Back by popular demand we bring you our third Costco ‘Kirkland Signature’ Wine Report. Costco sells more wine than anyone in America. While they might not have the range of wines that other retailers can boast, you know that you won’t experience a large mark-up with wines from Costco. While Costco has a well-crafted, albeit a bit small collection of wines of the world, most of the wines at Costco are sourced from wineries, rather than from a private label. Over the past ten years Costco has created their own label of wine under their ‘Kirkland Signature’ mark. Their wines, like all Kirkland Signature products, deliver serious value and have transformed the American wine market. We have been purchasing Kirkland Signature wines for more than ten years, and in general we have found these wines to show solid value and in some cases, good aging potential.
Given that Costco is based in our home state of Washington, it seemed appropriate to publish a wine report covering all currently available Kirkland Signature wines. We procured these bottles over several Seattle area Costco locations. This year the reviews were solely done by Owen Bargreen and Tan Vinh, writer for the Seattle Times. Our individual reviews were shared after all of the wines had been reviewed and similar to last year’s report, many of the wines showed similarly to our respective palates.
One thing that struck me is how good the NV Prosecco has been for the price. It is very hards to find a Prosecco in this price range, as in most grocery stores La Marca Prosecco costs $13.99 at the store and delivers the same level of quality. You are essentially getting two bottles of Prosecco for the price of one. Similarly, you could easily argue that there is not a better value in Champagne than the NV Kirkland Signature. The new NV blend might be the best one I have tasted since I have been doing this report. The care and level of commitment that you find for this $19.99 bottle of Champagne is just second to none. I was surprised that I recommended all of the white wines, and after examining my notes I found that the wines tasted very similarly to how they did last year for me.
With regards to the red wines, a few were definitely substandard even at a low price point. My feeling is that the white wines by Costco offer slightly more consistent value. The 2020 ‘Ti Point’ Sauvignon Blanc is one of the better values you will find in New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and similarly the 2019 ‘Sonoma County’ Chardonnay is value that is very hard to find at this price point.
With respect to their red wines, the $6.99 Cotes du Rhone Villages would be a great value by the glass, but you get an entire bottle for that price. This wine has plenty of complexity and ripe red and dark fruits with great acidity. Try to avoid the 2019 Kirkland Signature ‘California’ Cabernet Sauvignon which although inexpensive wouldn’t even make a good sangria. I wouldn’t even sell this one at a truck stop.
Without further adieu, here are my reviews of the new release Costco Kirkland Signature wines.
NV Kirkland Signature ‘Asolo’ Prosecco ($6.99)- The wine says it is sourced from ‘prime’ vineyards across Veneto, which literally could be anywhere. Baked apple with baking spices and shades of citrus rind fill the nose. The palate is soft, showing a nice mousse. Layers of baked pear and apple flavors mingle with a touch of marzipan and sourdough bread on the palate. This is serious value as this is best enjoyed over the next several years. Drink 2020-2024- 88 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
NV Kirkland Signature ‘Brut’ Champagne ($19.99)- Made by Champagne house Jannison, which is a grand cru site located in Verzenay. The ‘Brut’ is a proprietary blend of Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Pretty orange blossom aromatics combine with ginger, white flowers and shades of freshly baked French bread all meld in the glass. The mousse is soft and inviting, as the complexity mid-palate really delights. Layers of Japanese pear and baking spices mingle with kumquat zest and starfruit tones with a light dusting of salinity. Enjoy this beautiful wine over the next five to seven years. Drink 2020-2025- 91 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
2019 Kirkland Signature ‘Grave’ Pinot Grigio ($5.99)- The nose is quite faint with gooseberry tones with lighter pear and lemon zest. The palate is fresh and vibrant but a touch of sweetness makes this lose balance, as sweetened pear and apple flavors and fainter minerals all mingle together. Despite the obvious shortcomings, at $5.99 this shows good value. Drink 2020-2024- 86 RECOMMENDED
2019 Kirkland Signature ‘California’ Pinot Grigio ($12.99, 3L box)- The packaging here is horrible but I don’t review wines based on packaging. Showing more heft than the ‘Grave’ Pinot Grigio, this leads with jasmine and pink grapefruit blossom on the nose with pear tones. The palate has good freshness to back everything up. Pear, and lemon starburst candy flavors combine with minerals and sweetened white peach on the palate. This is a really good value. Drink 2020-2023- 87 RECOMMENDED
2020 Kirkland Signature ‘Ti Point’ Sauvignon Blanc ($6.99)- Another great value, the ‘Ti Point’ Sauvignon Blanc is made by Tracy Haslam of Ti Point Vineyard in Marlborough. At 12.5% alcohol this shows classic gooseberry and kiwi tones that mingle with shades of green bell pepper on the nose. The palate is very bright with a nice feeling of minerality. The flavors almost exactly mimic the nose with some Gravenstein apple, stony accents and minerals also coming into the fold. This is seriously good for the price. Drink 2020-2023- 89 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
2018 Kirkland Signature ‘Premier Cru’ Chablis ($19.99)- Sourced from two different vineyards in Van Ligneau and Vaugiraut, this outstanding 2018 Chablis is crafted by OdileVan Der Moere. Light flinty tones and diatomaceous earth mingle with ripe pear and lemon zest on the nose. The palate is plush and soft, as the mouthfeel really delights. The long finish provides a wonderful crescendo here. Most ‘Premier Cru’ Chablis at this quality will be twice the rice. Fabulous to enjoy in its youth, this has some really nice cellaring potential. Drink 2020-2028- 91 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
2019 Kirkland Signature ‘California’ Chardonnay ($7.99, 1.5L)- It is unclear where the wine came from, it simply states on the bottle that this was ‘Cellared and bottled by Dc Flynt MW Selections’ in Modesto, California. The wine is quite cloying even if it finishes long with overripe pear and a saccharin note. Not recommended. Put it this way, I wouldn’t recommend this one to my worst enemy. Drink 2020-2023- 82 NOT RECOMMENDED
2019 Kirkland Signature ‘Sonoma County Chardonnay ($7.99)- It is impossible to ascertain where this wine is made, only a small mention of Geyserville on the label. Vanilla bean with ripe pear and baked apple tones fill the nose. The palate is fresh with good balance and a soft mouthfeel. Layers of banana and vanilla cream are woven together with minerals and ripe peach on the palate. This is really hood stuff for the price, as the 2019 ‘Sonoma County’ Chardonnay is best enjoyed over the next five years. Most wines from this region of this quality will be more than ten bucks. Drink 2020-2025- 88 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
2019 Kirkland Signature ‘Russian River Valley’ Pinot Noir ($12.89)- The 2019 ‘Sonoma County’ Pinot Noir does not impress, just as last year. Again, on the back of the label, this. Points to CD Flynt MW Selections, located in Hopland, California. The palate is quite sweet and overripe with red fruits and cola tones. I would recommend pretty much any other Kirkland Signature wine, as this does not deliver much for the price compared to the other wines. Drink 2020-2023- 86 NOT RECOMMENDED
2019 Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone Village ($6.99)- Crafted by Patrick Lesec, this delivers a lot of bang for the buck. The wine is a proprietary blend of Mourvdre, Syrah and Grenache. This Cotes du Rhone Villages shows plenty of freshness and textural elements with ripe red and dark currants, red florals, cigar ash and garrigue tones alongside firm tannins and bright acidity. This is pretty complex wine and I think you would be hard pressed to find this value under seven dollars — easier to find more in the ten dollar range. Drink 2020-2025- 90 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
2019 Kirkland Signature ‘California’ Cabernet Sauvignon ($7.99, 1.5L)- The source for this wine remains unknown, it simply says DC Flynt MW once again. The sweetened tones on the nose are really downright offensive. The palate is flat and saccharine driven with very little in terms of actual fruit flavors. This is really disappointing stuff even at this price. Don’t even serve this to your least favorite cousin. Drink 2020-2023- 82 NOT RECOMMENDED
2018 Kirkland Signature ‘Napa Valley’ Red Wine ($9.99)- A proprietary blend of mostly Merlot (47%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (44%) with small portions Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, this was made by Glenn Hugo, as this was also produced at DC Flynt MW selections in American Canyon, California. Mocha, tar and black licorice tones all fill the nose. Th4 palate shows good balance but has little in terms of complexity with black tea and black fruits that mingle with minerals on the palate. I think there are many Kirkland Signature wines that offer considerably better value. If I was at a wine bar I wouldn’t really want a glass of this. This doesn’t deliver much in terms of Napa Valley character in a Bordeaux style wine. Drink 2020-2025- 87 NOT RECOMMENDED
2019 Kirkland Signature Malbec ($6.99)- Sourced from Mendoza, the 2019 Malbec shows milk chocolate and tobacco leaf tones with blackberry compote on the nose. The palate is plush, showing a soft mouthfeel. Ripe black fruits collide with minerals, milk chocolate and smoky tones on the palate. This is seriously good stuff for the price. Most wines in this from this region of this quality are over ten dollars. Drink 2020-2025- 90 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Kirkland Signature 10 Year Old Tawny Porto ($16.99)- Made by Foseca Guimarens, this 10 year old tawny shows serious value with its velvety texture and great sense of balance. Ripe red plum, orange rind and raisin flavors mingle with red cherry cordial on the palate. This is really complex stuff. Fantastic and downright delicious now, this has a long life ahead of it. This is a very classic style for 10 year Tawny and most wines of this price will be more than twenty bucks or more. Drink 2020-2028- 90 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED