidic and herbal. A combination of red and dark fruit, blueberry and spicy cherry with a dusty dry finish.

Really an amazing buy for under $10. Online the price looks to be a few dollars more, between $12-$13, so Costco is bringing it in at a decent discount.

You can sit on a lot of Rioja bottles for years, but I would drink this one now. It’s really at a great place and ready to go as we tasted it in Jan of 2020. High critic scores too with Suckling going 92 points. I don’t think it’s quite to that level so I’m going 89 points with a strong buy at only $9.

Note: this Italian red we just reviewed, priced a few dollars more is another good value buy to keep an eye out for.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 89 points

Costco item number: 1323797

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 14%

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A few readers have asked for us to post some new white wine reviews, which made me realize that it had been a little while since we last had. This time of the year, I just gravitate towards the reds, but I made a special point to try to find a good white wine to review on my latest Costco trip. And turns out I did.

I bought this Albarino from Spain’s famed Rias Baixas region for only $12 and it was a bottle I have never seen at Costco before now. My hope was that it would turn out to punch above its price tag so I could stock up on a few for the warmer months; and that’s exactly what I plan to do.

This is a super tasty Albarino for the money. It pours with a slight yellow tint in the glass but overall is pretty clear; lemon pudding and orange peel on the nose; medium body; orange kind of like a grand marnier, with tangerine, apricot flavors and a touch of vanilla. Lingering citrus on the finish.

This is definitely a thirst quenching wine that would be ideal around a pool or beach on a hot day. If you enjoy the Nora, Martin Codax or Burgans Albarinos, I think you will really enjoy this one. Fans of New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs might as well.

This was a fun one to throw in the mix and I’d like to see Costco stock a wider variety of white wines. The stores around me carry too many CA Chardonnays, and there are so many other varietals I would like to see: namely Arneis, Gavi, white Bordeaux, white Rhones, white Rioja, Riesling, Gruner, Hungarian whites, etc.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 89 points

Costco item number: 1145877

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 13%

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Quarantine life lends itself to plenty of time for digging around the cellar to see if there’s anything interesting to get into. I have a stash of Kirkland bottles that I’ve enjoyed over the past 3-5 years that I wanted to try again after a little more time in the bottle and one of those I found is this 2011 Kirkland Ribera del Duero.

This is an interesting bottle in the Kirkland wine family and we’ve only seen it appear in two vintages, the last of which was the 2012 vintage that hit stores in December of 2018. I really hope we get a surprise one day and see it re-appear. Price was $13.99 for the 2012; the 2011 vintage retailed for $12.99. If they follow the convention and bring in a new vintage for $14.99, I’m good with that.

The debut vintage for this wine was the 2011, which caught us all a little off guard when it first appeared, but in a very good way. We awarded both vintages 90 points, and felt they were ready to drink at the time of their arrival given they already had some age built in.

But I decided to save a 2011 vintage to use later for this cellar series. It was a little experiment to see how it would evolve with another three years of cellar time. The short answer is: it evolved nicely, but didn’t have too much more room to run.

I poured a small taste in a glass and then the rest in the decanter. There are early signs of a little rust color around the edges; dried fruit on the nose was a little different than the “powerful, spicy aromas” I noted in our initial review. But it’s what you expect from a 9 year old wine.

Acidic and super dry in the mouth; fruit came in nice after the wine sat for about an hour; lots of cherry and plum; the finish hangs around forever like I noted in the review of the ’12 vintage.

As the wine got some air it really came together quite nicely; there’s a touch of age in the aromas and dried fruit that might turn off some drinkers, but if you like older wines, this one developed pretty good; albeit I wouldn’t go much longer on it.

I know most readers aren’t sitting on this wine. If you are, let me know. But the point of the cellar series is to explore the wines a little further, and determine which ones are good to age, and for how long. Not all wine should be aged, and some people won’t like the way it tastes after it does.

It’s really personal preference. And I find it interesting to run experiments like this to see and share what works best for me. I also have some of the Kirkland Pauillac Bordeaux in the cellar to get out a bit later.

Like past Cellar Series, I’m not going to provide a rating, just notes instead. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this Kirkland Ribera shows up again in another vintage.

The post Cellar Series: 2011 Kirkland Ribera del Duero Gran Reserva appeared first on CostcoWineBlog.com.

The Kirkland Rioja is always a favorite, and this year the new vintage is arriving a little late, at least around the Atlanta area. Last year, we saw it hit stores in April, so we’ve been on the look out, and finally it’s here.

Costco wine fans might notice a little change this year to the wine. Yes, the label is brand new and a touch classier than before. But this year’s wine arrived with a small price hike, up from $6.99 to $7.99. Not a huge deal because it is still a delicious wine, but many of our favorite Kirkland bottles seem to be seeing price increases this year.

Regardless, we’re still talking about an $8 wine that is an absolute steal. Rioja is such a good place to find value in the wine world, and red wine fans would being doing themselves a disservice to not properly explore the region and its wines. Plus, these Tempranillo based wines drink great in the summer time since they’re not too heavy.

Let’s start by taking a look at our reviews of the prior vintages as it’s telling as to we’re going to end up on this one.

2010 Kirkland Rioja: 88 points

2012 Kirkland Rioja: 87 points

2013 Kirkland Rioja: 88 points

2014 Kirkland Rioja: 88 points

Looking over these older reviews, it doesn’t seem like we can stray too far from the 88 point mark, and that’s where we’re going to put this new 2015 vintage. Let’s dig in.

The wine pours a medium ruby in the glass; dried red fruit, rose petal on the nose; in the mouth the wine is medium in body, nice spicy cherry, strawberry licorice with subtle oak and vanilla notes in the finish.

Very similar tasting notes as prior vintages. This remains a solid pick among the Kirkland Signature family of wines. It’s price tag is ridiculous even if it is up $1 from before. But when you’re looking for a good solid inexpensive table wine that can match with about any occasion, whether it’s summertime or winter, whether it’s easy or difficult wine fansyou aim to please, this is your bottle.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points

Costco item number: 917056

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Kennesaw)

Alc. 13.5%

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