A Costco CabSauv that Checks All the Boxes – Well, Almost All

Fast Facts:

• 2019 Kirkland Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Suscol Vineyard, Napa Valley, California ($16.99 @Costco in California – Item #1491800)

 

The march of Kirkland Signature wines continues unabated.  The flood gates have opened and we are not complaining.  This is one of our favorites and we were delighted to see this just show up in our local Costco.

We reviewed the 2018 and were hoping that this 2019 rendition was as good. Spoiler alert: it was.

The packaging alone – and the information on the front of the bottle – sets the bar pretty high in terms of our expectations for this wine.  It has a lot of the attributes that you would see on a bottle in a Napa Valley tasting room priced over $75.  Sometimes well over.

For starters, the glass. It is a elegant silk-screened bottle.  That is pretty rare at this price point. And it is Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, after all. That is not exceptionally rare, but the fact that this crafted entirely from the esteemed Suscol Vineyard gives it a lot of additional “street cred”.  At least on my street…

 

Tasting Notes:

Pours a deep ruby in the glass or, in this case, in the decanter shown above.  I found the nose a bit closed, but got notes of forest floor, dark red fruit and savory spice.  In the mouth it is full and rich, with flavors of dark fruit, black and blue berries and notes of mocha. Nice acidity and spice on the finish.  This is a relatively young CabSauv, and while it is not required, I found it benefitted from decanting.

We suggested in our subject line that there was an unchecked box (or two) with this wine, implying something is missing.  Actually there are two things missing (or at least inconspicuous) with this bottling: high tannins and flavors imparted by lots of aging in new oak barrels.  As we often state in these posts, a lot of the flavors that wine drinkers enjoy in their wines (especially in red wines) are flavors that actually come from oak. Think flavors of toast, vanilla, baking spices and not surprisingly: wood.  In some respects, the fact that this wine is not a high tannin, over oaked palate-crusher makes it a better food wine. It lets more fruit expression shine through. It would pair really nicely with leaner cuts of meat, hard cheeses and even red sauce Italian cuisine.

One other thing that is missing in this wine?  The ultra high alcohol levels usually associated with high end Napa Cabs. This one clocks in at “just” 14.5%. which balances nicely.

All things considered, this wine reminds me of Cabernet-based wines from Bordeaux. That’s not a bad thing…

 

 

 

Need More Wine Picks from Costco – or Trader Joe’s Even?

If your wine shopping excursions land you in Costco, prepare by grazing our most recent reviews of Costco wines here in our Lucky 13 list.

And if your shopping finds you at Trader Joe’s, you can find our Lucky 13 list of TJ’s wine here.

Happy hunting.

 

Cheers!