Costco Delivers! Two 90+ Point Wines – both Under $10. Refreshing!

Fast facts:

• 2018 Erath Winery Rosé of Pinot Noir, Oregon $7.99* (@Costco; California, Item# 1235641) *price after $3 discount
• 2018 Hess Select Sauvigon Blanc, North Coast, California $8.99 (@Costco; California, Item #297592)

It’s hot everywhere in the U.S.  Summer will do that.

July calls for wine that is white or pink and well-chilled if not cold.  Our most recent masked recon at our local Costco yielded these two great finds for poolside sipping.  No pool? No problem, chill out with this pair.

Let’s start with this delightful rosé, at an equally delightful price:

Tasting Notes:

The photo caption above makes note of the Wine Advocate review.  Here is what they had to say about this wine. “Pale to medium cherry-pink in color, the 2018 Rosé of Pinot Noir opens with lemon peel, watermelon rind, baker’s yeast, red berries and hints of stone, tarragon and raspberry leaves. The palate is light to medium-bodied with a rounded texture and clean, fresh flavors, finishing juicy and refreshing.”

We found this delicately-hued rosé offers scents of rose petal, white peach, juicy melon and passion fruit. Soft and slightly plush, the wine is a delightful melange of ripe pear, apricot and papaya. Finishes fresh and crisp.

 

Next up is this delicious “SauvBlanc” from California’s North Coast region, which includes Napa, Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino counties.  So yes, this wine is a blend of wines from at least two counties in the “high rent district” as California vineyards are concerned.

Tasting Notes:

Says Wine Enthusiast: “The Hess winemakers hit a home run with this wine. Very dense and mineral-laden, this concentrated and complex bottle shows fig and clay aromas, and bright citrus flavors accented by savory mushroom notes. So while well-grounded in fresh fruitiness, it also brings complexity, layering and interest to the table.”

This wine is a classic expression of Sauvignon Blanc fermented in stainless steel without oak to show off the naturally bright, refreshing citrus fruit flavors. On the nose, it is led by ripe honeydew melon and lime zest with a subtle presence of apricot. The wine is beautifully structured with flavors of yellow stone fruit punctuated by notes of golden delicious apples, all of which are balanced by a bright acidity that leaves a crisp, pleasing finish.

If you are expecting this wine to taste super tart, with bracing acidity, like the wildly popular wines coming out of New Zealand, you might be disappointed. If so, you can blame the  musqué clone of the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Let me geek out and explain…

Musqué is a French term applied to certain clones of wine grapes The term means both perfumed (“musky) and Muscat-like, and indicates that the variety or clone is highly aromatic. The term musqué is usually suffixed to the name of certain grape varieties to indicate a clone with musqué properties, in this case, or Sauvignon Blanc Musqué.” Such clones have arisen through mutation of a regular (“non-musqué”) clone of the variety, and it tasted to me like that is the grape that dominates this particular wine. 

Like many of my friends, my shopping excursions to Costco have become less frequent during the Covid Era.  The good thing about this is when I do don a mask and head to Costco, I find the wine department full of new values.  That’s part of the reason for having two featured wines this week – we’re back-logged.

If you’re headed to Costco soon yourself, you can find 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.

Cheers!