Here’s another Kirkland wine that I’ve been anxiously awaiting – the 2013 Signature Series Napa Cab.  I really enjoyed the 2012 vintage of this wine, which was a fantastic growing year, and 2013 was according to some accounts, almost equally as good.

For those new to the Kirkland Napa Valley wine game, here’s a brief overview [if you want to get to the wine review skip the next 2 paragraphs].  Napa Valley as you may know if broken up into several different regions.  This includes prominent areas such as Oakville, Rutherford, Stag’s Leap and St Helena.  Each of the different “districts” if you will, have a unique style and character to their wines, even though they are grown in relative proximity to one another.  Here’s a good map of the area broken up by wine district.

When you buy a nice Napa wine, you should always note where it came from within Napa.  That way, you can start to build an understanding of the nuances between areas and find the wines that you like best.  When it comes to Kirkland wines, they source grapes from many of the different  districts within Napa, and proudly display what those are on the bottles’ label.  So we just reviewed the Kirkland Oakville Cabernet, which is a favorite of mine.  And not too long ago we tried the Stag’s Leap, which I also enjoy very much.  The Meritage is always a popular wine and that is combination of Bordeaux varietals from around the Valley, unless specified (sometimes there’s a Rutherford Meritage which is a solid buy consistently).

Today’s wine is the straight Napa Kirkland offering meaning the grapes have been assembled from multiple districts around the area.  So having a good vintage is key.  This wine starts off with a pleasant nose, fresh, young and strong.  I get a lot of red berry like a freshly opened pack of Nibs; I think that candy note extends throughout this wine.  It’s very nice in the mouth and mid-palate; has a bit of a ramp up that starts with dark chocolate and coffee and ramps up toward a red cherry fruit and more Nibs/licorice.  Finishes a little abruptly which is the only area I would expect a bit more.

Overall, a very impressive offering here, and especially for the price ($19.99).  This wine could easily hang next to a Frank Family or Freemark Abbey Cabernet, that costs twice as much (and yes, I know Costco sells both of those, and a side by side with this bottle would be very interesting).

CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points

Costco item number: 444410

ABV: 14.6%

Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Kennesaw)