Fast Facts:
- 2014 Campo Arriba, Yecla, Spain ($8.99 @Costco in California – Item #1104416)
One of our unofficial slogans here is: “we taste a lot of inferior wines so our readers don’t have to.”
A few words about frogs, and princes…
Because we are especially excited when we find great values under $10, we kiss no small number of frogs looking for the princes – and princesses! For red wines at this price point, it is rare to find wine that are pure expressions of fruit and oak, and not subject to use of additives to create the illusion of real oak aging. But this is one such wine, and it’s a treat!
Technically, we should be referring to this wine as 2014 Señorio de Barahonda Yecla Campo Arriba Old Vines. But that would result in some readers wondering if they had found the correct bottle. This is why we always provide a tight shot of the label to prevent any confusion. It’s also why we opted to refer to this wine simply as Campo Arriba 2014, because those are the prominent words on the label.
About those 93 points…
What also is prominent on the label is that promotion of the wines 93 point score from Robert Parker, perhaps THE most respected critic in modern wine history. I could quibble that it might a a tad high, but the fact is the difference between 88-89 points and 92-93 points is mostly opinion. More importantly, it is also indiscernible to most wine drinkers that just want a glass or two of something that they can enjoy. This wine fits that bill and at a really sweet price.
One of the things that is interesting about this wine is that we first reviewed it in 2017 which is when it first cropped up at Costco. Here, some three years later the same 2014 vintage re-appears in my local Costco. May you all be so lucky. If anything the wine has improved since 2017, and still tastes surprisingly young for its age.
93 points from Robert Parker, for $8.99? Sign me up!
Tasting Notes:
Despite its age, this wine is youthful and begins with a nice, big, inviting aroma of ripe plum, blackberry, prunes, licorice, vanilla and violets. The wine tastes smooth, dense and rich with flavors of ripe dark fruit and licorice along with spice and cola. Chewy tannins lead into a dry, long and satisfying finish that features a surprising hint of minerality. This is one of those versatile wines that you can pair with just about any food. I found it paired nicely with a simple slice of pepperoni pizza.
Next stop, Spain.
Yecla is is a denominated wine zone in south east Spain. Here the Monastrell grape represents 80% of all grapes grown in the region. It dominates the cuvee in this bottling too, which is comprised of 70% Monastrell, 20% Syrah and 10% Grenache Tintorera.
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.
Stay safe and healthy everyone!
Cheers!