2017 Malbec Kirkland

Costco, with its paid membership, buys large quantities of product. Then, markets these under their in-house Kirkland label. Wines and spirits are among the deeply discounted products. This Argentina Malbec, grown high in the Andes Mountains is one of those. Usually, a customer would spend $30- $18 dollars per bottle, but their Kirkland brand only costs 8 bucks! The label has a 91 point rating by James Suckling. He is a wine expert, has his specialized web site, promotes tours, writes books and articles, as well as promotes cigars. He was on staff & a contributor to Wines Spectator Magazine. Mr. Suckling is an authority, who recommendations bring weight. Mr. Suckling assigns his number rating without description. In searching his website, I could not find anything about him as a Sommelier or what level he had achieved. Recently, there are only 274 people who have advanced to Master Sommelier. The supervision and grading began in 1969 under the auspices of the “Court of Sommeliers”. There are four stages (or levels) to become a Sommelier: 1. Introductory level, where the beginner gains years of experience in the Restaurant business, and take classes. 2. Certified Sommelier level is bridge between just starting and acquiring knowledge about the world of wines. 3. Advanced Sommelier level attests to vigorous wine course complete, continuation in classes covering wines, regions, and producers. 4. Master Sommelier is the top level, having passed rigorous training, classes and a wide range of experiences. I like this High-Altitude Malbec, also. Because of pricing, it has a composition cork. It has good color, but skinny legs. This bottle had nuances with a dark tannin finish.