It's a real treat every year when these Kirkland Chateauneufs hit the shelves. You just can't get into this region for the price that Costco offers ($20) and the wine this year is superb as always.
This is a Rhone blend consisting of 58% Grenache, 23% Syrah, 13% Counoise-Vaccarese, 4% Cinsault and 2% Muscardin-Mourvedre. Don't let a few of the less familiar grapes deter you. This is a solid Rhone red at an unbeatable price. Here's my review of the 2010 (which was a great year), and this year stacks up about the same. An easy Silver Rated wine for the site.
Perfect dark fruit and berry flavor, spice that hits your nose as you take each drink, young juicy mouthfeel that would only get better with a little more age, and a finish that's near perfection. This one could run for a while in the bottle and it might be kind of a fun experiment to drink it again in 2-3 years. If it's still around I might try to snag some for the cellar.
Great wine. A red wine lover's dream at this price. Must buy.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 92 Points (a point up from last year)
Costco item number: 777662
