It started with an email from Marco Massarotti, the chef/owner of San Miguel de Allende’s Casa Nostra.

“Have a look at this offer, it is a great bargain”, it read.

I did look and I did think it was an irresistible deal.

The seller was my favorite wine seller. The seller was Costco. It’s where I buy about 80% of my wines. I like their selection. I like their prices. And because I’m a guy without wheels, I like their free delivery.

The product was four reds from Bordeaux packed in a fancy box. The price was a ridiculous $799.

I like a lot of Bordeaux but I don’t buy a lot of Bordeaux. And I’m a little embarrassed to tell you why. Bordeaux has a reputation for producing the most expensive wines in the world. That, I think, often stops me from checking out the French section of wine stores and websites. It’s a stupid habit. Because there are a lot of bargains from Bordeaux.

A couple of days later, there was a box at my front door. I was excited. 

But before I tell you the specifics about what was inside, let me tell you a little, generally, about the best buys you can frequently find from Bordeaux.

As the paddles go up at places like Sotheby’s, competing for the wines from places like Pomerol and Pauillac, there are many other sub-regions that produce wines that fit into my (and hopefully your) budget.

The price of Bordeaux is most dramatically affected by where in the region it comes from, the name of the winery on the label, whether Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary grape used in the blend, and the year it was produced.

Looking specifically at the four bottles in the box: They all come from lesser renowned regions; none of the names on the labels were well known to me; Merlot is the primary grape in three of the wines, Malbec in the fourth; all four are dated 2022. The most alcohol any of them had was 13.5%, another sign of wines that come from some of the sub-regions.

I felt a little guilty destroying the nicely grained box. I felt guilty again putting it in the trash. But that’s what you’ve got to do to get to the bottles.

Don Day’s Wife was serving up her paella that night. It was a perfect occasion to pull some corks. So now, I could put on my beret and do my haughty taughty wine writer impression. I could get into telling you all of the little nuances of each bottle. I could use a couple of my favorite weird wine words like tobacco, pencil lead, pipe tobacco, barnyard, wet rocks or forest floor. But I won’t.

In fact, I’ll admit that, if you blindfolded me, I might not be able to recognize one bottle from another. They’re all medium-bodied with tastes of blackcurrants and plums and would go with almost any food as well as they went with the paella.

So I’ll just tell you their names, the grapes used in the blend and how a couple of well-respected critics scored them.

CHÂTEAU MATERRE 2022
70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon,10% Malbec
90 points Wine Enthusiast

CHÂTEAU LATASTE 2022
55% Merlot and 45% Cabernet Sauvignon
91 points James Suckling

CHÂTEAU HAUT LANDON 2022
54% Malbec, 38% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon
90 points Wine Enthusiast

BARONNE DE VIGNONET 2022
80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon
90 points James Suckling

In Mexico, you’ll find Costco at costco.com.mx or, if you live in San Miguel de Allende, you can visit their bricks and mortar in Celaya or Queretaro. If you live in the United States, you’ll find the same boxes of Bordeaux are available at Costco there.