Fast Facts:
- 2021 Kirkland Signature Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California ($12.99 @Costco in California – Item #789895)
In her encyclopedic The Oxford Companion to Wine, author Jancis Robinson refers to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley as a “high quality California wine region and AVA west of Healdsburg along that portion of river that meanders through the hills of northern Sonoma County toward its mouth.”
Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson!
That mouth that she refers to is where the river empties into the Pacific Ocean in the town of Jenner. If you have never explored the Russian River Valley (or Healdsburg and Jenner for that matter) put those on your list of places to see ASAP.
Thanks to the moderating influences of the river, and its opening to the ocean, the Russian River Valley is a world class producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. That the area is also a world class producer of cheese and fine dining options is a nice bonus when you arrive as a wine pilgrim.
Tasting Notes:
We concur with these notes from the bottle: “…bright aromas of lemon blossom, citrus and stone fruit. The elegant and layered expression…is focused around flavors of green apple, pear and fig while French oak gives the wine exotic spice notes and a long lingering finish.” We found this description accurate but would add that we detected notes of vanilla and butter. It’s medium-bodied and strikes a nice balance between the competing popular styles of buttery and austere.
Display of Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Chardonnay at Costco
This is among the finest bottlings under the Kirkland Signature brand in our opinion. And the price of $12.99 has held steady for years – which makes for some righteous QPR, amirite?
And here is a bold prediction about QPR and future wine prices. They are almost certain to get better. You all remember the concept of supply and demand? Well demand for wine is falling (blame young people and their penchant for distilled spirits and cannabis) so supplies will begin to expand. You know the result…and we’re okay with that!
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!