Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf du Pape – A Costco QPR Champ!

A high end wine available under $20 thanks to Costco, we review the latest vintage of the always popular Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape!

A Southern Rhone blend of 70% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 10% Cinsault and 10% Mourvedre from Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone, France.

The 2023 Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape is available for $18.99 exclusively at Costco. The price is down $1 from the 2022. It is imported by Misa Imports.

From the bottle:

This Chateauneuf-du-Pape, created by third-generation winemaker, Guillaume Gonnet, unites the four terroirs of Chateauneuf-du-Pape; river stones, limestones, clay and sand. The 2023 is a blend of bright mixed berry aromas, with deep, silky tannins. A long finish leaves a note of strawberry syrup blended with spices on the end of the palate. This is a vintage that is ready to drink immediately or could be cellared for years to come.

Produced & Aged by Selectionne Eleve par Guillaume Gonnet
15% Alcohol

Today’s Costco pick is a wine we’ve covered and recommended many times. Years ago, it was made by Domaine de Nalys but with the 2018 vintage Costco changed the producer to winemaker, Guillaume Gonnet, who makes a number of wines under his own label, including several from Chateuneuf du Pape. Let’s check it out.

The 2023 Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape begins with an excellent aroma full of red and black currant, red cherry, licorice, nicely integrated spice, some nice touches of flowers and herbs and a hint of a meaty note.

Tasting the smooth, medium-bodied wine unveils a harmonious wine with plenty of spice throughout in this vintage. Featuring good complexity, it’s a bit tannic in its youth but this vintage has plenty of aging potential. After a couple hour decant blackberry, black cherry, leather, licorice, spice, a touch of an olive note and a bit of meatiness all combine seamlessly in your mouth. This is quite compelling.

A touch of an earthy streak mid-palate leads into the delicious, dry, grippy and savory finish. It was just as good on day 2. Overall this is pretty similar to the 2022 vintage.

You may also want to check out the new Kirkland Signature Vacqueyras that also comes from Guillaume Gonnet.

Looking for more of our favorite wine picks from Costco? Browse our multi-page listing of recommended wines along with more information on how to best shop the store!

You may also want to check out more of our favorite wines from France here!

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And for some history on this wine, here’s our review of the 2021 vintage, tasted alongside a bottle of the 2018!

Since we all know the wines from Chateauneuf-du-Pape are meant to age, we thought it would be fun to taste this 2021 vintage side by side with a bottle of the 2018 (made by the same winemaker) too see how it is progressing. (The short answer – don’t be afraid to stock up and cellar this wine.)

The 2021 Kirkland Signature Chateauneuf-du-Pape begins with an excellent aroma full of red and black currant, red cherry, licorice, nicely integrated spice, some nice touches of flowers and herbs and a hint of a meaty note.

Tasting the smooth, medium-bodied wine unveils a harmonious and complex wine. After a couple hour decant blackberry, black cherry, leather, licorice, spice, a touch of an olive note and a bit of meatiness all combine seamlessly in your mouth. I’d say it isn’t quite as complex as the 2019 (the last vintage we reviewed) but it’s still quite compelling.

A nice earthy streak mid-palate leads into the delicious, dry, grippy and savory finish.

And how about that 2018 vintage? It’s really excellent and has gotten even more harmonious with age. And while it’s similar in a lot of ways, that extra age has just elevated everything about it. And as good as it is now, it’s still tasting like it has a bit more improvement on the way so don’t be afraid to hold on to those bottles a while longer.