One of my early pandemic discoveries was Costco and I haven’t regretted it for a minute. I don’t recall what drove me to get a membership, but I just strolled in one day and signed up. I’m in a household of two people, so I wasn’t sure if I’d get to take full advantage of things. Boy was I wrong! Our favorites now are the proteins, big hunks of cheese, and fun snacks (the Korean BBQ jerky is a hit). Every time I go, I seem to discover something new. And Aaron hates going, so it’s shopping alone time that I love. Sometimes I stroll the aisles fantasizing about the big ‘ol house I’ll own one day, where I can store all 36 cans of tomato sauce in the pantry! Though that is not happening now in my 1-bedroom apartment situation! In case you didn’t know, Costco is the largest retailer of wine IN THE WORLD. Crazy, right? People always ask me about Costco brand wines, and I never had a meaningful reply, as I had never tried them. Once I got my membership, I decided to change that! In previous blog posts I conducted Costco wine reviews of their Kirkland brand wines. For most of them, I actually blind tasted with a group of friends to find out which were the Costco Crowd Pleasers and Costco Brand Wine Values. To date, these Costco wine review have been the most popular posts in the history of my blog! Let’s get right to my Costco wine reviews of the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and the Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon. Before I begin this Costco wine review, let me share something that I think is helpful if you want to up your wine game. Pinot Noir is a very difficult grape to grow. A lot goes into ensuring its success in the vineyard which translates into good juice in the bottle. Pinot Noir has thin skins, which makes it susceptible to rot, mold, and mildew in the vineyard. Essentially this grape has to be treated with kid gloves from start to finish to ensure that you get a good wine in your glass. With that being said, I’ll say it once and I will say it again “it is very difficult to make good, cheap Pinot Noir”. And honestly this wine is no exception. I find this wine to be hollow with no mid palate. Super simple and no complexity. This wine tastes like a cheap grocery store, non-appellation Pinot Noir. A very basic wine. Not to say that there’s anything wrong with that. I just think that for this to be a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, I am expecting a step up in quality than just good ol’ fashioned, basic Pinot Noir. I will let you decide if his Costco wine review will make you run out and buy it or if you’re going to pass. For me this one is a hard pass. With this Costco wine review, we are squarely in the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon category. Which isn’t for everyone! I’m talking about big juicy fruit, big tannin structure, high alcohol, extraction, essentially: more is more. That is what Napa Valley is known for. With this wine, we are specifically in Oakville, one of the sub AVAs of Napa Valley. Oakville is known for all of these big structural elements, but one of the key hallmarks of Oakville (and why it is so prized), is that their wines are known for having balance. None of the structural elements stand out and jut ahead of the others. I was so damn pleased with this wine, and would grab a megaphone if I had one, to tell you to go buy some now. How’s that for a positive Costco wine review! An insane and complex finish of coffee beans, cigar box, and sweet tobacco. Plus, this is only a 2019. I believe this wine has all of the elements to age and evolve beautifully. Seriously, go buy a case. And have one bottle a year for the next decade. You’re welcome. Check out my article on Decanter: Decanter Best: Costco Kirkland Signature Wines: Top Buys from the USCostco Wine Review: Did You Know?
Costco Wine Review: Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2019 $12.99
Costco Wine Review: Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019 $19.99
