
We all need mid-week wines that deliver interesting flavor without spending a lot of money. The problem is that many widely available wines under $10 are just not that exciting. So I often look for less popular varieties from countries like Spain and Portugal for my “Tuesday-Thursday” wines.
But there is a lot of good wine on the California bulk market these days so sometimes the big-box retailers like Costco and Sam’s Club have some values. And depending on where you live, you don’t even need a club membership to buy these wines; at least, that’s the law here in Minnesota. I usually shop at Costco so I picked up this store brand Merlot a few weeks back for $8.99. Alexander Valley produces a number of nice Merlot and Cabernet-based wines so I thought this was worth a flyer. Worst case, I have some wine to cook with.
Costco used to be the domain of Cameron Hughes but over the past couple of years I’ve noticed his wines mostly available at Sam’s Club. As his selections sold through at Costco, the store brand Kirkland seemed to replace those wines along with the normal selection of well chosen wines at very good prices. In fact, Costco might just be the best place to find wine values in the $25-60 range. And based on this selection, they might have the under $10 market covered, too.
Tasting Notes:
Kirkland Signature, Merlot, Alexander Valley 2008 ($9) – Garnet color with aromas of blackcurrant, black cherry, black licorice and cedar. Rich black cherry fruit flavors with blackcurrant, black pepper and mint finishing with moderate tannins. Drink over the next year or two.
14.5% ABV
Natural cork closure
[rating: 3.5/5]
Score: 87