Last night three of us blind tasted the two wines and our conclusion was unanimous.
The Kirland Signature is amazing. The Beringer, in comparison, not as much. It took longer to open up and when it did is was similar, but not as intense or flavorful.
I bow to you, Rich. Great find! 
Nice man! Glad you enjoyed it as much as I did! Damn good Rutherford cab for a killer price.
But definitely no credit to me for finding this one. A few peeps further up thread were already taking about it/asking about comparisons to the previous year which is why I snagged one.
Thanks again for the note!
You guys are liking it eh?
Glad you thought it was good.
In the SF Bay Area this was avail at the Sunnyvale storeâŚ
Way too jammy for me. I got a lot of blue and purple fruit extract. Moderate pyrazines. I noticed some dust on day 2. Seems unbalanced. I would imagine this is 15%+ etoh. Not in my wheelhouse.
Try the Beringer Knights Valley and tell us what you think.
I give it a try, definitely got some heavy vanilla notes on it. While it does have some varietal flavor, it did seem a bit simple and fruity I bought two bottles, so I will definitely give the second want to try in the near future. Though I wasnât exactly blown away by it, I would agree that for 20 bucks itâs pretty good Cabernet.
It takes a while to open up. Over an hour.
Had another one. This wine has no business being this good!
So how is it that you get this kind of value from premier AVAâs like stagâs leap for so cheap?
They do it with other areas too, like Bordeaux and CdP. Partly itâs because they guarantee that theyâll take a certain amount every year and that helps wineries with cash flow. Sometimes theyâll put the winery on the back, so the winery gets a bit of publicity. They can also cut a deal with an AVA association because by putting the wine out with the AVA prominently displayed, they get people to try it who might not have otherwise.
It can be a good deal for the winery, a bit like selling futures for commodities - you take a guarantee today against future risk. You probably get less money overall, but itâs guaranteed.
Iâm not completely certain about the sources but I think Frogâs Leap makes wine for Shake Shack, Girard made the wine for Smith and Wollensky steakhouses and I think they make the Napa wine for Costco. Au Bon Climat makes some private labels, King Estate in Oregon makes wine for Amazon, Michael Mondavi makes wine for Hyatt called Canvas Wines, Marquis Phillips made Shiraz for a few, and a lot of other producers make various private label wines. There are producers in Argentina, Italy, Chile and elsewhere who are happy to produce for Total, BevMo, Costco, etc.
The general production method involves a lot of tasting by the buyers to get a wine that they like and think will have broad appeal - seems like their Cab did the trick. Itâs the same model that a lot of British supermarkets use - lots of house brands from different areas.
Costco is also a more traditional negociant in that they sell a lot of wine thatâs not really their own brand, but blended for them by wineries. That works really well for some of the smaller ones, because an order from Costco is a fairly large order for them, although for Costco itâs not all that big. Costco will sell it out and it will disappear from their shelves until they replace it with something else. That keeps the inventory turning in the Costco stores, and they rely on their shopperâs loyalty to pick up whatever they have on the shelf next visit.
Remember, while people on this board like to imagine a world of artisans and picturesque peasants driven to create excellence in the glass, at the end of the day the wine business is all about cash flow. So while big places like Costco, Total Wine, etc., are shunned by some, they do actually help a lot of producers.
Totally agree buddy! Very, very happy with this for $20. Cant think of anything in this price range that even comes close
Awesome post - really appreciate the education Greg. Makes sense and very interesting.
Iâve found a terrific Trader Joes Dry Creek zinfandel a couple of years ago. They do the same thing.
By the way, I just bought the remaining Kirkland Sig Cab from the Concord, CA Costco. Itâs going fast.
The Naperville, Il store had 3 bottles. Key word is Had. For $20 will give it a shot.
Just checked the Shoreline, WA Costco and they didnât have any. Anyone in the Seattle area find it for sale?
Thatâs been our âhouse Cabâ for 3 years now. Buy them by the case during the Treasury Estates sale, twice a year
Funny just got an email about the TWE sale starting on 9/26,
Yup, me, too. I buy the Beringer Knights Valley Cab anytime itâs under $20/btl per case
Todd
What is a Treasury Estate Sale?
Karl
Treasury Wine Estates owns BV, Penfolds, Etude, Beringer and a bunch of other wineries. They run a sale once or twice a year I believe. Lots of wines are discounted and some up 60%. By the case only however.