Sangiovese from Chianti Classico DOCG, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy. The wine was aged for 24 months, with at least 3 of those in bottle, and the rest in oak.

The Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva is available exclusively at Costco and now retails for just $9.49 (up from the $8.99 of previous vintages). It is imported by Ethica Wines.

Previously, a perennial Bulk Buy produced by the highly respected Villa Cafaggio, we were severely disappointed in the 2020 vintage of this wine and couldn’t recommend it. (It appears that some bottles of that vintage may have been OK, but at the least there appeared to be a lot of bottle variation.) As such, we were very excited to find that starting with the excellent 2021 vintage there was a different but perhaps even more highly respected producer.

How did we know this since there is no info on the bottle? Since this is an Italian wine we simply plugged the code on neck tag into the traceability tool on the Chianti Classico website.

Entering this info reveals that just like the 2021 and 2022, the producer of the 2023 is Barone Ricasoli! We are huge fans of their wines (like the Brolio), even though they are often out of our price range.

The other interesting tidbit in this information is that the 2023 vintage is listed at 63,600 bottles produced while the 2022 was 112,533. That’s a 43% reduction from last year which means the 2023 will not stick around in the store nearly as long as the 2022, so take that under advisement as you purchase.

A few more notes about this wine before we get to how it tastes. Chianti can be confusing, but finding a Chianti Classico Riserva at this price point is pretty amazing. Here’s why:

1. The Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva comes from the Chianti Classico subzone within the larger Chianti region. To carry this designation it must not only come from this region, which is generally thought to produce better wines, but also meet more stringent production standards.
2. This is a Riserva wine, which means the best grapes were chosen for production and the wine undergoes more oak aging than a standard Chianti Classico wine.
3. Costco does not, of course, make their own wine. As we noted above, this wine is made by the very well respected Barone Ricasoli.
4. The Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva only costs under $10! Let me say that again — this is a Chianti Classico Riserva from a very reputable producer for just $9.49. Almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Let’s find out if it is.

From the bottle:

The grapes for the Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico are grown on the rolling slopes within the Chianti Classico region. Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico has aged for a minimum of 24 months of which at least 3 months in bottle. The resulting wine has an intense dark color with aromas of ripe fruit and wild herb. The palate boasts deep Morello cherries with blackcurrant undertones.

13.5% Alcohol

The 2023 Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva begins with an expressive, classic Chianti aroma of sour black cherry, earth, leather, a bit of spice, licorice and even a little mint. Just be sure to give this wine a little time to breathe before drinking it.

Smooth and pleasing in the mouth, while still retaining that rustic Chianti character, this is a great example of variety. It doesn’t have a ton of depth when first opened but giving it some air remedies that pretty quickly. Tasting reveals similar flavors to the nose plus good acidity, good fruit and good spice which all add up to a very good, very drinkable wine that you’ll want to have on hand to pair with pizza or other Italian foods. (At this price, it’s a no-brainer!)

The wine ends dry and a bit grippy with good persistence and lingering tart, juicy fruit notes. It was just as good on day 2. Very similar to the 2021 and 2022 vintages, this is a great value once again although it doesn’t quite make Bulk Buy territory this time around thanks to the increase in price.

You might also want to check out our review of the new Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, which is a step up from the Riserva level.

Looking for more of our favorite Costco wine picks? Browse our multi-page listing of recommended wines along with more information on how to best shop the store!

You can also find more of our favorite Chianti here.

Review Summary

Gard Vintners is back and this time they’ve got an incredible price on this smooth and balanced Syrah from the estate Thunderstone Vineyard. Aged for 18 months, the wine was rated at 92-points by International Wine Report, and we rate it similarly.

As we said, the wine comes from reader favorite Gard Vintners and the Lawrence family (who also own Desert Wind Winery). Here’s how this new label came to be:

Slope Life is a Gård Vintners brand inspired by our family farm and sustainably farmed vineyards in the Royal Slope AVA of Washington state. ​Slope Life celebrates both a place and a mindset. A community where we play as hard as we work, family is everything, and handshakes are binding.

​Slope Life wines are approachable and crowd-pleasing, and crafted to be shared with good friends around the kitchen table or a bonfire at the end of a long day. From our estate vineyards to your glass, we are excited to share a little bit of the Slope Life with you.

Normally priced at a very reasonable $25, today we’re slashing over $11 off a bottle!

For the next day you can get 6 bottles of the 2020 Slope Life Hometown Red Syrah for just $79.95 ($13.33/bottle). That’s a total savings of $70 (44%)!

ADD TO CART – $79.95 $150

This 4-pack deal is available to ship to the following states: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA and WI. (These states are dependent on the individual licenses of the offering winery and are not representative of all our deals. Every deal can have different, sometimes more, sometimes less, states available.)

Unless it sells sell out sooner, this limited time, winery direct offer will end in just…

Clicking on the Add To Cart button above will take you to our checkout at shop.reversewinesnob.com. Once there you can adjust the quantity of 6-packs in your order. Ends Friday 10/2/2026 at noon (PT). Read on for our full review.

From the winery:

2020 Slope Life Hometown Red Syrah

100% Syrah with a medium body and medium acidity. Black plum, milk chocolate, and black licorice highlight the nose with flavors of red and black berries and spice. The finish is sweet and savory with a touch of grip. Destemmed, stainless steel fermented, and aged for 18 months.

Slope Life celebrates both a place and a mindset. A community where we play as hard as we work, family is everything, and handshakes are binding. From our estate vineyards to your glass, we are excited to share a little of the Slope Life with you.

Varietal: 100% Syrah
Lawrence Vineyards (Thunderstone), Columbia Valley
Cases Produced: 1,371

Produced and Bottled by Lawrence Cellars
13.9% Alcohol
Cork

And now on to our review:

The 2020 Slope Life Hometown Red Syrah opens with an enticing aroma of blackberry, plum, spice and dark chocolate with touches of black licorice, mint and more. It’s a very nice start.

Taking a sip reveals that this is quite a tasty rendition of Syrah with a lot of crowd appeal. It features similar flavors to the nose and is soft and smooth with good depth, balance and well-integrated spice. It’s really hard not to like this.

It ends dry, soft, long and easy to drink and was just as good on day 2. This is really delicious!

Cheers,
Jon

Here’s what people are saying about our Insider Deals:

“ I only drink Reverse Wine Snob wine, it actually doesn’t make sense to buy from a store. You don’t get anything interesting, unique, and full of value otherwise.”

“Jon, I should have bought more! Delicious!!”

“I am a Certified Specialist of Wine. I love your deals. You pick great wines!! Kudos to you for getting us great deals!”

“I have tell you that I have been really, really pleased with this whole reverse wine snob endeavor. The info you provided gives me enough to purchase with confidence. The shipping is unbelievably convenient. The wines are right in that price-tag-sweet-spot. And everything has been just as described. Great job.”

“Hi Jon, Best thing I ever did is buy wine thru you…not been disappointed with any of them! Thank you SO MUCH!”

“Just love your site and the great deals on unique small production vino. You do an outstanding job!”

“Jon, this is a wonderful wine all around. You have become our go-to person for wonderful wines and wine values. Please keep up the excellent job that you’re doing! Regards, a very satisfied customer.”

“Wow!! Just got my shipment. It is absolutely tremendous.”

“Another terrific selection from Reverse Wine Snob. Keep up the good work!”

“The only thing I have ever been disappointed in with an Insider Deal is that I didn’t purchase more.”

“Received my shipment today and just cracked open my first tasting. It blew me away…I guess I have another top pick to my list. Can’t wait for my next glass…”

“You can count on great value from the wines offered.”

“the wine is, in a single word, superb! as have been all other wines offered and purchased since I first learnt about you…”

“love them all so far…Glad we ran across you. Too bad we can not order them all.”

“Also your prices are pretty amazing.”

“Hey Jon! You do great work. I’ve bought a bunch of the Insider Deals and probably 80% of the wine I drink comes from them. Great values!”

“The shipping on the Insider Deals is another great part of the deal. We recently paid $27 to a winery in California to ship 6 bottles (same packaging as the insider deals)….yikes!”

“Just got my 6 bottles and having my first glass. WHY, WHY didn’t I buy a case??!!”

“Would you happen to be offering this one again anytime soon? I regret not buying more. This was exceptional!”

“I am seriously considering having the Insider Deals as my primary go-to. Why did I not do this sooner? Thank you”

“I love this wine I bought from you!!!! Thanks for doing what do do!!!”

“This an absolutely amazing wine, Jon…You’ve outdone yourself!”

“Thanks Jon. We already drank all 6 of the first order so we were ecstatic to see you offering it again. My wife and I both love it.”

“You are a man after my own heart. I have always looked for the best and least expensive wine and you just made it easier. Cheers!”

“Hi Jon, well, I did something people have warned about – bought 6 bottles and should have bought 12!”

“Have had nothing but great bottles since I started ordering your recommendations. Thanks so much!”

“We’ve gotten in on three of the deals and have been VERY happy with the value. I originally was going to do a wine club thing but the insider deal appeals to me much more.”

“I really missed the boat by only getting four bottles of this offer last month. Should have bought least at a case.”

“My wife and I have really enjoyed getting to know new wines (and better than we used to buy!)​ Thanks for what you do and providing this service!​”

“Jon – you have to stop offering all of these amazing deals. My self discipline is fading fast!!”

“The wine is outstanding. I am so glad I bought a case.”

“Wish I would have ordered more!! It was great. Looking back, I wish I didn’t open it at our annual pool party. It’s gone. **Sob**”

“Hi Jon, just had to let you know that I love this wine!!!! Thanks for doing what you do.”

“I have purchased many times over the last several months and loved the wines!”

“Seriously amazing deal!!! I love a bold red, and Reverse Wine Snob delivered!!! Perfect for a rainy night!!”

“AMAZING!! Damn, I should have bought a CASE!!”

“WOW. Just… wow. Absolutely delicious. If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have bought a case… or two. This was dead-center in the sweet spot of what I like. Thank you!!”

“I have loved all my RWS deals, can’t wait to get this one.”

“I know that you don’t need to have ‘customers’ email you every time they like a wine that you have suggested/rated, and I have enjoyed many of your recommendations. But this Tannat was spectacular! Wow! That was amazing!”

“I finally opened a bottle of this and it did not disappoint. Delicious!!!”

“Thanks for a great service! We’ve been loving your emails and wine deals!”

“This insider deal is a great wine!!! So glad I got it!!”

“I’ve gotten quite a few of these and loved them all — keep them coming!”

“Bought a case wish I had purchased 2-3 cases. Fantastic buy for the price.”

“We purchased several times and have been massively impressed. Thank you.”

“I love your approach to wine and all the great wine finds out there. It’s tempting to order almost every time you send out a deal. Keep up the great work, truly appreciated. ”

“Wish I had doubled my order!”

“By the way, you guys have a great company – smart concept, well executed. I may never have to make another trek to the wine store again. And your customer service is pretty darn good. Thank you. ”

“I am very much enjoying the wines I have been getting from you. I have discontinued all other wine services as the quality of the wines you select seem superior to what I was receiving elsewhere.”

“That’s tremendous…I wish I had tripled my order.”

“I’ve bought a ridiculous amount of wine from your deals in the last year…I just want to say that I really appreciate what you guys have done with RWS. I discovered your site looking up Costco wine reviews and have been hooked on your insider deals ever since. I’ve been referring every friend I know.”

“I recently took advantage of your offer. So glad I did, and now sorry I did not buy more (like all those quotes on your website!)”

“I have been buying your Insider Deals for about 3 years now and we have enjoyed every one of them. They are wines that we never would have found on our own… ”

Get the 2020 Slope Life Hometown Red Syrah 6-Pack while you can! This deal ends Friday 10/2 at noon Pacific.

If you have more questions or any trouble ordering, please check out our FAQ or just click the Help button at checkout! No account is necessary to save your info for future orders or to checkout. GPay and Apple Pay are also enabled.

85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3.7% Petit Verdot and 3.3% other varieties from Sonoma County, California. The wine was aged 14 months in oak (40% new).

Sample submitted for review. The 2023 Francis Coppola Director’s Cut Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon has an SRP of $30 and is available for as low as $17.

From the winery:

2023 Francis Coppola Director’s Cut Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon

Outstanding quality with flavors of mocha, toffee, blackberry jam, and baking spices.

Named after the version of a film which most reflects the director’s vision, Director’s Cut wines represent our winemaker’s vision of varietal wines, which express true appellation character.

In the film business, the “Director’s Cut” emerged as a means for filmmakers to present their own creative vision of a story. At Francis Ford Coppola Winery, Director’s Cut wines were created as a way for our winemakers to craft wines that would reflect their own unique interpretation of the quintessential Sonoma wine.

Varieties: 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3.7% Petit Verdot, 3.3% Other
Barrel Regimen: 14 months, 40% new oak
TA .60g/100ml
pH 3.68

Produced and Bottled by Francis Ford Coppola Winery
14.5% Alcohol

The 2023 Francis Coppola Director’s Cut Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a pleasing aroma of dark berry fruit, spice, cedar and coffee. It’s a nice start.

Tasting reveals lots of dark fruit and other flavors similar to nose. It features a smooth mouthfeel and is even a bit meaty. It’s also quite easy to drink.

It ends dry and long and was similar on day 2.

 
Looking for more of the Best Cabernet Sauvignon? Check out our giant list!

You can also find more of our favorite wines from California here.

Review Summary

Best-seller, reader favorite and Insider Deal All-Star Peterson Winery is back! And they’ve brought with them the this excellent wine from QPR Central, aka the Tollini Vineyard in the Redwood Valley of Mendocino.

Our previous Peterson Tollini offers on the Barbera, Zero Manipulation Red and this very wine, the Old School Zin, have been some of the most popular on the site and have even been featured in our All-Star Intro Packs.

Today Peterson returns with the 2020 vintage of their Old School Zin which contains 85% Zinfandel, 10% Petite Sirah and 5% Carignane. The wine spends 20 months in barrel comprised of 20% 2-year-old Hungarian oak barrels and 80% 4-10 year-old neutral oak barrels. Just 450 cases were produced.

Unfined and unfiltered, the Peterson Tollini Old School Zin is produced using the winery’s “Zero Manipulation” philosophy:

Zero Manipulation is a combination of intention as well as practice. Each year is slightly different, and our goal is to express that variation (while still making a wine that tastes good), and not having a preconceived notion of the wine being exactly the same each year. We don’t add enzymes, tannins, acid, etc., and don’t fine or filter these wines (or treat with velcorin, or lysozyme, or gum arabic, or or or…). SO2 is used after fermentation and at bottling though with switching to screw caps and lower oxygen pickup, we can get away with less.

The less you do in the course of a wine’s tenure in the cellar, the more of the grape’s, vineyard’s, and vintage’s essence you’ll have to bottle. Every time you do something to a wine, you take out a little of what you started with.

And like all the Tollini Vineyard wines, the Peterson Tollini Old School Zin has an extremely reasonable SRP of just $24 a bottle. Of course, today’s Insider Deal gets it to you for even less…

For the next day you can get 4 bottles of the 2020 Peterson Tollini Old School Zin for just $65.95 ($16.49/bottle).

ADD TO CART – $65.95 $96

This 4-pack deal is available to ship to the following states: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, ME, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, RI, SC, TX, VT, WA, WV, WI and WY. (These states are dependent on the individual licenses of the offering winery and are not representative of all our deals. Every deal can have different, sometimes more, sometimes less, states available.)

Unless it sells sell out sooner, this limited time, winery direct offer will end in just…

Clicking on the Add To Cart button above will take you to our checkout at shop.reversewinesnob.com. Once there you can adjust the quantity of 4-packs in your order. Ends Wednesday 9/30/2026 at noon (PT). Read on for our full review.

From the winery:

2020 Peterson Tollini Old School Zin

Taking it back to when Zin was easy drinking and no thinking! Dry farmed, head trained, gnarly zinfandel vines farmed by the Tollini family that were planted in the 1970’s in the heart of Mendocino are no bull! Easy tannins and bright natural acidity carry the layers of juicy fruit and zesty spice. Whether having a dinner party, barbecuing, relaxing after work, or on a weekend getaway, there’s never a wrong time to make it old school.

Jamie Peterson’s Vintaged View: Old School is sometimes described as our “Easy Drinking, No Thinking” Zin, but don’t let that make you think it’s any less serious of a wine than our other bottlings.

After nearly ten years putting together a value priced Zin blend from various Sonoma County grapes, our friend and grower in Mendocino, Alvin Tollini, let us know he had a mature Zinfandel vineyard coming available, and would we be interested in the fruit. We took the opportunity to create a new wine in our line of Tollini Vineyard offerings that would showcase what juicy Zin grapes from the hills of Mendocino’s Redwood Valley could produce.

Old School has a style that is full of flavor and character, but not over the top. We want a wine that is refreshing and “highly drinkable” and satisfying. The type of Zin you can either open on a weeknight or take to a party without hesitation. One you can think about and savor…but you really don’t have to.

By blending in 10% Petite Sirah and 5% Carignane, we complement the fruit and jam of the Zin with structure, balance and spice, without overwhelming the singular terroir of this special place.

Tasting Notes: An aromatic beam of vine-ripened black raspberry sprinkled with fresh black pepper dances around the glass. The smooth entry soon exposes a peppery spiceladen mid-palate surrounding flavors of blackberry, raspberry, Queen Anne cherry and pomegranate. Traces of oak appear in the dark berry and spice-laced long finish. When first opened, give this wine some time to breathe and share the depth of its flavors. It can also just be quickly sipped as a delicious nothinkin’ Zin. Your choice.

Such an easy sipping Zinfandel pairs with almost anything, but it particularly shines with spicy baked ziti with Italian sausage and a side of garlic French bread, or lamb kababs with curried sweet potatoes and tzatziki.

Varietal Breakdown: 85% Zinfandel harvested Sept. 14, 10% Petite Sirah harvested Sept. 22, 5% Carignane harvested Oct. 1
Vineyard: 100% Tollini Vineyard
Appellation: Redwood Valley, Mendocino
pH: 3.35
TA: 0.72g/100ml
Barrel Aging: 20 months
Cooperage: 20% 2-year-old Hungarian oak barrels, 80% 4-10 year-old neutral oak barrels
Bottling Date: June 28, 2022 (unfined & unfiltered)
Production: 450 cases
Release Date: May 2025
15.2% Alcohol
Closure Type: Screwcap – Janson capsules – Saranex liner

And now on to our review:

The 2020 Peterson Tollini Old School Zinfandel opens powerfully with plenty of brambly and almost raisin-y fruit aromas. Black pepper, spice, licorice and vanilla round things out on the very aromatic and attractive nose.

Hello! Wow, this is a unique, savory and flavorful Zin that wakes your taste buds right up. Harmonious and balanced, it features an explosion of deep, savory flavors like black cherry, lots of cola notes, loads of licorice plus some black pepper and touches of spice and vanilla that are all wrapped up in a smooth mouthfeel. This is a great example of Zinfandel!

It ends dry, a bit grippy and quite long and lasting with lingering, delicious, tart, juicy fruit and peppery spice on the mouthwatering and lip-smacking finish. We found it to be at its best after a few hours of air and was similar on day 2.

We’ve offered several vintages of this wine in the past and this might be the best rendition yet – it’s just so savory. This is crying out to be paired with BBQ ribs!

Cheers,
Jon

Here’s what people are saying about our Insider Deals:

“ I only drink Reverse Wine Snob wine, it actually doesn’t make sense to buy from a store. You don’t get anything interesting, unique, and full of value otherwise.”

“Jon, I should have bought more! Delicious!!”

“I am a Certified Specialist of Wine. I love your deals. You pick great wines!! Kudos to you for getting us great deals!”

“I have tell you that I have been really, really pleased with this whole reverse wine snob endeavor. The info you provided gives me enough to purchase with confidence. The shipping is unbelievably convenient. The wines are right in that price-tag-sweet-spot. And everything has been just as described. Great job.”

“Hi Jon, Best thing I ever did is buy wine thru you…not been disappointed with any of them! Thank you SO MUCH!”

“Just love your site and the great deals on unique small production vino. You do an outstanding job!”

“Jon, this is a wonderful wine all around. You have become our go-to person for wonderful wines and wine values. Please keep up the excellent job that you’re doing! Regards, a very satisfied customer.”

“Wow!! Just got my shipment. It is absolutely tremendous.”

“Another terrific selection from Reverse Wine Snob. Keep up the good work!”

“The only thing I have ever been disappointed in with an Insider Deal is that I didn’t purchase more.”

“Received my shipment today and just cracked open my first tasting. It blew me away…I guess I have another top pick to my list. Can’t wait for my next glass…”

“You can count on great value from the wines offered.”

“the wine is, in a single word, superb! as have been all other wines offered and purchased since I first learnt about you…”

“love them all so far…Glad we ran across you. Too bad we can not order them all.”

“Also your prices are pretty amazing.”

“Hey Jon! You do great work. I’ve bought a bunch of the Insider Deals and probably 80% of the wine I drink comes from them. Great values!”

“The shipping on the Insider Deals is another great part of the deal. We recently paid $27 to a winery in California to ship 6 bottles (same packaging as the insider deals)….yikes!”

“Just got my 6 bottles and having my first glass. WHY, WHY didn’t I buy a case??!!”

“Would you happen to be offering this one again anytime soon? I regret not buying more. This was exceptional!”

“I am seriously considering having the Insider Deals as my primary go-to. Why did I not do this sooner? Thank you”

“I love this wine I bought from you!!!! Thanks for doing what do do!!!”

“This an absolutely amazing wine, Jon…You’ve outdone yourself!”

“Thanks Jon. We already drank all 6 of the first order so we were ecstatic to see you offering it again. My wife and I both love it.”

“You are a man after my own heart. I have always looked for the best and least expensive wine and you just made it easier. Cheers!”

“Hi Jon, well, I did something people have warned about – bought 6 bottles and should have bought 12!”

“Have had nothing but great bottles since I started ordering your recommendations. Thanks so much!”

“We’ve gotten in on three of the deals and have been VERY happy with the value. I originally was going to do a wine club thing but the insider deal appeals to me much more.”

“I really missed the boat by only getting four bottles of this offer last month. Should have bought least at a case.”

“My wife and I have really enjoyed getting to know new wines (and better than we used to buy!)​ Thanks for what you do and providing this service!​”

“Jon – you have to stop offering all of these amazing deals. My self discipline is fading fast!!”

“The wine is outstanding. I am so glad I bought a case.”

“Wish I would have ordered more!! It was great. Looking back, I wish I didn’t open it at our annual pool party. It’s gone. **Sob**”

“Hi Jon, just had to let you know that I love this wine!!!! Thanks for doing what you do.”

“I have purchased many times over the last several months and loved the wines!”

“Seriously amazing deal!!! I love a bold red, and Reverse Wine Snob delivered!!! Perfect for a rainy night!!”

“AMAZING!! Damn, I should have bought a CASE!!”

“WOW. Just… wow. Absolutely delicious. If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have bought a case… or two. This was dead-center in the sweet spot of what I like. Thank you!!”

“I have loved all my RWS deals, can’t wait to get this one.”

“I know that you don’t need to have ‘customers’ email you every time they like a wine that you have suggested/rated, and I have enjoyed many of your recommendations. But this Tannat was spectacular! Wow! That was amazing!”

“I finally opened a bottle of this and it did not disappoint. Delicious!!!”

“Thanks for a great service! We’ve been loving your emails and wine deals!”

“This insider deal is a great wine!!! So glad I got it!!”

“I’ve gotten quite a few of these and loved them all — keep them coming!”

“Bought a case wish I had purchased 2-3 cases. Fantastic buy for the price.”

“We purchased several times and have been massively impressed. Thank you.”

“I love your approach to wine and all the great wine finds out there. It’s tempting to order almost every time you send out a deal. Keep up the great work, truly appreciated. ”

“Wish I had doubled my order!”

“By the way, you guys have a great company – smart concept, well executed. I may never have to make another trek to the wine store again. And your customer service is pretty darn good. Thank you. ”

“I am very much enjoying the wines I have been getting from you. I have discontinued all other wine services as the quality of the wines you select seem superior to what I was receiving elsewhere.”

“That’s tremendous…I wish I had tripled my order.”

“I’ve bought a ridiculous amount of wine from your deals in the last year…I just want to say that I really appreciate what you guys have done with RWS. I discovered your site looking up Costco wine reviews and have been hooked on your insider deals ever since. I’ve been referring every friend I know.”

“I recently took advantage of your offer. So glad I did, and now sorry I did not buy more (like all those quotes on your website!)”

“I have been buying your Insider Deals for about 3 years now and we have enjoyed every one of them. They are wines that we never would have found on our own… ”

Get the 2020 Peterson Tollini Old School Zin 4-Pack while you can! This deal ends Wednesday 9/30 at midnight Pacific.

If you have more questions or any trouble ordering, please check out our FAQ or just click the Help button at checkout! No account is necessary to save your info for future orders or to checkout. GPay and Apple Pay are also enabled.

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Silky smooth and so very drinkable, we give the 2020 Inspiration Ceja Vineyard Grenache a solid 9 Taste Rating putting it at 91-93 points.

Inspiration Vineyards is a small, family owned winery founded in 2002. Owner/winemaker Jon Phillips has even served as the Chairman of the Board for the Family Winemakers of California. They specialize in wines from Sonoma and this one comes from from the Ceja Vineyard in the Sonoma Valley.

100% Grenache, the wine spent 15 months in used French oak. If you’re planning ahead for Thanksgiving, this would make a great option.

Normally priced at a reasonable $35 a bottle, today you can get it for less than half that price…

Today’s 12-hour deal gets you 3 bottles of the 2020 Inspiration Ceja Vineyard Grenache for just $49.95 ($16.65/bottle). That’s a discount of 52% saving you a total of $55!

ADD TO CART – $49.95 $105

This 3-pack deal is available to ship to the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV and WY. (These states are dependent on the individual licenses of the offering winery and are not representative of all our deals. Every deal can have different, sometimes more, sometimes less, states available.)

Unless it sells sell out sooner, this limited time, winery direct offer will end in just…

Clicking on the Add To Cart button above will take you to our checkout at shop.reversewinesnob.com. Once there you can adjust the quantity of 3-packs in your order. Ends Monday 9/28/2026 at 6pm (PT). Read on for our full review.

From the winery:

2020 Inspiration Ceja Vineyard Grenache
Ceja Farms, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County

Produced from grapes grown from the Ceja Vineyard in Sonoma Valley, we consider this to be our “magical” wine because after just one sip, you’ll discover why it’s easy for this wine to simply disappear before you know it, making it dangerously delicious!

Tasting Notes: On inspection, the wine has a light red color, reflecting the fact that where these grapes are grown is quite cool which impacts color production in the berries. On the nose, the smell of ripe red fruit jumps out at you with hints of raspberry and strawberry. On the palate, strawberries jump out at you with notes of sweet tobacco. With balanced acidity, this wine is easy to drink and ready without additional aging. 50 cases produced.

Pairing: Roast chicken

Varietal: 100% Grenache
AVA: Sonoma Valley – Sonoma County
Barrel Program: 100% used French Oak, barrel aged 15 months
pH: 3.31
TA: 6.3 g/L
RS: 5.0 g/L

Alcohol: 14.1%
Cork

And now on to our review:

The 2020 Inspiration Ceja Vineyard Grenache opens with an attractive, expressive aroma of strawberry and black cherry plus a little mint and other spice. It’s a pleasing, harmonious start.

Tasting the wine reveals it to be silky smooth with similar flavors to the nose plus juicy fruit and well-integrated spice in the mouth. So very drinkable, this is really excellent.

It ends dry, quite long, and a bit grippy. It is at its best after a couple hours of air and was just as good on day 2 after simply being left corked on the counter overnight. This is a great Grenache!

Cheers,
Jon

Here’s what people are saying about our Insider Deals:

“ I only drink Reverse Wine Snob wine, it actually doesn’t make sense to buy from a store. You don’t get anything interesting, unique, and full of value otherwise.”

“Jon, I should have bought more! Delicious!!”

“I am a Certified Specialist of Wine. I love your deals. You pick great wines!! Kudos to you for getting us great deals!”

“I have tell you that I have been really, really pleased with this whole reverse wine snob endeavor. The info you provided gives me enough to purchase with confidence. The shipping is unbelievably convenient. The wines are right in that price-tag-sweet-spot. And everything has been just as described. Great job.”

“Hi Jon, Best thing I ever did is buy wine thru you…not been disappointed with any of them! Thank you SO MUCH!”

“Just love your site and the great deals on unique small production vino. You do an outstanding job!”

“Jon, this is a wonderful wine all around. You have become our go-to person for wonderful wines and wine values. Please keep up the excellent job that you’re doing! Regards, a very satisfied customer.”

“Wow!! Just got my shipment. It is absolutely tremendous.”

“Another terrific selection from Reverse Wine Snob. Keep up the good work!”

“The only thing I have ever been disappointed in with an Insider Deal is that I didn’t purchase more.”

“Received my shipment today and just cracked open my first tasting. It blew me away…I guess I have another top pick to my list. Can’t wait for my next glass…”

“You can count on great value from the wines offered.”

“the wine is, in a single word, superb! as have been all other wines offered and purchased since I first learnt about you…”

“love them all so far…Glad we ran across you. Too bad we can not order them all.”

“Also your prices are pretty amazing.”

“Hey Jon! You do great work. I’ve bought a bunch of the Insider Deals and probably 80% of the wine I drink comes from them. Great values!”

“The shipping on the Insider Deals is another great part of the deal. We recently paid $27 to a winery in California to ship 6 bottles (same packaging as the insider deals)….yikes!”

“Just got my 6 bottles and having my first glass. WHY, WHY didn’t I buy a case??!!”

“Would you happen to be offering this one again anytime soon? I regret not buying more. This was exceptional!”

“I am seriously considering having the Insider Deals as my primary go-to. Why did I not do this sooner? Thank you”

“I love this wine I bought from you!!!! Thanks for doing what do do!!!”

“This an absolutely amazing wine, Jon…You’ve outdone yourself!”

“Thanks Jon. We already drank all 6 of the first order so we were ecstatic to see you offering it again. My wife and I both love it.”

“You are a man after my own heart. I have always looked for the best and least expensive wine and you just made it easier. Cheers!”

“Hi Jon, well, I did something people have warned about – bought 6 bottles and should have bought 12!”

“Have had nothing but great bottles since I started ordering your recommendations. Thanks so much!”

“We’ve gotten in on three of the deals and have been VERY happy with the value. I originally was going to do a wine club thing but the insider deal appeals to me much more.”

“I really missed the boat by only getting four bottles of this offer last month. Should have bought least at a case.”

“My wife and I have really enjoyed getting to know new wines (and better than we used to buy!)​ Thanks for what you do and providing this service!​”

“Jon – you have to stop offering all of these amazing deals. My self discipline is fading fast!!”

“The wine is outstanding. I am so glad I bought a case.”

“Wish I would have ordered more!! It was great. Looking back, I wish I didn’t open it at our annual pool party. It’s gone. **Sob**”

“Hi Jon, just had to let you know that I love this wine!!!! Thanks for doing what you do.”

“I have purchased many times over the last several months and loved the wines!”

“Seriously amazing deal!!! I love a bold red, and Reverse Wine Snob delivered!!! Perfect for a rainy night!!”

“AMAZING!! Damn, I should have bought a CASE!!”

“WOW. Just… wow. Absolutely delicious. If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have bought a case… or two. This was dead-center in the sweet spot of what I like. Thank you!!”

“I have loved all my RWS deals, can’t wait to get this one.”

“I know that you don’t need to have ‘customers’ email you every time they like a wine that you have suggested/rated, and I have enjoyed many of your recommendations. But this Tannat was spectacular! Wow! That was amazing!”

“I finally opened a bottle of this and it did not disappoint. Delicious!!!”

“Thanks for a great service! We’ve been loving your emails and wine deals!”

“This insider deal is a great wine!!! So glad I got it!!”

“I’ve gotten quite a few of these and loved them all — keep them coming!”

“Bought a case wish I had purchased 2-3 cases. Fantastic buy for the price.”

“We purchased several times and have been massively impressed. Thank you.”

“I love your approach to wine and all the great wine finds out there. It’s tempting to order almost every time you send out a deal. Keep up the great work, truly appreciated. ”

“Wish I had doubled my order!”

“By the way, you guys have a great company – smart concept, well executed. I may never have to make another trek to the wine store again. And your customer service is pretty darn good. Thank you. ”

“I am very much enjoying the wines I have been getting from you. I have discontinued all other wine services as the quality of the wines you select seem superior to what I was receiving elsewhere.”

“That’s tremendous…I wish I had tripled my order.”

“I’ve bought a ridiculous amount of wine from your deals in the last year…I just want to say that I really appreciate what you guys have done with RWS. I discovered your site looking up Costco wine reviews and have been hooked on your insider deals ever since. I’ve been referring every friend I know.”

“I recently took advantage of your offer. So glad I did, and now sorry I did not buy more (like all those quotes on your website!)”

“I have been buying your Insider Deals for about 3 years now and we have enjoyed every one of them. They are wines that we never would have found on our own… ”

Get the 2020 Inspiration Ceja Vineyard Grenache 3-Pack while you can! It ends Monday 9/28 at 6pm Pacific.

If you have more questions or any trouble ordering, please check out our FAQ or just click the Help button at checkout! No account is necessary to save your info for future orders or to checkout. GPay and Apple Pay are also enabled.

Vermentino from Tuscany, Italy. The wine is produced sustainably and fermented in stainless steel.

The Carpineto Dogajolo Vermentino Toscana is available at Trader Joe’s for $16.99. While the brand is certainly not a Trader Joe’s label or exclusive, this bottling might be as TJ’s is currently the only place to buy. The other Carpineto Dogajolo wines are widely available. 10,000 cases were produced and 2,000 were imported by Opici Wines & Spirits.

From the winery:

2025 Carpineto Dogajolo Vermentino Toscana IGT

Vinification: low temperature and slow fermentation in stainless steel tanks is started with the aid of selected yeasts.

Perfume: straw yellow with green highlights that turn golden over time.
Taste: balanced floral notes, reminiscent of the coastline air during Spring flowering. The initial fruity and honeyed flavors give way to a gentle softness, balanced by good acidity.
The finish is round, yet dry.

Serving temperature: 10-12°C, 50-54°F

12.5% Alcohol

The 2025 Carpineto Dogajolo Vermentino opens with a very pleasing and fragrant aroma full of lemon, honeysuckle and some other fruity and floral aromas. It’s a nice start.

Taking a sip reveals that the wine is soft and smooth yet still vibrant. It features plenty of fruit flavors with good depth. It also has a good juicy acidity although it could use a touch more.

It ends dry, soft and long on the lip-smacking finish. This is really easy to drink and pleasing and a nice example of the variety.

 
As always you can find an updated list of our recommended wines from Trader Joe’s as well as more info on their pricing model and some tips and tricks for shopping the store in our giant guide.

You can also find more of our favorite Italian wines here!

Review Summary

Washington State is one of our very favorite spots for Merlot in the entire world, and today we have two of the best examples from reader favorite Desert Wind Winery.

And when we say reader favorite, we mean it! Check out the reviews on our last Desert Wind Insider Deal that included the 2019 vintage of this reserve level Merlot along with two other (non-reserve) wines:

In fact, we loved these two Merlot so much we included them in our recently released list of the Best Reds Wines of 2026!

Here’s what’s included in today’s deal:

• Two bottles of the $45 2019 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot. This is a beautiful, smooth, juicy, dusty example of the variety from two of the best blocks in the Desert Wind estate vineyard in the Wahluke Slope. Aged 19 months in neutral French oak, only 325 cases were produced, and we score it at 94+ points.
• Two bottles of the $58 2021 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot made from the best Merlot block in the vineyard and aged 20 months in a combination of new and neutral French oak. Thanks to a difficult growing season the production is 20% lower at just 260 cases, but as is often the case in these situations as yields go down, the quality goes way up. This one is looking to be something extra special. It also easily gets a Perfect 10 Taste Rating (94+ points).

With these small case productions there’s not much of these wines to go around, in fact, the winery is down to the very last bottles of the 2019. If you want to get some, you know what to do…

For the next two days you can get the Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot 4-Pack (2 bottles of the 2019 plus 2 bottles of the 2021) for just $79.95 ($19.99/bottle). That’s a discount of 61% saving you $126 (an average savings of $31.50 per bottle)!

ADD TO CART – $79.95 $206

This 4-pack deal is available to ship to the following states: AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NH, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA and WI. (These states are dependent on the individual licenses of the offering winery and are not representative of all our deals. Every deal can have different, sometimes more, sometimes less, states available.)

Unless it sells sell out sooner, this limited time, winery direct offer will end in just…

Clicking on the Add To Cart button above will take you to our checkout at shop.reversewinesnob.com. Once there you can adjust the quantity of 4-packs in your order. Ends Sunday 9/27/2026 at midnight (PT). Read on for our full reviews.

 
Let’s take a look at the 2019 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot first. You will receive two bottles in today’s 4-pack.

From the winery:

2019 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot
Washington Reserve Merlot
Wahluke Slope AVA

WINEMAKING NOTES: The 2019 growing season started off slow due to winter storms that lasted into February, but consistently warm and sunny days in the summer put growth back on track. The overall heat accumulation remained just above average for Washington. Overall, the 2019 vintage showcased a fairly typical vintage in the area, which is a good sign for the consistency and quality of the resulting wines. The Heritage Series Merlot is made from two of our best blocks in our estate vineyard, which we believe best show a unique expression of Merlot in Washington. The grapes were harvested in October and fermented in open top bins, then aged for 19 months in neutral French oak barrels.

TASTING NOTES: Plum confiture, dark cherry marmalade, and cinnamon stick. Swirling brings orange peel and baked apples. The mouthfeel is very round and almost sweet, with beautiful texture, fine tannins, and pleasant acidity. Flavors of black licorice and baking spice come along with a very juicy palate. A beautiful expression of Merlot from a warm site that you can enjoy now or in the next 10 years.

Varietal Blend: 75% Merlot, 15% Syrah, 9% Carménère and 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
AVA: Wahluke Slope, WA
Aging: 19 months in neutral oak and stainless steel
Production: 325 cases

Produced and Bottled by Desert Wind Winery
14.5% Alcohol
Cork

And now on to our review:

The 2019 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot opens with a very harmonious and inviting aroma of dark berry fruit, beautiful baking spice, a little licorice and touches of graphite.

Tasting reveals the wine to be beautifully smooth, round and mouth-filling. It features similar flavors to the nose with great depth on the beautiful, juicy fruit. And it gets even better as it has more air.

Dusty tannins lead into the dry, long, juicy, grippy and satisfying finish. It was just as good on day 2. Excellent! This is a wonderful example of Merlot from one of the very best spots for it.

 
Next, let’s take a look at the 2021 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot. You will receive two bottles in today’s 4-pack.

From the winery:

2021 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot
Washington Reserve Merlot
Wahluke Slope AVA

WINEMAKING NOTES: The 2021 growing season was one of the warmest we’ve had in recent years. With close to 40 days over 100 degrees and very little rainfall all summer, it was certainly a difficult year for grapes. Yields were down between 10-30% in most areas, but what we did get was unmatched in quality. We ended the harvest about two weeks sooner than average due to the high temperatures, and overall, our first harvest under new ownership and with our new winemaking team went by smoothly. We are so pleased with the direction Desert Wind is heading, with an increase in quality, value, and varietal and terroir expression that is evident with the 2021 vintage and beyond. The 2021 Heritage Series Merlot was made from our best Merlot block in our estate vineyard, which we believe best shows our unique expression of Merlot from the Wahluke Slope. Each variety was fermented separately then thoughtfully blended and aged for 20 months in new and neutral French oak barrels.

VINEYARD NOTES: The Wahluke Slope AVA is located in south-central Washington and is considered one of the warmer regions in the state. Our 480 acre Desert Wind Estate Vineyard is south-facing, with a gradual two percent slope ranging from 800 to 1,000 feet in elevation. The deep, rocky soil allows for excellent drainage, stressing the vines and allowing focused energy on fruit production. The resulting wines are highly pigmented and have excellent tannin structure.

TASTING NOTES: Dark red. Black cherry, black olives, bacon fat, menthol, and tangerine peel. The nose is complex, with lots of savory and earthy components. The mouthfeel is remarkably textured and extremely balanced. Dark red and black fruits, oak spice, dark chocolate, and herbs dominate the mid-palate. The wine finishes juicy but very concentrated, with powdery tannins, beautiful acidity, and a savory touch. Drink now or in the next 15 years.

Composition: 90% MERLOT, 10% SYRAH
AVA: WAHLUKE SLOPE, WA
Aging: 20 MONTHS IN NEW & NEUTRAL FRENCH OAK
Production: 260 CASES

Produced and Bottled by Desert Wind Winery
14.2% Alcohol
Cork

And now on to our review:

The 2021 Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot is overall quite similar to the 2019, it’s just a little younger with a bit more oak influence at this point. That is thanks to the new French oak that was used in this vintage (the 2019 was all neutral oak) which also increases the long term potential of this wine, in our opinion. That’s impressive given how good the 2019 is.

It opens with the same very harmonious and inviting aroma of of the 2019 (dark berry fruit, beautiful baking spice, a little licorice and touches of graphite) along with some added touches like cedar and mint.

Tasting reveals the wine to be beautifully smooth, round and mouth-filling, with a bit more tannic grip and spiciness than the 2019. It features similar flavors to the nose with great depth on the beautiful, juicy fruit.

Dusty tannins lead into the dry, long, juicy, grippy, savory and satisfying finish. As a testament to its youth, it keeps on improving as it has more air and was even a bit better on day 2.

Delicious already, this looks like it could be something extra special in a few years. Don’t be afraid to tuck a couple bottles away for a decade or so – according to the winery (and we agree) you’ve got at least another 15 years to drink it!

Cheers,
Jon

Here’s what people are saying about our Insider Deals:

“ I only drink Reverse Wine Snob wine, it actually doesn’t make sense to buy from a store. You don’t get anything interesting, unique, and full of value otherwise.”

“Jon, I should have bought more! Delicious!!”

“I am a Certified Specialist of Wine. I love your deals. You pick great wines!! Kudos to you for getting us great deals!”

“I have tell you that I have been really, really pleased with this whole reverse wine snob endeavor. The info you provided gives me enough to purchase with confidence. The shipping is unbelievably convenient. The wines are right in that price-tag-sweet-spot. And everything has been just as described. Great job.”

“Hi Jon, Best thing I ever did is buy wine thru you…not been disappointed with any of them! Thank you SO MUCH!”

“Just love your site and the great deals on unique small production vino. You do an outstanding job!”

“Jon, this is a wonderful wine all around. You have become our go-to person for wonderful wines and wine values. Please keep up the excellent job that you’re doing! Regards, a very satisfied customer.”

“Wow!! Just got my shipment. It is absolutely tremendous.”

“Another terrific selection from Reverse Wine Snob. Keep up the good work!”

“The only thing I have ever been disappointed in with an Insider Deal is that I didn’t purchase more.”

“Received my shipment today and just cracked open my first tasting. It blew me away…I guess I have another top pick to my list. Can’t wait for my next glass…”

“You can count on great value from the wines offered.”

“the wine is, in a single word, superb! as have been all other wines offered and purchased since I first learnt about you…”

“love them all so far…Glad we ran across you. Too bad we can not order them all.”

“Also your prices are pretty amazing.”

“Hey Jon! You do great work. I’ve bought a bunch of the Insider Deals and probably 80% of the wine I drink comes from them. Great values!”

“The shipping on the Insider Deals is another great part of the deal. We recently paid $27 to a winery in California to ship 6 bottles (same packaging as the insider deals)….yikes!”

“Just got my 6 bottles and having my first glass. WHY, WHY didn’t I buy a case??!!”

“Would you happen to be offering this one again anytime soon? I regret not buying more. This was exceptional!”

“I am seriously considering having the Insider Deals as my primary go-to. Why did I not do this sooner? Thank you”

“I love this wine I bought from you!!!! Thanks for doing what do do!!!”

“This an absolutely amazing wine, Jon…You’ve outdone yourself!”

“Thanks Jon. We already drank all 6 of the first order so we were ecstatic to see you offering it again. My wife and I both love it.”

“You are a man after my own heart. I have always looked for the best and least expensive wine and you just made it easier. Cheers!”

“Hi Jon, well, I did something people have warned about – bought 6 bottles and should have bought 12!”

“Have had nothing but great bottles since I started ordering your recommendations. Thanks so much!”

“We’ve gotten in on three of the deals and have been VERY happy with the value. I originally was going to do a wine club thing but the insider deal appeals to me much more.”

“I really missed the boat by only getting four bottles of this offer last month. Should have bought least at a case.”

“My wife and I have really enjoyed getting to know new wines (and better than we used to buy!)​ Thanks for what you do and providing this service!​”

“Jon – you have to stop offering all of these amazing deals. My self discipline is fading fast!!”

“The wine is outstanding. I am so glad I bought a case.”

“Wish I would have ordered more!! It was great. Looking back, I wish I didn’t open it at our annual pool party. It’s gone. **Sob**”

“Hi Jon, just had to let you know that I love this wine!!!! Thanks for doing what you do.”

“I have purchased many times over the last several months and loved the wines!”

“Seriously amazing deal!!! I love a bold red, and Reverse Wine Snob delivered!!! Perfect for a rainy night!!”

“AMAZING!! Damn, I should have bought a CASE!!”

“WOW. Just… wow. Absolutely delicious. If I knew it was going to be this good, I would have bought a case… or two. This was dead-center in the sweet spot of what I like. Thank you!!”

“I have loved all my RWS deals, can’t wait to get this one.”

“I know that you don’t need to have ‘customers’ email you every time they like a wine that you have suggested/rated, and I have enjoyed many of your recommendations. But this Tannat was spectacular! Wow! That was amazing!”

“I finally opened a bottle of this and it did not disappoint. Delicious!!!”

“Thanks for a great service! We’ve been loving your emails and wine deals!”

“This insider deal is a great wine!!! So glad I got it!!”

“I’ve gotten quite a few of these and loved them all — keep them coming!”

“Bought a case wish I had purchased 2-3 cases. Fantastic buy for the price.”

“We purchased several times and have been massively impressed. Thank you.”

“I love your approach to wine and all the great wine finds out there. It’s tempting to order almost every time you send out a deal. Keep up the great work, truly appreciated. ”

“Wish I had doubled my order!”

“By the way, you guys have a great company – smart concept, well executed. I may never have to make another trek to the wine store again. And your customer service is pretty darn good. Thank you. ”

“I am very much enjoying the wines I have been getting from you. I have discontinued all other wine services as the quality of the wines you select seem superior to what I was receiving elsewhere.”

“That’s tremendous…I wish I had tripled my order.”

“I’ve bought a ridiculous amount of wine from your deals in the last year…I just want to say that I really appreciate what you guys have done with RWS. I discovered your site looking up Costco wine reviews and have been hooked on your insider deals ever since. I’ve been referring every friend I know.”

“I recently took advantage of your offer. So glad I did, and now sorry I did not buy more (like all those quotes on your website!)”

“I have been buying your Insider Deals for about 3 years now and we have enjoyed every one of them. They are wines that we never would have found on our own… ”

Get the Desert Wind Heritage Series Merlot 4-Pack while you can! It ends Sunday 9/27 at midnight Pacific.

If you have more questions or any trouble ordering, please check out our FAQ or just click the Help button at checkout! No account is necessary to save your info for future orders or to checkout. GPay and Apple Pay are also enabled.

Bought This Deal? Leave A Review!

Reviews are from verified buyers only, please use the same email address as your order when submitting a review. (Email will not be displayed, it’s just for verification purposes.)

The last two years Costco disappointed many of their customers by only releasing this always popular item in selected regions. Those of us in the Midwest, among other areas, were left out in the cold!

Well, we can confirm that the Costco Wine Advent calendar is back in the Midwest, as we picked one up in our local store earlier this week. Priced once again at $99.99 for 24 half (375ml) bottles, the box from Flying Blue Imports follows the familiar format of past years.

As usual, the packaging is quite nice:

And now on to the wines…

**Spoiler Alert**

Pictures and names of the wines included in the 2026 box are below so stop reading if you’d like to be surprised. We haven’t tried any of the wines quite yet, but we’ll come back soon and update this post with our tasting notes on each.

There appear to be a few familiar labels from last year along with some new selections and, as always, quite a variation of grapes, regions and styles, which is what this box excels at.

Once again, the box also includes a few choices that seem to push the limits of the term “wine” but we will withhold judgement on those until we try them!

Like I said, we will be updating this post as we go with full details and tasting notes on each wine so be sure to bookmark this page!

Here are days 1-6:

And here are days 7-12…

Days 13-18:

And finally Days 19-24:

While you wait for our tasting notes on the 2026 box, you can read our reviews of the past Costco Wine Advent Calendars below…

2025

The ever popular Costco Wine Advent calendar has been confirmed in the wild – at least in some areas.

Last year Costco disappointed many of their customers by only releasing this always popular item in selected regions. Those of us in the Midwest, among other areas, were left out in the cold! (Never fear – we were able to get our hands on a box and have a full review below.)

This year, the initial spottings of this calendar were in the Southeast, yet we were still hopeful they would eventually arrive in the Midwest as well. Alas, we have now confirmed that the Midwest region is shut out once AGAIN!

Costco has chosen not to correct this grave mistake from last year.

We’re being a bit tongue in cheek here, but it is odd that Costco would limit one of it’s most popular and talked about items to only certain regions of the country. Seriously, the Google searches for “Costco Wine Advent Calendar” are off the charts from mid-September through December. (It’s not a supply issue either as we talked to importer directly.)

As we mentioned above, we were able to get our hands on the 2025 Costco Wine Adventure box (sample submitted for review) so we’ve tasted all the wines and added notes on each below.

The box itself is still priced at $99.99 for the 24 375ml bottles. As usual, the packaging is quite nice:

And now on to the wines…

**Spoiler Alert**

The full list of all the wines included in the 2025 box is below, stop reading if you’d like to be surprised. We’ll include some brief notes on each below but before tasting there seem to be some intriguing, tried and true selections like an Italian Ripasso, South African Chenin Blanc, Spanish Garnacha, Cotes du Rhone Red and Hungarian Gruner Veltliner.

The box also includes some choices that really push the limits of the term “wine”. These include Sangria, Sake and a chocolate “wine” described as “Grape Wine with Natural Truffet and Artificial Toffee Flavors and Artificial Color”.

Like I said, we will be updating this post as we go with full details and tasting notes on each wine – well, as for the chocolate concoction, you’re on your own with that one .

Here are days 1-6:

1. L’Artise Ripasso from Italy

Ripasso is a winemaking style where a wine is fermented a second time (“re-passed”) with the addition of leftover skins and seeds of the dried grapes originally made to make Amarone. This one doesn’t appear to be a true Ripasso since it isn’t from Valpolicella. It’s just a wine made in the same technique which adds a certain depth and sweetness to the wine that is definitely evident here. A blend of 30% Nero di Troia, 30% Sangiovese, 20% Primitivo, 10% Negroamaro and 10% Montepulciano.

2. El Campeon White Sangria from Spain

Only 7% alcohol, which is nice, but otherwise rather non-descript. Could be a good one for those just easing into wine.

3. Champs de Foin Cabernet Sauvignon from France

A nice, easy-drinking example of Cabernet.

4. Sheep Station Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand

A classic combination. A bit of that signature grassiness on the nose and tropical fruit in the mouth.

5. Concentric Circles Red Blend from Australia

A smooth and pleasant blend of 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia.

6. A Seaworthy Tale Grüner Veltliner from Hungary

Tart, smooth and tasty, this is nice example of this under-appreciated (in the US) variety.

Days 7-12…

7. Queen’s Gambit Zinfandel from California

A soft and sweet version of Zinfandel.

8. The Conductor Chardonnay from France

The first total dud of the box.

9. Ryokō Futsu-shu Sake from Japan

I’m not a big fan of sake and this one didn’t change my mind.

10. Vin Twenty Three Red Blend from Côtes du Rhône, France

A basic but decent Cotes du Rhone red using all the major varieties – 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre, 5% Cinsault and 5% Carignan.

11. Baciato Dal Sol Red Blend from Italy

Another soft and a bit sweet red blend. Not very complex, but it has mass appeal.

12. Blue Seirína White Blend from Greece

A Greek blend of undisclosed varieties. It’s rather sweet but has some nice tropical fruit flavors.

And then 13-18:

13. Latitude 44 Pinot Noir from France

Not much depth, or taste for that matter.

14. Solo Reflections Chardonnay from South Eastern Australia

A decent, smooth Chardonnay but it has a bit of an odd flavor to it I can’t quite put my finger on.

15. Flutter Rosé from France

Crisp, tart and not super fruity. This is actually a nice example of dry rosé. It comes from the Aude region along the Mediterranean coast in the Languedoc wine region.

16. Starlight Wonder Chenin Blanc from Western Cape, South Africa

A fresh, clean, tasty example of this variety that does so well in South Africa.

17. Cielo d’Oro Carménère from Chile

Pretty true to the variety with lots of green notes.

18. Aralena Pinot Grigio from Delle Venezie, Italy

Attractive and fruity with nice depth on the tropical fruit flavors.

And finally 19-24:

19. Mendoza Nights Malbec from Argentina

A very ripe and a bit funky version of Malbec.

20. Meadow Moon Riesling from Germany

Simple, smooth, sweet and easy to drink.

21. Brillo Solar Garnacha from Spain

Our favorite value variety but this is a terrible example with a weird, strong, artificial taste.

22. Maison du Lac Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux, France

It smells good, with tropical fruit and some grassy notes but the taste is very disjointed and just not good.

23. Once Upon a Time Chocolate Red from France

Like we said, you’re on your own with this one!

24. Ciel Bleu Sparkling Brut from France

A bit shy on the nose but crisp and nicely fruity in the mouth.

The Costco 2024 Wine Advent Calendar is coming! Or is it?

We haven’t spotted it in the wild quite yet, but we will update this post if we do, including our full reviews.

We are also glad to see that it appears this year they have gone back to a true Advent calendar theme, rather than the “Around the world” theme from last year.

Unfortunately it also appears as though not all regions will receive this wine advent calendar this year. We’ll have to wait and see who receives it as well as if there is perhaps another version for those regions that don’t.

**Spoiler Alert**

Stop reading if you’d like to be surprised…

Here are all the wines included in the 2024 box:

The 2023 Costco Wine Advent Calendar is here and we’ve tasted all the wines! Get the low down below on whether this year’s box is worth the cost.

We were delighted to pick up the new 2023 Costco Wine Advent Calendar at our local store right at the end of August. For this year’s edition Costco is trying to expand the availability/season and remove the “Advent” theme, releasing this box earlier than in years past, while still producing something that could be used for Advent.

The box we found is the Costco “Around The World In 24 Wines” edition.

There is also a a more winter/holiday themed “Take A Wine Adventure” 24 bottle box that has the exact same wines and will be featured in stores in the NE region.

And finally, there is also a “Around The World In 12 Wines” variation that has a subset of the same wines.

Still priced at $99.99 for 24 half (375ml) bottles, we’ve already tasted every wine in the box and the wines are all at least decent, with some being quite good. With a really nice variety of styles, regions and grapes, this was quite fun, just the way it should be! (And a welcome relief from the disappointment of the last couple of years.)

Just like last year, the packaging is also quite nice.

All the wines once again come from Flying Blue Imports but as we mentioned, they’ve stepped up their game this year. Let’s check them all out! Find our brief tasting notes for every wine below!

Here are days 1-6:

1. Lightning Strikes Again Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile

Dark, juicy fruit. Just a bit of a green note (pyrazine), which is very common in wines from Chile but we don’t particularly like, so we were very happy it was minimal. Add in a little oaky spice, tobacco, a smooth mouthfeel and a long finish and this is pretty tasty. A nice start!

2. Pastello Pinot Grigio Rubicone IGT from Italy

Dry, juicy, quaffable. Lots of lemon/lime plus some other citrus notes with good depth. This is a nice little wine! There was a Pastello Pinot Grigio in the 2021 box, but it was from Delle Venezie, not Rubicone (Emilia-Romagna). This one is actually much better.

3. Les Champs d’Or Pays d’Oc Merlot from France

100% Merlot. Dark fruit, some licorice, cedar and spice. Smooth, round mouthfeel. Dry, long, bit grippy finish. This one actually benefits from some air. Not bad.

4. Let Good Be Red Blend from Sicily

Made from organic grapes. Really distinctive aroma full of stewed cherry. Some balsamic and maybe some herbal notes as well. The cherry overload continues when tasting where it’s just a bit too much. The first miss for us.

5. Classic Cruise Sauvignon Blanc from Romania

Instantly recognizable as Sauvignon Blanc on the nose. Crisp and clean, this is a pretty nice example of the variety and from Romania no less. Thumbs up.

6. Mendoza Nights Bonarda from Argentina

A decent example of this fruity variety. Nice touches of spice. Smooth and very drinkable.

Here are days 7-12.

7. Stacks & Stones Famoso from Italy

A nearly extinct variety that was brought back from the brink. This is a nice wine and a nice inclusion here. Easy to drink, good fruit, good balance.

8. Who’s Who Pinotage from Western Cape, South Africa

Pinotage can be polarizing, but this is a pretty tame example. Soft, smooth, a little spicy and with good, tart, juicy fruit, it’s not overly complex but also hard not to like.

9. Trim Vine Merlot from Italy

Soft, smooth, perhaps a bit sweet. It’s not necessarily our favorite style of Merlot but it should have mass appeal.

10. Octopada Macabeo Vino De La Tierra De Castilla, Spain

Rather lackluster example of the variety that is lacking in aroma and flavor. It does get some nice lemon notes on the soft finish, but overall it’s unexciting.

11. A Seaworthy Tale Blaufrankisch from Hungary

Easy drinking, with ripe fruit and a little black pepper. Like the Pinotage, this is another nice example of a variety many shy away from but really shouldn’t. Pair it with some bratwurst off the grill if you can.

12. Palloncini Rosé from Italy

It’s about time we finally get a rose! This blend of 51% Sangiovese and 49% Merlot pours very light colored in the glass but has a nice fruity aroma of watermelon, strawberry and other berry fruit. Similar in the mouth, with lots of juicy fruit and a lively mouthfeel. Perhaps a touch sweet, but very easy to drink and enjoyable. Very nice.

And here are days 13-18.

13. Right Hook Cabernet Sauvignon from Thracian Lowlands, Bulgaria

There are lots of green notes on this 100% Cabernet Sauvignon but also some ripe fruit and decent structure.

14. Ceu Do Norte from Portugal

Interesting, refreshing and easy to drink with lots of lemon/lime and a little tropical fruit. Since the wine calendar came out so early this year, I was able to sample this one on a 96 degree day and it hit the spot. A field blend of indigenous grape varieties.

15. Azzimato Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Italy

Soft, smooth and unfortunately a very simple example of Montepulciano. We love this grape so it’s a bit of a letdown.

16. Old World Players Chenin Blanc from Western Cape, South Africa

We’re big fans of Chenin Blanc from South Africa, and this is a rich, tangy, full-bodied example with a lip-smacking finish.

17. Secrets Revealed Red Blend from Portugal

It’s a solid, dry, grippy Portuguese red blend. Like a lot of the wines in this box, it’s not super complex but it is a good example of the style.

18. Once Upon A Time Rosé from Southern France

A decent example of a French rosé. Featuring watermelon and berry and it even has some salty minerality to it.

Finally, here are days 19-24.

19. Latitude 40 Grenache/Garnacha from Spain

Spanish Garnacha is one of our favorite value buys but this wine (or at least this label) was also in last year’s box and it was not very good. Unfortunately, this is another very mediocre example. With so much good, inexpensive Spanish Garnacha out there, I’m not quite sure how they keep missing year after year, seems like this should be one of the easiest bottles in the box to source.

20. Zille Semi Sweet Red Wine from Italy

A competent soft, smooth and sweet red blend. If you like some residual sugar in your wine, you should enjoy this.

21. Brass Rabbit Pinot Blanc from Luxembourg

Loads of tart fruit flavors with a luscious, lip-smacking finish. This is a nice, crowd-pleasing intro to the variety from a place you wouldn’t expect.

22. Velvet Rider Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon from Italy

This is a decent, accessible red blend of 70% Syrah and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. Smooth with dark fruit and a little pepper.

23. Argosy Pirates Red Blend from France

Dark fruit, dry, just a bit grippy with good length. It could use a bit more depth but otherwise this is a tasty red blend.

24. Nightfall White Blend Medium Sweet from Spain

And for the grand finale, we’ve got a sweet wine from Spain. It’s not my favorite, but it should make a nice pairing with all those Christmas eve desserts!

This was rather fun! While you’re not getting anything mind-blowing in this box, there are very few duds. With a variety of styles, regions and varietals this is an easy and enjoyable way to expand your wine horizons a bit.

Cheers

You might also be interested in our review of the Costco Bordeaux box set!

Looking for more of our favorite wine picks from Costco? Browse our multi-page listing of recommended wines along with more information on how to best shop the store!

The 2022 Costco Advent Wine Calendar review! Despite the poor quality of last year’s version, we decided to take one for the team and check out the 2022 version. Read on for our detailed review and brief tasting notes on each wine.

We absolutely love Advent Calendars here at the Reverse Wine Snob household. In fact, we gifted Advent Calendars to just about everyone we know to try to bring a little cheer to the long days of the pandemic.

The $99.99 box, which is exclusively available at Costco, contains 24 half (375ml) bottles and comes from Flying Blue Imports. This means that all of the wines come from their portfolio. The result is that none of the wines come from recognizable producers and; in fact, they all seem to be special labels created just for this project.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and they definitely seem to have done a good job making this an adventure with lots of interesting regions and grapes (more on that in a minute).

Before we get to the wines, let’s take a look at the packaging. They definitely did a nice job with little cut-outs for each day so if you want to be surprised you certainly can be.

Here’s what it looks like underneath.

Of course, what really matters here is the wine and in addition to the usual suspects like Cab, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc they’ve also included some really unique and interesting varieties and regions that have the potential to truly make this an adventure. That includes varieties like Macabeo, Fernao Pires, Saperavi and Rivaner.

The regions even include off the beaten path places like Hungary, North Macedonia, Georgia, Moldova and Luxembourg in addition to the tried true like Italy, Spain, Portugal and France.

One other note (written before we’ve tried this year’s wines) as we’ve gotten this question a few times. If you’re expecting every wine to be great, the Costco Wine Advent Calendar is not for you (witness last year’s version – see below for more on that). You will undoubtedly be disappointed by what you find.

If, on the other hand, you look at this as more of a fun exploration of varieties and regions you wouldn’t typically consume, then this has the potential to be lots of fun even if many of the wines are just not that great (or even downright bad).

Here’s the full listing of what’s in this year’s box along with our tasting notes on each:

1. Right Hook Cabernet Sauvignon from the Thracian Lowlands in Bulgaria – with expectations set pretty low after last year’s debacle, this isn’t too bad at all. Soft, simple and easy to drink, this is about what you’d expect for the equivalent of an $8 bottle of wine. We’ll take that as a win.
2. Moon Meadow Chardonnay from Italy – also not bad! Perhaps a tad flabby, but this has nice fruit and touches of baking spice with a fairly long, juicy finish.
3. Birds on a Wire Red Blend from Portugal – we love Portuguese red blends and the value they deliver. This is actually a pretty nice, dry example. This is starting much better than last year!
4. Disheveled Tailor Königliche from Hungary – This is a new to me grape, I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of Konigliche before, which is indigenous to Hungary. It’s got some lovely floral and tropical fruit aromas and it doesn’t taste too bad either with a touch of honey and some nice mineral notes in the mouth. A nice match for seafood.
5. Latitude 40 Grenache from Spain – before we tried this one, we wondered why it was labeled as Grenache like in France and not Garnacha which is traditional in Spain. After tasting we’re guessing it’s because it doesn’t taste like Garnacha at all. Extremely young and rather sweet, this is the Beaujolais Nouveau version of Spanish Garnacha (that’s not a compliment). We recommend using this for Sangria. On the other hand, this is the first real miss and we’re already 5 days in, so that’s not too bad!
6. Divine Pondering Pinot Noir from North Macedonia – Pinot Noir from North Macedonia, that’s a first for me. Very soft and light, unfortunately it’s a forgettable example of the variety.
7. Proper Etiquette Chenin Blanc from South Africa – Chenin Blanc from South Africa is one of our go-to recommendations for value. This is an OK example.
8. Crowned Beast Saperavi from country of Georgia – Kudos for adding this old, but little-known grape (outside of the country of Georgia anyway) variety to the mix; however, this is a pretty mild, and rather unexciting, example.
9. Pinky Truce Vino Rosato from Italy – tastes and smells a bit bubblegummy. It’s simple and probably a bit sweet but also juicy, fresh and easy to drink.
10. The Butchery Cabernet Sauvignon from Moldova – a decent example of Cabernet from a place you wouldn’t expect.
11. Racer 68 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Italy – smooth, simple, easy drinking.
12. Crush Rivaner from Luxembourg – not much structure or depth but the flavor that’s there is good and it’s cool to try a wine from tiny Luxembourg.
13. Classic Cruise Tempranillo from Spain – a light, basic but rather unexciting example of Tempranillo.
14. The Perfect Match Merlot from France – the perfect match for what? Not a big fan of this one.
15. Little Ditty Macabeo from Spain – it tastes OK and is a decent example of the variety.
16. Point Taken Shiraz from South Africa or the Point Taken Bordeaux Blend from France – we received the Shiraz. Again, it wasn’t necessarily bad, it just wasn’t a very exciting example.
17. Here Kitty Kitty Trebbiano from Italy – another simple but decent one. I’ve said something similar to this on a lot of wines so far and in my book (especially compared to last year) this is a win. While these may not be wines you would seek out on their own, so far most of them are at least decent $8/bottle examples of their varieties.
18. Nightfall Monastrell from Spain – now this is rather tasty! This is probably my favorite wine so far.
19. Ring Ring Rosé from Italy – again, it’s decent. A fresh and fruity, but not sweet, example of rosé.
20. Flew The Coup Syrah from France – a disappointing example of our favorite variety, unfortunately. With the amount of good Syrah in France, it seems like this should have been an easy one.
21. El Campeon Fernao Pires from Portugal – it’s definitely drinkable, there’s just not much there.
22. Strut King Vino Rosso from Italy – a smooth, inoffensive blend.
23. Seaworth Sauvignon Blanc from Spain – a non-grassy but flavorful version of Sauvignon Blanc. Another decent one.
24. My 2 Cents Cabernet Sauvignon from France – I was really hoping this box would end with a bang, but instead it was more of a whimper.

And there you have it. Overall, this is a big step up from last year, although that’s not saying a lot in and of itself.

We will say that this year’s version contained mostly decent examples of many off-the-beaten path varieties and regions, so we’ll take that as a win, especially considering we’re talking about the equivalent of $8 bottles of wine. Hopefully they can continue the improvement for next year!

And finally, here is our review of the 2021 Costco Wine Advent Calendar with all of our tasting notes.
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Finally found this one at our local Costco! Today we check out the one and only Costco Wine Advent Calendar for 2021. Updated with our impressions of the wines. We tasted them all, but it does it live up to the hype?

We absolutely love Advent Calendars here at the Reverse Wine Snob household. Of course, the one calendar we could never find was the famed Costco Wine Advent Calendar. Well, this year we finally got it and we’re here to tell you all about it (for better or worse).

The $99.99 box, which is exclusively available at Costco, contains 24 half (375ml) bottles and comes from Flying Blue Imports.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and they definitely seem to have done a good job making this an adventure with lots of interesting regions and grapes.

We’re also tasting these wines early and adding our notes to each below. Let’s find out if this truly is an adventure, or just all marketing hype…

Wines in the Costco Wine Advent Calendar (Wine Advent-ure) Box:

1. Strut King Chardonnay from Italy – not a bad start! This is a decent, fruity, un-oaked Chardonnay.
2. Portrait of a Wallflower Merlot or Old Soul Merlot from France (both Pays d’Oc). We received the Portrait of a Wallflower Merlot. Let’s just say the Old Soul Merlot HAS to be better.
3. Stacks & Stones Sauvignon Blanc from France – a nice aroma but a bit thin and watery on the palate.
4. Voldé Cabernet Sauvignon from Moldova – Moldova, which is in-between Ukraine and Romania, isn’t the first (or tenth or hundredth) place you would think of for Cabernet Sauvignon. This won’t change that. It’s too bad, it would have been nice to showcase a native Moldovan variety here.
5. Shadow Dance Chenin Blanc from South Africa – another letdown. We love South African Chenin Blanc but this is not a good example.
6. Mendoza Nights Malbec from Argentina or Magical Nights Pinot Noir from France. We received the Mendoza Nights Malbec and we mostly liked it. Probably our favorite so far, although that isn’t saying a whole lot.
7. Pastello Pinot Grigio from Italy (Delle Venezie DOC) – it’s OK.
8. Even Steven Torrontés from Argentina or Even Steven Bordeaux Blanc from France – We received the Torrontés and it’s not really good but not really bad either. A very Sauvignon Blanc-like example of Torrontés.
9. Azzimato Montepulciano d’Abruzzo from Italy (Abruzzo DOC) – Finally! A after a little time to breathe this is pretty nice.
10. Timok River Semi-Sweet Riesling from Bulgaria (Danube Plain) – After finally getting a good bottle (the Montepulciano), I think we just hit a new low here.
11. Struggling Deep Roots Red Blend from France (Cotes de Gascogne) – I’m struggling to find a nice way to describe this one.
12. Ode Couple Fernao Pires from Portugal – A new grape for us. Reading up on it, it’s supposed to be both aromatic and spicy. This is neither. We’re now at the halfway point and I have to say this is quite a disappointment so far as most of the wines chosen haven’t even been very good examples of their varieties. I mean, all they had to do was at least include halfway decent wines and this would have been fun. Instead, we’re almost dreading opening the next bottle. I’m hopeful they saved the best for the second half, but I think that’s extremely unlikely…
13. 12 Generations Merlot from Bulgaria (Danube Plain) – an OK Merlot with a bit of a pyrazine note.
14. Octopada Macabeo from Spain – not a bad example of Macabeo. Tart and tangy with a lip-smacking finish. Just 11.5% alcohol too.
15. Palloncini Rosato from Italy (Rubicone IGT) – 51% Sangiovese and 49% Merlot. I had high hopes for this one but it didn’t deliver.
16. Blue Seirina Kotsifali + Syrah from Greece – another new to me grape, which is cool. The taste, not so cool. It’s not necessarily bad, it’s just not very good.
17. Venteux 22 White Blend from France (Cotes de Gascogne) – a semi-decent blend of Ugni Blanc and Colombard.
18. Luna Brillante Red Blend from Spain (Navarra) – we love wines from Navarra. This one definitely needs some time to breathe and comes around nicely once it does.
19. Pannonia Zenit/Gruner Veltliner from Hungary (Dunantal) – this is certainly quite drinkable (hallelujah for that!) even though it tastes a tad bit watered down.
20. Champs Anciens Grenache/Syrah from France – we love Grenache. We love Syrah. We love Grenache and Syrah together. We don’t even like this.
21. ACAB Red Blend (Aragones-Castelao-Alicante Bouschet) from Portugal – it’s not undrinkable. Not sure if it’s really OK or if our expectations are just so low at this point that we’ll take anything that doesn’t need to be poured down the drain as a win.
22. Brillo Solar Chardonnay from Spain – I think this was supposed to be in-between a buttery and an unoaked Chardonnay but it missed the mark for us.
23. West Cape Gold Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa – tastes like a really cheap Cab made from under-ripe grapes.
24. Brilliant Brut from France – an inoffensive sparkling wine

And there you have it. Overall, we found this to be quite a disappointment with really only 7 or 8 wines even coming close to the decent category. It had so much potential, but it really felt like the producer was much more interested in the marketing side of things than the wine itself. It’s especially disheartening because this is likely many people’s first introduction to many of these regions and grapes.

Since this was the first year we were able to find it, we’re not sure if this is par for the course or an anomaly but we will most likely be passing on next year’s version.

You can find more info on each wine at the Flying Blue Imports site for the 2021 Costco Wine Advent Calendar here.

For the 2026 list, which is a combination of both the absolute best tasting wines we had this year as well as those with the most extreme value, we haven’t strictly limited ourselves to wines under $20, although almost all of our selections land there with a few just barely over. (Since we’re all savvy shoppers that’s based on the best prices for each wine, not the SRP.)

And once again, we tasted so much great wine the past year that it is extremely hard to narrow this list of the best red wines down. For the 2026 list we have chosen our top 15. That means there are LOTS of great wines that didn’t make this list — check out our other “Best Of” lists for those.

Covering a number of different varieties, styles and retailers, there’s something for everyone on our list of The Best Red Wines of 2026. Let’s get to it!

15) 2023 Trader Joe’s Diamond Reserve Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 11

Probably one of the biggest surprises (and disappointments) on this year’s list is the lack of wines from Trader Joe’s. Normally a huge part of these year end lists, Trader Joe’s really let us down this year. This very nice example of Rutherford Cabernet is the ONLY TJ’s wine to make our list this year – and it barely did that coming in at #15. We’re hoping for better things from Trader Joe’s in 2027.

13) 2020 Elkhorn Peak Napa Valley Pinot Noir

Complex, silky smooth and just lovely, we loved this Perfect 10, 94-Point beauty from a true, independent, family-run farm in Napa Valley. And as part of our Insider Deal, the price couldn’t be beat!

11) 94+ Point 2023 Scott Harvey Barbera – AUTOBUY!

Another fabulous Insider Deal. This Bulk Buy rated beauty with a perfect 10 Taste Rating spends 31 months in French oak. 2023 was a top 5 vintage among Scott’s 50 years making wine in Amador County. An easy pick for our list of the best red wines.

9) 2018 Vina Bujanda Rioja Reserva

100% Tempranillo from vineyards at 1,485 feet of elevation in the Alta and Alavesa areas of Rioja, Spain. The wine spends 20 months in 225L French and American oak barriques plus another 20 months in bottle before release. The result is a fantastic example of Rioja Reserva that can be found for as low as $15.

7) 2021 13 Rams Red (Petite Sirah)

Our incredible Insider Deal discount on this $55 wine, brought it well under $25. It was an amazing price on this BIG, chewy and delicious Petite Sirah (with a splash of Sangiovese and Zinfandel). You can’t have a best red wines list without one Petite Sirah!

6 – TIE) 2022 Kirkland Signature Barolo – Big Name Little Price

92-93 points! Costco’s take on an iconic wine rarely found under $20 ($19.99). Plus we once again track down the true producer behind the label. Another repeat entry on our best red wines list.

6 – TIE) 2021 Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino – True To Form

After a disappointing 2020 vintage, this Kirkland Signature wine is back and it might be better than ever! This is no bargain basement Brunello. 92-93 points.

4) 2022 Lava Cap Reserve Zinfandel – Lovely

High elevation, old vine Zinfandel from vines averaging 45 years of age in the El Dorado AVA of the Sierra Foothills. Aged in François Frères French oak barrels for 24 months. We give it a perfect 10 Taste Rating (94+ points) and a spot in the top 5 of our list of best red wines.

2) 2020 Vinedos de Alcohuaz Grus

At #2 on our list of the best red wines comes a beauty from winemaker Marcelo Retamal (Reta) with multiple 94-95 point scores. Another Insider Deal, this amazingly complex blend of 42% Syrah, 25% Garnacha, 20% Petit Verdot, 8% Touriga Nacional, and 5% Petite Sirah was brought to us by importer Eric Solomon. It comes from some of the highest vineyards in the southern hemisphere in the Elqui Valley of Chile.

 
And that’s it for the 2026 list of the Best Red Wines!

Cheers,
Jon

100% Sangiovese from Montalcino, Italy. The wine was aged for at least 2 years in oak barrels.

As we mentioned above, we were not fans of the 2020 vintage of this normally very reliable wine from Costco, especially when it’s priced at $19.99 to $22.99, depending on your region. (We paid $22.99 this year and last.) It continue to be imported by Ethica Wines.

Our check of the neck tag using the traceability tool at the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino website shows that it is still made by the same producer. This is also evidenced by the name on the label (Gianni Maccari) and the same bottled by code on the back label.

It’s also interesting to note that number of bottles produced has varied drastically each vintage. In 2015 (when the wine was made by Fattoria dei Barbi) only 14,638 bottles were produced. In 2016 under the current producer (Gianni Maccari) the production went up to 72,000 bottles. The 2017 and 2018 were both at 120,000. The 2019 dropped back down to 21,856 and then the 2020 back up to 84,000. The 2021 clocks in at a healthy 144,000, which makes sense given 2021 was supposed to be a very good vintage in Montalcino.

From the bottle:

Light ruby red in color, Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino delivers notes of ripe raspberries and blackberries on the nose. On the palate, those same flavors are balanced by smooth tannins and a lingering mineral finish.

14% Alcohol

What a difference a vintage makes! The 2021 Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino DOCG opens with pleasing, even a bit savory aroma of black cherry, blackberry, a little blood orange, some licorice and herbal notes, and a little leather, cedar and tobacco. It’s a great, harmonious start. It’s also quite nice right from the get-go which is a difference versus prior years that needed a lot of air to be at their best.

The wine tastes smooth, balanced and delicious. It features juicy fruit and all the secondary notes from the nose combine nicely in the mouth. This tastes very true to form — this is no bargain basement Brunello! Full-bodied and with great depth and balance, this has much more complexity than the 2020.

It ends dry, very long and mouthwatering on the dusty finish. It also has some lingering oaky spice in its youth and was just as good on day 2. This is really excellent and bodes well for future too. We put it at the high end of our 9 Taste Rating at 92-93 points.

Here’s our review of the disappointing 2020 vintage:

The 2020 Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino DOCG begins with a pretty subdued nose but it does greatly improve with air. When it opens up you’ll find aromas of black cherry, blackberry, licorice, some light herbal notes plus a little leather.

Tasting the wine was a real disappointment, at least when first popped and poured, as it was just lacking the same depth as previous vintages. It does get a whole lot better with air however, just like the nose, but it never really develops enough to make it worth the price tag. It has some of the same notes as previous vintages, it’s just not quite as good.

It ends long and dry was definitely at its best on day 2.

Here’s our review of the slightly better 2019 vintage:

Just like the previous vintage, the 2019 Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino DOCG seems quite young at this point and the nose greatly improves with air. When it opens up you’ll find aromas of black cherry, blackberry, licorice, some herbal notes, a little leather, cedar and tobacco.

The wine tastes smooth, balanced and delicious. It features juicy fruit and all the secondary notes from the nose combine nicely in the mouth. Once again this still tastes very true to form — this is no bargain basement Brunello!

It ends quite long and dry on the dusty finish and was at its best on day 2.

Here’s our review of the also better 2018 vintage:

The nose on the 2018 Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino DOCG improves mightily with air – it still seems quite young at this point. When it opens up you’ll find aromas of black cherry, blackberry, licorice, some herbal notes, a little leather, cedar and tobacco. And while it’s similar to the 2017, it’s not quite as complex.

The wine tastes smooth, balanced and delicious. It features juicy fruit and all the secondary notes from the nose combine nicely in the mouth. Again, it’s pretty similar to the 2017 just not quite as complex. Even so, this still tastes very true to form — this is no bargain basement Brunello!

It ends quite long and dry on the dusty finish. I can’t quite get to a 10 Taste Rating this time around but it does get better with air. In fact, it is at its best on day 2 where some of the savory notes from the 2017 finally reveal themselves.

Here’s our review of the even better 2017 vintage:

The 2017 Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino DOCG opens with aromas of black cherry, blackberry and licorice plus some earthy herbal notes and a little leather, cedar and tobacco. It’s a multi-faceted and attractive bouquet very similar to the last vintage.

The wine tastes smooth, balanced and delicious. It features juicy fruit with all the secondary notes from the nose combining harmoniously in the mouth. This is super savory. It does definitely benefit from some air though so be sure to give it plenty of time to breathe.

It ends with a very long and dry on the savory, dusty finish. Highly Recommended!

And here’s our review of the 2016 vintage chronicling the big changes to this wine:

Costco reveals a new price for their Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino DOCG and Reverse Wine Snob reveals the new producer!

100% Sangiovese from Montalcino, Italy. The wine was aged for at least 2 years in oak barrels.

Big changes this year for the Kirkland Signature Brunello from Costco! The first thing you’ll notice is that the price has dropped significantly, from $26.99 for the 2015 all the way down to $19.99.

It is also quickly apparent that the importer has changed going from Misa Imports to Ethica Wines. We were immediately curious if that meant the producer had changed as well – past vintages were made by the by the highly respected Fattoria dei Barbi. Luckily with Brunello, there’s an easy way to find out.

Plugging the government seal from the top of the bottle into the traceability tool (near the bottom of the page) at the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino website shows that the producer has indeed changed:

The producer is now listed as “Stel-Fin SRL”. A web search doesn’t turn up much. Dunn & Bradstreet lists a Stelfin in Montalcino as a real estate office. Luckily we don’t have to go to far in our usual sleuthing to find out more about this wine as there is a name right on the front label, “Gianni Maccari”.

And it turns out it’s a name getting a lot of buzz these days. Gianni, the winemaker for Ridolfi winery, is referred to as a “rising star of Montalcino” by Decanter and the “The once and future king of Brunello” by Jeremy Parzen of DoBianchi.

While I was initially disappointed to see that Fattoria dei Barbi was no longer the producer, this is sounding rather exciting.

It’s also interesting to note that number of bottles produced has increased dramatically from 14,638 bottles for the 2015 all the way up to 72,000 for the 2016. This is no doubt good for availability, but will the quality suffer? Let’s check it out.

From the bottle:

Light ruby red in color this wine delivers notes of ripe raspberries and blackberries on the nose. On the palate, those same flavors are balanced by smooth tannins, and a lingering mineral finish.

14.5% Alcohol

The 2016 Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino DOCG opens with aromas of black cherry, blackberry and licorice plus some earthy herbal notes and a little leather, cedar and tobacco. It’s a multi-faceted and attractive bouquet.

The wine tastes smooth, balanced and delicious. It features similar flavors to the nose that combine quite seamlessly in the mouth. It may be a different producer but once again this tastes very true to form — this is no bargain basement Brunello! It does definitely benefit from some air though so be sure to give it plenty of time to breathe.

It ends with a very long, dry and dusty finish. Highly Recommended!

And finally here’s our review of the previous (2015) vintage made by Fattoria Barbi:

100% Sangiovese from Montalcino, Italy. The wine was aged in oak barrels for 3 years.

The Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino is available exclusively at Costco for $26.99 (Saturday Splurge). It is imported by Misa Imports. 14,638 bottles produced.

From the bottle:

Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino DOCG is made with 100% Sangiovese grapes from vineyards located in the Southeastern part of Montalcino. The 2015 vintage was harvested in late September at the perfect level of maturation. The wine aged in oak barrels for three years and was bottled four months before the release. The result is an outstanding wine with aromas of red berries, wild herbs and sour cherry. The taste is well-balanced and fresh, with soft tannins and hints of candied fruits. The finish is very long, warm and slightly spicy.

14% Alcohol

We’ve long recommended this budget Brunello as a Saturday Splurge selection although when we first started reviewing it we noted that there was no indication of the producer on the bottle. (Not unusual with the Kirkland Signature wines although they do seem to be becoming a bit more transparent).

When we reviewed the 2014 vintage last year; however, it dawned on us that since this is an Italian wine, there’s a simple way to find out just who makes it – the government seal on the top of the bottle.

Once again plugging the code from the seal into the traceability tool (near the bottom of the page) at the Consorzio del vino Brunello di Montalcino website gives the following result:

Just like last year the Kirkland Signature Brunello is made by the highly respected Fattoria dei Barbi, whose own base level Brunello sells for closer to $50. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that this Kirkland wine is the same as any of Fattoria dei Barbi’s other wines, but it is a very good sign that it is made by such a high quality winery.

The 2015 Kirkland Signature Brunello di Montalcino DOCG opens with a very pleasing, savory aroma of black cherry, licorice and spice plus a little graphite and cedar. The wine tastes smooth and balanced with more spice and lovely candied cherry notes. It might be just a bit lighter bodied than typical but it works quite well and tastes very true to form. This one is really delicious after it has some time to open up with similar flavors to the nose along with touches of balsamic and anise. It ends with a very long, dry, spicy and dusty finish.

This isn’t necessarily a bottle that I would plan on cellaring for a large number of years as I might with other more expensive Brunello — ironically, a few years ago we tucked away some Brunello from Fattoria dei Barbi as birth year wines for our kids to open in 20-30 years. Nevertheless, this Costco version is a very good representation of Brunello that is drinking great right now (and probably for at least the next 5-10 years) so feel free to go ahead and enjoy!

2021 Review Summary