I have done all the hard work, so you can find the best Costco wine to up your wine game! Over the last year I have blind tasted all of the Kirkland Signature brand Costco wine. I’ve culled out all the duds and here I share with you the best of the best Costco wine. Fun fact! Prosecco only recently approved the use of “rosé” under the Prosecco name. 2021, is the first year we’re seeing Prosecco Rosé on the shelves. If you’re looking for a good Costco Kirlkand sparkling wine, this is it. What can’t be beat is the price. Most opening price point Prosecco is about double this, usually $12-$15. So if you want to save a few bucks with your pink bubbles, Costco is the way to go. For this one, I tasted the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc and Costo wines together. I wanted to see if one of the most consumed wines on the planet held up to the Costco wine. Interestingly enough, the Costco wine was my favorite, as it is more balanced. And, you can’t beat the Costco wine price. This one checked all the boxes for this sommelier. Chablis is made from the Chardonnay grape and tends to be made in a style with little (or no) oak influence. The Chardonnay grape really sings with Chablis, and this was no exception. This Costco wine is austere and has bracing acid. Everything you could want in a Chablis. This is perhaps my favorite Costco Chardonnay. Chablis Cha-blam! There is a sea of unremarkable Pinot Grigio in this world, but in my opinion, this is the best Pinot Grigio at Costco. For starters, if you want to Up Your Pinot Grigio game, here are two things to look for on the label. Friuli is a smaller sub-area within the classic Pinot Grigio region. They’re known for making better, more interesting Pinot Grigio. Another thing to look for on the label is DOC Delle Venezie. Higher quality Pinot Grigio, usually for only a couple more bucks. Bottom line, at $4.99 (I can’t believe these Costco wine prices), this is your go to Pinot Grigio PORCH POUNDER. Grocery store California Chardonnay at this price point is pretty terrible. It’s so oaky and buttery, you’d think you’re still living in 1994, in the heyday of oaky, buttery Chardonnay and AquaNet. This Costco Chardonnay is not gratuitous in its use of oak and malo notes (which is what gives the “buttery” feel), but it does have a starring role in the wine. So if you’re Cali Chardcore (see what I did there?), this wine is a steal at $7. The Costco brand wine here is a winner. The touch of oak here in this Costco Chardonnay felt like a nice warm hug. The Costco brand wine is a solid choice and one I would not hesitate the buy anytime I’m looking for the best Costco wines. I am still in sheer shock that Costco makes a Barolo in their private label. Shows you how much I know about Costco and their wine program! For the record, Barolo is one of the most revered and respected wines in the world, and usually with a price tag to match. Sure, you can find good quality Barolo in the $40-$50 range. But Costco Barolo at $20!??!! Crazy talk! Run, don’t walk, to grab a case of Costco Barolo. These are words I never thought I’d utter! Not too shabby with this Alexander Valley Costco wine Cabernet Sauvignon. And for the record, I got no problem with pyrazines, the green bell pepper note, typically found in Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has a healthy dose of pyrazines and I dig it. And at less than $10 a bottle, what’s not to love with this Costco wine? Another winner here for Costco wine Cabernet Sauvignon. A varietally correct wine at a killer price. We don’t need to overcomplicate things. This is good wine. One of my favorite wines, as my family hails from Argentina. In Argentina, Malbec is as ubiquitous as water….it practically comes out of the water faucets! Malbec almost always hovers around the $10 range….so not a huge cost savings here, but still a solid Malbec wine Costco pick. Another winner here for Costco Old Vine Zinfandel. Lots of deep juicy plump fruit on this Sonoma Old Vine Zin. This is the perfect Costco Old Vine Zinfandel to cash in with your barbecue take out. Here in LA that means Bludso’s BBQ. It’s a way of life. Another winner here for Kirkland Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. A great price for a simple, entry level Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. A super pleasant, drinkable, solid Costco wine. This Châteauneuf-du-Pape Costco wine is a great damn bottle at only $22.99. If you are interested in trying some Old World classic wine regions, Costco is an easy place to start, and this Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a perfect example. That way you don’t have to fuss with knowing producers and trying to read French and what not. Try classic wine regions at Costco and if you like something, then venture to your local wine shop and say “hey I just recently discovered _____, what have you got?” Another SOLID Côtes du Rhône wine Costco bottle for you to add to the list. And the price, I mean, come on. If you compare this to pretty much ANY grocery store red at this price, this one will win. I bet you $100! Côtes du Rhône is a blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and really is the “original red blend”. Somewhere along the way in the last few years, consumers have fallen in love with red blends. Not sure why, but I think it’s the advertising and endcaps of crappy, commercial grocery store wines like Apothic, Menage a Trois, and others. Try this wine against any of those grocery store red blends and you’ll instantly taste that this is a superior Costco wine. It’s dry, fruity, and balanced, which is more than I can say for that cheap grocery store glug. This should be your go to under $10 bottle of house red. Honestly, I cannot believe the price here for this Costco Chianti. DOCG signifies that we are at the top of the Italian quality pyramid. How the hell does a Costco wine do that for $7.99? A simple red sauce pasta would go perfectly with this Chianti Classico Riserva. Hands down, this is the best Cabernet Sauvignon at Costco. With this Costco wine review, we are squarely in the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon category. Which isn’t for everyone! I’m talking about big juicy fruit, big tannin structure, high alcohol, extraction, essentially: more is more. That is what Napa Valley is known for. With this wine, we are specifically in Oakville, one of the sub AVAs of Napa Valley. Oakville is known for all of these big structural elements, but one of the key hallmarks of Oakville (and why it is so prized), is that their wines are known for having balance. None of the structural elements stand out and jut ahead of the others. I was so damn pleased with this wine, and would grab a megaphone if I had one, to tell you to go buy some now. How’s that for a positive Costco wine review! An insane and complex finish of coffee beans, cigar box, and sweet tobacco. Plus, this is only a 2019. I believe this wine has all of the elements to age and evolve beautifully. Seriously, go buy a case. And have one bottle a year for the next decade. You’re welcome. Three More Costco Wines To Try Costco Wine Review: Willamette Valley Pinot Noir and Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon Check out my article on Decanter: Decanter Best: Costco Kirkland Signature Wines: Top Buys from the USKirkland Signature Prosecco Rosé DOC (Veneto, Italy) $6.99
Kirkland Signature Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) $6.99
Kirkland Signature Chablis Premier Cru (Burgundy, France) $17.79
Kirkland Signature Pinot Grigio (Friuli, Italy) $4.99
Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay $6.99
Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Chardonnay $12.99
Kirkland Signature Barolo DOCG 2016 $19.99
Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley, Sonoma, CA) $9.99
Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, WA) $8.99
Kirkland Signature Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) $6.99
Kirkland Signature Old Vine Zinfandel (Sonoma County, CA) 2018 $9.99
Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $14.99
Kirkland Signature Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Rhône Valley, France) $22.99
Kirkland Signature Côtes du Rhône Villages (Rhône Valley, France) $6.99
Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG $7.99
Kirkland Signature Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley $19.99
If you’re looking for more information on Costco wines, check out some of my past blogs below:
