A Costco Wine that Puts the Wow in our W.O.W!

Fast facts:

• 2019 Borreo Ranch Sangiovese, Napa Valley, CA ($16.99* @Costco, California, Item# 259607)

*net price after a generous $13 discount

I’ve been tempted by this bottle for months at my local Costco.  The label suggested this wine had lots of potential. First off, a single vineyard wine from Napa?  You know how we love those. And speaking of love, we love Sangiovese in this house, although more often than not it hails from Tuscany.  But a couple of things kept preventing me from tossing this bottle in my cart so I could put it to the test. First, I was concerned that at five years old it might be past its prime. I also found the label a little “cheesy” and lacking verisimilitude. You might have to look that V word up, but let’s just say that I thought it looked “cheap” and at $29.99 – its original price – I was choking on said price given the aforementioned concerns.

Then Costco went and loppped $13 off of the price and at $16.99, I was ready to take this baby out for a spin! And boy am I glad I did…

This is a really nice wine!

Tasting Notes:

Pours a nice light ruby color.  Expressive fruit nose with notes of fresh red and blueberries, light oak, savory herbs, baking spices and mocha. Medium in body, medium acidity. Dry and soft on the palate with more red fruit, allspice, herbs, dried mushrooms and a nice toastiness. Raccy finish with soft tannins that linger. Would pair well with roasted or grilled meats and the whole array of Italian fare.  ABV = 14.7%.

 

If you are a regular reader of these posts, you will know that beyond “just the facts, ma’am” we like to provide come color commentary to provide some context and rationale for selecting a Wine of the Week, aka W.O.W.  In this case, we’ll simply rely on the back label for this wine:

“In 1888, Italian immigrant and Napa grocer Felix Borreo built a stone and redwood winery on his vineyard property near Napa Soda Springs. Borreo planted grape vines in addition to fruit and olive orchards. The winery remained one of Napa’s last “ghost” wineries – until it was destroyed in the 2017 wildfires.” 

Seems the vineyards – planted to Zinfandel and Sangiovese – were spared. Boy are we glad that they were!

 

Need More Wine Picks from Costco – or Trader Joe’s Even?

If your wine shopping excursions land you in Costco, prepare by grazing our most recent reviews of Costco wines here in our Lucky 13 list.

And if your shopping finds you at Trader Joe’s, you can find our Lucky 13 list of TJ’s wine here.

Happy hunting.

Cheers!