Costco’s take on an iconic wine rarely found under $20, we review the latest vintage of the Kirkland Signature Barolo DOCG. Plus we once again track down the true producer behind the label.
Nebbiolo from Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont, Italy. While we don’t know the exact aging on this wine, the Barolo region requires 38 months of aging before release with at least 18 months in oak.
This Kirkland Signature wine is available exclusively at Costco for $19.99. It is imported by Ethica Wines.
Want to get an email reminder of the Kirkland Signature wines to watch for each month? SIGN UP HERE!
Much like the Kirkland Signature Brunello, Champagne and Chateauneuf du Pape, Costco loves to drop these wines from big name regions at prices way below what you would expect to pay. So today we check out their version of one of the most iconic Italian wines out there, Barolo.
We’ve reviewed many vintages of this wine, so today we’re happy to try out the 2021.
As always, we like to try and track down the true producers of these wines as one of the questions hear the most is “Who makes the Kirkland Signature Barolo (or Brunello or CdP, etc)?”. The first hint on this one is the tag that says “Simone Tablino”. An online search reveals that while he appears to have worked for Barolo producer Fontanafredda, it’s not clear if he still does.
Of course, since this is Italian wine, we have much more to go on thanks to the traceability tags on the necks of the bottles.
Plugging these numbers into the online authenticator that covers Barolo (thanks to Angelo Peretti for pointing this out to us) reveals…
The producer of the 2021 is once again the highly respected Fontanafredda.
From the bottle:
Rich garnet red in color with notes of vanilla and rose petal on the nose, this full-bodied wine delivers notes of black currant and licorice on the palate. Great for long-term aging.
14.5% Alcohol
The 2021 Kirkland Signature Barolo begins with a pleasing aroma of leather, black cherry and cedar plus a little licorice, black pepper, dried herbs and spice.
The medium-bodied wines tastes smooth and has good structure and plenty of acidity. It features similar flavors to the nose, with juicy fruit, a bit of black tea and well-integrated touches of spice. Firm and even slightly dusty tannins lead into the dry, chewy, tannic and long finish.
Overall the 2021 Kirkland Signature Barolo is very similar to the 2020 with a bit more harmony and structure this time around. We’ll put it at the high end of our 9 Taste Rating at 92-93 points.
As we’ve noted with just about every vintage of this wine, it strikes me as a better example of a Langhe Nebbiolo than Barolo. Still, it definitely is an official Barolo and will give you at least a sense for what all the fuss is about and why they can be so expensive. It’s not often you get to do that for just $20.
Looking for more of our favorite wine selections from Costco? Browse our multi-page listing of recommended wines along with more information on how to best shop the store!
You can also find more of our favorite Italian wines here.
Would You Like To Save This?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
We won't send you spam, unsubscribe at any time.
