In my first post (here) I explained that I have started to see more higher end wines in the wine department at Costco.  I decided to give a couple of them a try and was blown away!  The first wine I reviewed was Kapcsandy Family Vineyard’s “Endre”.

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards 2008 Eloge

The second amazing blend comes from Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards, also in Napa.  Conn Valley is located about 4 miles east of St Helena at the southern base of Howell Mountain in north eastern Napa Valley.  Anderson’s 40 acre estate first vintage was in 1987 and over the years built a reputation for quality.  They’ve also picked up a little bit of critical acclaim along the way. Robert Parker has rated their “Eloge” consistently between 95 and 98 points since the 2005 vintage

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards 2008 Eloge, Napa Valley

This wine is a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, 10% Petit Verdot and 10% Merlot.  In comparison to the Endre’s relatively light 13.5%  the Eloge weighs in at a robust 14.6% alcohol.

This wine is quite different than the Endre.   The nose is more searing, but not unpleasantly searing, just more.  The nose also has a distinct smokey gaminess to it along with cedar and cassis.  The palate is where this wine really shines, and even now (mid 2013) this wine really showed a lot more of itself after 24 hours of decanting.  This is a big BIG, serious wine.  This is not a wine for the faint of heart.  But it’s not big as in big fruit bomb, or big oak bomb.  Its big in intensity and complexity.  Brawn and brains.

The retail price price on this wine is around $110 online, but I found it for $69 at Costco.  Even at $110 its a pretty good deal, but for $69 its a steal.  You just can’t find a wine from Napa rated 96-98 points by Robert Parker for anything close to that price, except Altamura.  Not that I’m ALL about ratings, but they do have an effect on demand and price.

Having said that…Weekly Wine Journal Rating: 97 Points

connvalleyvineyards.com