Fast facts: 2019 Kirkland Signature Gigondas, Gigondas, France ($14.99 @ Costco, California – Item # 1134102) I am blaming the warping of time on Covid, but when I recently spied this in my local Costco my first thought was: “didn’t we just review the 2018 vintage?” The answer was no, we reviewed it some … Read moreGee, Gigondas! That’s French for High QPR!
Fast facts: 2018 Juan Gil Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain ($11.99 @ Costco, California – Item #967359) There is a lot to like about this wine. For starters, it is made of 100% Certified Organic Monastrell (Mourvèdre) grapes. Then there is the 93 point rating bestowed by none other than Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. All this … Read more93 Points for $11.99 Makes it a Good Time Get to Know Monastrell
Fast Facts: 2019 Kirkland Signature Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France ($22.99 @Costco in California – Item #777662) 2020 Kirkland Signature Côtes Du Rhône Villages ($6.99 @Costco in California – Item #887774) And, just like that, we find ourselves on the other side of the Thanksgiving holiday and on the slippery slide down towards the December holidays and … Read moreTwo Red Wines from Costco, and the Opposite Ends of the Rhone Price Spectrum
Fast Facts: 2019 McClean Vineyards, Love Red Blend, Paso Robles, California ($11.49 @Costco in California – Item #1528847) So I admit that it was the “packaging” that stopped me in my tracks for this wine. I am so shallow sometimes. In lieu of a traditional paper label, this wine comes in a gorgeous silk-screened … Read moreAll You Need is Love – a groovy Costco wine that is perfect for BBQ
Fast Facts: 2018 Kirkland Signature Gigondas, France ($14.99 @Costco in California – Item #11341020) This blend (Grenache 85%, Syrah 10% and Mourvedre 5%) is crafted from the fruit of old vines grown in the Grand Cru appellation of Gigondas, on some of its highest limestone vineyards in the Southern Rhone Valley. A GSM, it’s a … Read moreKirkland Signature Gigondas. It Only Sounds Expensive.
Fast Facts on this Week’s Featured Wine: 2013 Zaca Mesa Z Cuvée, Santa Ynez Valley, CA ($8.99* @Costco in California – Item #160928) *net price after $5 .00 discount Taking one for the team, we finally donned our facemasks, waited in line and made our way into our local Costco. Our relatively long … Read moreCostco Over-Delivers – 91 points for $8.99
Fast facts: 2016 Badet Clement Pontificis GSM, Languedoc-Rousillon, France ($6.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) Long time readers will have come to understand that QPR is shorthand for Quality to Price Ratio. It’s a good measure of wine value. This one scores super high on that scale. And if you read our review of a … Read moreAnother Trader Joe’s GSM – Crazy High QPR at $6.99
Fast facts: 2016 Trader Joe’s Reserve Zinfandel Lot #185, Amador County, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2017 Trader Joe’s Reserve GSM Lot #187, Central Coast, California ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) It’s hard to believe, but Labor Day is right around the corner. So if your plans, like ours, include firing up the grill and using … Read moreTrader Joe’s has two great wines for your next BBQ – just $9.99 each!
Fast facts: 2015 Tarima Hill Monastrell, Alicante, Spain $11.69 (@Costco; California) In last week’s post, I confessed my love for the Monastrell grape when reviewing a $6.99 Spanish wine from Trader Joes. You can find the review here: https://wp.me/p9ygim-6N This is a very different, superior rendition of a Spanish Monastrell, which is also known as … Read moreReal Deal Spanish Steal @ Costco
Fast facts: 2016 Albero Jumilia, Spain Monastrell ($6.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) 2017 Albero, Spain Tempranillo ($5.99 @Trader Joe’s, California) I am not sure what caught my eye first, the rather hideous labels, or the price. Or maybe it was the fact that these Spanish red wines were labeled as vegan, organic and GMO free. Let’s … Read moreTwo vegan, organic super Spanish values from Trader Joe’s