8 Rare Wines You Can Buy At Costco

If you're a serious wine collector, you're missing out if you're not a Costco member. The warehouse store, you may be surprised to learn, boasts some of the rarest and priciest wines in the world. Unfortunately, there are a few hurdles to jump before you can add them to your collection, in addition to being a card-carrying Costco member. You must be in California to purchase these remarkable finds, and you can't simply waltz into any warehouse and grab them off the shelf — for most of these elite and extravagant bottles, you must reach out via email, sign an order agreement, and pay in advance before procuring your precious prize at a specific Costco store in North Hollywood, where these treasures reside. 

Additionally, these rare wines are not sold as individual bottles, but as part of a set. That means dropping even bigger bucks, but it also adds convenience, allowing collectors to forego stressful auctions and hunting down individual vintages. Within those sets are a few particularly sensational finds — the eight highlighted here are among the most coveted and remarkable wines the store offers.

When the 2008 vintage of Dom was released, it came with the announcement that longtime chef de cave Richard Geoffroy was officially handing over the reins to his successor. Geoffroy went out with quite a bang, as 2008 is considered one of the greatest vintages of Dom ever created (check out this explainer to dive deeper into the world of vintage Champagne). Perhaps it was the unusually cloudy weather through most of the growing season, which slowed ripening, that allowed the grapes to develop extra complexity. By harvest time, the sun had returned and gave the grapes a final burst of warmth.

The Dom team knew they had something special with this vintage, even holding it longer in the cellar than usual to let it have more time to develop — the 2009 was actually released earlier than the 2008, which had never happened before. The extra time allowed this wine's pronounced acidity to integrate into the rest of its structure, and let its initially shy fruit blossom. This Champagne is in it for the long haul, and will likely continue to improve for decades. You can only find this as part of Costco's Champagne Collector's Edition Vertical Set, which includes 24 bottles of Dom from 1976 to 2012 and will run you a cool $17,500.

Arguably the most sought-after Spanish wine, Pingus is a red from Ribera del Duero that is only produced in exceptional years. Even in such years, production is minuscule, with only about 500 cases made. With so few bottles in circulation, it's a tough wine to track down, and after the 2018 vintage was given a perfect 100 score from Robert Parker, it became even more in demand. Created by Peter Sisseck, a Dane who relocated to Spain to make wine, Pingus became a sensation almost overnight with its very first 1995 vintage, which was released to critical acclaim.

The magic of Pingus starts in the vineyard. Sisseck has been farming his vines biodynamically since 2001, and takes great care to make the grapes the purest, most concentrated, and intense expression of tempranillo, Spain's signature red grape. He's also a largely hands-off winemaker, letting the flavors and textures develop naturally without too much interference. This gives each vintage of Pingus a truly unique, one-of-a-kind personality. The 2018 Pingus is available as part of Costco's Ultimate Great Wines of the World set.

California's Screaming Eagle is one of the world's best-known cult wines, with a waiting list to simply be allowed the opportunity to make a purchase being years long. The brand is shrouded in secrecy, with no winery tours or tasting rooms available to the public, which is very unusual for the winery-filled, tourist-friendly Napa Valley. Screaming Eagle's enigmatic nature is part of its allure. There's very little of it made each year — fewer than 800 crates, reportedly — and much of each vintage is allocated to the highest of high-end restaurants, such as the French Laundry. If you can get your hands on some, it's like being part of a secret club.

If you're an eagle-eyed Costco member in California, however, there's a chance you could forego the eternal wait list and procure a 3-pack for yourself, for a mere $6400. While it's not currently listed on Costco's website, people have spotted it pop up at various California warehouses over the years. The 2022 vintage was spotted in 2025 in Santa Clara, San Francisco, and Danville, though it seems to disappear quickly. If you're a Napa Cab fan and want to try one of the hardest-to-find expressions, keep your eyes peeled if you're in a Northern California Costco, and you may just luck out.

When it comes to dessert wines, Chateau d'Yquem stands at the pinnacle. The archetype of Sauternes, Chateau d'Yquem, is made from semillon and sauvignon blanc grapes, which have been afflicted by a fungal disease colloquially known as noble rot. In just the right conditions, this fungus pulls moisture out of the grapes, essentially concentrating the sugars and juices within. These raisin-like grapes are then fermented into a uniquely sweet, succulent, viscous dessert nectar.

1990 is considered one of Chateau d'Yquem's greatest recent vintages. Sauternes wines are famously long-lived, and even after several decades, this vintage is still in its youth. It'll only get rarer as time goes on and folks start uncorking their bottles, and its flavors will develop more complexity over the coming decades, making it an excellent investment whether you plan to sell it or drink it. This is another bottle in the Ultimate Great Wines of the World 6-Bottle Set from Costco.

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is considered one of the finest producers in Burgundy, and their wines' rarity and high prices reflect that. A winery steeped in history, DRC (as it's known in industry shorthand) has been crafting wine for more than eight centuries. It's changed hands from monks to a Prince to, most recently, two winemaking families who have co-owned the prestigious brand since 1942. As is the case with most of northern Burgundy, DRC's holdings are relatively small and its production minimal, making each bottle a rare collectible.

One of the most thirsted after wines they create is La Tâche, named for the grand cru vineyard from which the Pinot Noir grapes are sourced. The entire La Tâche vineyard is owned by DRC, making it a monopole, meaning only one winery can use the grapes from this celebrated piece of land. The wine is known for its tensile balance between power and delicacy, as well as its longevity. The 2018 vintage of La Tâche received a near-perfect score of 99 from Burghound, and is forecasted to improve markedly over the next several decades. Costco offers it as part of its Domaine de la Romanée-Conti quintet of 2018 wines, which will run you $30,000.

One infamous scene in the movie "Sideways" may have set merlot's popularity back a bit, but those in the wine world knew better. Head to the right bank of Bordeaux, home to some of the most famous French wine, and you'll find merlot vines in their ideal habitat, and the most prestigious area within this region is Pomerol. This tiny appellation produces some of Bordeaux's most lauded and rare merlot-based red wines, and at the top of the pack is Chateau Petrus. This winery's hilltop vineyards lie on a unique soil composition that includes a concentration of iron-rich blue clay, which is able to hold moisture throughout the growing season, keeping the vines hydrated. This particular soil isn't found anywhere else in the wine-growing world, and gives Petrus its one-of-a-kind character.

The 1975 vintage is considered one of the most robust, powerful, and age-worthy wines ever produced by the legendary chateau. Pomerol, and right bank reds in general, are often silky, velvety, and soft, especially when compared to their left bank, cabernet-driven brethren, but in this particular year, the right banks took on more strength and rusticity. This translates to exceptional longevity as the wines settle down over decades resting in the bottle. As the remaining unopened bottles of this Petrus dwindle, it'll be harder to find. Costco sells this as part of a vertical set of 11 Petrus wines from 1971 to 1981, at the eye-popping price of $85,000.

Costco's mind-blowing 36-bottle set of Cheval Blanc is chock-full of rare and special wines. The St. Emilion region, where Château Cheval Blanc resides, is another right-bank Bordeaux appellation, located next door to Pomerol. While you'll find similarities in the wines, unlike Petrus, which is 100% merlot, Cheval Blanc includes a hefty dose of cabernet franc in their wine to lift the aromatics and add another dimension of flavor and structure. The 1982 vintage was legendary for Bordeaux reds, and Cheval Blanc's offering from this vintage is considered one of their best ever bottlings.

You'll have to shell out a whopping $35,000 to get your hands on these 36 wines, which showcase vintages from 1970 to 2006. The 1982 is a clear standout, epitomizing the famed château's modern yet historic style. At this point in its lifespan, it's going to offer a mélange of savory, earthy, and spicy notes, though recent critics' tasting notes say that its fruit flavors and aromas are still going strong. Tasting a wine like this, at this age, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — if you have a Costco card and a lot of expendable income, of course.

Biondi-Santi is considered the maker of the first Brunello wine, way back in 1888. This iconic Tuscan producer only makes a Brunello di Montalcino Riserva in exceptional years, which makes each one rare, special, and expensive. Since the very first vintage in the 19th century, Biodi-Santi's Riserva has only been crafted 43 times, and among those rare treasures, the 1997 is considered one of the best. Biondi-Santi is thoughtful and hands-off in its winemaking processes, from natural, eco-friendly farming techniques to using native yeasts for fermentation. This allows the pure aromas and flavors of sangiovese grosso, the variety responsible for Brunello wines, to shine without being overwhelmed by too much manipulation.

After a three-year aging period in Slavonian oak, Biondi-Santi's Brunello riserva wines are bottled and locked away in a dark cavern known as La Storica, and only brought out and labeled when they're sold. Each bottle is marked with the date of its release from La Storica. Reportedly, there are still a few bottles of the original 1888 vintage down there (though this could be wishful thinking). To get to drink the incredible 1997 riserva wine, Costco members will need to drop $7,000 for the Ultimate Great Wines of the World set.