There are some interesting Kirkland bottles floating around Costco stores nationwide right now. This is definitely one that caught our attention.
It’s a straight Napa Valley Cabernet, not the blend that we’ve reviewed for several vintages (or the older Napa County, not Valley), and not the appellation designated Cabs (Stags, Rutherford, Oakville).
This is a first sighting of this wine for us, although according the Costco placard, the wine was produced in a 2017 vintage. The $14.99 price tag is intriguing as the other Kirkland Napa Cabs (mentioned above) are $20+. We also hoped this would be a step up from the Kirkland Napa Red Blend that we’ve found to be on the mediocre side of things, even at its $11 price point.
There are also sightings from readers of a Kirkland Suscol Single Vineyard Napa Cabernet for $16.99. We can’t wait to try that, so fingers crossed that appears in our Atlanta area stores soon. If anyone’s pulled a cork on one of those please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Back to this Napa Cabernet, it pours a deep purple in the glass with juicy berries, herbs on the nose. Mostly dark fruit, blueberry, black cherry, boysenberry; a little bit of spice and vanilla, acidic and dry in the finish. Good depth; youthful still.
We found it very drinkable but not unbelievable. Almost exactly what you expect from a good Napa Cabernet and therefore we’d say it’s a fair buy at $14.99 and better than most Napa Cabs in that price range.
But more than anything it made me want to find that Suscol Vineyard one even more. We’re going to go a respectable 88 points on this wine. It’s several steps up from the Kirkland Napa Red Blend (that we rated 86 points), so worth a few more bucks.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 88 points
Costco item number: 929290
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Kennesaw)
Alc. 14%
Wade Wells
Friday 30th of April 2021
I enjoyed a Kirkland Suscol Single Vineyard Napa Cabernet enough to return to buy a case (in Northern Virginia). I usually cellar such reds for 5-10 years. With a little effort the vineyard map on the label can be matched to Google maps, 2 blocks east of where Suscol Creek meets the Napa River.
Jeff Hullinger
Thursday 22nd of April 2021
The Napa Valley 2018 cab I found underwhelming. The Suscol was very good value at $16.99, but nothing really special IMO.
Other wines from Costco that I regard as better values include J. Lohr cab, the Galets Blonds 2017 Chateauneuf du Pape, and the incredible Woodwork cab when you can get it at the $5.99 price. Just perfectly varietal cabernet sauvignon at a ridiculous price.
Tony Pellegrini
Tuesday 20th of April 2021
We cracked this open last night. It definitely improved with time. I would suggest at least 30 minutes in a glass before judgement is passed. Quite delicious and a great value! To get a single vineyard napa cab for $17 is unheard of these days.
Richard
Monday 19th of April 2021
Barrett Pkwy store in Kennesaw has the KS Suscol Vineyard. Grabbed a bottle today but have not yet opened. Winemaker is Jeff McBride.
Joe R Roberts
Monday 19th of April 2021
I just picked up another bottle of the Suscol Vineyard Napa Cab from the Missoula, Mt. Costco.--- was just there to visit family. A couple of weeks earlier I had picked up a bottle while traveling in the southwest. It appears to be in short supply and is perhaps "experimental" to see what the reception is to the single vineyard designation. Very good juice---- deep and rich even though quite young (2018). Perhaps most impressive though is the label---it' quite the work of art. Jeff McBride is listed as the winemaker and I am not familiar with him. Also just got my hands (and mouth) on the 2019 Chateauneuf-de-Pape. I thought it was stunning---perhaps the best one they have made, particularly following the 2018 which I thought was a little weak.