Tonight, we are tasting the 2023 Kirkland California Signature Cabernet Sauvignon box wine. To make the tasting more interesting and less biased, we will blindly taste against a bottle of Cabernet.

This is a 3L box. A typical bottle is ¾ of a L, so it is the equivalent of 4 bottles. They say the box will last 4-6 weeks after opening, but expect it to be half that long.

Tonight, our three wines are:

1. 2023 Kirkland Signature California Cabernet Sauvignon. I purchased this 3L box from Costco for $15.99. According to tastings.com https://www.tastings.com/ Dark garnet color. Aromas and flavors of black plum, leather and clove, pepper and purple flowers, and cedar and herbs with a velvety, lively, dry medium body and a tingling, appealing, medium-length finish displaying overtones of black cherry, black currant and boysenberry, herbs, and leather and spice with medium, well-integrated tannins and a suggestion of oak flavor. Approachable but still Cabernet fruit dominant; this is what California table wine should be. This wine received a 93 rating from The Wine Enthusiast and was a “Best Buy”. The Wine Enthusiast says Juicy flavors of red fruit and black cherry with notes of lightly spiced oak and a soft finish.
2. 2019 The Seventy Five Wine Company Cabernet Sauvignon Feliz Creek Vineyard. This was purchased from Costco for around $20. It received an 86 from the Wine Enthusiast. It says bay-leaf, clove and juicy plum flavors give this smooth, medium-bodied wine a savory profile. From The Winemaker: Grown in Mendocino and Lake Counties, this Cabernet is filled with aromas of fresh cherry and cinnamon. On the palate, it's silky smooth with notes of strawberry and blackberry, culminating in a long, lingering finish with just a hint of dark chocolate from a year spent aging on French oak.

We found both wines very drinkable, but we both preferred the Kirkland Signature Box Wine. We rated both wines a 3, but I was close to a 4 on the box wine. The Feliz Creek Vineyard wine was fruit-forward and oaky. Denise had a hard time with the Feliz Creek Wine and its higher alcohol level (14.8%). I found the Kirkland to have better balance, more earthiness, and better wine.

Next week, can you tell the difference between a Barbera from anywhere and a (DOCG) Barbera d'Asti? We will find out.