Part of the reason that I don’t cover Champagne very often on First Pour Wine is that it typically isn’t close enough to our $10 price point to even be considered.  The cheapest bottle of Champagne I’ve witnessed was near $35. That is until I ventured into Costco.  Kirkland is Costco’s brand and tends to be better quality than most private label.  That said, their wine history on First Pour Wine has some highs and some lows.  So where does Kirkland Brut Champagne fit on the spectrum, at a price point nearly half the average price?

Sight: A simple plain gold with a ton of little bubbles.

Smell:  Some notes of biscuit and plenty of lemon lead off.  The nose has a nice mix of other fruity elements as well, ranging from peach to golden delicious apples to bosc pear.  A little bit of chalkiness comes into play too.

Sip:  The body is rich, but the bubbles are crazy excited as they start off.  They reduce down over time, becoming more elegant. Lemon and golden apples are the predominant flavors going on here, but there are elements of yeast and gravel as well.  A hint of spiced biscuits and orange zest are present lingering in the background.  The acidity is hard to understate on this one, as it’s on the very high end of bright.

Savor:  The ending is more on the orange and lemon side, with a little bit of yeastiness.

Kirkland Brut Champagne is an acid freak’s dream.  There’s just so much brightness in this wine; it overwhelms most of the other elements.   The real issues are two-fold.  First, $20 Champagne is unbelievable, typically getting below $35 is difficult.  The second issue though is the price point.  If it were superb, Kirkland Brut Champagne would be a masterpiece of value.  Problem is, it isn’t.  It just ok.  So if you love bubbly and want to spend $20 a bottle, this is probably not where you’re going to get the best value.

Verdict: Yeast, Gravel, Lemon, Golden Apple, Bright
Rating: 85
Price: $20
Champagne, France
Available At Costco