This wine has been a consistent good value in the past few vintages. It always seems to be popular among members as well, many of whom will confidently tell you it tastes like a bottle that costs twice the price.
For this reason, I have a few each of the 2013 and 2014 releases in my collection for those nights that I'm in the mood for a jammy, fruit-forward wine.
You'd be hard-pressed to find a California Zinfandel that's under 14% alcohol by volume these days. The warm areas in which Zinfandel likes to grow lend berries that are full of sugar, and in order to achieve an appropriate level of phenolic ripeness, winemakers must leave the grapes on the vine long enough to allow this to happen.
This results in wine that has higher alcohol and residual sugar levels. California Zinfandel is popular in the United States for the same reason that Meiomi, Menage-a-Trois, and Apothic wines are: residual sugar. We Americans love our sugar.
The 2015 Kirkland Signature offering boasts a staggering 15.5% ABV, and while there is definitely some heat on the nose and palate, moderate acidity keeps everything in check.
The wine pours somewhere between ruby and garnet red. The nose of ripe red fruits and black plums is moderately intense along with hints of sweet baking spice, particularly cloves. Full and spicy on the palate, ripe fruit persists with blueberries and a very subtle petrol aftertaste (it works here though). The finish is long.
I spent my weekend completing the first level of the Court of Master Sommeliers, and I learned a few things about wine and food pairing that I feel useful to mention here. While there are a few basic principals to wine pairing, there really is no one-size-fits-all rule.
First of all, sugar needs to be matched with sugar. Because this wine has a bit of residual sugar, it would pair well with sauces that are also a little bit sweet. I would avoid pairing this higher-alcohol juice with anything too spicy as it will only accentuate the heat in both.
I think that a rack of BBQ ribs or pulled pork would pair nicely. Grilled pork pairs well with fruit sauces, and so drinking a fruity wine like Zinfandel is completely appropriate for that occasion.
Finally, for the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, this moderately acidic wine will pair well with a high-quality milk chocolate.
Or you could just pair it with a wine glass and call it a day. This is yet another solid Kirkland Signature wine.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 90 Points
Alcohol: 15.5%
Costco Item Number: 908097
Purchased in: Buford, GA
Maria Jette says
I was this yesterday at my Minneapolis-area store, and with trepidation, grasped a tantalizing bottle..."Please, noble Bacchus, let this Kirkland Zin be 14.5 ABV! or LESS!!!" And of course, I was disappointed, and put it back. Your review is just what I imagined the wine would be like, Erin, but I refuse to buy any over-15% wine. Years ago, I subscribed to the Ridge Z List for a couple of years...until I opened a York and thought it would burn the skin off my tongue. That was when I started to pay attention to the ABVs on those zins et al., and coincidentally, when I cancelled that subscription. ALAS! Fortunately, European winemakers are still managing to keep the lid on. FOR NOW.
Maria Jette says
I saw this yesterday at my Minneapolis-area store, and with trepidation, grasped a tantalizing bottle..."Please, noble Bacchus, let this Kirkland Zin be 14.5 ABV! or LESS!!!" And of course, I was disappointed, and put it back. Your review is just what I imagined the wine would be like, Erin, but I refuse to buy any over-15% wine. Years ago, I subscribed to the Ridge Z List for a couple of years...until I opened a York and thought it would burn the skin off my tongue. That was when I started to pay attention to the ABVs on those zins et al., and coincidentally, when I cancelled that subscription. ALAS! Fortunately, European winemakers are still managing to keep the lid on. FOR NOW.
Donna says
When will the 2015 kirklands old vine zinfindale be available in the Costco north Dallas Texas area.
Editor says
Hi Donna, we are independent of Costco so we don’t have any special insight into the distribution of the wines. Wish we did. Keep an eye out though. I’d imagine it’s coming your way soon.
Donna says
Thanks. Finally discovered an incredibly delicious inexpensive Zin... Been waiting since mid October!!!
Tom says
I agree this is an excellent wine. Personally, I think it will improve a bit if laid down for a couple of years. I have the '14's, '13's and a few '12's left also. I uncorked a '12 this weekend and it's still drinking nicely, soft, round, supple, but it did have more of an alcoholic finish.
A heads up to Zin fans. I was in Costco last week and they had a Dynamite Zinfandel, no, that's actually the name (Dynamite Vineyards special release zinfandel 2015). It was only available by the case. I think the sign said reg. $99.99 - $40.00 = $59.99. I think it's the first time I have ever bought a case of wine without having tried a bottle first. I had to wander around the store for a while and think about it, but I've come to trust Costco's wine buyers so I put one in the cart. I opened one that night and drank half of it, pumped the air out of the bottle and finished it off the next night. It improved slightly the second night so it's a worthy wine with some staying power. It was in a plain white box so keep your eyes open and if you see it, pounce! At $5.00 a pop it's.............Dynamite! (sorry, but couldn't resist).
Editor says
Awesome Tom. Thanks for sharing.