I know several of you saw this one hit stores a few weeks ago, and it finally made it to me. I was excited, not only because I needed to get a review out to everyone, but also because I love good Bordeaux and find these wines to be tremendous values.
The 2014 vintage was a lovely wine, one that we went 91 points on, and felt that it could benefit from a few years in the bottle. So I have a couple in the cellar I plan to crack later.
2014, from a vintage perspective, was the return of France. '14, '15, and '16 in France are shaping up to be monstrous vintages following the decent '12-'13 vintages. Luckily for us '12 and '13 were huge in California, so I'd stock up on those years from CA now (plus '14 from CA), and get ready to fill your French wine void as these newer vintages start hitting stores.
This was my first taste of a '15 Bordeaux, and although a little tight at first, I could tell we had a winner on our hands. This is exceptional juice for only $22.99, and a step up even from last year.
Pauillac is a left bank Bordeaux which means that it is a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend, and may include smaller parts of Merlot, Cab Franc, Carmenere, Petit Verdot and Malbec. I wasn't sure what the varietal breakdown was on this bottle but they did a great job. I'd guess a little lighter on the Cab Franc, as I didn't get as many vegetal/bell pepper notes on this vintage as I did on the '14.
This wine is a combo of red and dark fruit, oak accents towards the finish which is super dry. Nice depth throughout and amazing mouthfeel that I expect will only develop further with age. That said, I'll probably have to lay down a bottle or two to try back to back down the line with the '14 that's in the cellar.
Otherwise, I'd say the '15 is drinking better young than the prior vintage, so have at it now. Give it a little decant to open up. This is strong buy and a perfect example of why you should shop for wine at Costco. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 92 Points (a CostcoWineBlog Recommended Wine)
Costco item number: 1036433
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Kennesaw)
Alc. 13%
Patrick Lanpher says
Hi:
I enjoy your reviews. Keep them up!
One issue I have with Costco is not the taste of the wines they sell, its the selling of the wine. I have found over the years that Costco consistently cites ratings for a wine and vintage that are higher than the reviewer rated them. For instance, in my (Jacksonville, FL) Costco recently, I bought a Columbia Crest 2015 Cab that was advertised as having a Wine Spectator rating of 91 when the actual rating is 89. I use the Wine Spectator ratings for my main guide to judge whether to try a wine or not. Like I said, Costco signage mistakes are NEVER lower than the actual Wine Spectator rating, only higher. Perhaps you could mention this to the sales people so they could take some corrective action.
Editor says
Thanks for the note Patrick and maybe other readers can add to this thread if they’ve seen that happen.
I haven’t seen a case of that yet that I’ve noticed. I have seen a vintage and a score listed on the sign that is different than the vintages available in the bin. That happens a fair amount.
Thanks for sharing this with the group and for following the site.
Terra says
Looked in my Alexandria, VA store today and couldn't find this (2015 KIRKLAND SIGNATURE PAUILLAC BORDEAUX). Any hints?
James says
I really enjoy this blog and am a Costco wine devotee. That said, I tried a bottle of the Pauillac last night and was very disappointed. It was the kind of wine that I'd be happy to buy for $10 and take to a party. It was easy drinking and smooth, but the kind of Bordeaux that makes people think that Bordeaux generally has sold its soul in the name of profits; no structure, no distinctive flavors, little length, and no potential for aging. A far better wine and a far better value, at least in my opinion, is the Chateau Puech-Haut for $10 less than the Pauillac. Cheers.
Editor says
Thanks for the note and comments. Appreciate you sharing.