Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

You’ll definitely want to decant this wine. Well over an hour after opening in the glass the initial dusty #bordeaux muted fruit wakes up fully, very youthful bramble fruit, purple jam on the nose. Mouthwatering acidity and generally soft tannins from the Merlot dominant blend with some more assertive tannins on the finish. 68% #merlot, 17% #cabernetsauvignon, 13% #petitverdot, 2% #cabernetfranc - clearly I got the impression this wine could easily cruise for another 5 years in the bottle. Excellent #costcowines value. — 6 days ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

Full disclosure, I picked up this bottle at Costco for a great price without looking too closely at the vintage. Turned out to be a nice score on quality aged #carneros #chardonnay. Apple juice color in the glass so it has aged/oxidized quite a bit. It’s a bit reticent on the nose but as it warmed the wine presents baked apple, caramel and nutty notes. Still juicy acidity up front on the palate, bruised and baked apple notes galore and some nice warming spice on the finish. Paired fairly well with some Asian stir fried vegetables and Thai curry. #costcowines — 5 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.1

Dazzling value from #costcowines. Letting this one warm up quite a bit will reward you with a beautiful nose: apricot, persimmon, touch of lemon, faint lemongrass. Lovely palate balance, touch of zippy spice on the end. Ludicrous value at $16 these days for #sancerre — 8 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

Gratifying #vacqueyras - This is not your syrupy big extract Southern Rhône wine. Medium plus body, Mediterranean herbs and red/black fruit, tea and succulent acidity on the palate. Excellent value #costcowines
— 2 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

~$10 #costcowines #bordeaux Blend. This is one of those that is very pedestrian after opening. Give it a day or more in the wine fridge and it transforms into a strong QPR BDX - purple, black fruit comes alive backed by leather, earthy notes on nose. Tannins ease up on the palate and with that lovely balance becomes so quaffable. — 4 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.1

Excellent high-QPR SV #napa #cabernetsauvignon. It leans “Old Worldish” but still has plenty of big fruit up front, nicely balanced, some coffee and subtle earthy undertones -and velvety tannins to close out. Call this the “Anti-Caymus” 💣 #costcowines — 7 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

I’m always interested to discover new #costcowines. For the price a really nice wine especially if you enjoy the bigger Napa style yet with some Old World sensibilities. Black and purple berry jammy nose, touch of vanilla and spices from new oak. On the palate the 15% ABV does show through - this is a hot wine without a lot of acidity to offset the fruit and booze; no tannins really on the finish. — 3 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

The sub-$50 #champagne market has so many great choices. Lovely balance of sharp acidity and ripe fruit, the dosage is well integrated here. #costcowines — 5 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

8.9

Super quaffable #pinotgris - apple, white peach aromas, weighty palate with lots of acidity, green apple, peach, goes down too easy. Great QPR for under $8 #costcowines — 7 months ago

Vasanth Balakrishnan

9.0

Marvelous QPR #willamettevalley #pinotnoir. Tart cherry, forest floor, some mushroom notes. Lovely sour cherry fruit continues on palate, imminently food friendly, elegant cuvée, silky tannins on finish. What a bargain at $13 #costcowines — 9 months ago