It’s hard to really ding some of these Kirkland bottles too much because the price is so low. For a Sonoma Chardonnay, this wine is fine, just ok, about what you would expect at a $10-$12 price point from this area, so kudos to Costco for bringing it in much lower than that.
I looked back and realized that I hadn’t review the Kirkland Sonoma Chardonnay since the 2011 vintage, but my notes on this current vintage are almost exactly the same. The wine starts off with pleasant aromatics, and hints of nice vibrant fruit, some pear, apple, lemon, tropical fruits, but then the wine sags in the middle, dies off a bit and falls into a vanilla, oak and butter contraption that seems disjointed and is just not working for me.
So at $6.99, have at it, maybe as a second or third bottle when you have guests over and their palate has been crushed by an abundance of other wine. Not doing it for me here though.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 84 Points (bonus points included for value price)
Costco item number: 514007
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA
Alc. 13.5%
Darci
Monday 7th of November 2016
Tried once, won't again.
William Hart
Monday 3rd of October 2016
Looks like Costco has changed suppliers on this wine. I was a regular drinker of this wine but no more. Wine is too tart and has a poor finish. 84 points is about right.
Michael Shames
Monday 3rd of October 2016
I agree with your take on this chardonnay. There are some better West Coast chards at this price point. The Columbia Crest and H3 Chardonnays are quite nice, as are the Chateau St. Michelle which is a buck or two more expensive, but supremely superior.