My fourth foray into Costco’s Signature Series line of wines
that one can only assume are of higher quality, complexity and limited batches.
While I loved the Stag’s Leap and Mountain Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignons, I was not
a fan of the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon as it was far to fruit forward
bordering on sweet. This particular wine is the first of the series that is not
solely a Cab Sauv, as it is a red blend featuring Cab Sauv, Syrah, Merlot,
Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot; therefore falling into the Meritage family of
red blends. I purchased two bottles of this particular wine right off the bat
and popped the first that very same day. It is a very pleasant red blend that
is dark purple in the glass, with violet bubbles and a black core. The nose is comprised
of succulent, compact blackberry, black currant, molasses and oak notes;
floating atop a vanilla, caramel and crème de cassis backbone. The attack is
very balanced but focused; featuring black cherry, blackberry, black currant,
cream/vanilla and oak. The mid-palate is near perfect, chewy tannins;
semi-sweet astringency with perfectly balanced acidity from the alcohol lovely
in every sense of the word. The finish is long and complex with blackberry and
vanilla, swirling amidst sugared plums and coffee mixed amidst a backdrop of
chocolate covered cherry and oak. This wine is a full bodied effort with a
lovely aftertaste of blackberry, oak and coffee all flavors that bring me joy
that knows no bounds.
Overall, this is definitely one of the better Signature
Series wines that I’ve sampled. That being said two other Signature Series
wines make the grade with only the Napa Valley Cab Sauv falling short. This
isn’t the best of the winners, coming in second, below the Mountain Cuvee but
above the Stag’s Leap. It features wonderfully focused and compact fruit and
spice flavors that are married in perfection. The saddest part of this wine is
it’s price point, coming in at 19 dollars and while this wine is a nicely
complex red blend, it might not be as good a QPR as the Kirkland Signature Napa
Valley Meritage. I would rate this a good-bordering-on-great QPR, but the Napa
Valley Meritage gets the same rating, therefore it might be more cost effective
and just plain easier to purchase a bottle of the Meritage. But if you can find
this wine, I would definitely recommend purchasing a few bottles; one to drink
and one to cellar.
