This is the second year in a row that the Kirkland Barolo is arriving in the June / July timeframe. For the first few years of its existence, it hit stores in the first quarter of the year. So we would get a little nervous when it didn’t show up.
Regardless, we’re happy to see it arrive with the new 2020 vintage. As regular readers know, this is one of our favorite, and most highly rated, wines in the Kirkland Signature portfolio.
And it’s always nice to see that $19.99 price tag stay the same. That remains ridiculous for a Barolo of any kind and in this case, the quality has always been there to back it up.
Looking back over the years, the bottle hits the 92-93 mark every time.
2019 vintage: 93 points
2017 vintage: 93 points
2016 vintage: 92 points
2015 vintage: 92 points
We mentioned in our review of the 2019 vintage a year ago, that it appears to have skipped the 2018 vintage. We were hoping readers might have more insight, but we didn’t hear from anyone who found a 2018 vintage of this wine which is odd.
So the big question is whether we’re keep this streak alive…and the answer is yes we are. This 2020 vintage is a very nice wine; similar tasting notes to the past few years.
The wine pours a medium garnet in the glass; beautiful aromatics of floral and spice; medium in body with really nice flavor of ripe berries, black cherry; surrounded by notes of anise, mocha, vanilla; big acidity, lasting finish.
A signature Barolo, just we hoped for. Pair with anything. 93 points once again.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 93 points (a Costco Wine Top Pick)
Costco item number: 1355183
Purchased at Costco in: Atlanta, GA (Woodstock)
Alc. 14%
James
Thursday 15th of August 2024
I have been trying to find this 2020 KS Barolo at the San Francisco Costco store for the last two months. No luck. Finally called the store and was told that they (someone at a corporate level) stopped ordering it for some unknown reason. The SF store carried the 2019 KS Barolo last year until it sold out. Very frustrating, especially when I read below that it is available in other Costco stores outside of California.
Cassandra
Saturday 21st of September 2024
@James, thank you for your comment. I thought I was going crazy when I didn’t see it in any bay area stores.!
Randy
Thursday 18th of July 2024
Tons of this available at Perimeter Atlanta yesterday 7/17/24
Doug
Wednesday 17th of July 2024
I was really pleased to see this wine appear in my local store in the PNW. I'm hoping the cross-country distribution means there's a lot of it. :)
I agree with the earlier comment that it benefits from decanting. With a little air it's just a delicious wine that does taste a bit like a pinot noir with some spice to it. I'm looking forward to cellaring some to see how it ages.
Brandon
Monday 15th of July 2024
I just got this where I live in the Phoenix metro area. I opened and decanted a little over half the bottle. It’s slightly rough at the start. But if you decant the heck out of it and give it time it’s pretty brilliant by the end. It actually kinda reminds me of a Pinot that’s on the bolder side. I bet this will age amazingly. It really gains some elegance and velvet after a longer decant. (Context: I’m new to Barolo.)
Roger X Cohn
Sunday 14th of July 2024
Thank you. I have been hesitant to buy Kirkland brand red wines. I have tried the sparkling whites and although not bad I found it better to spend the extra dollar(s) for a name brand. I will give the reds a try. Especially the Brunellos and Bordeauxs.