It’s time for our annual round up of Costco wines that we think will pair nicely with the Thanksgiving holiday.  This year’s list is compiled from wines available right now at the Costco in Irvine, CA.  We can’t guarantee that all of these same wines will be in your local warehouse, but we hope that you’re able to find a few of them.

Our general feeling with regards to pairing wines with the Thanksgiving meal is that it’s an open ticket.  There’s really no right or wrong, so we cover a lot of different styles and varietals, all of which could be winners.

Let us know in the comments below any other suggestions you have or thoughts on these wines.  And thanks as always for following the site.

Let’s get into the wines.

2015 Scott Family Estate Chardonnay Arroyo Seco

This is the first of a few different Chardonnays we list.  While we haven’t reviewed this wine for the site, we have tasted it several times and found it to be well balanced with flavors of pear, green apple and notes of vanilla with a touch of creaminess.  Costco price is $13.89 which is the best we’ve seen (it ranges from $17-$25 online).

2016 Far Niente Napa Chardonnay

This the most expensive wine on the list but worth every penny if you want to enjoy a higher end Napa Chardonnay from an iconic producer.  Another solid price, 10-15% below most other outlets, this wine really lets the great fruit shine through with the perfect balance of oak and vanilla.  Beautiful stuff here.

2014 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is a classic Thanksgiving meal pairing and one our favorites as well, so this is the first of two excellent Pinots we found.  Solid price (as seems to be the theme here), on a wine that’s versatile enough to have before, during or after the meal.  Flavors of strawberry and blackberry, and overall rather full bodied.  A great pick.

2016 Willamette Valley Vineyards Whole Cluster Pinot Noir

We’ve always had an affinity for this wine.  This is a young wine that’s bursting with flavor and one that is intended to be enjoyed in its youth.  If you like fruit forward, juicy Pinot that’s very much alive, this is the one for you.

2013 Gerard Bertrand Minervois Red Blend

Gerard Bertrand wines make two appearances on this list.  Every wine they produce seems to be a winner, and the Minervois Syrah and Carignan blend is a stand out for sure.  For $12, this is a screaming buy and one that several readers have written to us about.  A versatile blend that can go with about anything, anytime, including Thanksgiving.

2015 Kirkland Signature Premier Cru Chablis

This is the first time we’ve seen the 2015 vintage of this Kirkland white, and while we found the prior vintage to fall a little short of expectations, we are including on the list because at $15 you just don’t see wines from this area.  So give this one a shot, I hope it’s a step up from last year.  We are curious to hear any thoughts, and hope to review soon of course.

2016 Gerard Bertrand Cote Des Roses Languedoc

Wine expert and personality Gary Vaynerchuk is recommending Rose this year for Thanksgiving as part of his wine club, and we’re down for giving it a shot.  This blend of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault is  another wine that we enjoyed a lot of this summer but didn’t have a chance to post about.  It’s a solid buy for only $12.

2015 Terra D’Oro Zinfandel Amador County

We had to pop this one on the list.  We wanted to include a Zin as they frequently get overlooked this time of the year.  This a super value priced Zin from Amador county that is packed with jammy, juicy blackberry flavors with a little spice.  A nice one to warm up to when it’s chilly outside.

2012 Vina Real Reserva Rioja

This is another reader favorite and a 92 point Parker wine.  The current vintage in stores is a 2012 so it has a little age built in which is a bonus.  We always feel Rioja can pair with anything, and you might see one of these Riojas open at my table this year.

2016 Kirkland Signature Cotes du Rhone Villages

If you’re entertaining a few people this year, you might be looking for a good quantity buy.  Look no further.  For only $7 a bottle, this is a very drinkable, even enjoyable wine, from a great region that will please most red wine fans.  I love to have these bottles on hand because you can pop them open anytime, and keep them rolling one right after another.  [Our Review]

2016 MacRostie Chardonnay Sonoma County

Our final bottle on the list, and our third Chardonnay is one of our favorites.  We think this wine is a beauty, a perfectly balanced and nicely structured Chardonnay that puts out plenty of fruit with layers of complexity.  A surprising find in this price range, and a bottle that has now become one of our go-to Chardonnays.

OK, that’s it; quite a few bottles this year on the list so we hope you find and enjoy them.

– Editor