Costco St. Emilion Grand Cru -- WTF?

snipped-for-privacy@unspameljefe.net wrote in news:5isea1p80jmbks7dtrebqqcqtn4b4il7ho@

let us know about it, there are more than a few costco addicts out here and I have had good luck with some of their imports. There was a nice one last year Chateau Saulitis IIRC from Longuedoc (sp?)

Yes, please let us all know about this wine. In Phoenix/Scottsdale (AZ/US), I have not seen any Costco "brand" wines. So far (as I've shopped the racks), all have been traditionally imported, either with the winery label, or the negotiant's label, as would be expected. I've heard that they were doing some wines under their own labels, but, so far, none seem to have made it to AZ. OTOH, most of the wines that ARE available here, are good value, regardless of their being First Growth, or cult Cabs, or even more cult Shirazs (is that the correct pl?).

Looking forward to the reports, Hunt

Why were you "laughing out loud about it in the check-out line. ?

Because I couldn't believe I was actually buying something that said "St. Emilion Grand Cru" with a Kirkland label on it.

Btw, gang, I've been out of town, so haven't had a chance to try the wine yet. Will report back soon as I do.

JJ

The June issue of Costco Connection magazine has a small story on the two wines I mentioned. It's written by David Andrew, who was Costco's wine buyer until a year or so ago. (And boy, do I miss him and his excellent taste. Things have gotten pretty boring in the aisles since his departure.)

The article (on page 67) goes big into explaining Alexander Valley, and notes that the Kirkland 2001 Alex Cab "is a great example of the mountain style...deeply colored, with intense, ripe fruit. Flavors of black cherry and black currant (cassis) dominate, but it is multi-layerd and complex, with hints of chocolate and cofee. The wine is well-structured, with firm but elegant tannins and balanced acidity. Ready to drink now, and has the potential to age for several years."

It gives no hint as to which winery produced the juice. As for the St. Emilion Grand Cru, Andrew says almost nothing.

"The Kirkland Signature St. Emilion comes from the much-heralded 200 vintage. This is a rich, voluptuous Merlot-based wine. Think liquid velvet!"

Uh. okay. Like I said, pretty much says nothing.

JJ

in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com: | The June issue of Costco Connection magazine has a | small story on the two wines I mentioned. It's written by | David Andrew, who was Costco'swine buyer until a year | or so ago. (And boy, do I miss him and his excellent taste. ...)

What does this mean? No more Tollot-Beaut?

Heh. Yeah, I guess so.

What I've noticed is that, since David left, Costco's wine selection has become rather boring and predictable. Acacia Pinot, Ste. Michelle stuff, too much Coppola, et al. Been there, done that. There's so much interesting wine out there these days, but not much of it at Costco. It's getting to be more fun in the wine aisle of Trader Joe's than Costco. TJ's has been offsetting their Two Buck Chuck mania with some rather decent high end selections the last few months. Needless to say, the prices are competitive.

JJ

in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com... | On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 15:43:19 -0700, "Max Hauser" wrote: | | What does this mean? No more Tollot-Beaut? | | Heh. Yeah, I guess so. | | What I've noticed is that, since David left, Costco's wine | selection has become rather boring and predictable. | Acacia Pinot, Ste. Michelle stuff, too much Coppola, et al.

_Horribile dictu._

David was their primary wine buyer. The individual store managers can choose what they want to stock. Not that it always happens that way. A couple years back there was an article on pre-arrivals of the 2000 Bordeaux that listed Ch. Angelus as one of the wines that would be available. It even gave the SKU number. The wine never showed up, in their stores or in the computer.

JJ