It’s back and I know a few of you have already dug into this one.  The Kirkland Rioja is always a treat, largely for the fact that this wine is priced at only $6.99, which is just impossible to beat.

I really raved about the last batch of this to hit stores which was the 2010 vintage we reviewed about a year ago, so I was anxious to give this new one a shot.  In my opinion, it’s good, definitely one to stock up on given the super low price, but not quite as powerful and complex as I remember the 2010 hitting me.

As I said in the prior year review, the beauty is the price.  If you want a totally drinkable everyday red, this is it, and for $6.99 it’s hard to say anything negative about it.  The wine pours dark with light aromas of earth, oak and spice.

In the mouth, the wine is medium in body, softening tannins from three years in the barrel; flavors are mostly red fruits, cherry, plum, some raisin, with a touch of anise; finishes nice, super dry.

This is a wine that definitely benefits from a decant.  Pour a little taste out of the bottle to get an idea of what you have, but then I’d give it 45-60 minutes in the decanter as it started to shine after a little air.

I shouldn’t say this because people who work at Costco probably read this blog, but this wine would be great at $9.99.  At $6.99 it’s a steal.  I’m going 87 points, one point less than I gave the 2010 vintage.

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 points

Costco item number: 917056

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA

Alc. 13.5%