Two wines you should go out and buy right now.

It's late and I don't have a review ready to share with you tonight. So in lieu of that I will share two wines that I tasted this week and both of them are quite good. I spent some time at my local Costco this past Sunday and perused the wine section. Yes I spent a little time peaking in their wood crates of "snobby" wine, but opted on two bottles that were stacked amongst the "cheap" stuff. Here they are in no particular order.

1. 2009 Crios de Susana Balbo Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina

This is not strictly a Cabernet Sauvignon. It is 95% Cabernet Sauvignon/5% Malbec and the blend is utter perfection. My mouth was intensely satisfied with this rich, warm Cabernet. It was full of lush fruits and warm spices. It coated my mouth like silk and left a long satisfying finish with hints of vanilla, licorice, tobacco and leather as the wine faded with time. The full-bodied wine that has a smooth, buttery mouthfeel was so pleasing I didn't want to swallow after I took a sip, and I am having a hard time as I near the end of the bottle because I'm already going into withdrawals. I will have to buy more of this soon, and you need to pick some up too.

2. 2007 Flechas de los Andes Gran Malbec, Argentina

This is not nearly the same as the above wine even though the Crios has a little Malbec in it, it exudes perfect Cabernet tendencies while this wine shows off what makes Malbec truly wonderful. It's fruity, but not a fruit bomb. It's subtle with the hints of plum, cherry, and raspberry. It transitions well in my mouth from fruit to complex flavors of pepper and chocolate. This wine went perfect with some spicy Mexican food I paired it with, and my last two glasses went perfect with nothing at all, a true testament of the wine's fantastic depth and character.


Both of these great wines can be picked up at Costco right now for under 15 dollars per bottle. The Crios was rated 90 points by the Wine Advocate, and the Flecha de los Andes was rated 92 points by the Wine Advocate. If I used 100 point systems I'd say that's about right, though I like the Crios better. Either way the QPR(Quality to Price Ratio) is off the charts here. Amazing quality for such a low price. Get them before they sell out!