There are plenty of places you'd expect to find an ultra-expensive bottle of wine: ritzy restaurant; upscale wine store; estate sale.

But a store known for great deals on cases of crackers and 80-roll packs of toilet paper?

Yet the Sam's Club in Freehold is offering what is being called the most expensive bottle of wine ever at time of release -- a 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet sauvignon from Australian vintner Penfolds.

Yours for a mere $158,000. (This is the big box discount king, after all, so Sam's Club is knocking off $10,000 from the $168,000 retail price.)

The bottle is one of just 12 made by Penfolds and available worldwide; just three are in the U.S. Several have already been bought by collectors; one can be found in an Australian casino; and another can be purchased in the duty-free store at Singapore's Changi Airport.

Or you can just head over to the Freehold Sam's Club, walk back to the wine/beer department, and check out the Penfolds display, in front of aisle 35 (candy) and 36 (snacks).

You won't find the wine itself -- a store employee said it is in a "secure'' location -- but you will see one of the limited-edition ampoules it is stored in. The gleaming tapered glass vessel, made of laboratory-grade, heat-resistant borosilicate glass, is based on the amphora, a jar used to store wine in ancient times.

Penfolds calls the ampoule, a collaboration that involved a designer, a furniture crasftman, a glass artist and a scientific glassblower, "a provocative statement about the art and science of wine'' and "the ultimate wine curiosity.''

Frank DeMonico, checking out the display with his fiancee Stephanie Courtney, called it beyond belief.

"Oh my God,'' the Old Bridge resident said. "What I want to know is what the hell is the big deal. I've got to tell my folks. They paid $24,000 for their house.''

One big deal is that the Penfolds Block 42 is produced from the oldest continuously-producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world, according to Penfolds. Wine critic James Suckling rated it 100 out of 100. What does it taste like?

"The nose shows intense blackcurrant, dark chocolate and liquorice aromas,'' said Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago. "The sheer volume and weight of fruit explodes across the palate.''

Choices, choices. A $158,000 bottle of wine, or a $15 bottle of wine, at Sam's Club in Freehold (Peter Genovese I NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

The bottle of wine has created "a buzz'' among Sam's Club members, but "there hasn't been a buyer yet,'' according to company spokeswoman Tara Raddohl.

So why Sam's Club, and why the Freehold store among the chain's 647 locations, not to mention parent company Walmart's 4,540 U.S. stores?

"Our team did analysis around wine sales in general and felt the Freehold club was a good option,'' was all Raddohl would allow.

If you buy it, you won't be able to just drop it in your shopping cart. As part of the purchase, a member of Penfolds' winemaking team will fly to anywhere in the world to conduct a white-glove-opening ceremony.

And Sam's Club will throw in a lifetime membership. (By the way, you don't have to be a member to buy alcohol at Sam's Club.)

Meanwhile, back near aisle 35, DeMonico kept shaking his head. "I can't believe it,'' he said.

His fiancee couldn't rest a playful jab.

"If you loved me,'' Courtney told him, "you'd buy it for me. But I'll settle for a new car; think how much money you'll save.''

Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram.