Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva - Costco Scores Again

Revisiting this real deal Rioja Reserva aged 30 months in oak barrels, the Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva.

100% Tempranillo from Rioja, Spain. The wine is aged 30 months in oak barrels and another 6 months in bottle before release.

The Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva is available exclusively at Costco for $7.99. It is bottled by Bodegas Eguia and imported by Quintessential, LLC.

We've reviewed this wine a number of times here on Reverse Wine Snob and have found it to be consistently good, although some vintages are better than others. The producer this year is once again Bodegas Eguia and like the 2015 it spends 30 months in oak. Previous vintages have ranged from 36 months in oak for the 2013 to only 24 months when the wine was made by Bodegas Muriel.

Of course, in order to be labeled as a Reserva strict guidelines must be met including three years of aging with at least one of those in oak. 30 months in oak is pretty astounding to me given the cost of those barrels and that we're talking about a $8 wine! (Granted these are likely very large barrels but still.)

The 2016 Kirkland Signature Rioja Reserva begins with a really lovely, harmonious aroma after being opened a few hours. Blackberry, vanilla and balsamic along with secondary notes of licorice, mint, cedar and more all combine quite nicely.

Tasting the medium-bodied wine reveals that classic Rioja character that can only come from being well aged and spending some significant time in oak barrels. While we thought the 2015 wasn't quite as good as in the past, this 2016 really comes together wonderfully after a couple hours of air. Smooth with soft tannins, lightly spicy and featuring great balance this wine is a pleasure to drink.

It ends dry with more blackberry and vanilla plus some long-lasting cola, cinnamon and balsamic notes. This is a fantastic value.