Wines & Costco

Here's a head's up to all of you loyal Cask Room friends. The wonderful 2002 Jocelyn Cabernet Sauvignon we carried in January of last year is available at Costco (at least the Mission Valley store -- sorry, Tony!). It's only $24.97 -- which is a killer price, considering my wholesale on it last year was $20/bottle! Why is this significant? Starting with the '03 vintage, the winery is contracting with a different grape source. The stellar '02 (90 pts. Wine Spectator) was a blend of a few different vineyards from the valley, but the '03 and the '04 are now sourced from the Stagecoach Vineyard near Atlas Peak. I've tasted all three, and while the styles are similar, it's the '02 that remains the really "special" wine. The '02 has been out of the distribution network -- so, the only place to get it is those retailers who already had it -- hence, Costco. I'm guessing the distributor sold the remainder of his allocation directly to Costco. At any rate, those of you who were sad when we took it off the list, here's your chance to grab a few more bottles!