Wandering through wine sections at stores is good for seeing what is available in your local area. Frankly, a lot of the time it is sorting through wines that are ok, but nothing that will blow your socks off. Recently I was browsing through Costco's selection and stumbled upon this gem.
What first caught my eye was that gold origin label from Italy. It indicates the wine comes from a Denominazione di origine controllata e Garantita. In Italy, these zones are highly regulated by law for quality and style. It surprised me that Costco's store brand had scored a wine from a DOCG region. Looking at it further it came from Chianti Classico and was a riserva! When you see the "classico" term on an Italian label that is indicating that the grapes were grown and bottled in the historic area known for the region. These are often the best sites as the geography grew to meet demand and areas that wouldn't have traditionally been considered to grow vines were added. Add onto that the "riserva" label which indicates that this wine has aged for at least 24 months which is twice the required length of just the Chianti Classico standard. In the US, "reserve" has no legal meaning, but in Italy it is also regulated by law. Aging doesn't necessarily equate to quality, but wine styles meant to age longer like a reserva are built to mature and bring aroma and flavors over time. This truly was a surprise find in Costco.
So we know from the gold DOCG label (see above for a generic Italian example) and the label items that this wine is going to be several cuts above a typical Chianti. This wine will best present its character to you with about 30 minutes of decanting. If you don't have the patience or the time for that, you can use an aerator to achieve a similar effect. What you will see if a brilliant medium ruby-colored wine that seems to catch the light (which only makes it look better). The first aromas from the glass deliver on that classic Sangiovese palette - bright cherry and toast. With a swirl or two I picked up herbal notes and even darker black cherry notes. This wine has some depth and layers to it. It is still developing flavors and is capable of more with bottle age. That said, this bottle is ready to drink now or age - either path will reward you.
On the palette, this wine has lively acidity and an above average intensity of flavors. The depth of flavors really shows off here matching the aromas detected above: sour cherry, black cherry, toast, herbal. Like many Italian wines, this wine is built for food pairing. Find acidic dishes (anything with tomatoes will work) to get the best results. Similar to other Chianti examples, this has a medium finish that stays for a bit, but does not linger. This is a very good quality example of what the Chianti Classico region is capable of producing.
The Notes
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Origin | Chianti Classico (Tuscany, Italy) |
| Grapes | > 80% Sangiovese |
| Appearance | clear, medium ruby |
| Aroma Intensity | clean, medium intensity of primary and secondary aromas |
| Amoras | cherry, herbal, toast, black cherry |
| Development | Developing |
| Sweetness | dry |
| Acidity | high |
| Tannin | medium |
| Alcohol | medium (13.5% ABV) |
| Body | medium + |
| Flavor intensity | medium + |
| Flavors | cherry, herbal, toast, black cherry |
| Finish length | medium |
| Quality | very good |
| Level of readiness | Drink now, but has potential for aging |
Now for the real surprise. This bottle was $8.99 at Costco at the end of April 2024. This is a screaming deal for what it delivers. Washington-grown Sangiovese bottlings will easily run 3x-5x the price here. It is not an everyday drinker for me, but I did put away some as the quality to price ratio here is quite good. This will likely continue to mature for 5-8 years. In conclusion, browsing through the wine section at your local stores can occasionally come up with a real gem and value. The more you understand what to look for will help you find great values and quality!