Right on schedule for this one; usually lands around July 4th holiday. And this is one of our favorite Kirkland wines, so we couldn't wait to dig into the latest vintage.
Last year we went 93 points on the 2020 vintage. That caps a nice run of 92-93 points scores from us over the years since this wine was introduced.
2020 vintage: 93 points
2019 vintage: 93 points
2017 vintage: 93 points
2016 vintage: 92 points
2015 vintage: 92 points
All indications on the label seem to point to this wine being made by the same producer (band on the top of the bottle reads "Simone Tablino" who we believe is the winemaker. Another reader received this info from the distributor: "The producer is a very well-known and established estate in the heart of the Barolo growing area, in Serralunga d’Alba." More info here in the comments)
The price is also staying the same as it's always been, $19.99; you can't beat that for good Barolo. And good it is once again.
Medium garnet in the glass, beautiful nose of red fruit and earth; medium in body; more tannic this time around, making it a nice candidate for additional age and development. Powerhouse of flavor, red and dark fruit; black cherry; touch of anise and leather in the finish which hangs on forever.
This remains one of our favorite Kirkland bottles, and we're going to keep that 93 point score steady for this new vintage as well.
What a buy, and for all you looking for good cellar bottles, here's a perfect one that we think will develop beautifully over a handful of years.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 93 points (a Costco Wine Top Pick)
Costco item number: 1355183
Availability: We buy our wine in Costco warehouses around the Atlanta area. The best way to locate wines near you is by using the new Costco mobile app and searching with the Costco item number we listed above.
Alc. 14.5%
Patrick says
FYI - there is a new KS Bordeaux out. St. Emilion Grand Cru. 83% merlot, 14% cab franc, 3% cab sauv. I found it in Canton, OH and my daughter found it in her IL store. $14.99.
Editor says
Yes. We’ve been looking for it. The Costco app shows it in stock near us but we drove to two different warehouses and it wasn’t there. Frustrating. Hopefully we find it soon. Early reports are very positive.
Ted Janssen says
I just found it this morning in North Port, FL. Can’t wait to try it!
Henry says
Wound the Item number happen to be 488488? I see it listed as Low Stock in a NoVA Costco but was there last Sunday and did not see it. Price is $36.99.
Picked up a pair of the Barolo's while I was there three weeks ago.
Bob says
"Simone Tablino"
I found the following at a website fittingly titled LoveLanghe, and where he is staff writer...
Simone Tablino was born in Turin in1980 and lives in Alba. He graduated from the University of Turin in 2007 with a Bachelor’s degree in Viticulture and Enology. He’s been working since 2004 as laboratory technician for the wine company Fontanafredda S.r.l. in Serralunga d’Alba, where he conducts chemical, microbiological, enzymatic and sensorial analysis on musts and wines. He is member of the professional Italian association Assoenologi.
Kevin says
I had high expectations after reading the reviews. I disagree with the “powerhouse of flavor” description. I thought it underdelivered in flavor and was not a great accompaniment to my entree. I did not finish the bottle and will give away the remaining two.
Brandon says
If you’re located near Phoenix and still need to donate, let me know lol. I will say it needs some decent aeration to really show off the floral notes and become less harsh with the tannins, but I’ve been drinking these so much I can’t keep up.
Brandon says
I’ll piggy back on here and say that you definitely should buy as much of this as you have room for. Wine spectator has already said this vintage of Barolo will be a 95-98 based on conditions which is stupid high. No word yet on the drinking window but the high tannic structure suggests that this will age amazingly, as Andrew pointed out.
ted says
the wine was no good. 85.
Gary L says
Oddly enough, we're still only seeing stock of the 2020 Barolo here in Kona, HI. Maybe it's on a slow boat from the mainland while Costco waits for me (and others!) to finish up their stock of last year's vintage...
Parker says
I had high expectations for this Barolo. Unfortunately it did not really deliver.
I mean it's not really "bad", precisely, and it's not like this tastes very "low quality", specifically, but it's just not really that good.
It is very dry, if you like dry. There's a definite note of "tar" in the aroma, which is characteristic of this grape variety and is good. But other than that, it doesn't really seem to have much flavor, and between the dryness and the lack of flavor it just seems to be a little "flat", and not really enjoyable.
I think I enjoyed the cheap Nebbiolo from Trader Joe's more than this (and the reviews all say that isn't the best Nebbiolo).