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It’s that time of year again.
In our biggest Costco wine roundup to date, this year’s review features 25 bottles from the chain’s Kirkland private label. Unlike during the past two years, local branches of the big-box retailer are well stocked this holiday season.
The white wines have scored higher than the reds in past editions of this annual review. But this year, the Old World reds blew us away. Ranging from $13 to $19, these vinos are a better bang for your buck than the popular $8 bottles many shoppers go for.
Missing in our roundup are the boxed wines and the 1.5-liter bottles. I and Owen Bargreen, a certified Level 2 sommelier, skipped those plonks this year since we found so many more interesting releases.
We’ve made the ranking reader-friendly, grading each bottle “highly recommended,” “recommended” or “not recommended.” Read on for our review of 25 bottles.
NV Kirkland Signature Asolo Prosecco
11% alcohol, $7.99
Owen: Plenty of ripe peach and sweetened apple flavors. This would be fantastic in a mimosa. Drink between 2023 and 2026.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: Maybe the most beloved Costco wine because it checks all the boxes: affordable, accessible and available at every Costco. But Owen, this isn’t the best Costco prosecco.
Verdict: recommended
NV Kirkland Signature Prosecco Rosé
11% alcohol, $7.99
Tan: The prosecco rosé is more complex and a better value. Goes great with Asian takeout. A prosecco rosé this good would cost you at least twice as much at other retail outlets.
Verdict: highly recommended
Owen: Agreed. This has salty French bread and bright, red fruit flavors and nutty accents. Drink 2023-2026.
Verdict: highly recommended
2022 Kirkland Signature Moscato D’Asti
5% alcohol, $7.99
Owen: This wine offers sweetened nectarine, gooseberry and kiwi flavors alongside a bright sense of minerality on the palate. Bright and delicious. You won’t find a moscato better than this at this price. Drink 2023-2026.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: Owen and I don’t compare notes while judging, but we couldn’t help but crack a smile after tasting this moscato. A perfect patio sipper, this goes down easy because it clocks in at only 5% alcohol. It mimics a lychee wine cooler, so syrupy and luscious with tropical fruit.
Verdict: highly recommended
NV Kirkland Signature Brut Champagne
12% alcohol, $19.99
Owen: From Janisson, a grand cru site located in Verzenay, France, this brut combines pinot meunier, pinot noir and chardonnay. Right away, this shows nice biscuit and hazelnut tones on the nose alongside rich orchard fruits. The palate is refined with a soft texture and medium concentration. Drink 2023-2027.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: This favorite flies off the shelves around New Year’s Eve, so stock up. You can’t find Champagne this good for under $20 elsewhere. It’s as good a value as Costco’s popular rotisserie chicken ($4.99) and hot dog-soda combo ($1.50).
Verdict: highly recommended
2022 Kirkland Signature Friuli Grave Pinot Grigio
12.5% alcohol, $4.99
Owen: This pinot grigio is boring and devoid of flavors. With higher quality pinot grigio, you get a brighter level of acidity. Not here. But this remains a good value, with pear, wet stone and kiwi flavors. Drink 2023-2025.
Verdict: recommended
Tan: This was the same vintage we reviewed last year, yet it lacks the same brightness, Owen. Of all the Costco wine staples, this was the most disappointing. I would pay more for an Italian pinot grigio than sip this bland wine.
Verdict: not recommended
2022 Kirkland Signature Ti Point Sauvignon Blanc
12.5% alcohol, $7.49
Owen: Crafted by Tracy Haslam of Ti Point Vineyard in Marlborough, New Zealand, this is the same vintage that we reviewed last year, but this might have lost a touch of finesse. But it still shows plenty of mouthwatering acidity. And it’s bright on the mouth, with green apple, lime zest and shades of wet rock all combining on the palate. Drink 2023-2025.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: A cross between a Sprite and a green apple Jolly Rancher with some flinty, mineral notes, this sauvignon blanc is a good value for under $8.
Verdict: recommended
2021 Kirkland Signature Premier Cru Chablis
12.5% alcohol, $18.99
Owen: Made by winemaker Pierre Brissy, this was stored for 12 months in stainless steel tanks before bottling. Brightly colored in the glass, this offers a smooth mouthfeel, loaded with rich citrus fruit flavors alongside walnut and shades of salty soils. This is such a killer value, as wines this good from this region would be at least $10 more elsewhere. Drink 2023-2030.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: The best in our tasting this year. I’ve blind-tasted this $18.99 bottle with three other Chablis wines in the $40 range, and this cult wine topped them all. If all you did with your $60 Costco membership was buy cases of this Chablis, you got your money’s worth.
Verdict: highly recommended
2022 Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay
13.5% alcohol, $7.99
Owen: The slightly sweet chardonnay is smooth on the mouth with layers of toasty French bread, buttercream and Golden Delicious apple. Drink 2023-2026.
Verdict: recommended
Tan: This bottle is popular with Costco fans, but we both agreed it’s not terribly complex or interesting. This white has appeal because it’s hard to find a chardonnay from this region in this price range. Other $10 California chards at Grocery Outlet and other discount retailers are just awful.
Verdict: recommended
2019 Kirkland Signature Barolo
13.5% alcohol, $19.99
Owen: Soft and approachable, this Barolo possesses light tannins that line a beautiful core of sour red guava, red cherry and cranberry flavors. Drink 2023-2030.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: I’ve had glasses of Barolo at bistros for $20 that weren’t as good as this $20 bottle. If you’re a fan of Nebbiolo, buy a case. It’s a bargain.
Verdict: highly recommended
2022 Kirkland Signature Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
13.5% alcohol, $11.99
Owen: Made by winemaker Glenn Hugo, this is pretty basic in terms of flavor range, with cola and light red fruits that mingle well with citrus accents. A good match for barbecue. Drink 2023-2025.
Verdict: recommended
Tan: Russian River makes the best pinot in America. But this isn’t the best representation of this famed region. It tastes like a flat Coke. You can do better.
Verdict: not recommended
2019 Kirkland Signature Chianti Classico Gran Selezione
14% alcohol, $17.99
Owen: Aged for 30 months in Slavonian oak casks, this Chianti shows refined tannins that combine with worn leather, red rose water and kumquat zest flavors alongside bright red fruits. Dusty tannins and salty soil accents complete this beautiful bottling that finishes long with copious minerals. Drink 2023-2030.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: Oh man, this would go great with Chinese food, especially Sichuan cumin lamb and Peking duck.
Verdict: highly recommended
2018 Kirkland Signature Brunello Di Montalcino
14% alcohol, $19.99
Owen: Soft and refined on the palate, showing bright Bing cherry and dusty soil notes alongside a ripe mouthfeel and plenty of orange zest flavors. Nicely done; this is very approachable right now with its light tannins and bright core of juicy red fruits. You won’t find a better value in this region. Drink 2023-2032.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: The highest scoring red in our tasting. Still kicking myself for not buying two cases.
Verdict: highly recommended
2020 Kirkland Signature Toscana
14% alcohol, $13.99
Owen: Made by winemaker Alexander Van Beek, this Toscana is dense and rich on the mouth, with a core of juicy boysenberry fruit flavors alongside soft tannins, chocolate and worn-leather notes. This will age well for another seven-plus years. Drink 2023-2030.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: A beautifully crafted Toscana with bursts of ripe cherries, baking spices and cocoa with a velvety finish. Goes well with red sauce pasta and pizza.
Verdict: highly recommended
2022 Kirkland Signature Côtes du Rhône Villages
14.5% alcohol, $7.49
Owen: Produced by Patrick Lesec, this blends Mourvèdre, syrah and grenache. It has garrigue and sweetened blackberry flavors that combine with black olive, tar and black licorice notes on the palate. Drink 2023-2026.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: Our highest rated red in the under-$8 category.
Verdict: highly recommended
2021 Kirkland Signature Gigondas
14% alcohol, $13.99
Owen: This outstanding Gigondas was made by winemaker Guillaume Gonnet and blends 85% grenache with smaller parts Mourvèdre and syrah. Soft on the mouth, this shows a beautiful purity of red fruit flavors with tobacco leaf, smoked brisket, black olives and salty soils that all meld beautifully on the palate. Rich and showing good flavor density, this might be a slight step down from the 2020 vintage, but it remains one of the best wines in this lineup. Drink 2023-2028.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: A tad young, but a stellar Rhône, this French vin is collecting dust at Costco because Gigondas isn’t a household name to most shoppers.
Verdict: highly recommended
2021 Kirkland Signature K Vine Syrah
15% alcohol, $9.99
Owen: Sourced from the great Frenchman Hills Vineyard, this is juicy and rich, with menthol and smoked meats alongside dense and forward dark-fruit flavors. This has sweetness yet is well structured. Drink 2023-2028.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: Only in the Costco universe can you snatch a Washington syrah this good for $10.
Verdict: highly recommended
2021 Kirkland Signature Bordeaux Supérieur
14% alcohol, $6.99
Tan: To follow that comes the worst wine in our tasting. Shoppers were loading their carts with this plonk at the Sodo Costco branch since it’s such a cheap Bordeaux. You know where the return line is, right?
Verdict: not recommended
Owen: Lean and angular, this is devoid of dark fruit flavors with plenty of leafy green notes with heavy tannins. Drink 2023-2027.
Verdict: not recommended
2020 Kirkland Signature Saint-Julien Bordeaux
13% alcohol, $18.69
Owen: Bottled at Maison Ginestet, this Bordeaux is a blend of mostly merlot (76%) with the remainder being cabernet sauvignon. The wine is soft and refined, showing light tannins alongside a beautiful core of wet cobblestones, black tea, blackberry fruits and shades of milk chocolate. Delicious, elegant and really good even in its youth. Drink 2023-2033.
Verdict: recommended
Tan: This comes from the Saint-Julien region, home of famed wines like Chateau Leoville-Barton, Chateau Leoville-Las Cases and Chateau Beychevelle. Cabernet sauvignon is the signature grape of this region, but this wine is merlot dominant, which is unusual. I’m getting bursts of plum and blueberries and, on the finish, some coffee. This wine debuted at Costco last year and is one to keep an eye on.
Verdict: recommended
2020 Kirkland Signature K Vine Wahluke Slope Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon
14% alcohol, $13.99
Owen: This was a challenging vintage in Washington state due to the smoke from wildfires. Blackberry and coffee-ground flavors line the palate, but you can do way better at this price point. Drink 2023-2026.
Verdict: not recommended
Tan: Is it bad form to criticize a wine that may have been affected by wildfire smoke? Ah, hell, I’m just gonna say it: It’s not drinkable.
Verdict: not recommended
2021 Kirkland Signature Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
14.5% alcohol, $8.99
Owen: This comes off sweet and lacking depth and flavor — lighter saccharin-drenched blackberry and Earl Grey tea flavors. This wine comes off too sweet and out of balance. Considering how good this vintage is, this disappoints. Drink 2023-2025.
Verdict: not recommended
Tan: We make stellar cabs in the Columbia Valley. This is not a good representation of this region.
Verdict: not recommended
2021 Kirkland Signature Series Columbia Valley Red Wine
14.9% alcohol, $16.99
Tan: This is a better representation of the quality in the Columbia Valley. A big, luscious red with bursts of plum and dark fruits from the merlot and syrah. Also present are licorice and cloves on the mid-palate and a lingering finish.
Verdict: highly recommended
Owen: This has good freshness to back up the core of rich black fruits and tobacco leaf flavors with espresso-ground accents. Nicely balanced. Drink 2023-2031.
Verdict: recommended
2020 Kirkland Signature Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
14% alcohol, $9.99
Owen: Coming from a really challenging vintage in Sonoma County that saw major smoke at harvest, this is slightly sweet and lacks depth. Showing some smoke impact in terms of flavor and range. Drink 2023-2026.
Verdict: not recommended
Tan: We both scored the 2019 vintage high, but this was a dud.
Verdict: not recommended
2021 Kirkland Signature Napa Valley Red Blend
14.5% alcohol, $10.99
Tan: This comes off as cloying and saccharine-y, as if it’s been doctored.
Verdict: not recommended
Owen: Yeah, it tastes like someone dumped a bag of C&H sugar in the tank. Overly sweet in terms of its black fruit profile, this really disappoints considering how good the 2021 vintage was in Napa. Drink 2023-2025.
Verdict: not recommended
2021 Kirkland Signature Malbec
14% alcohol, $6.99
Owen: Made at the famed Broquel winery in Mendoza, Argentina, this wine offers alluring chocolate flavors on the nose alongside ripe, dark currants and dusty soils. On the palate lies a rich core of dark fruits alongside espresso-ground and salty nuances. Drink 2023-2027.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: This majestic malbec is one of the highest rated reds in our tasting every year and is readily available at most Costco branches despite the dirt-cheap price tag.
Verdict: highly recommended
Kirkland Signature 10-Year-Old Tawny Porto
20% alcohol, $16.99
Owen: Made by Kobrand producer Vila Nova de Gaia, this has caramel and coffee flavors that combine with ripe golden raisin and cinnamon-laced boysenberry notes on the palate. Smooth and refined- it’s impossible to find something comparable at this price. Drink 2023-2029.
Verdict: highly recommended
Tan: This pairs nicely with chocolate cake. You would score points with your in-laws or boss with this pairing at a dinner party.
Verdict: highly recommended