If you read my blog, you know that I’m a big Costco fan. From seafood to cheese to wine, I’m team wholesale. I had a bottle of Kirkland Signature 2011 Gran Reserva, Ribera del Duero on my hands from a past house party, so I decided to break it out for a steak dinner.

The back of the label shows that this wine is produced by Bodegas Vina Solorca, a well-known estate in Ribera del Duero, Spain. This family-run winery is owned by José Víctor Balbás Arroyo, who comes from one of the area’s pioneering wine-making families.

Tempranillo is the varietal that makes up this wine. It was aged for 13 months in new French oak, then transferred to American oak for 25 months, before spending an additional 24 months in the bottle. A Gran Reserva designation is the highest classification in the Spanish system that mandates certain rules around how long the wine has been aged and how it’s been aged by the winery before its release.

The wine is dark burgundy in color and sticks to the glass, gliding down slowly, as I swished it around. The strong aroma burst in my nose, which made me pull away quickly after my initial sniff. It practically cleared up my stuffy nose. The aroma is heavy in spice and dark fruit. It’s rich and tastes of tannins, earthiness, and oak, along with dark fruit and berries. It left my mouth feeling dry. I initially didn’t know what to think of this wine, but it tasted better as it decanted (make sure to decant it for an hour). It was a whopping $12.99 at Costco, which is a steal of a deal. It’s a great value at a great price. I paired it with a nice grilled steak and a side of mashed potatoes and spinach. 3.5/5.