Kirkland Signature Willamette Valley Pinot Noir – A Willamette Valley Value?

Another winning wine from Costco on their Kirkland Signature label? We check out the latest vintage of the Kirkland Signature Willamette Valley Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, Oregon. The wine is aged for an unspecified amount of time in French oak.

The wine is available exclusively at Costco for just $11.99, a dollar less than the 2021 vintage. It has previously been as high as $14.99.

Just like the previous vintages, this wine appears to be made by Precept Wines, who own and work with a number of excellent vineyards and brands through the Pacific Northwest likes Browne Family, Primarius and Waterbrook.

I say appears to be because the wine is made by Sarah Cabot, one of the Precept winemakers. In addition the back of the bottle says the wine is produced by Grape and Grain Imports, but the address and registered agent for that business belong to Precept Wines.

From the bottle:

Oregon’s famed Willamette Valley – a region with incredibly varied soils and meso-climates allowing to farm and handcraft wines of character and complexity.

Our 2022 Pinot Noir offers deep red cherry and plum aromas, a palate of dark, brambly cane berries and a touch of French oak to seamlessly balance the fruit, acid and silky tannins.
Sarah Cabot, Winemaker

Produced and Bottled by Grape and Grain Imports
13.5% Alcohol

The 2021 vintage of this wine was a little underwhelming, although still recommended. Let’s check out the 2022.

The 2022 Kirkland Signature Willamette Valley Pinot Noir begins with a very pleasant aroma of red cherry, licorice, coffee and oak along with some hints of earth and forest floor.

The medium-bodied wine tastes quite nice, it’s just a bit on the simple side. Featuring red cherry and plum with a bit of a brambly note plus more coffee and oak, we found the 2022 to be a bit of a step up from the 2021. Smooth and and balanced, this is quite easy to drink. It also continues to get better the more air it has.

It ends dry with good length and was at its best on day 2.

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 previous review of the 2021 vintage:

The 2021 Kirkland Signature Willamette Valley Pinot Noir begins with a very pleasant aroma of red cherry, licorice, coffee and oak along with some hints of forest floor.

The medium-bodied wine tastes nice with a bit less fruit and a bit more earthiness than the last time we reviewed it. It features red cherry and plum with a bit of a brambly note plus more coffee and oak. Quite smooth and with good balance, it’s lacking a bit of depth and complexity this time around. It is easy to drink and uncomplicated though so it’s definitely worth the price, but not much more than that. It does also get a bit better with air.

It ends dry with good length and was similar on day 2. While it’s certainly a decent wine, it’s not the extreme value it once was.