A solidly satisfying Southern Rhone bargain from Costco, we check out the latest vintage of the Kirkland Signature Gigondas.
85% Grenache, 10% Syrah and 5% Mourvedre from Gigondas, Southern Rhone Valley, France.
The Kirkland Signature Gigondas is available exclusively at Costco. The 2023 vintage retails for $14.99, up $1 from last year.
The wine is made by Guillaume Gonnet, whose family winery is Domaine Font de Michelle. It is imported by Misa Imports.
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From the bottle:
The 2023 vintage provided outstanding conditions in Gigondas. This wine is fruit-forward and full-bodied, displaying velvety tannins. It features a bold expression of dark plum, blackberries, and fig jam, revealing a complex bouquet of herb of Provence, cocoa powder, licorice, and spices. The wine is ready to drink now or will continue to develop nicely after a few years of aging.
GUILLAUME GONNET, Winemaker14.5% Alcohol
Gigondas is just to the northeast of the Chateaneuf-du-Pape region in the Southern Rhone Valley and offers a lot of similarity to that renowned region, usually at a lower price. It’s also right next door to Vacqueyras. It’s great to see Costco continue to expand their Kirkland Signature label with wines like these. (See our reviews of the Kirkland Signature Chateaneuf-du-Pape and the Kirkland Signature Vacqueyras.)
The Gigondas rules allow for a maximum 85% Grenache plus a minimum 15% Syrah or Mourvedre and a maximum 10% of other Rhone varieties except Carignan. No oak aging is required. Costco doesn’t indicate if this one spends any time in oak but if it does, I’m guessing it’s minimal.
The 2023 Kirkland Signature Gigondas begins with a very nice and very appropriate aroma for southern Rhone – black cherry, strawberry, leather and black olives with a bit of an earthy, meaty, funky note and a little garrigue.
Tasting the medium to full-bodied wine shows juicy and tart berry flavors with a bit of earth, white and black pepper and more. A tad meaty in the mouth as well, we would have thought this had more Syrah in the blend. With good balance and structure plus a smooth mouthfeel, this is an very nice example of the region at a killer price. That said, I’d say this isn’t quite up to the level of the 2022 vintage.
It ends dry, long, a bit grippy and savory with tart fruit, black pepper, some lingering licorice and the continuation of those meaty notes from the nose. We’ll put this at the low end of our 9 Taste Rating at 91 points. Stock up on this one once again folks, this is a great value!
Looking for more of the top 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 GSM (Grenache-Syrah-Mourvedre) blends here.
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