José Andrés Says Costco Is A Secret Gold Mine For This Classic French Wine

Everyone has a go-to store that they visit regularly, often due to some combination of its atmosphere, proximity, affordability, quality, or variety of products. These important variables are ultimately what make a grocery store widely beloved, and for José Andrés, it's the latter two attributes in particular that really set Costco far above the rest. According to an interview with Tasting Table, Costco ranks at the top of the list for Andrés and his wife due to the wine offerings sourced directly from Bordeaux, France — one of the most iconic wine regions in the entire world.

While you may be surprised to learn that the retailer carries authentic Bordeaux wine at many of its locations, you might be even more amazed to learn that one is actually sold under Costco's affordable Kirkland Signature brand. Costco's wine selection can differ, depending on when and where you visit the store, but among the notable finds by Costco shoppers was the 2023 Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Supérieur — a December 2025 arrival — which goes for just $6.99 per bottle (a price that seems unheard of for a delicious Bordeaux). Another slightly pricier wine from the wholesale retailer is the 2023 Kirkland Signature Pauillac Bordeaux. Even at $21.99, it's considered to be one of the best wines available at Costco and beyond.

If you're a big fan of wine, you're probably already familiar with just how reputable the Bordeaux wine region truly is. For newcomers, Bordeaux is known for producing high-quality red wines — with merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc being standouts — often with a lower alcohol content (12 to 14% alcohol by volume or ABV) than California wines (16% ABV). This slightly lower ABV makes the wine better suited for aging and gives it a more balanced flavor.

However, when looking deeper at the region's iconic wines, the reason Bordeaux wines really reign supreme is that they're made using grapes that are particularly rich with tannins — the compounds that make wine dry and bitter. This gives the wines structure and makes them the ideal pair for roasted meats and aged cheeses. Combine this with appellations boasting moderate weather, frequent rain, and ideal types of soil (all of which make up the terroir of the wine), and you get some of the very best wine in the world.

As for José Andrés, while he hasn't revealed the exact Bordeaux wine that resides at the top of his list, the chef's restaurants — such as Bazaar Mar in Las Vegas — are known to have extensive selections of Bordeaux wines. Although these wines aren't sourced from Costco, some of the most expensive bottles at Andrés' establishments emanate from the same exact areas as the ones at the wholesale retailer. For example, the aforementioned sub-$22 Kirkland Signature Pauillac Bordeaux comes from the town of Pauillac on Bordeaux's left bank just as the $3,315 Château Lafite Rothschild — a bottle of wine on Bazaar's wine list — does. This means that, despite their many differences, the two wines share some notable similarities in terms of their terroir. 

Static Media owns and operates Tasting Table and The Takeout.