CheapWineFinder Podcast
Talking about remarkable wines that pair nicely with your wallet! Because we like to keep it cheap but excellent.
CheapWineFinder Podcast
Kirkland's Hidden Gem: The $7 Sonoma Cabernet That Punches Above Its Weight
Bargain wine lovers, rejoice! We've unearthed an incredible find that proves exceptional wine doesn't require emptying your wallet. The Kirkland Signature Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 from Costco breaks all the rules of wine pricing, offering genuine Sonoma County quality at a jaw-dropping $6.99.
What makes this bottle truly special is its refusal to compromise on classic Cabernet character despite its budget price. Unlike many value-priced wines that strip away tannins fearing consumer rejection, this Kirkland gem embraces a gentle tannic structure that provides authentic Cabernet backbone. The flavor profile dazzles with blackberry, raspberry, plum, and cranberry notes, enhanced by subtle herbs, spice, and a touch of licorice that adds remarkable depth. Perhaps most surprisingly, it features French oak influence rather than the cheaper American oak typically found at this price point, delivering more refined, spicy complexity.
Behind this exceptional value is Precept Wines, the Northwest's largest independently owned wine company and masters of crafting affordable quality for retailers like Trader Joe's, Aldi, and Costco. They've leveraged Sonoma's diverse growing regions to create a wine with surprising complexity and balance. Whether you're hosting a gathering (four bottles provide 16 glasses for under $30) or simply want an everyday wine that pairs beautifully with everything from comfort food to grilled steaks, this Kirkland Cabernet stands ready to impress. Ready to discover what might be the best Cabernet value on the market? Head to Costco before word gets out, and visit CheapWineFinder.com for more exceptional wine bargains that keep your palate happy and your budget intact.
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Hey, it's Domain Dave, again from CheapWineFindercom talking about another value-priced wine Today is from Costco. It's a Kirkland Signature Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2023. And this is really a value-priced wine because it's $6.99. Which, for a Sonoma wine, is kind of unusual. But there you go. Wine industry is a little bit down right now. You're getting some bargains. The wine is made for Costco by Precept, their largest wine and spirits company, the Northwest, independently Owned. They made wine for Trader Joe's Aldi Costco. They're good at making value-priced wines. So there you go. So you've got a. Sonoma's a huge area. There's all sorts of climates, soil condition, there's mountains, there's valleys, there's plateaus, and this is just from Sonoma, so we don't know where it is or what it is. I'm gonna take a sip. It's $6.99, though you don't ask questions.
Speaker 1:This is a very drinkable, classic California Cabernet Sauvignon. It's got a little bit of tannins. Tannins are usually a little rougher edge. It's a chemical from the skin of the grapes and usually on lower price red wines it's missing. Winemakers think that you probably won't like them, but here there's a slight pull which should be there A California Cabernet Sauvignon which should have satanins. French Cabernet. Yeah, any Cabernet Sauvignon should have its satanins. Doesn't have to be the dusty kind, the like 1990s or 1980s Chianti where you got cotton mouth from drinking it if you didn't have a meal with it. There's just a little slight pull. It's supposed to be there.
Speaker 1:The flavors are blackberry and raspberry and plum, maybe some sour cranberry, a little bit of spice, a little bit of herbs yeah, nice. Maybe a little bit of licorice just to kind of make that nice, maybe a little bit of licorice just to kind of make that blackberry a little darker. Got good acidity. The flavors unfold. There's nothing wrong with it. It kind of does everything. A Cabernet Sauvignon should guess. I'm done. It's $6.99 you, there's a lot of places that Cabernet Sauvignon from the West Coast is good value priced.
Speaker 1:You know, there's Columbia Valley, there's Lodi, there's Mendocino, there's Lake County, there's a central coast. Certain areas of the central coast that are a little warmer is for good for Cabernet. Paso Robles for one. But Paso Robles is getting a little expensive lately. So Sonoma is just a really a nice place and often at this price you get California label. Not that that's a bad thing. They're picking from different large ABAs, central Coast along with Lodi, or Central Coast with North Coast. You know that type of thing. Nothing wrong with adding some different flavors in, because it does for an inexpensive wine. It gives it some complexity that it wouldn't normally have. But Sonoma is a large enough place that if you have it from three different growing regions you're going to get that complexity too. There's a lot of ways to get some complexity and interest into the wine.
Speaker 1:I'm going to take another sip, because when it's really cheap and a really good wine, there's nothing wrong with this wine. It's $6.99. You're not going to expect to be drinking Screaming Eagle or anything, but you're going to get a nice sipping wine. It will pair with all the comfort foods. It'll even if you throw a couple of steaks in the grill and you forgot to go out and get something, you know, maybe a little bit steaky, this will do the trick.
Speaker 1:It drinks. It's smooth. It's got a little rough edges from the sour. The acidity is fine. It gives it a little bit of length. It's got french oak rather than american oak. American oak gives you that chocolate vanilla thing that people like, but here they gave it french oak. French oak was far more subtle, more more spicy than than those bigger flavors, but it's got some. How they got the French oak, I don't know. It says you know they're very vague and everything which is fine at $6.99. I don't need to critique it the same way I would a you know more expensive wine. That's trying to compete with more expensive wines. That's trying to compete with more expensive wines.
Speaker 1:The Kirkland Signature, sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2023, has kind of got the 699 Cabernet Sauvignon market to itself at the moment. It's just a good wine. It's not the greatest wine in the world, but it's just a good wine. And to get a 699 good wine that you would want that not only you would drink one to go, that's nice and never drink it again, but you would want to maybe buy a couple of bottles. This is a great party wine. You can get four bottles for $30, and that will give you four glasses. That's 16 glasses of wine. Even a small little party, everybody's going to be happy with the flavor and you'll be happy with the price.
Speaker 1:So, adios, this is Domain Dave CheapWineFightercom, hit the subscribe button if you will. If you don't, I never do, but if you will, I would like it. Adios, keep it cheap. We got more wines coming, like always. We've been like a train. I'm good doing all these wines for years, so we got a whole bunch of on the website. There's all sorts of wines, so check it out. There's also some podcasts, and thanks for listening. Adios, keep it cheap. I'll be talking to you later. Bye.