Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Review

Checking out the latest vintage of the Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Gran Selezione from Costco, a top of the line Chianti at a budget price.

At least 80% estate grown Sangiovese from the Chianti Classico zone in Tuscany, Italy. The wine is aged for 30 months in 30 hectoliter Slavonian oak barrels followed by at least three months in bottle before release.

The Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is available exclusively at Costco for $19.99, up $2 from the 2020 vintage. It is imported by Ethica Wines.

Just like the Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva, this wine is another example of a high end bottle priced much lower than you can typically find it for.

As we mentioned above Gran Selezione is the top of the line designation for Chianti, requiring 30 months of some type of aging (not necessarily in barrel) compared to 24 months for the Chianti Classico Riserva and just 12 months for the normal Chianti Classico. It also requires only estate grown grapes. You can find more on all the different variations of Chianti and some of top picks in our Chianti Guide here.

As expected, the bottle bears the neck label allowing you to verify its authenticity:

From the bottle:

Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Gran Selezione is obtained by vinifying the best grapes of the Basilica Cafaggio estate. After a long maceration, it is aged in Slavonian oak barrels with a capacity of 30 hectoliters for 30 months. This wine is bottled and stored in a conditioned environment for at least 3 months before being placed on the market.

Entirely Produced and Bottled by Basilica Cafaggio SARL

14% Alcohol

We were pretty happy with the 2019 and 2020 vintages of this wine, so let’s check out the 2021.

The 2021 Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Gran Selezione begins with a pleasing aroma of black cherry and touches of spice plus a leathery note with a little wintergreen and mint. It’s a nice start.

Tasting the wine reveals it to be nicely balanced and open even from the first sip. Smooth and a bit chewy with juicy fruit, it features some zesty blood orange notes and lovely spice that builds all the way through the mid-palate. There’s also a nice touch of earthiness underneath that lasts into the finish.

Speaking of the finish, it’s dry, long and grippy with more of the same flavors plus a hint of tobacco. It was just as good on day 2. This is a worthy addition to the Kirkland Signature line!

Looking for more of the best wines at 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.

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Review Summary

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And here’s our previous reviews of the 20202 and 2019 vintages in case you still have a few bottles lying around:

The 2020 Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Gran Selezione begins with a pleasing aroma of black cherry and spice plus a leathery note with touches of wintergreen and mint. It’s a nice start.

Tasting the wine reveals it to be nicely balanced and more open at first sip than the previous vintage. Smooth and a bit chewy with juicy fruit, it also features lovely spice that builds all the way through the mid-palate. There’s also a nice touch of earthiness underneath that lasts into the finish.

Speaking of the finish, it’s dry, long and grippy with more of the same flavors plus a hint of tobacco. It was similar on day 2.

And the 2019:

Just like the Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva, this wine is another example of a high end bottle priced much lower than you can typically find it for.

Although to be fair, in this case, it appears the Kirkland Signature version of this wine is only a couple dollars less than one of the producer’s own bottles (that is even a couple years older) as we found that one on the Costco shelf right next to this wine. Both wines are priced quite low as most Gran Selezione are going to be north of $25.

The 2019 Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Gran Selezione begins with a pleasing aroma of black cherry and spice plus a little bit of an earthy garden note with touches of dried herbs. It’s a good start.

Tasting the wine reveals it to be nicely balanced and a bit subdued at first sip, but it just needs some air to open up. Once it does you’ll find it to be smooth and a bit chewy with juicy fruit and lovely spice that builds all the way through the mid-palate. There’s also a nice earthiness underneath that lasts into the finish.

Speaking of the finish, it’s dry, long and grippy with more of the same flavors plus a hint of tobacco. It was similar on day 2. This is a worthy addition to the Kirkland Signature line!