Crazy Good Costco Deals on Pinot Noir – Procrastination, Rewarded!

Fast Facts:

• 2017  Santa Rita Secret Reserve Pinot Noir, Maipo Valley, Chile  ($5.99 @Costco; California – Item #1154159)

• 2018  Lockwood Vineyard Pinot Noir, Monterey, California  ($6.99 @Costco; California – Item #699482)

I couldn’t resist trying these two Pinot Noirs from my local Costco. My expectations were low. Wines this far below $10 (especially when that wine is Pinot Noir) are a bit of a crap shoot. Note that the Secret Reserve Pinot normally retails for $8.99 at Costco, but nets to $5.99 (!) after they lop $3 a bottle off at the register. I figured I would put the two in a head to head tasting, and hope that one would be good enough to feature as our final Thanksgiving holiday recommendation. I was (pleasantly) surprised that both were not only good enough, but at just how good these two are.

I was also happy that we could see clear to recommend both, because not all Costco stores carry the same wines. So featuring two increases the odds that at least one of these will be in your local Costco.

Since we are on a tight schedule to get this out in time for you to buy some before Thanksgiving, I will dispense with the usual history of the wine regions and the grape. Sorry about that. But…

If you are curious where Maipo Valley (Valle del Maipo) is located in Chile, you can learn that in this post of ours from a few months ago.

And if you want some background on the Monterey AVA, you can find it in last week’s post.

While the two wines we are featuring here this week are not quite as good as the one we featured from Trader Joe’s last week, that wine is twice the price. That said, all three are screaming good deals for your holiday table.

Tasting Notes:

2017 Santa Rita Secret Reserve – notes of black pepper on the nose. Tastes like a classic California Pinot Noir. Medium-bodied with flavors of black cherry, raspberry, soft spice and faint notes of earthiness, dark chocolate and green pepper on the finish.

2018 Lockwood Vineyards – pours a light ruby color with medium intensity. Strawberry, cherry, vanilla and plum at first whiff. At first sip, similar notes emerge, along with some hints of leather and chocolare. Well-balanced with a acidity with a fruity perfumed finish.

These two wines look very similar in the glass. And they taste very similar as well. This is a good thing as they both taste really good to me. Stock up with confidence!

From our maison to yours, may you have happy, healthy and abundant Thanksgiving Holiday.

Cheers!