Best Buys $10 And Under

What: 100% Sauvignon Blanc.

Where: Sancerre, Loire Valley, France.

Why: Because this is on the money for classic Sancerre. A touch of mineral, a touch of ash mixed in with grapefruit zest and prickly, food ready zippiness. We are always on the hunt for Sancerre that pushes all our buttons at this price-point and have found a real winner here. Some goat cheese with this? Yes please!

#11 On The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines Of 2024!

94 points Wine Spectator
Fresh and precise, with lime, mango and passion fruit notes that are accented by crunchy sea salt, litsea oil, dried chamomile and fresh lemon zest on a mouthwatering, fleshy fram

91 points James Suckling
Flowery with aniseed and licorice. Some subtle lemons. Medium to light body, dry, lovely fruit and a subtle and fine finish. Well done for the vintage..

Third Place finisher in our 2023 Wine Of The Year blind taste off!

Sustainably farmed Grenache 44%, Syrah 42%, Mourvedre 14% from four vineyard sites in Los Olivos and the greater Santa Ynez Valley - Rolling Vines, Bernat, Coteaux de Clair, and TTT Roblar. The Syrah and Grenache are fermented partly with whole clusters, while the Mourvedre is 100% destemmed. Fermentation is with native yeasts in open-top oak tanks. The wine is matured for 14 months in neutral barrique and bottled without fining or filtration.

Mallea is a collaboration between viticulturist Erik Mallea (director of viticulture at Sanford & Benedict and a co-founder of Willett-Mallea Farming) and winemaker Justin Willett (of Tyler Winery and Lieu-Dit Winery). After working together in various capacities for over a decade, Erik and Justin have started this exciting new project to highlight Santa Barbara County’s potential with Rhône grape varieties. They are farming four small vineyard sites clustered around Los Olivos in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara.

Third place was a nice surprise because it is a brand new wine on the scene, Mallea GSM Santa Barbara County 2021. This is a traditional Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre (GSM) but from Santa Barbara County California. The pedigree of the guys behind it is first-rate but what impressed us was the juice in the bottle! If you enjoy Cotes du Rhone or Southern French reds you are going to love Mallea. This is a wine of subtlety and not as flamboyant as our number two wine. Clearly, the wine is masterfully blended as each component adds complexity, and yet the wine is seamless on the palate. Fresh jovial fruit dances on the tongue with its lively acidity while pepper and Mediterranean spices come out in the finish. Mallea GSM provides a ton of pleasure for a very reasonable price.

The labels reference Erik Mallea’s Basque heritage, depicting 19th & 20th-century aspen tree carvings by Basque shepherds in the American West. Erik’s father, Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe, is a respected scholar of this cultural tradition.

92 points Wine Spectator
A fresh, expressive red, this also exhibits tension, lending energy to its black currant, cherry, licorice and cedar flavors. Graphite and salty accents add detail on the long, tightly wound finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2033.

Tied for Third Place in PJ Wine's - Wine of the Year 2021 blind taste-off.

Organic. The composition is 60% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is marked by a vibrant ruby/garnet color married to a richly spicy nose with hints of tobacco and coffee in the background; the flavors are dominated by red currant, cassis, and raspberry; the texture is silky and the wine is smooth and generous on the palate; the subtle tannins have grip but are graceful making this wine particularly welcoming over the near term.
The Pueyos follow traditional vinification techniques. After a 3 day cold maceration, fermentation takes place in both cement tanks and stainless steel tanks. Either way, temperatures are closely monitored so the fermentation proceeds at a controlled pace with maximum temperatures reaching 28 degrees Celsius. The “cuvaison” (fermentation + maceration) usually lasts between 15 and 20 days. Closely monitoring the temperature during fermentation helps avoid extracting the harsher, more bitter tannins that can appear if the temperature gets too high. Half of the wine is aged in barrels for 18 months following fermentation. Only 25% new barrels and 25% one-year-old barrels are used each year, to avoid overwhelming the fruit. The second part of the cuvée is aged in cement tanks. The two parts of the wine are ultimately blended, then fined with egg whites before bottling.

Third Place finisher in our 2022 Wine Of The Year Taste-Off!

A sensational California red blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Carignane and Malbec.Old Soul is a little different with every vintage—translating the story of Mendocino County’s unique terroir straight to your glass. In winemaker Alex’s words, the 2019 vintage was “a dream,” with early replenishing rains and a long, even growing season. Look for savory wild herbs and blackberry cobbler notes on the nose. The palate is rich but not too dense, with ripe tannins that wrap around a core of blue and black fruits which linger on the long, slightly toasty finish.

Saracina is located along the Upper Russian River in northern California's wine country. The 250-acre ranch which includes a winery and sustainably farmed vineyards, is also home to a 140-year-old olive trees, vegetable gardens, beehives, and local birds and wildlife. The handcrafted, limited production Saracina wines reflect a conscious sense of this beautiful place in Mendocino County. Founded by husband and wife team John Fetzer and Patty Rock in 2001, Saracina has always been defined by a strong sense of family. In 2018, Marc Taub took on stewardship of Saracina, upholding the spirit of family ownership that has defined this iconic Mendocino County winery since its inception.

The Zinfandel hails from the certified-organic Chapman Vineyard (head-pruned vines on an alluvial bench in Redwood Valley) and the Sawyer Vineyard (perched at 1,000 feet overlooking Lake Mendocino and planted with head-pruned vines on St. George rootstock). The Malbec is estate grown in vineyards rich in black clay/gravel at the base of the foothills. The Petite Sirah is from our own steep hillside vineyards and the Niemi Vineyard (20 year-old vines which have been dry-farmed for 15 years).

The wine was aged in both Burgundian and American four-year-seasoned oak (10% new) for 18 months, which included five months of native malolactic fermentation.

Aperol's unique flavor and color is achieved through a subtle blend of bitter orange, gentian, rhubarb, and an array of herbs and roots using a secret recipe that has been unchanged since its first creation in 1919.

94 points Wine Advocate
The 2019 Reserva, sold as Crianza in Spain, comes from a dry and warm year with low yields and concentrated wines. The grapes from the Haro zone, the four from Rioja, Tempranillo, Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano fermented destemmed and lightly crushed in oak vats with indigenous yeasts, and 80% of the volume matured in French oak and the rest in Centro European and American oak, 20% of them new, for 22 months, during which time the wine was racked every eight to nine months. This is serious and young but balanced, nuanced and complex. They are shortening the time in oak, as they feel they have better and younger barrels and think the wines need less time in oak and more time in bottle. This is very Muga, very Rioja and very good. They produced an impressive 960,000 bottles and 18,000 magnums of this. There is only one master blend that is bottled at different times. I tasted a bottle that was filled in April 2022 (because of the lack of availability of bottles!).

95 points James Suckling
I like the medium-velvety tannins with firmness, brightness and freshness. Full-bodied, racy and energetic. Elegance with structure. 85% tempranillo, 10% graciano and 5% mazuelo. Needs four to five years in the bottle, but already impressive to taste.

This Rosé has a lovely balance between the fresh fruit, fine tannins, good minerality, and graceful acidity. It is the visual and taste portrait of Hampton's high summer. Serve chilled, solo or as a complement to almost any food.

Bright shiny light copper in color. The glass is filled with ripe pear, fresh papaya, and rose petal aromas. The mouth-feel is rich and elegant with great structure and wonderful layers. This Rosé has a lovely balance between the fresh fruit, fine tannins, good minerality, and graceful acidity. The wine is very savory and has a long finish with creamy yeast and nice classic chalk notes. It is the perfect summer wine.

40% Merlot, 22% Chardonnay, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Gewürztraminer, 6% Cabernet Franc, 4% Pinot Meunier, 4% Pinot Blanc, 3% Riesling, 2% Sauvignon Blanc

Second Place finisher in our 2023 Wine of the Year blind-tasting!

Second place goes to Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Unica Reserva Rioja 2019! This is a stellar Reserva Rioja from the latest outstanding vintage of the region 2019. Tasting this blind it was apparent that it was Rioja as it demonstrated those classic Rioja notes of dill, savory Tempranillo fruit, and a touch of sweet wood influence. What captivated us about the wine was how seductive the fruit was, ripe without being sweet. We would categorize this as a youthful modern Rioja with enough classic notes to do Rioja proud. This wine is going to make a lot of new friends as it is absolutely irresistible now, but yes it will age a decade easily.

Organic. The Eguren family are the pioneers in the production of parcel specific single cru wines from Rioja in the Burgundy model. Sierra Cantabria Reserva Única is the family’s introduction to their single vineyard range, which is sourced from a spectacular vineyard on the banks of the Ebro River in Labastida. The entire vineyard is vinified as a Reserva, and throughout the aging process, Marcos Eguren carries out a severe barrel selection with only the finest being used for Unica. The wine is produced every vintage, but in varying quantities (1,500-4,000 cases) depending on the quality of the year. Unica represents a premier cru style Rioja single vineyard with fantastic structure, a seamless texture, and a pure red fruit character. Tempranillo (97 %) and Graciano (3 %) from vines older than 30 years.

Second place goes to Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Unica Reserva Rioja 2019! This is a stellar Reserva Rioja from the latest outstanding vintage of the region 2019. Tasting this blind it was apparent that it was Rioja as it demonstrated those classic Rioja notes of dill, savory Tempranillo fruit, and a touch of sweet wood influence. What captivated us about the wine was how seductive the fruit was, ripe without being sweet. We would categorize this as a youthful modern Rioja with enough classic notes to do Rioja proud. This wine is going to make a lot of new friends as it is absolutely irresistible now, but yes it will age a decade easily.

(40% Garnacha, 30% Samso, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah) Camins del Priorat is a delicious entry-level offering from the famed winemaker Alvaro Palacios. It offers full-bodied, rich, deeply concentrated flavors of crisp cherry and ripe berries, with exotic floral and spice accents and a beautiful, seamless texture. A wine that always over delivers for the price, and a great introduction to high-quality Priorat! - Distributor

Organic

Organic / Biodynamic

90 points Vinous
The 2022 Mâcon-Verzé is a blend of all the Domaine's parcels in the middle of the slope on chalky soils and went through an eight-month fermentation. This has a crisp nose of lemon rind and crushed stone. It's focused and not complex, but it displays commendable vigor. The palate is medium-bodied with pretty white and yellow fruit and slightly higher acidity that lends more precision and nervosité to the finish.

Winemaker Notes:
The wine is dry with intense aromas and appealing flavors of Golden Delicious apples and citrus with a long, multi-layered finish. Excellent as an aperitif and with a medium body that makes it versatile to pair with everything from salads to chicken or grilled fish. Wonderful pairing ideas include butter lettuce with apples, walnuts, and pomegranate seeds, pizza topped with prosciutto and arugula, scallops, with tarragon cream, or tagliatelle with Italian olive oil, lemon zest and pine nuts.

Organic / Biodynamic

93+ points Wine Advocate
The 2023 Zarate is the flagship Albariño that shows the character of the year, with more moderate ripeness, 12.5% alcohol and a balanced and elegant profile. It's clean, floral and still a little reductive (this is 100% stainless steel) and should open up with a little more time in bottle. There is some 30% of wine with malolactic in the final blend. It has less concentration and alcohol than the 2022, with more finesse and freshness and is a little more herbal. This is a superb example of Albariño from Salnés.

This Rosado stuns once again with its minerality, salinity, and elegance. Made from the direct press of Listan Negro. The wine is pale and subtle in color but not in character. Always refreshing and relaxed on the palate where that volcanic minerality displays itself. Dry, refined, and masterfully done. Don’t miss it!

Los Bermejos is on the easternmost island of Lanzarote, only 125km from the African coast where conditions are extreme. A volcanic explosion that lasted from 1730-1736 covered the entire island in lava and ash 3-5 meters deep. Consequently, each vine must be planted in a hole or hoyo that breaks through that infertile volcanic crust of petrified lava to the organic matter that can nourish it. The wind, which acts as a natural fungicide, is so ferocious that each hoyo is surrounded by rock walls for protection. The flora on Lanzarote – including the vines – cannot grow very high; there are not enough nutrients in the soil to support sprawling greenery. Yields are minuscule (16 hL/ha) and each berry is concentrated with flavor. All vineyard work is done meticulously by hand. Some of the wines are certified organic, depending on the vintage. Ignacio supplements his crop with purchased fruit from growers who share his vision of sustainable viticulture; with such low yields the winery would have to own most of the land on the island in order to produce financially sustainable quantities of wine from exclusively proprietary grapes.

The Riserva Ducale is an intense ruby red color. This complex wine is characterized by sweet cherry and red berry fruit notes with delicately spiced hints of tobacco, leather, cedar, white pepper and a touch of flint. Tasting profile: Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico Riserva is well balanced on the palate, with velvety tannins, firm acidity, and a lingering finish of rosemary and figs.

Organic

94 points Wine Spectator
A succulent version, this red reveals cherry, strawberry, plum, floral, eucalyptus and tobacco aromas and flavors. Harmonious and enjoyable now, but there are still tannins to shed. Complex and long. Best from 2024 through 2040. 2,000 cases made, 800 cases imported. Bruce Sanderson

93 points Vinous
The 2018 Chianti Classico Riserva needs a few years to be at its best, but it has plenty to offer. In 2018 the Riserva is on the lighter side, but that's not a bad thing at all. Crushed leaves, tobacco, incense, mint, licorice and coffee add complexity to a core of dark Sangiovese fruit. Wild and exotic, the Riserva is certainly compelling.

Originating from the usual parcels and raised entirely in stainless steel, it has a brisk nose with Granny Smiths, lime and wet stone. Classic Chablis. The palate is well-balanced, with a bitter lemon entry lending tension. Taut and linear, it delivers a refreshing, spicy finish that lingers in the mouth. Very fine.

Organic

Sleek and well-knit, with a streak of salinity underscoring a creamy mesh of pink grapefruit, cherry blossom, Marcona almond and blood orange peel flavors that linger on the mouthwatering finish.

Sourced from one of the oldest, most traditional vineyards planted in Valdeorras, Avancia Godello expresses the authenticity the history of Valdeorras and the oldest Godello clones in the world. A completely unique white wine that ages beautifully. Godello was almost extinct at the end of the 1980's, so it is extremely rare to find a Godello produced from a single vineyard planted in 1904.

Organic

A terrific Sancerre alternative. This is a very mineral driven Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley.

Plump and briary, this is a zesty update on old-school Zin, offering wild berry, underbrush and licorice flavors that build richness and structure on the lively finish. Drink now through 2028.

The history of Seghesio dates back more than a century. The winery planted its first vineyard in Sonoma County in 1895 and endured both Prohibition and the Great Depression, staking its reputation on good value reds. The brand went upscale in the mid-1990s, transforming itself from a jug-wine factory into an elite Zinfandel specialist. The Seghesio family sold the winery in 2011, yet quality remains stellar. This bottling is not only a bargain, but also a tribute to old-school Zin-based field blends, with winemaker Andy Robinson culling from vineyards in Sonoma, Russian River, Alexander Valley and Dry Creek Valley, including juice that didn’t make it into single-vineyard wines like Home Ranch and Montafi. About 12% of the blend is Petite Sirah, Alicante Bouschet and other reds. Robinson aged the wine for 10 months in a mix of mostly neutral American and French oak. 100,685 cases made.—Tim Fish

Organic / Biodynamic

93 points James Suckling
Blackberries, cherries, sesame and salted-chocolate notes. Peach stones, too. It’s medium-bodied with silky, creamy tannins. So juicy and pure.

91 points Vinous
The 2019 Les Plantes is the new, young vines wine from Durfort Vivens. It offers notable depth to match its creamy, succulent personality. Drink this over the next few years, while the dark fruit remains vibrant. There is so much character here. AG

Jancis Robinson
The 2019 vintage sees the introduction of three new bottlings at Durfort Vivens. This one is formed from young vines (les plantes in French), and majors on soft supple tannins, plenty of vivacity. The highest in acidity of the three new bottlings, with an emphasis on savoury fruits and floral character. Highest in Cabernet Sauvignon also, reflecting the variety that is going in the ground here - they have taken the decision not to plant any more Merlot. Aged in a mix of barrels and amphoras.this over the next few years, while the dark fruit remains vibrant. There is so much character here. 88% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot and 2% cabernet franc. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Delicious now.

Wine critic William Kelley of The Wine Advocate, " Anyone who isn’t aware of just how good Gonzague Lurton’s wines are these days should taste a bottle.

The 62-hectare estate, of which some 55 hectares are planted, has been directed by Gonzague Lurton since 1992 and farmed biodynamically since 2013. Soils are quaternary gravels, with a rather low percentage of clay when compared with the likes of Châteaux Margaux and Palmer, and Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the blend, delivering wines of perfume, intensity and concentration. Lurton finds that physiological maturity and analytical maturity are much more synchronized with the new farming methods, even if in a vintage such as 2018 he's suffered, producing a mere 6,000 bottles. Recent vintages have certainly been on a qualitative roll, and today Durfort Vivens (the winery's premier bottling) unquestionably lives up to its 1855 second growth status. Given the quality of the brilliant 2019, prices remain decidedly reasonable, and readers should take notice."

Chateau Durfort Vivens is no newcomer to Bordeaux, they have been around since the 1700s in one form or another. It is rumored that a bottle of Chateau Durfort Vivens in 1844 would have cost more than any other Margaux, other than Chateau Margaux itself. Also, America’s first wine connoisseur Thomas Jefferson ranked it just behind Chateau Lafite Rothschild, Chateau Latour, and Chateau Margaux in his famous travel diaries. During the 1855 classification, Chateau Durfort Vivens was ranked a second growth of Margaux. Today I am sure the wines taste differently, however, this does show the pedigree and history of these vineyards.

Today the winery is owned by the renowned Lurton family. In 2009 they experimented with organic farming, loved the results, and fully converted all their vineyards to organic and biodynamic viticulture by 2013. They then received their Demeter certification making Chateau Durfort Vivens the first classified growth in Margaux to be fully certified 100% biodynamic.

Organic

A dark cherry color implies the fullness that is to come on the palate. Round with a full mouth feel displaying sour cherry and raspberry notes with the subtlest note of garrigue. This is one serious rose. No estate expresses the salt-kissed limestone-driven terroir of the idyllic Provençal seaside village of Cassis like Domaine du Bagnol, and the current generation, Sébastien Genovesi, crafts a rosé of scintillating energy, chiseled calcareous musculature, and gleaming red fruits. Comprising 45% Grenache, 35% Cinsault, and 20% Mourvèdre, Bagnol’s Cassis Rosé is pressed directly and rapidly (in under two hours) to extract as little color as possible, and the bottled wine (certified organic) contains only 10 milligrams per liter of total sulfur—a factor which contributes to its gorgeous purity of texture and intense evocation of limestone. (Rosenthal Wine Import)