Costco's take on an iconic wine rarely found under $20, the Kirkland Signature Barolo DOCG. Plus we track down the true producer...
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.
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 always 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.
And while we previously couldn't find an online authenticator to check this one, there actually is one that covers Barolo here. (Thanks Angelo Peretti for pointing this out!) Plugging these numbers in reveals...
It appears that the producer is indeed 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% Alcohol
The 2017 Kirkland Signature Barolo begins with a pleasing aroma of leather, black cherry and cedar plus a little licorice, black pepper and spice.
The wines tastes smooth and has good structure and acidity. Rather light to medium bodied, it features nice fruit with well integrated touches of spice. Firm and even slightly dusty tannins lead into the dry, chewy, tannic and long finish.
While I wouldn't cellar this one for a super long time it is still pretty young at this point so it really benefits from decanting.
Overall this is pretty tasty and definitely a step up from the Trader Joe's Corte Rossa Barolo we previously reviewed. Similar to that wine; however, at the end of the day this strikes me as a much better example of a Langhe Nebbiolo than it is really good example of Barolo.
Still, it definitely is an official Barolo and will give you at least a sense for what all the fuss about when it comes to Barolo and why they can be so expensive. It's not often you get to do that for just $20.
You can also find more of our favorite Italian wines here.
