Best Buys $10 And Under

91 points Wine Enthusiast
This is a very bold style of Pinot Noir, so much that it's not very reflective of the grape but would work well paired with a juicy grilled steak. Concentrated aromas of blackberry, maple syrup and hot pancakes lead into a viscous, thick palate of berry jam, clove and cardamom flavors.

Few names are as synonymous with quality Scotch whisky as Glenlivet. The Glenlivet French Oak 15-year-old blended whisky stands out for the eponymous French oak casks used in the distilling process. The result is an earthy, lingering bouquet no other label can replicate. A tried-and-true product from Scotland's oldest legal distillery, Glenlivet 15-Year Scotch whisky is created through a process similar to making cognac, lending it a slightly sweet and abundantly flavorful profile. The remarkable maturation process delivers a whisky known for its nutty, spicy, and fruity hue with notes of apple, grape, nuts, and spices. Distilling the Scotch in French oak casks for so long also infuses hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. The Glenlivet 15-Year French Oak Scotch has a 40% ABV and is perfectly at home in sweet mixed drinks. You can also enjoy Glenlivet on its own sip by sip.

Camille Saves rose Cuvee from the Bouzy Grand Cru terroir with a blend of two years. The NV Brut Rose Grand Cru is arguably the most complex wine in this range. A vinous, deeply resonant Champagne, the NV Brut Rose Grand Cru blossoms in the glass with gorgeous depth and richness. The Rose is 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir, with the Pinot driving the wine's texture and pure sense of volume. Saves's Rose is often one of the best, as it is again this year. Dosage was 8 grams/liter. Alc: 12%.

Very elegant, complex, and stylish. Honeyed and silky in texture, with toffee, toasted marshmallow, nougat, maple syrup, banana bread, and a hint of toasted coconut. Bright fruit and golden raisin blend in nicely with the layers of sweetness. Impeccable balance and very approachable. Classic Irish whiskey! Whisky Advocate 96pts

Made in hand selected wine barriques from Sauternes, the most famous and ancient sweet wine growing region of France, this a whisky of rich, spicy and dessert-like flavours. Non chill-filtered for additional aroma and mouthfeel. An exercise in sweet-dry balancing. Aroma: lime and orange rind and dates laced with tantalising spices of coconut and nutmeg. Taste: ginger, nutmeg and toasted almonds bring a deep, warming taste interwoven with a syrupy lemon meringue and honeycomb middle. 46% abv - Rich Fruit and Spice -

"Finished (extra-matured, as they are now saying) in Sauternes casks. This expression replaces the Madeira wood finish. Beautiful sweet notes of honeycomb, sultana, apple pie, and white chocolate balanced by peach, coconut, and pineapple. Gentle background spice. The Sauternes cask adds extra weight and viscosity. The sweetness is not cloying, nor does it dominate the flavor profile. A good demonstration of the benefits of wood finishing." 89 pts Whisky Advocate

92 points Wine Spectator
A firm and minerally rosé Champagne, with oyster shell and chalk notes underscoring the raspberry coulis and nectarine fruit flavors. Tightly meshed and mouthwatering throughout, with spice and almond skin notes playing on the finish. Disgorged August 2019. Drink now through 2025.

92 points Vinous
The NV Brut Rosé is flat-out delicious. The word ’balance’ is so overused in wine, but I really can’t think of a better way to describe the Brut Rosé. It is not nervy nor overly rich, but just impeccable in its poise and overall harmony. A healthy amount of Pinot lends volume and intensity to this Chardonnay-based Rosé. This is the sort of wine that is opened and disappears within a few minutes. This release is a blend of vintages 2017 and 2016. Disgorged: August, 2019.

Organic

Organic

Organic

93-95 points Vinous
The 2021 Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau is a solid effort from the Brunier family. The 2021 La Crau unfurls in the glass with a fragrant perfume of crushed violets, lavender, strawberry, raspberry, dried herbs, mint and a dash of white pepper. It is full- bodied and layered, showing a refined profile marked by soft tannins and lively acids. Not as powerful as either the 2020 or 2019, but the 2021 is certainly the most elegant rendition among them.

An all-malt blend from Nikka's two distilleries, one Hokkaido and the other in Aoba-ku, this is a very dark intense whisky, with notes of vanilla, toffee, and chocolate. Smooth on the palate, but with a finish that can linger for several minutes. 40%abv

----Sorry One Bottle Per Customer.----

Founded in 1763, Hine is located in the best wine-growing region of Cognac and has been stewarded by six generations of the same family. Since 1962, Hine has been court supplier to the British royal house. The award-winning Hine Cognac Rare VSOP is a testament to a company that values quality over quantity. This rare cognac is a blend of more than 25 cognacs derived from Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, the two best cognac crus, with the youngest eaux de vie aged at least six years in oak. This smooth cognac features delicate notes of vanilla, jasmine, acacia and fruit and is well balanced and mellow, which makes it perfect for sipping.

97+ points Wine Advocate
The expressive, complex and nuanced 2016 Prado Enea Gran Reserva is a textbook traditional Rioja in the making. 2016 was a very elegant year, with aging potential, volume and very good acidity and freshness. It's full-bodied but fine-boned, has 14.5% alcohol, a pH of 3.6 and 5.25 grams per liter acidity. It has terrific balance, with all the components in the right proportion to age superbly in bottle. They have also been working on the selection of wood used. This wine matured in French and American oak barrels for three years, and the oak is super integrated. 127,808 bottles produced. It was bottled in January 2020. It was an exceptional year with volume and quality. Drinking Window 2024 - 2040

93 points Vinous
The 2022 Riesling Graacher Himmelreich Spatlese is rather closed. Distant fruit appears as though behind glass where you can see but not touch. The palate is a juicy, rounded but tingling picture of tangerine. Aromatic, deliciously tart but wonderfully ripe, with that scented, balancing, zesty tang of tangerine peel. The 2022 shows poised balance, sweetness, extended, aromatic length and real elegance. (Medium)

Pierre Ferrand Renegade Barrel is a rare example of double-matured Cognac. Aged in a combination of classic oak casks and chestnut-wood barrels, this is rich with a hint of sweetness.
A limited edition for 2017, 'Renegade Barrel No.2' is made with Pierre Ferrand Cognac that's first aged in oak barrels and then matured in a barrel made from the wood of chestnut tree. Surprisingly, the practice of using chestnut barrels for cognac has been neglected since 1945, and was not included in subsequent Cognac AOC regulation - hence this nectar must be classed as an eau-de-vie de vin and not a cognac.
The unique method of maturation in Chesnut wood barrel marvelously enhances the honeyed, candied fruits and floral notes present in this eau-de-vie. At 47% abv, its is complex, rich, flavourful and intense.

90pts Robert Parker:
Slightly herbal and leafy on the nose, the deep, currant-scented 2016 Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon blends fruit from five different regions of South Australia. It's medium to full-bodied, with soft, measured tannins and true Cabernet identity. Aged in French and American oak, there are some cedar and mocha notes apparent on the nose and finish, but the cassis fruit carries the day.

92pts James Suckling:
Youthful cabernet style here, showing plenty of blackcurrants and a tarry edge with dried plums, some raisins, mint and sweetly fragrant oak spices. The palate is very smooth and juicy. The fully ripe tannins are super fluid and open-knit, delivering a silky and approachable style. Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Wrattonbully, Padthaway fruit sourcing. Drink now or hold.

91pts Decanter:
Bin 407 is an offcut of Penfolds’ signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 707, and as such it tends to share a similar multi-regional expression - in this case Coonawarra, McLaren Vale, Barossa, Wrattonbully and Padthaway. It's cloaked in both French and American oak, where it spends 12 months, resulting in a youthfully primary, vibrant red in that distinctly ripe, opulent Aussie style. Sweet, blackcurranty Cabernet aromas are accompanied by just a hint of cooler climate leafiness, all the while showing plenty of cassis richness, nice firm tannins and a savoury quality on the finish. Try with a rack of rosemary and garlic lamb. Drinking Window 2020 - 2030


Taste Description:
Colour
Deep and prominent - solid red.

Nose
Where to start? So immediately true to variety. Punchy, not shy.
Beneath: Subtle forest floor earthiness, laced with liquorice, fennel and anise with a sceric of non-aggressive fresh spearmint.
Above: Sugar pastille wafts - somewhat reminiscent of the fruit bon bons of youth- more prescriptively/realistically - blackcurrant jelly bean.
In between: Summer pudding fruit generosity - suggestive of a cherry clafoutis? Or maybe a fleshy red cherry trifle, avec sponge cake? Yes please.
Absorbed: Stylish/coiffured oak - want to say classy, but might sound pretentious? Next time.

Palate
Bountiful red cabernet fruits complexed by cut tobacco (pouch) and darkened spices.
Seamless, with a tightness/tension between acidity and tannins.
These tannins are ripe and friendly - currently perceived as fruit, not oak tannins.
Oak - quite possibly partially contributing to the sweetness apparent on palate?
Flavour and length. Lingers.

#4 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2024!

94 points Wine Spectator
Packed and broad in feel, with a ganache note draped over black currant, blackberry and steeped cherry. Licorice root and alder smoke flavors check in on the finish as the fruit pumps through, ending with a flash of violet. Hard to resist now, but this has some development ahead. Drink now through 2036

Organic

94 points Vinous
The 2019 Barolo Ginestra Vigna del Gris is another terrific wine from Conterno-Fantino. Crushed flowers, cedar, pipe tobacco, mint, dried flowersand worn in leather give the 2019 striking aromatic presence. Here, too, Fabio Conterno has done a terrific jobin taming the Monforte tannins. The Gris never has the completeness of the other Crus, but in 2019 it is positively striking. I would drink this ahead of the other 2019s. Drinking Window 2024-2034

I was blown away by the wines I tasted at Conterno-Fantino. The 2019s are nuanced transparent and wonderfully expressive of place. In other words everything Barolo should be. Everything starts in the vineyard which has always been evident here. In recent years Fabio Fantino has refined that approach giving the wines a level of precision that is impossible to miss. The 2019s spent 15-18 days on the skins far longer than a decade ago and were aged in a combination of barrique and 25hL casks. The 2019s are simply stellar.

97 points Wine Advocate
The 2020 Clos Mogador comes from a very challenging vintage in Priorat, a year with lots of rain and some fungus problems that are very unusual in the zone, which is usually very healthy. They bought a further four hectares so they could keep the volume despite the difficulties with mildew. The wine is more tannic and a little astringent despite now having any time in barrels anymore; starting this year, it matured exclusively in 2,000-liter oak foudre, and the impact of the wood is milder. A very good result, it's powerful but has good balance. The vintage is more tannic, and the quality of the tannins is not the same as those from 2019, as they couldn't wait for better tannins because of the risk of losing acidity and freshness. 26,000 bottles produced. 2024 - 2032

Balanced and elegant. Hints of tamarind and pomegranate aromas are followed by herbal tones of fresh mint and dried oregano. Delicate notes of smoke and black pepper lead to a long silky finish. 40%abv

Aged in charred American white oak for 10 years. The result is a special expression of Bulleit that provides a rich, deep, smooth sipping experience. Deep russet in color, rich oaky aromas. Smooth taste with vanilla, dried fruit, and a long, smoky finish. 45.6%abv. Gold Medal - 2013, 2014, 2015 San Francisco World Spirits Competition

The white from Simone is a truly unique creation based primarily on Clairette that is supplemented with Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Ugni Blanc and a touch of Muscat Blanc. The white, brisk in its youth, animated by a bouquet of pine-resin, evolves slowly into a sensual masterpiece with its lingering finish built on a mass of minerality. This is a remarkably age-worthy wine with the potential to give ever-more pleasure over a span two decades or more.

#96 on The Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of 2023!

92 points Wine Spectator
Expressive, with bramble and black licorice notes leading off, followed quickly by fresh black cherry and currant preserves. Features flashes of bay leaf and mesquite on the sleek finish, with a strong mineral underpinning as well. Drink now through 2035

96 points James Suckling
Brooding but fresh nose, with tarry blackberries and fresh blue fruit. Iron, wet stones, violets and a hint of mocha, too. Full-bodied, mineral and broad on the palate with a stony feel, though not heavy at all. A really elegant, nuanced and extremely poised Pintia that you can enjoy now and for the next decade. A really eclectic Pintia showing more elegance and calculation. Drink or hold.

95+ points The Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pintia comes from a cooler and wetter vintage when the grapes were picked between September 20th and October 7th, and it fermented in their new fermentation room where they feel they can be more precise. The wine still has 15% alcohol, with a pH of 3.82 and 4.6 grams of acidity. It had a shorter levage this year and matured for 10 months in French and 18% American oak barrels, 81% of them new. The nose is very expressive, with bright cherry fruit, and the wine is fresher than the norm in the region, with integrated alcohol and oak, reflecting a very cool year, floral and perfumed. The palate is medium-bodied and reveals very fine and elegant tannins. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Pintia. 251,512 bottles, 14,144 half-bottles, 6,543 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in April 2020.