2008 Kirkland Signature Series Mountain Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, California

Love the look…Dark purplish red that goes black at the core

Multilayered aromas…Blackberry, vanilla, coconut, anise, baking spices

A glass of heaven…I absolutely love the Kirkland Signature Series Stag’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon; at 18 dollars a bottle it’s almost at the limit of my finances. This bottle is priced one dollar more than the Stag’s Leap, and its well worth that one dollar. While the Stag’s Leap is a complex and textured offering this bottle goes beyond that bottle and shows amazing fruit, spices, wood and other textures that effortlessly transition during the entire time you are sipping this wine. I can’t begin to explain just how wonderful an experience sipping this bottle really is; what I will do is try to review this wine to the best of my abilities…here goes. The attack is focused and layered; starting with black currant, plum and blackberry flavors that fade into creamy vanilla and butter and finally mix in leather, gunpowder and wood shavings. The mid-palate is completely balanced. The tannins perfect and chewy, acidity levels are nice and even, astringency shows up right as I swallow and only touches the back half of my mouth leaving the tip of my tongue still tasting this wine and the alcohol is cool and just barely sends a tingle through my tongue. The finish is medium-long and takes on flavors of black plum, coconut, vanilla, anise and oak with those flavors swirling around a backbone of charcoal and forest floor. This is a full bodied wine that is best at or slightly above room temperature; the aftertaste is beautiful plums and vanilla that linger for minutes on the tongue.

Overall, this is an experience in the amazing! At 19 bucks this is a great wine, and in my opinion outdoes most wines I’ve sipped at the same price point. I can heartily rate this is a great QPR and recommend it without a single hesitation. The focus, complexity and balance of this wine makes it a wondrous drinking experience. I plan on adding a bottle of this to my cellar to sit right alongside the Stag’s Leap that I put there last month. If you enjoy big, bold, focused red wines than this bottle is for you; I promise it won’t let you down.