Pretty tasty Pinot for just $12, we check out the latest vintage of the Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir from Costco.
Pinot Noir from Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California. The wine has 5 g/L of residual sugar.
It is available exclusively at Costco for $11.99, which, at least in our area, is down $1 from the last vintage. It’s also a now enclosed with a screwcap, which could account for some cost savings but nevertheless we applaud the switch in a wine like this made for immediate consumption.
Like many of the Kirkland Signature wines, it is cellared and bottled by DC Flynt MW Selections. The winemaker this vintage is Alison Crowe, while last time it was Glenn Hugo (from Girard) and Nancy Walker (from Vintage Wine Estates) before that. It seems like they rotate these same winemakers around all the different labels these days.
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From the bottle:
The Russian River Valley AVA is located in Sonoma County, inland from the Pacific Coast. The warm growing season is influenced by the Pacific Ocean, where the cooling fog allows the grapes to develop rich, full flavors while retaining beautiful acidity.
“A core of dark cherry, pomegranate and raspberry combines with vanilla, brioche and warm spice notes leading into a rich, complex mouthfeel followed by a long, smooth finish.” — Alsion Crowe, Winemaker
Cellared & Bottled by DC Flynt MW Selections
14.5% Alcohol
Despite the change in winemaker the wine tastes remarkably similar to the previous vintage (see last year’s review below.)
The 2023 Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir begins with pleasing aromas of cherry and some assorted minty and herbal notes plus cola, licorice, rhubarb and a touch of earth.
Tasting the wine shows that while it’s not super complex, it is some pretty tasty Pinot with just a touch of sweetness adding to the mass market appeal. It does need a good amount of time to open but once it does it features a smooth mouthfeel with lots of sweet cherry and cola flavors. A bit on the simple side and perhaps lacking some depth on day 1 but balanced and crowd-pleasing nonetheless.
More cola and a little bit of tobacco and black tea lead into the dry, long finish. And it was even better on day two so be sure to give this one time to breathe. Once again this is a solid Pinot Noir for just $12 and as you would expect it doesn’t tend to last too long on the shelves this time of year so grab it while you can.
2023 Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
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 can also find more of our favorite Pinot Noir here.
And here’s our review of the previous iteration of this wine, the 2022 vintage, made by Glenn Hugo.
The 2022 Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir begins with pleasing aromas of cherry and some assorted minty and herbal notes plus cola, licorice, rhubarb and a touch of earth. Compared to last year some of secondary notes are pumped up a bit in this vintage.
Tasting the wine shows that while it’s not super complex, it is some pretty tasty Pinot. It does need a bit of time to open but once it does it features a smooth mouthfeel with lots of sweet cherry and cola flavors. A bit on the simple side but crowd-pleasing no doubt. And again, compared to last year those secondary notes seem a bit more prominent in the mouth as well.
More cola and a little bit of tobacco lead into the dry, long finish. It was pretty similar on day two. This is a solid Pinot Noir for just $13.
2022 Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
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