A big name at a low price thanks to Costco, but does it still measure up? We review the latest vintage of the Kirkland Signature Series Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cabernet Sauvignon from Oakville, Napa Valley, California.
This Kirkland Signature wine is available exclusively at Costco, selling for $19.99.
On the 2020 vintage we noted that the winemaker had changed from Glenn Hugo on the previous iterations to Alison Crowe. The 2021 went back to Glenn Hugo and now on the 2022 it is back to Alison Crowe.
Confusing, yes, but both winemakers have impressive histories: Glenn Hugo at Girard Napa Valley as well as B.R. Cohn Winery and Alison Crowe at Garnet Vineyards and a stint at Bonny Doon with Randall Grahm. They also both have a number of other Kirkland Signature Napa and Cabernet bottlings under their belts.
While overall this is no cause for concern, with a winemaker change can also come stylistic differences. Let’s check it out.
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From the bottle:
The fruit for this classic Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon comes from select vineyards in the heart of Napa Valley. Oakville AVA is renowned for producing intensely concentrated, balanced grapes from well-drained soils of gravel and sand.
“This wine is a true reflection of the vintage with dark fruit aromas of sun-warmed blackberry, cassis and plum preserves that match seamlessly with vanilla and baking spice notes of toasted French oak.” Alison Crowe, Winemaker
Cellared and Bottled by DC Flynt MW Selections
14% Alcohol
The Oakville AVA is one of the most exclusive areas within Napa Valley. The home of Screaming Eagle, very few wines under $25 come out of this region; in fact, I only found 1 on Wine-Searcher that had an average price under $25!
Despite this we’ve seen a ton of Napa Valley bargains coming out of Costco and Trader Joe’s as of late. And not just Napa Valley, but the famed sub-appellations like Oakville and Rutherford.
Let’s see if this latest vintage can keep up the positive trend. We were really on the fence about this wine last year, feeling like it just barely squeaked by with a Recommended Buy rating.
The 2022 Kirkland Signature Series Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon opens with a pleasant enough aroma of ripe black cherry and blackberry along with vanilla, a bit of cedar, a bit of spice and a bit of mint. It also has some green notes that we didn’t detect in previous vintages.
Soft and smooth, this wine is made in a very similar style to the 2020 and 2021 despite the varying winemakers (and both are very different than the 2019). It’s still a bit oaky when first opened but also definitely more fruit forward with a touch sweetness and a bit of an artificial flavor. Those green notes also continue when tasting.
Much like the 2021 this wine lacks complexity, unfortunately, where the 2021 made up for it in mass appeal we can’t quite say the same about this vintage.
It ends dry, long and a bit grippy. At $19.99 this vintage just isn’t good enough to get a Recommended Buy rating.
2022 Kirkland Signature Series Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
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You can also find more of our favorite Cabernet Sauvignon here.
And here’s our previous review of the 2021 vintage.
From the bottle:
“Long respected as a world class region for Cabernet Sauvignon, the Oakville appellation offers darker fruit notes such as black currant and blackberry. Intertwined with this lush fruit character French oak brings out notes of vanilla, baking spice and clove.” Glenn Hugo, Winemaker
Produced and Bottled by DC Flynt MW Selections
14.5% Alcohol
The 2021 Kirkland Signature Series Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon begins with pleasing aromas of ripe blackberry, black cherry and vanilla plus a bit of spice, cedar and mint.
Soft and smooth, this wine is made in a very similar style to the 2020 despite the change in winemaker (and both are very different than the 2019). It’s still a bit oaky when first opened but also definitely more fruit forward with a touch sweetness and a bit of an artificial flavor.
Featuring lots of sweet spice and vanilla notes throughout, what the 2021 may lack in complexity it makes up for in mass appeal (just like the 2020 vintage). Still $19.99 is a bit steep unless you’re comparing to the likes of overpriced wines like The Prisoner and such, which seems to be exactly what they are going for.
It ends dry and long. If you do buy it, I probably wouldn’t age it very long. Pair it with a cheeseburger.
I was on the fence on this rating, but we’ll let it just barely sneak in with a Recommended Buy. That said, there are much better options at this price and even lower in our Cabernet list. A bit of a disappointment overall.
2021 Kirkland Signature Series Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon
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