Best Buys $10 And Under

Organic

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

90 points Wine Spectator
Fragrant hints of white peach and bay leaf on the nose lead to a brambly mix of juicy raspberry, strawberry and mulberry fruit in this expressive and well-spiced red, with light, buoyant tannins and notes of wild sage and flowers on the finish. Drink now through 2027. 10,400 cases made.

91 points Vinous
The 2022 Nero D' Avola Lagnusa is perfumed with a fresh mix of wild berries and spices accentuated by hints of blood orange. It's soft textured and lifted in feel with vibrant acidity and crisp wild berry fruit. The 2022 finishes energetic and pleasantly tart, puckering the cheekswhile keeping the mouth watering for more.

100% estate bottled Pinot Grigio from Friuli.

Ramato style Pinot Grigio from Fruili. This is a rose colored wine from 4 days of skin contact during fermentation.

The "go to" producer for Trebbiano. Fresh aromas of apricot, grapefruit, jasmine and orange blossoms, anise. Crisp and clean with zippy aromas and flavors of green apple, anise and almond. Perfect with vegetable appetizers, freshwater fish and seafood, eggs, fried foods. - Winery

"Renieri is an excellent producer of Brunello." - Monica Larner of Wine Advocate

96 points James Suckling
This is a very tight, refined Brunello that shows so much beautiful fruit and polish with dark-berry, cedar, walnut and cherry character. Its full-bodied with layers of fine tannins and a fresh, pretty finish. Needs much more time to open.

94 points Wine Advocate
"The Renieri 2016 Brunello di Montalcino is a plush, fruit-forward and accessible wine that captures the purity and elegance of the vintage. The best take-away, however, is the fresh, ready and bright state of this wine that makes it almost ready to enjoy straight out of the gate. This Brunello from a nine-hectare plot with limestone clay soils offers bold cherry and blackberry with delicate spice, smoke and blue flower. The wine is marked by balanced acidity, and there is some tannic tightness that should further relax by the time this wine hits the market at the start of 2021.

Organic

This complex and truly unique sparkling wine is crafted from 100% organically grown Fiano from Campania, Italy. This high elevation estate has both limestone and volcanic soil which provides amazing complexity to their wines. It is medium-bodied, bright with a salty minerality that is captivating. The grapes are pressed slowly, then fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless tanks. Then aged for three years in bottle on lees before disgorgement.

Organic

High-toned red fruits, crushed rocks and alpine herbs all combine to perk up the senses in this well-crafted mountain wine. With vines grown up to 3,500 feet, this blend of Syrah, Petit Rouge and a touch of Cornalin light up the palate with lifted cherry and cranberry notes, wild game and white pepper. Fine tannins and mouth-watering acidity give the wine's finish a big push that goes on for a long time.

The Aosta Valley lies at the foot of Europe’s highest mountain, Mont Blanc, in the northwestern corner of Italy. Surrounded by the Alp's highest peaks, Aosta is home to Europe’s highest vineyards many of which reach heights over 1,000 meters. The soils are mainly rocky and alluvial, with slate, granite and quartz.

Despite the alpine position, located at the south side of the Alps the Aosta Valley is blessed with a high amount of sunshine and relatively low rainfall. Due to geographical, physical, and climatic limitations, Aosta Valley has always been considered a “harsh” territory. Therefore, wine production is focused on quality rather than quantity. A fine example is the Rosset winery where quality is at the forefront, if you can find their wines.

The Rosset family decided to plant their first vineyards in the area of Saint Christophe in 2001. The first cultivated plot was about three hectares at an altitude of around 750 meters. The varieties planted were Chardonnay, Syrah, and the indigenous Cornalin. Some years later, Petit Rouge, another autochthonous red variety, was planted in the same area.

"Light straw in color with bright yellow highlights. Aromas of golden apples with a hint of white peach. Well-balanced acidity provide a fresh and lively mouthfeel with a clean dry finish." Winemaker notes

The grapes are grown in the Veneto region of Italy, in an area near the Valdobbiadene D.O.C.G.area, on the sloping hills just north of Treviso. Soil is alluvial with an important presence of clay.

Founded in 1887 by Francesco Mionetto in the small village of Valdobbiadene, Mionetto has been the preeminent name in Prosecco for over 125 years. In the heart of the Prosecco region, Mionetto produces the exceptional wines that comprise America's favorite Prosecco brand.

Organic / Natural / Orange Wine

90% Malvasia/10% Ortrugo & Trebbiano Toscano. The different grapes are co-planted and the vines average 30 years in age. The fruit is picked together, destemmed and macerated with the skins for approximately a month (less time in warmer vintages, more in cooler ones); a cap of skins and seeds forms and is not broken but is kept moistened with the fermenting wine. Fermentation is with native yeasts only in steel tank; malolactic fermentation occurs naturally as well. The wine is aged for a year, half in stainlesss steel and half in used French oak, followed by two years in bottle before release. The name "Ageno" is in homage to the original owner of the estate, Giancarlo Ageno (a lawyer and wine enthusiast who brought French vine cuttings to Emilia in the 19th century)

Winery Notes:
"Crisp, clean and delicate with fine bubble caressing the palate. Intense sensations of apples and peaches drive a pleasant aftertaste, that is reminiscent of fruity and floral aromas."

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

97 points Wine Spectator
Packed with vivid black cherry, black currant and plum fruit, as well as iron, sanguine and tobacco accents, this red shows some power and tension, but also grace and balance. The lingering aftertaste features bright, ripe fruit and wild herbs. Best from 2027 through 2043.

96 points James Suckling
Beautiful fresh fruit with crushed cherries, orange peel and flowers. Pure. Full-bodied with round and juicy fruit and a long, creamy finish. Flamboyant and beautiful with velvety and creamy tannins that provide a wonderful texture. Drink after 2027.

96 points Vinous
The 2020 Tignanello is so primary, so intensely fruit-driven, that it almost tastes like a barrel sample. A burst of red Sangiovese fruit opens first, followed by hints of blood orange, cinnamon, spice, dried flowers and mocha develop later. Time in the glass brings out striking dimensions. In 2020, Tignanello is wonderfully sleek and racy, with fine tannins that lie below a core of bright, sculpted fruit. The balance here is just sublime. I can't wait to revisit the 2020 with age. (AG) (2/2023)

95 points Wine Advocate
Newly on the market now, the 2020 Tignanello shows a gorgeous bouquet with an upfront and accessible personality. Right off the bat, you get dark cherry, dried raspberry, spice, toasted almond and citrusy blood orange. The blend is normally 75% to 80% Sangiovese with 7% Cabernet Franc. The grape in between, making up 13% to 18%, is Cabernet Sauvignon. This vintage is very pretty and won’t require a long wait. The tannins are sweet and silky. 'Tignanello proves itself as a great vineyard site in both the challenging and the classic years,' says Managing Director Renzo Cotarella. Annual production falls between 300,000-350,000 bottles. Drink: 2025-2045.ML

Organic

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

90 points Wine Spectator
A mix of honeysuckle, crab apple, lemon, pine and earth flavors highlight this intense white, which is fresh and balanced, leaving a saltiness on the languid aftertaste. Drink now through 2028. 2,500 cases made, 520 cases imported.

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

93 points Wine Spectator
Offers cherry and plum fruit framed by earth, mineral and wild herb flavors. Poised between elegance and power, this red is beautifully balanced. Dusty tannins support the fruit on the long finish. Best from 2026 through 2042.

Organic

La Gerla rents and fully farms this vineyard in Castelnuovo dell'Abate in the southern part of the appellation. The vines are 15 years old, so they prefer to make a younger, fresher wine from it. Fermented in stainless steel, aged in used Slavonian oak botti for 4 months.

On the palate, silky textures give way to an intense mix of dark red berry fruits, both savory and sweet spices and wild herbal tones. The finish is long, as saturating spice coats the senses, offset by juicy acids, with hints of cedar and red wild berries lingering on.

Sangiovese Grosso (the famed Brunello clone) is the focus here and all of the farming is organic. The estate was once owned by Biondi Santi.

Organic / Natural

Winemaker Notes:
60% Barbera/40% Bonarda (aka Croatina, not the same Bonarda found in Argentina). Trebbiolo is made from the youngest, most productive vines, aged 5-20 years and grown on the estate's gentle slopes and heavy clay soils. The fruit is organically farmed and harvested by hand. It is destemmed and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel with a 20-day skin maceration; the wine is aged in stainless steel. No sulfur at any point in the process. The name "Trebbiolo" is derived from the name of nearby river and valley Trebbia; if La Stoppa opted into the Italian appellation system, Trebbiolo would be their version of a Gutturnio Fermo DOC wine.

90 pts Vinous
Masses of crushed raspberries mix with wild herbs, dried roses and hints of underbrush as the 2019 Vino Rosso Trebbiolo opens up in the glass. It’s soft and round in feel yet bristling with energy as vibrant acids enliven its crisp red and blue fruits. Sweet spices, zests of citrus and hints of mint form toward the close as this tapers off nicely refreshing with medium length. You’d be hard-pressed to stop at just one glass. The Trebbiolo is a juicy and no-frills blend of 60% Barbera and 40% Bonarda.

This delicious red is the sweeter side of Lambrusco.

Hard to find a better performing Pinot Grigio than this for the money!

Organic

Ezio Poggio is a true visionary or, as Italians would say, a personaggio. He is devoted to the revival
of Timorasso, one of Italy’s most dynamic wine grapes. Ezio planted his first vines in 2004,
reestablishing a long-lost growing zone now known as Terre di Libarna along the north face of
the Apennine Mountains, which separate Piedmont from Liguria. In 2011, Ezio successfully
petitioned for official recognition of a new subzone in the southern half of the Tortona Hills called
Terre di Libarna. His daring decision to grow Timorasso at an elevation of nearly 2,000 feet is
without peer, and his unique vision for the grape has yielded white wines of ineffable beauty and
poise. At merely 15 hectares, this small but mighty subzone of the Colli Tortonesi DOC
encompasses the highest elevation growing region for Timorasso. Ezio Poggio is the sole
producer in Terre di Libarna.

Timorasso thrives in white, rocky, calcareous-clay soils, which bear a strong resemblance to the marls, or Marne di Sant’Agata, found in parts of the Langhe. Unlike the Langhe or the Roero, however, very little sand is found in these hills. Terre di Libarna’s significant diurnal temperature swings are mitigated by warm Mediterranean air currents rising up from Liguria. While a relative newcomer to the international scene, the variety has long been esteemed in Piedmont, where Timorasso was often nicknamed "White Barolo" due to its incredible structure and age-worthiness. As early as the 1800s, ampelographers described Timorasso as a noble variety. Leonardo da Vinci, no less, is believed to have been a fan, having included a bottle of white wine known as Timuras and a local cheese from Colli Tortonesi among wedding gifts for Isabella di Aragona.

Characterized by intense, enduring herbal and mineral notes as well as high acidity, Timorasso is mediumto full-bodied with notes of white flowers, subtle stone fruit, and lemon. Due to the presence of an aromatic precursor abbreviated as TDN (trimethyl-dihydronaphthalene) also found in Riesling. Timorasso can yield age-worthy wines that develop great complexity over time. Such bottlings often demonstrate diesel or kerosene notes after several years in bottle. By law, Timorasso cannot be labeled under the Colli Tortonesi appellation if the wine has not rested on the lees for at least 10 months, a technical requirement befitting a structured, age-worthy white wine like Timorasso. While many Timorasso fans draw parallels to Chenin Blanc for its aromatic profile, texture, and ageability, it is singular among native Italian white varieties.

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.

Many will recognize the square dimpled bottle on the back bar right away. The amber liquid inside the bottle is distinctive too, with its sweet amaretto-cookie aroma and thin, almond extract flavor, touched with vanilla and orange. Its a classic for amaretto sours or lacing coffee

Organic

94 points Wine Advocate
The certified organic Col d'Orcia 2019 Brunello di Montalcino shows ripe fruit, blackberry, earthy notes, licorice and, generally speaking, a much bigger and riper fruit profile compared to its peers. It offers full-bodied Brunello opulence to enjoy over the near or medium term, and the wine delivers dried fruit flavors of prune and fig to close. The tannins are velvety and add to the richness of the rather upfront and immediate mouthfeel.

93 points Vinous
Depths of dried black cherry come together with cedar shavings and worn leather as the darkly alluring 2019 Brunello di Montalcino slowly evolves in the glass. This is surprisingly juicy and energetic, with a pure blend of red fruits and inner florals coasting along a fresh acidity stream. Fine tannins settle in through the finish as the 2019 takes on a youthful tension, puckering the cheeks as tart cranberry notes fade through the youthfully chewy finale. (Drink between 2025-2033)