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The Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay 2023 is a $7.99 Costco exclusive. This wine was made for Costco by Grape and Grain Imports, a Precept WInes division. Precept sells 31 different labels plus is a major player in store and restaurant brands, making wine for Trader Joe’s Costco, Albertson’s, P.F. Changs, and many more.
As a store brand, there is not much in the way of production information. Something must be omitted to have the wine come in at eight bucks. The blurb on the back label does give some clues.
Sonoma County is a huge growing region there are 19 sub-AVAs inside and most of them grow Chardonnay vines. Sonoma can be coastal, mountainous, river valleys, bench land, and any other description. The soils vary and the climate ranges from cool to fairly hot.
The back label mentions fruit-forward tasting notes and French oak treatment of some sort. Vanilla flavor comes from oak aging and malolactic fermentation either all or partial seems like a good bet.
The back label says “vinted and bottled by” which means basically that the named producer merely bottled the wine. It figures that some part of Precept Wines had a hand in production. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay 2023 Tasting Notes
The color is shiny golden yellow. The nose is buttery, there is melon, lemon, apple, lime, tropical fruit, and a pretty floral edge. The Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay 2023 is smooth and juicy.
This Chardonnay tastes like a stew of apple, melon, peach, pear, and a slap of sweet spice. The mid-palate adds stone fruit, a slap of vanilla, and tropical fruit.
The acidity is well-balanced and the flavors have plenty of structure on which to unfold.
The Summary
- The Kirkland Signature Sonoma County Chardonnay 2023 is a highly sippable 8-buck Chardonnay.
- Loads of fruit and citrus flavors with a little, not too much, butter.
- A solid, tasty $7.99 is a thing of beauty.
