I know everyone has been waiting for some comments from us on the new Kirkland Brunello, which is one of the most anticipated Kirkland bottles of the year.
The '10 and '11 vintages hit stores last year within almost 6 months of each other it seemed. And they were vastly different wines; the '10 was spectacular, a perfect Brunello at the insane price of $25. The '11 was on the opposite side of the spectrum, super light, lacking discernible flavor; it was an ok buy but nowhere near the '10 in our opinion (and we tasted them side by side).
So where does the new '12 vintage fall into the mix? Well, sadly in the middle, and perhaps leaning a little more towards the '11 than the '10 in style, complexity and depth.
If you look at a vintage chart, all three years were pretty good with '10 being a standout and '12 not far behind. So I guess according to the numbers that's how they're lining up for me too.
This is still not a bad wine for only $25. It's light like its predecessor, with spikes of fruit flavor and remains a little uninteresting throughout.
The nose on this wine is excellent, very much alive, particularly after a 1.5 hour decant. Note: this wine needs a good decant as it was super closed out of the bottle as you might guess.
Light mouthfeel, medium in body, with flavors of cherry cola, sour cherry, some tobacco notes, and a little bell pepper even; it's pretty acidic which throws the balance off a tad. Dry finish, wraps up a little too fast.
You aren't going to find too many other Brunellos for $25 so the price is right, but I'd prefer some of the other Chianti Classico bottles that you see at Costco occasionally hovering in that $20 range. Chianti Classico remains a top value region for me, and when you're looking for a quality Sangiovese at a great price and you don't care about having the Brunello badge on the label, it's not a bad way to go.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 87 points
Costco item number: 1001151
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Cumberland)
Alc. 14.5%
JL says
Horrible wine, i have been in italy tasting Brunneloos and am winemaker. Kirkland wine you expect better. Acidity horrible, alcohol in the clouds, it never will be tolerated in Italy