Kirkland's $10 Cab: A Surprising Twist on California Wine

Ever wondered if a $10 bottle of wine could truly impress your palate? The Kirkland Signature Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 might just change everything you thought you knew about budget wines.

After returning from a brief hiatus, I couldn't wait to share this remarkable Costco find with you. This isn't your typical value-priced Cabernet. Crafted by Allison Crowe, VP of winemaking for Plata Wine Partners, this wine showcases why Alexander Valley deserves recognition as a premier Cabernet region. The valley's unique climate—scorching days that rapidly cool to jacket weather at night—creates perfect conditions for developing complex Cabernet flavors while maintaining crucial acidity.

What truly sets this wine apart is its fascinating duality. Each sip reveals layers of pomegranate, blueberry, and plum, balanced by both exotic and sharp spice notes with hints of orange zest. There's an unexpected port-like intensity that adds depth without overwhelming. The tannins are remarkably well-integrated, allowing the flavors to unfold gracefully across your palate. At $9.99, this medium to full-bodied wine delivers complexity that defies its price tag, making it a standout in the crowded field of affordable Cabernets.

Whether you're a seasoned wine enthusiast looking for a reliable everyday option or a curious newcomer wanting to explore quality Cabernet without breaking the bank, this bottle deserves a place in your cart during your next Costco run. Take a chance on this unique expression that drinks more like an Old World offering than a typical California Cab—your taste buds and wallet will thank you.

Check us out at www.cheapwinefinder.com

or email us at podcast@cheapwinefinder.com

Chapters

• 0:00 Return after brief absence
• 0:13 Introducing Kirkland Alexander Valley Cabernet
• 0:35 Alexander Valley's unique growing conditions
• 1:03 Tasting notes and flavor profile
• 4:33 Final thoughts on value

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey, it's domain day cheapwinefindercom. Back after I've been gone for a couple of days. I could have podcast, but I didn't think anybody wanted to hear me cough for six minutes. So here I am back and we have a value price wine from Kirkland a signature Costco. Of course it's $9.99. It's the Kirkland signature.

Speaker 1: 0:23

Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. Alexander Valley is on the northern part of the Russian River Valley. Most of the good vineyards are on the benchland. I've never been there, but that's what I've been told. Benchlands you know the flatlands above the slopes. It's one of the warmer places in Sonoma. It's a Cabernet Sauvignon place.

Speaker 1: 0:57

Cabernet Sauvignon can get ripe. It's okay. Some wines need, or grapes need, cooler weather for a longer growing season. But what happens up here in Alexander Valley is it'll get pretty hot during the day, but at night it gets cold. I mean, it goes from being T-shirt weather to jacket weather every night and what that does is the grapes are all during the day, the sunlight gets them all motivated and they're all cooking away, and then at night everything just chills out and that kind of expands it. Like I said, Cabernet Sauvignon, it's not like Pinot Noir, where you need a really, really long time and you've got to hope they do get ripe. Cabernet Sauvignon will get ripe for you, so I'm going to take a sip of this one.

Speaker 1: 1:43

This is a um wine that they said allison crowe made. Allison crowe is, uh, the vp of winemaking for plata. Uh, wine partners. They're a large wine company and, um, I don't know if this one is with them too she's she's a partner and the VP of wine. This could be a side project, but I think it's Plata, because they make wines for Trader Joe's. Cotillion is one of the ones. I didn't look it up how many there are, but Plata's in there a lot, and I think even Aldi. So they're making wines for everybody and they have their own brands. They're good and they actually do this well and they have a, if it's something of interest to you, their lead winemaking team is all female. Not that it shouldn't be, because why not? You know it's. I don't. I can't tell the difference between a male or a female wine, so I'm gonna take a sip.

Speaker 1: 2:47

This is interesting because it's got this half sweet, half savory thing to it. Plus there's some spice, a couple different spice, like an exotic spice, and then a sharp, like pointy spice. In the middle there's pomegranates and ripe plums and blueberry I mean the dark, dense fruit, and then there's maybe a little bit of orange zest, that biting spice thing you get from an orange skin. I mean whiskey has it a lot. I think it might come from the barrel because they use both French and American oak. I mean whiskey has it a lot. I think it might come from the barrel because they use both French and American oak and it has this kind of port-like quality which is a port, is from Portugal and it's a fortified wine. This is not a fortified wine but it has that little intensity to it that you get from ports. You know it's there. It's not like the main featured part of it, but it tastes pretty good. Yeah, this is not your typical cookie cutter. $10.

Speaker 1: 3:56

Cabernet Sauvignon this one makes a statement on its own. It is not necessarily California where you're ripe and juicy. This one might hark back to something out of France. Yeah, it's dark, the tannins don't bite, the acidity lets the flavors unfold and they stay balanced. For a value wine, this is really nice For $10,.

Speaker 1: 4:34

This is a nice little bottle of wine. It's darker, it's a medium to full wine. It's not too full, but you're not going to be sipping this out in 95 degree temperature. But if you're inside in the air conditioner because what are you doing outside when it's 95? This tastes really fine. So for a bargain price wine, for a value price wine, heck, take another sip.

Speaker 1: 5:10

Yeah, this is the Costco's Kirkland Signature Alexandra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. It is kind of unique wine. It's got some interesting textures and flavors going on for it and at $10, it's worth taking a chance. It's from an interesting area. Alexander Valley Wines is kind of closer to Napa, but it's way warmer than Napa. It's got some interesting things going for it. So if you're interested in a decent $10 cab, this is it. I mean, put it on your list to check out. So, adios, keep it cheap. This is domain dave. Didn't cough the whole time and I will be talking everybody in a couple days because I gotta do some making up, since I've. I took almost uh, five, six days off, which we haven't done in 17 years. So well, maybe a little bit. But, adios, keep it cheap and I'll be talking to everybody in a couple days. Bye-bye.