The Kirkland Signature Côtes Du Rhône Villages 2025 is $7.49 Costco exclusive that has been offered since the 2015 vintage.
The Story
The 2025 vintage shows a change in the winemaker from Patrick Lesac to Romain Leroy, the winemaker at Grandes Serres, a winery located in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cru region of the Southern Rhône Valley.
Many of the wines from the Southern Rhône Valley are GSM blends, which are Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre, though many other grapes are farmed as well.
There is a pecking order for these Rhône wines; first, there are the general Rhône AOC wines that are sourced from all over. Then there are the Villages wines, which are made from grapes taken from several villages that are said to have the best growing conditions. Following that are the named village wines sourced from vineyards around a named village, and finally the Cru wines, Châteauneuf-du-Pape being the most famous.
This is where the Pope ended up after leaving Rome in the 1300s, and of course, they chose the location with the best wines.
Côtes Du Rhône Villages wines are often unoaked, and I doubt that this 2025 vintage saw much oak, if any.
GSM is a great blend, the Grenache is dark, tight, and sleek, the Syrah is plump and juicy, and the Mourvèdre adds another flavor to add to the complexity.
The alcohol content is a hefty 15%.
The Kirkland Signature Côtes Du Rhône Villages 2025 Tasting Notes
The color is black cherry. The nose is blackberry, herbs, cranberry, spice, raspberry, and blueberry. The Kirkland Signature Côtes Du Rhône Villages 2025 is bright fruit and interesting spice.
This GSM blend tastes like extracted blackberry, a slap of spice, blueberry, cranberry, stone fruit, and rough-edged herbs.
The tannins are in the mix, but do not bite, and the acidity is balanced.
The Summary
- The Kirkland Signature Côtes Du Rhône Villages 2025 drinks well above its $7.49 price tag.
- This is more serious than a backyard sipper.
- This is a fine Rhône Valley Red wine.
