Why We Always Avoid Buying Costco's Kirkland Brand Chardonnay

It's always a great feeling when you can grab a quality wine on a budget, and it's especially rewarding when that find comes from an easily accessible store like Costco. With a veritably endless array of options to choose from, though, it's inevitable that some wines at Costco are going to be better than others. And unfortunately for chardonnay lovers, Costco's Kirkland Signature selection comes out on the losing end of many comparisons.

Chardonnay may be an incredibly popular dry wine that pairs well with many dishes, but in an examination of the best and worst bargain wines to buy at Costco, the house brand chardonnay found itself in the unfavorable worst category. Described by our reviewer as a "butter bomb," this bottle isn't exactly the nuanced companion that many chardonnays are. Rather, it's an untempered blast of buttery notes that may ultimately leave you wanting something lighter. When it comes down to brass tacks, with so many budget-friendly wines available at Costco (including other chardonnays), there's simply no good reason why this one should make it to your cart ahead of the others.

As the most popular wine in the United States, there's no shortage of chardonnay on the market. This also indicates there's a sizable degree of variability for this one wine type. Even chardonnays that come from California (the origin of Costco's Kirkland Signature bottle) can range anywhere from delicate and minerally crisp to full-bodied and indulgent. However, like so many things, a good chardonnay requires a balance in its composition and flavor profile — and it's perhaps here where the Kirkland Signature Chardonnay loses ground to the competition.

In terms of flavor presence, this chardonnay obviously needs no help. With its upfront butteriness, as well as notes of tropical fruit and vanilla, your taste buds certainly won't be bored if you take a sip of this wine. However, that barrage of strong flavors is overwhelming when they're the only thing seemingly present. Costco chardonnay needs to be mellowed out somewhat. Many other chardonnays have an acidic quality or an oaky presence that help to complement these other, more vocal flavors. This is unfortunately not the case for the Kirkland Signature option, which bars it from being able to tussle with the more refined chardonnays available. So just like a certain white wine at Trader Joe's, this chardonnay is best left on the shelf in favor of other choices.