Kirkland K-Vine Chardonnay Review [Costco Wine]
The 2020 Kirkland K-Vine Chardonnay is a single vineyard wine from the Evergreen Vineyard in Washington State.
Evergreen Vineyard is one of Washington State’s largest vineyards. It’s well known for white wine varieties, particularly Riesling, due to its proximity to the cooling influence of the Columbia River.
It’s part of a collaboration between Charles Smith's K Vintners brand and Costco. Charles Smith is responsible for well-known wines like the Kung Fu Girl Riesling and Boom Boom Syrah.
I tried the popular Kung Fu Girl Riesling recently actually and it didn’t impress me much. It was a little bit too sweet for my liking. So I’m interested to see what this Chardonnay can do!
Wine Specs
Value
It is exclusively available at Costco for $9.99. On the face of things, this is amazing value! Single vineyard wines aren’t usually this accessible. Good Chardonnay isn't either, so I'm ever so slightly sceptical. However, Costco has a good track record for value for money wine.
Appearance
At 14% ABV, it’s reasonably punchy but pretty standard for the area.
It's a medium gold color and appears to be medium to full bodied judging by the tears on the glass.
Nose
It's a fruit forward nose with pear and apple leading the show. There are tropical notes reminiscent of a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc in the background (but nowhere near as fresh as an SB). There's some mango and pineapple there, along with a little toasted oak.
Tasting
The palate comes through with reasonable consistency from the nose. The toasted oak is turned up and brings an ever so slight butter pastry note.
Apple and pear run the show with a little acidity bringing balance. The dry finish is surprisingly long with a bit of mango coming through on the end.
It's fairly unremarkable but it's a pretty solid entry level Chardonnay.
Score
So what’s my overall opinion on the Kirkland K-Vine Chardonnay?
It’s a really solid Chardonnay for the price. At just $9.99 it really is great value but I wouldn't be comfortable paying much more than that.
It’s a good wine that I’d be happy drinking in front of the TV with some meaty fish like cod or with some shrimp. However, it’s not a bottle I’d bring to a dinner party!
In my opinion, the best way to judge a wine is quite simply by asking yourself if you’d buy it again.
And would I? At this price, yes, I would. Not as a sipper but it would be great paired with the right seafood.
As for a score, I think 7 out of 10 is probably about right. It’s a solid Chardonnay but not an exciting Chardonnay.
If you're new to Chardonnay, this is a great place to start. But, as you try more complex expressions of the grape you'll soon realize that the Costco Kirkland K-Vine Chardonnay is pretty limited in what it brings to the table.
Did I get the score right? Or do you have a different opinion? Let's have a discussion down in the comments section!
