PSA: Burbank, CA Costco has Chateau Musar

[Chris_Seiber]

I bought six of the Montus Madiran and have had two - I wish I had bought more.

[Tom_Moore]

Picked up this on a whim - Castello Della Sala (Antinori) Chardonnay Bramito del Cervo Umbria - 2014 at local Costco for $12. Pretty good stuff and a major deal at this price. On the dryer side with a slight touch of oak but in a good way. Going back for more daily drinkers.

[Sean_S]

Newbie Berzeker here… Los Gatos, CA @ 2100ft

Costco on Coleman Ave in San jose had a few cases of 2010 Montus Madiran, bought 2. Will pop one this weekend and see if it warrants a refill… Coleman Ave does not have the selection of Santa Cruz or Almaden Valley or Redwood City but this and my other secret location seem to get good stock but don’t sell out as fast when they get something good…

Thanks for the recommendations.

Sean

[Kirk.Grant]

@fred o.

Was in the Alhambra Costco this past weekend and saw that they had the 07 Musar there also, at least 1-2 cases’ worth. Picked up a bottle to try, I’ve had some of their lower expressions and enjoyed them, so I’m interested to see how the main expression will turn out.

Fred, from my memory of the last time I had the 07…I’d recommend waiting a decade. It’s too young & tight right now.

[bretrooks]

I’ve looked for the Musar and the Montus at our San Luis Obispo Costco since this thread started, but no luck. Our location is overweighted with not-generally-interesting local wines.

Picked up a few other bottles to test out today, though:
2012 Raspail Gigondas ($15)
2013 Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Cap Insula ($10)
2014 Domaine Le Clos Noly Pouilly-Fuissé Courtelong ($14)

[Chuck_Turack]

The 2007 Musar is a beautiful wine. It was a treat to drink over 4 hours, tasted something new every 30 minutes. Pop n Pour and while it was good right away, the last glass was the best.

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

@bretrooks

I’ve looked for the Musar and the Montus at our San Luis Obispo Costco since this thread started, but no luck. Our location is overweighted with not-generally-interesting local wines.

Picked up a few other bottles to test out today, though:
2012 Raspail Gigondas ($15)
2013 Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Cap Insula ($10)
2014 Domaine Le Clos Noly Pouilly-Fuissé Courtelong ($14)

Don’t feel too bummed out about the Montus. Sure, it’s quite nice for the price, but it’s nothing that’s going to blow you away; it’s still young and oaky right now. If you happen to see the Gerard Bertrand “Le Grand Terroir” you should pick it up; at less than $12, it’s a ridiculous deal.

[bretrooks]

@Brian G r a f s t r o m

@bretrooks

I’ve looked for the Musar and the Montus at our San Luis Obispo Costco since this thread started, but no luck. Our location is overweighted with not-generally-interesting local wines.

Picked up a few other bottles to test out today, though:
2012 Raspail Gigondas ($15)
2013 Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Cap Insula ($10)
2014 Domaine Le Clos Noly Pouilly-Fuissé Courtelong ($14)

Don’t feel too bummed out about the Montus. Sure, it’s quite nice for the price, but it’s nothing that’s going to blow you away; it’s still young and oaky right now. If you happen to see the Gerard Bertrand “Le Grand Terroir” you should pick it up; at less than $12, it’s a ridiculous deal.

Good to know. I did pop the Bertrand Cap Insula yesterday evening, and we liked it a lot for the price. It definitely punches above its weight at $10, and I’ll be going back for more. I don’t remember if they had the “Le Grand Terroir,” but the one I tried back in March seemed closed somehow…if they do have it, I’ll grab one to revisit. If you run across the Cap Insula, check it out.

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

Cool … will do. Thanks for the tip!

[bretrooks]

@bretrooks

@Brian G r a f s t r o m

@bretrooks

I’ve looked for the Musar and the Montus at our San Luis Obispo Costco since this thread started, but no luck. Our location is overweighted with not-generally-interesting local wines.

Picked up a few other bottles to test out today, though:
2012 Raspail Gigondas ($15)
2013 Gérard Bertrand Languedoc Cap Insula ($10)
2014 Domaine Le Clos Noly Pouilly-Fuissé Courtelong ($14)

Don’t feel too bummed out about the Montus. Sure, it’s quite nice for the price, but it’s nothing that’s going to blow you away; it’s still young and oaky right now. If you happen to see the Gerard Bertrand “Le Grand Terroir” you should pick it up; at less than $12, it’s a ridiculous deal.

Good to know. I did pop the Bertrand Cap Insula yesterday evening, and we liked it a lot for the price. It definitely punches above its weight at $10, and I’ll be going back for more. I don’t remember if they had the “Le Grand Terroir,” but the one I tried back in March seemed closed somehow…if they do have it, I’ll grab one to revisit. If you run across the Cap Insula, check it out.

So, we haven’t had much wine over the last couple of weeks due to head colds and travel, but following up on this, we opened one each of the Bertrand wines over the weekend.

I’m not sure if it’s due to bottle variation or attention or my palate being off or what, but this second bottle of Cap Insula we opened wasn’t as good as I remember the previous one being. Both of the Bertrand bottles showed a bit of an “oak treatment” aspect, but it stuck out more in the Cap Insula with its brighter/redder fruit. It was less obtrusive in the darker-fruited Grand Terroir, which I enjoyed. We picked up a few bottles, though, so we may just let the others sit for a little bit before trying another one.

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

Thanks for the update, Bret!

btw: The Van Nuys Costco, as of two weeks ago, still had a couple cases of the '07 Musar — given the very similar quantity present when I purchased a few weeks before that, I’d surmise there are still some available for purchase at that location. I opened one of our bottles a week or two ago: I thought it was good, but I’m on the fence about whether I’ll add to my remaining two bottles at $37 each. The bottle I had tends to suggest that '07 is not one of Musar’s best vintages. That said, the bottle wasn’t bretty, and didn’t show any V/A, either; only “problem” with it was a hint of oxidation. I scored it out to 86 points, which makes this wine one of the rare ones that I enjoy more than my score indicates.

[bretrooks]

That last Cap Insula was so different and strange that we made it a point to open another one this weekend. Happily, this one showed well again, similar to the first one we had.

That second bottle was bizarrely different, but I can’t think of any sort of flaw that would explain it…perhaps poor blending combined with a stuck fermentation or something like that? Anyway, glad this one was on form.