The 2019 vintage of The Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone ($12.99) has finally arrived at our local Costco and I think is better than the recent vintages I have tried.
Once again the wine is produced by Patrick Lesec. He is not a vigneron (grower) and does not own any vineyards but his specialty is sourcing the best possible fruit fr
om a range of growers and then blending to achieve a consistent style each year. M. Lesec makes great efforts to search out the finest terroirs, the best soils with old vineyards — and thus the finest sources of grapes. These are often growers who own parcels of the best sites, but who may not bottle wine under their own label.
The wines are usually a blend of grapes, with each variety contributing its own individual characteristics. Grenache, the main grape of the area for red wines often forms the basis of the wines giving fruitiness, warmth and body. Syrah and Mourvèdre adds spice, colour and strength to the wine, allowing it to age well. Some are ready to drink soon after bottling, while others have the ability to age for a decade or more depending on the vintage. The finished wine should be a ruby red/purple colour with aromas of warm 
blackberry and cherry fruits and scents of dried herbs such as lavender, juniper, bay leaf, fennel, rosemary, sage or thyme.
This is a traditional blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre. A huge wine for the price, look for fragrant aromas of smoked meat, sweet raspberry, kirsch, strawberries, spice box, dried herbs, leather and french oak. The palate is well structured with its rich flavours of black and red fruits, spice, garrigue, soft acidity and firm tannins. This is not a fruit bomb but an elegant, refined wine. Fantastic to enjoy now for the sheer deliciousness of it but will reward with 3-5 years of cellaring.
In Vino Veritas
Haslam cleared and prepared a small parcel of family land for vines almost 30 years ago. This meticulous vineyard sits on a beautiful strand of land running down to the sea in Ti Point, on the Matakana coast of Northern New Zealand. Tracy also sources fruit from select vineyards in other parts of New Zealand. The tiny Ti Point vineyard flourishes on family-owned land that has been nurtured by three generations of Haslam women. Tracy, a mother of three, who every other week travels (children in tow) between the winery in Hawkes Bay and the “vinery” at Ti Point has just one thing in mind – to create the finest wines of her career.
s in order to buy, bottle and market wine found at an incredible quality/price ratio (QPR). All Rubus wines are selected by Fran Kysela, MS and it was first used for a superb batch of 1,200 cases of Amador county Zinfandel back in 1997. The wine sold in a few days and the Rubus brand was not used since then.
po Valley. Since then, it has crafted elegant, quality wines, becoming one of the most traditional and historical Chilean wineries, as well as a benchmark for viticulture in Chile.
The Calchaqui Valley, located at 5,500 feet above sea level and rising to over 6,600 feet, is known as the world’s highest grape growing region. The vineyards in this valley display some unique characteristics. Poor alluvial soils, high sun exposure, low humidity and the broad variation in heat all contribute to making this terroir deliver highly concentrated wines with accentuated aromas, colours and flavours. David Michel was a pioneer in planting quality vines in these high altitude vineyards, convinced that this remote and
exquisite region had the potential to deliver unique wines. With over 1,500 acres of vineyards in the area, Bodega El Esteco’s wines are reflective of their place of origin.
Costco wine store, I was intrigued mainly because of the price. Most reviews and online prices place it at $18-19 dollars cdn so when it is priced at $12, well I was curious. Plus I was worried that it had followed the way of some California Zins in that extra sugar (in the way of grape sugars) had been added to sweeten it up. Like alot of California wine. And we needed some cheap wine for summer sangria. Well…what a shock when I poured a glass to wash down our chicken enchiladas.
We found this little gem at our Costco wine shop the other day and based on some on-line ratings courtesy of the Wine Enthusiast, we thought we’d give it a go. The price was for a case lot only, no bottle purchases whatsoever so we needed to take a big leap of faith. Well…we were not disappointed (came back a couple of days later for another case and their stock was all sold out).
Chianti Classico by Marchese Piero Antinori’s father, Niccolò. But with the introduction of the 1984 DOCG laws, which required lower vineyard yields for Classico wines and hence more concentration, any wines wanting to be certified as Chianti Classico were required to be aged longer. So, with the 1987 vintage, Santa Cristina moved away from the Chianti Classico designation and in 1994, began including 10% Merlot to the blend to add softness and a fruit-forward character to the wine. The current vintage (2017) is a blend of Sangiovese, Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah and exhibits a deep ruby red colour with concentrated aromas of ripe black cherry, raspberry, licorice and menthol with hints of almond, tobacco and dusty chocolate. Crisp on the palate, after 2 hours the wine had fully opened up so give it some time to breath. It could also benefit from a couple of years in the cellar. Fantastic bargain. One of the best-value Italian reds on the market. An incredible $10 at 
ridiculously inexpensive price they were charging, we just had to buy one and try it. Rated 91 points by 
Garnacha ($12). Rated 90/100 by 
firstpressings 