The Kirkland Russian River Pinot Noir is back in stores with the new 2022 vintage. This one can really vary in quality year to year in our opinion, and the last vintage (2021) was particularly good.
We have the price remaining the same at $11.99 which is ridiculously low for grapes from this area, so props to Costco for continuing to keep the price so reasonable.
One change to note is that we have a new winemaker producing this latest vintage, Glenn Hugo, who makes several other wines in the Kirkland portfolio. Previously, this wine was made by Nancy Walker.
A look at our ratings on the Kirkland Russian River Pinot over the years shows some ups and downs:
2014 86 points
2015 85 points
2016 87 points
2019 86 points
2021 89 points
Again, that 2021 hit us just right. As we get into the new 2022 vintage we feel it's pretty good but a slight step down compared to last year's wine.
Red fruits on the nose and in the mouth; flavors of cherry, strawberry and cola; some vanilla towards the finish but the wine wraps up quickly in the end.
There are some nice components and it opened with some air, but it is a pretty basic Pinot and just didn't come together quite as we hoped. We're going to drop this one back down to the mid 80s.
We'd recommend trying a bottle before buying larger quantities to see if it's your speed.
CostcoWineBlog.com Rating: 86 points
Costco item number: 555512
Purchased at Costco in: Ringgold, GA
Alc. 14.0%
Andrew says
Was not a fan at all, sadly. Just not enough going on here. A perfect example of where spending a few dollars more can translate into a noticeably better wine.
JJ says
2021 bottle was delicious and the 2022 not even close. Too odd to call it a Pinot and dumped it after one glass. I was so excited to find it back in the bins that I didn’t note the winemaker change. Oops, now I’m stuck with 5 bottles☹️
Tom Aguirre says
@JJ, Not stuck….possibly. In the state of Washington, Costco will accept opened and/or unopened wine for refund
JJ says
@Tom Aguirre,
How wonderful for you guys! No such luck here in Georgia.Thanks for suggestion though! I didn’t know for sure until I called them.
Joe Roberts says
It seems that when you are talking about the liquor laws, every state is different. I buy practically all my wine from Costco, and maybe once a year or so I get a "corked" bottle. As long as it was purchased recently enough that they can find it in my purchases, they happily refund me----no questions asked. I understand other states specifically prohibit any returns of alcoholic beverages.
Brian says
Hello, I've been following the CWB for about 10 years(?) and I can't express my gratitude for your service loudly enough. I started following you when I lived in Atlanta, and still do in Florida.
I believe you should re-visit the 2022 Kirkland Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.
We're in Sarasota and opened a bottle prior to your review & had a different experience. The 2nd bottle a few nights later was just as good, (and more rich?). And the wine evolves, decanted.
My experience is that young Pinot Noir goes through 'dumb' stages. I'm finishing a bottle that was unscrewed two nights ago, pumped with a Vacu-Vin, thrown in the fridge until tonight. The wine is rich, velvety and packed w/ fruit and complementary, firm, refined 'gritty' (tannic) finish.
Thanks for all you do, best regards!
Editor says
Brian, really appreciate the note and glad you’ve been following us for so long.
We do have another bottle of the Pinot on hand and we’re planning on revisiting it here soon.
Glad you had a different experience with it. Makes us more excited to try it again.
That’s what this is all about; sharing thoughts, tasting wine and building a community. Cheers
RJT says
I just came home from Costco with 2 more $11.99 bottles of this wine and read these comments. I understand not liking or enjoying a bottle of wine but being "not a fan at all" or that it was "too odd to be called a pinot" seems a bit much for an $11.99 bottle of Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. At least the "not a fan at all" critic ONLY spent $12 to know he/she didn't want to buy another bottle. Most of us have probably spent much, much more to learn the same lesson about something else.