Never Heard of Monastrell? Maybe You Have.

Costco store display of the 2020 Goru Verde Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain - 90 Points for just $7.99

Fast Facts: 2020 Ego Bodegas Goru Verde Monastrell, Jumilla, Spain ($7.99 @Costco in California – Item #1258623)   Let’s start with the basics.  Monastrell is a grape variety.  It’s a deeply bold, smoky red wine found in abundance in Central Spain and Southern France (where it’s known as Mourvèdre) and where it is the “M” … Read moreNever Heard of Monastrell? Maybe You Have.

Kirkland Signature RRV Chardonnay – Bingo!

Display of bottles of Kirkland Signature 2019 Russian River Valley (Sonoma County) Chardonnay at Costco

Fast Facts: 2021 Kirkland Signature Chardonnay,  Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California ($12.99 @Costco in California – Item #789895)   In her encyclopedic The Oxford Companion to Wine, author Jancis Robinson refers to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley as a “high quality California wine region and AVA west of Healdsburg along that portion of river that meanders through … Read moreKirkland Signature RRV Chardonnay – Bingo!

If You Love BBQ, Get to Know this Grape, and this Wine

Trader Joe's store display of 2021 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel, Contra Costa County, California

Fast Facts: 2021 Cline Ancient Vines Zinfandel, Contra Costa County, California   ($13.99 @Trader Joe’s in California) Today’s online edition of Decanter reported that veraison (that celebrated harbinger of harvest when wine grapes begin to blush and change color) has begun in the vineyards of northern California. They talked with winemakers from Napa, from Sonoma – … Read moreIf You Love BBQ, Get to Know this Grape, and this Wine

93 Points for Under $10? Thanks, Costco!

Front label of the f2016 Gaudio Reserva Red Blend, Alentejo, Portugal - just $8.79 at our local Costco

Fast facts: 2016 Gaudio Reserva Red Blend, Alentejo, Portugal ($8.79 @Costco; California – Product #1756471)   I have to admit that a big reason I reached for this wine is that my wife and I visited this region (south of Lisbon, north of the stunning Algarve) this past Spring.  Oh, then there is the matter … Read more93 Points for Under $10? Thanks, Costco!

A Delicious Summer Weight Spanish Red Wine – Just $9.99 at TJs

Front label of 2019  Vallobera Crianza, Rioja, Spain ($9.99 @Trader Joe's in California)

Fast Facts: 2019  Vallobera Crianza, Rioja, Spain ($9.99 @Trader Joe’s in California)   Rioja is one Spain’s most famous wine regions and is one of only two regions classified under the Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) system. Its two most important red grapes are Tempranillo and Garnacha.  This particular wine is 100% Tempranillo, one of … Read moreA Delicious Summer Weight Spanish Red Wine – Just $9.99 at TJs

Costco’s Substitute Sancerre is a Nice Surprise

Bottle and glass of 2022 Lucien  Raimbault Pineau Exception, Sancerre - as good as it looks!

Fast Facts: 2022 Lucien  Raimbault Pineau Exception, Sancerre, France ($16.99 @Costco in California – Item #1749206)   I’m feeling a bit like the forlorn Jack in a Box on the Island of Misfit Toys as it wails: “we might as well go to bed” when it believes that Santa isn’t coming for them. But then … Read moreCostco’s Substitute Sancerre is a Nice Surprise

Our Perennial Favorite Napa CabSauv at Costco for Under $20

Costco store display of the 2020 Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Suscol Vineyard, Napa Valley, California

Fast Facts: 2020 Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Suscol Vineyard, Napa Valley, California ($17.99 @Costco in California – Item #1491800)   This is one of our favorites and we were delighted to see this just show up in our local Costco. We have reviewed the 2018 and 2019 vintages and found this 2020 may be the … Read moreOur Perennial Favorite Napa CabSauv at Costco for Under $20

$15 Chablis?! Thank Trader Joe’s

2021 Sainte Celine Chablis, Burgundy, France ($15.99 @Trader Joe's, California)

Fast facts: 2021 Sainte Celine Chablis, Burgundy, France ($15.99 @Trader Joe’s, California)     Many American wine drinkers first became familar with the name Chablis back when California winemakers were running amok bottling cheap jug wines with the Chablis name on the label. Which is unfortunate. Because it confused generations in the process. Maybe that … Read more$15 Chablis?! Thank Trader Joe’s

90 Point Red for $10.99?!

Front label of the 2017 Quinta Do Portal, Riserva Red, Douro Valley, Portugal

Fast facts: 2017 Quinta Do Portal, Riserva Red, Douro Valley, Portugal ($10.99 @ Costco, California – Item #670474)   We are recently back from a tasting trip to Portugal, so finding this wine at Costco was a real treat.  One sip and we were transported eight time zones back to our tastings in Alentejo.  Even … Read more90 Point Red for $10.99?!

It’s Back, the High QPR KS CdP from Costco – with a Pope angle, no less!

Store display of the 2021 Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape ($19.69 @ Costco, California – Item #777662)

Fast facts: 2021 Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape ($19.69 @ Costco, California – Item #777662)   Among the “old world” offerings bottled under the Kirkland Signature name, this CdP is one of our perennial favorites. It has been around for over a decade, and is consistently good. It is a rare thing to find CdP wines for … Read moreIt’s Back, the High QPR KS CdP from Costco – with a Pope angle, no less!