2021 George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé

Has all bells and whistles of red, mentioned before, but more subtle. Same flowery nose. Same red currant, cranberry, pear and caramel in the taste, but everything more subtle. Overall great impression.

Was great with seafood paella.

2018 Château Haut La Valette

 The fourth bottle from Costco Christmas box. Not as good as three others, but good anyway. Subtle nose of mixed berries with some chalk added. Black and red currant in the taste. Good, long aftertaste. No sugar at all.

Was good with mahi-mahi pie.

Overall, Costco Christmas box is great this year. Bought a second one and I'm going to buy more.

2018 Château Thomas

One more bottle from Costco Christmas box. And a good one again. At least 75% of the box is good, I bought another one.

Powerful bouquet of multiple berries. Just a hint of chalk in the nose. Multiple berries in the taste as well, black currant being most powerful. A hint of rowan berry before aerator, but aerator removes it completely. Good aftertaste, feels like you just crushed a berry in your mouth.

Was great with smoked salmon pizza.

2016 M.Chapoutier Belleruche

Classic Côtes du Rhône. Mix of berries in the nose and taste, most prominent chokeberry. A hint of ol leather. No sugar. This company knows how to make good wine, but I still wonder how could they release disastrous 2017.

Was great with Yorkshire pudding stuffed with venison (shepherd yorkies). 

2018 Bel Ormeau

 

Second bottle from Costco Christmas box. Classic Bordeaux. Mix of berries in the nose and taste, with black currant the most prominent. Some chalk in the nose. Almost no sugar. Better than 2016, which was in the last year's box. It's 14% alcohol, vs 14.5% in 2016, which probably makes a difference.

Was great with baked tuna.

2021 George Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveaux

One of the best Beaujolais I ever tasted. Smells like a bouquet of flowers. Strong red currant with notes of cranberry, caramel and pear. 

Was very good with turkey and cranberry strudel.

 

2018 Château de Lyde

First bottle from Costco Christmas box. Very good. Strong nose of black currant. Powerful black currant in the taste, with a hint of chokeberry. No trace of sugar. A hint of a bitter note. When the bottle was just uncorked, wine seemed flat, taste finished abruptly, even after aerator. After 20 minutes in an open bottle, completely different wine. Smooth, well balanced and with a great aftertaste. 20 minutes more, to the end of the dinner, and it became excellent.

Was great with baked mahi-mahi. 

2017 Marquéz de Cáceres

 

A masterpiece. Absolutely wonderful Rioja. Complex taste and nose, with multiple berries, raspberry is the most prominent. A little bit of chalk in the nose. Perfectly balanced.

Was great with roasted mutton fillet. 

2018 Basilica Cafaggio Chianti

Very average wine. Typical Chianti, without any interesting notes. Drinkable, that's all I can say. Will not buy again.
 

Update. Tried 2019, which is marked 90+ at Costco. Not any better.

2019 Mordon Bel-Air

 

Strange wine. First taste, right after opening the bottle, was very interesting. A hint of rowan in the taste, added to black currant in the taste. Interesting nose as well, with a hit of chalk, and mix of berries. Twenty minutes later, with dinner, different wine. Hint of rowan disappeared, taste got worse. First time for me, usually wine gets better with time after opening. Again, 14.5% alcohol is too much for Bordeaux. Wine just doesn't get balance.

Will not buy again.

2020 Patrick Lesec Côtes du Rhône Villages

 

Wonderful Côtes du Rhône. Sold under Costco's Kirkland brand. Everything good you expect from Rhône wines. Mix of berries with chokeberry most prominent one, a hint of old leather, a hint of tobacco, a hint of chalk in the nose. Will definitely buy more.

Was great with grilled venison burgers.