The Kirkland Russian River Pinot Noir 2021 is an $11.99 Costco reclusive made for them by winemaker Nancy Walker. Nancy has over 20 years of experience and is one of the winemakers for Vintage Wine Estates.
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Trader Joe’s and Aldi never offer information on who made their wines, I have fun figuring out who made what. Costco tells you the winemaker and sometimes the winery. You can Google the winemaker or winery and see if they produce wines that may interest you.
The Kirkland Russian River Pinot Noir 2021 is sourced from the Russian River AVA, The river once ran east-west, but long ago a massive earthquake changed its flow, and it now runs north-south near the Pacific Coast before it takes a right turn towards the sea.
The Russian River is one of the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay growing regions in Sonoma and its boundaries can overlap with the Sonoma Coast AVA which is closer to the Pacific Coast. It too is known for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Costco only adds around a 14% markup on its wines while a retail wine shop can add 50% or more. So this $11.99 Pinot should be comparable to a $16 plus retail wine.
A winemaker put their name on the Kirkland Russian River Pinot Noir 2021 which shows confidence in the wine, somebody (Nancy Walker) said I stand by this wine. That takes a little of the guesswork out of buying a store brand. Costco also named their wine buyer for this wine, if your palate matches up with the wine buyer’s (Mark Kalkbrenner) palate, you should be able to find wine bargains.
The Kirkland Russian River Pinot Noir 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is a pretty, see-thru garnet red with black highlights. The nose is ripe cherry, soft spice, herbs, crushed fall leaves, black pepper, and a hint of BBQ smoke. The Kirkland Russian River Pinot Noir 2021 silky smooth elegant Pinot Noir.
This Pinot Noir tastes like black cherry, a splash of sharp, interesting spice, licorice, tea, plum, creamy vanilla, and cranberry. The mid-palate shows another variety of spices, juicy raspberry, and a rough brush of herbs. The acidity is unobtrusive and allows the flavors plenty of structure to unfold.
The Summary
- The Kirkland Russian River Pinot Noir 2021 is a solid example of Russian River Pinot Noir and the equal to any retail store Pinot Noir in the Price range.
- This is a tasty, interesting, satisfying Pinot Noir at an excellent price ($11.99)
