Best Buys $10 And Under
Shopping Options
Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2012
Ornellaia Bolgheri Superiore 2012
Regular price Regular Price: $257.99 Sale priceYour Price: $238.97
Save $19.02
Available: 9
The 2012 Bolgheri Superiore Ornellaia is very similar to the 2011 Ornellaia that precedes it. These were both hot vintages, but 2012 saw the heat towards the end of the growing season. In fact the harvest in 2012 came two weeks earlier than average. This seamless blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (56%), Merlot (27%), Cabernet Franc (10%) and Petit Verdot (7%) shows some of the roundness and softness of that summer heat. The wine's density and extraction are spot-on and the bouquet is beautifully shaped by dark cherry nuances with spice, leather and tobacco at the back. There is a gorgeous sense of richness and plushness here. Some 160,000 bottles were produced. This edition of Ornellaia is more immediate in character and less suited to the decades-long aging that cooler vintages can affront so successfully.
94+ points Vinous
The 2012 Ornellaia has put on quite a bit of weight since I first tasted it from bottle a few months ago. Rich, powerful and concentrated, the 2012 offers plenty of depth and intensity, with expressive fruit and striking mid-palate intensity. Dark red cherry jam, wild flowers, licorice, smoke, tobacco and mint blossom in the glass. There is a very slight element of dryness in the tannin that is the signature of a year in which ripening took place in fits and starts. It will be interesting to see if that note softens over time.
Aged for 18 months in barrique (70% new and 30% once-used). After bottling, the wine aged a further 12 months prior to release.
W08963
Italy
Tuscany
Red
2012
Cabernet Sauvignon
.750L
yes
Ruffino Rose Sparkling NV
Ruffino Rose Sparkling NV
Regular priceYour Price: $13.97
Available: 36
Ruffino Sparkling Rose is fresh and fragrant with notes of strawberry and slight hints of rose petals. On the palate this wine has elegant bubbles and refreshing acidity, offering alluring flavors of delicate red berries and white fruits that linger through the finish.
Ruffino Sparkling Rose is enjoyable on its own as an aperitif, but also as a food companion, pairing well with a variety of dishes including grilled fish, roasted chicken, and mixed greens salads.
W11166
Italy
Sparkling
.750L
Podernuovo A Palazzone Therra Toscana Rosso 2021
Podernuovo A Palazzone Therra Toscana Rosso 2021
Regular price Regular Price: $24.99 Sale priceYour Price: $16.97
Save $8.02
Available: 117
Ripe and very fresh at the same time. I like the grilled thyme, garrigue, stones and graphite characters laid upon the berries and cherries on the nose. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate with nice tension in the middle, connecting the fresh entry to a mineral, medium-long finish. Delicious now, but will drink well in the next five to six years.
Maceration on the skins for 18 days; alcoholic fermentation at controlled temperature in stainless steel basins; malolactic fermentation in barriques; ageing in 225 litre barriques for 10 months, in cement vats for 6 months and 12 months in bottle.
PJ01068
Djuce Fizzy White Wine CAN 187mL
Djuce Fizzy White Wine CAN 187mL
Regular priceYour Price: $4.99
Available: 92
A fresh and bubbly experience, this Fizzy White lands both crisp and fruity. It’s made up of an easily digestible mix of Trebbiano and Yellow Muscat. Drink it before a big dinner, during those long party nights, on the top of a (reasonably) high mountain, or whenever you feel the call for some celebration bubbles. 10.5% abv. Crafted in Italy from Trebbiano/Yellow muscat.
PJ01011
Djuce Rose Spritz CAN 187mL
Djuce Rose Spritz CAN 187mL
Regular priceYour Price: $4.99
Available: 94
Tired of yet another pale rosé? With the Spritz Rosé you get bubbles and crispness, topped off with a lower alcohol level. Grapefruit, cherries, red apples? Sure, they are all there. But this wine is more about freshness and playfulness. It’s your party pal and reliable companion during those dreamlike summer nights. Drink wine, drink bubbles, drink rosé - but stay razor sharp. 6.5% abv.
Crafted in Italy from Montepulciano.
PJ01010
Djuce Juicy Amber Wine CAN 187mL
Djuce Juicy Amber Wine CAN 187mL
Regular priceYour Price: $4.99
Available: 92
A more quirky experience for the self-proclaimed connoisseurs, but still fun and easy going. The Juicy Orange carries notes of orange blossom and apricot, with a light to medium body. If you’re more into the natty wines of the world, this will probably be your weapon of choice. 12% abv. Crafted in Italy from Grillo/Catarratto/Zibibbo.
PJ01012
Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino 2019
Uccelliera Brunello di Montalcino 2019
Regular price Regular Price: $75.99 Sale priceYour Price: $68.97
Save $7.02
Available: 24
95 points Vinous
Brooding yet intense, the 2019 Brunello di Montalcino bursts from the glass with a wave of autumnal spices, crushed cherries, cedar shavings and steeped plums lifted by pine hints. This is deeply textural, elegant and refined, with a dense wave of ripe wild berry fruits, all guided by vibrant acidity, offset by oranges and balsam herbs. It finishes grippy and extended with a black hole of tension and a sweet and sour sensation that lingers on and on as crunchy tannins resonate throughout. The 2019 is youthfully backward today, yet there’s a balance that can’t be denied, especially as I watched it open up over twenty-four hours. This is a total pleasure to taste. Bury the 2019 deep in the cellar.
95 points Wine Advocate
The Uccelliera 2019 Brunello di Montalcino offers ripe fruit, a note of cooked blackberry and pomegranate juice. Along with oak spice and dried bay leaf, there is a spot of creaminess on the mid-palate that recalls cheese rind or aged chèvre with a crust of black pepper and thyme. That note blows off, however, and the wine returns to dried cherry with a medicinal or herbal twist. There’s a lot going on. The wine needs more time in bottle to address the fine, chalky tannins. It is elegant now but poised to improve
PJ00903
Italy
Tuscany
Red
2019
Sangiovese
.750L
Scopetone Brunello di Montalcino 2019
Scopetone Brunello di Montalcino 2019
Regular price Regular Price: $56.99 Sale priceYour Price: $50.97
Save $6.02
Available: 12
93 points James Suckling
Sour cherries with orange peel and hints of vanilla bean. Some bark, too. Medium body, with very fine tannins and a fresh and bright finish. Lean and agile.
PJ00902
Italy
Tuscany
Red
2019
Sangiovese
.750L
Castello Colle Massari Montecucco Riserva 2018
Castello Colle Massari Montecucco Riserva 2018
Regular price Regular Price: $23.99 Sale priceYour Price: $18.97
Save $5.02
Available: 25
92 points Wine Spectator
Rich yet succulent and open-knit, this red delivers strawberry, cherry, earth, tobacco and licorice flavors allied to a fine structure. Shows excellent balance and length. Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon. Drink now through 2028.
91 points James Suckling
This has aromas of cherries, blackberries, mushrooms, cloves, tar and tobacco. It’s medium-bodied with firm tannins. Savory and spicy with a flavorful finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.
PJ00918
Italy
Red
2018
.750L
Prima Piuma Monferrato Bianco 2021
Prima Piuma Monferrato Bianco 2021
Regular price Regular Price: $16.99 Sale priceYour Price: $13.97
Save $3.02
Available: 46
85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Riesling from 20 and 5-year-old vines respectively. Grown organically on calcareous clay soil at 280m elevation. Grapes are directly pressed for fermentation in stainless steel. Maturation in concrete with no fining.
PJ00894
Italy
White
2021
.750L
Bisol Desiderio Jeio Prosecco Brut NV
Bisol Desiderio Jeio Prosecco Brut NV
Regular price Regular Price: $15.99 Sale priceYour Price: $12.97
Save $3.02
Available: 52
W10472
.750L
Terraviva Abruzzo Passerina 2022
Terraviva Abruzzo Passerina 2022
Regular price Regular Price: $23.99 Sale priceYour Price: $19.97
Save $4.02
Available: 33
Straw yellow in color with greenish reflections. On the nose it has fresh and clear aromas of green apple, citrus fruits, ripe pear and white flowers with a final mineral note. On the palate it stands out for its acidity, moderated by softness generated by the alcohol content; It is very reminiscent of citrus fruits on the nose, in particular candied citrus fruits. The sip is refreshing and the finish decidedly savory.
PJ00542
Italy
Red
2022
.750L
Bruno Giacosa Le Rocche del Falletto Barolo Riserva 2016
Bruno Giacosa Le Rocche del Falletto Barolo Riserva 2016
Regular priceYour Price: $899.97
Available: 12
This is the second 100-point Vigna Le Rocche, following the 2015. What the former had in intensity of fruit and transparency, this has in structure and power. The purity of fruit is sensational in this young Barolo, offering blackberries, black truffle and iron. Rust too. This is so tannic and powerful with incredible structure. This may be the most structured Barolo from Bruno Giacosa I have ever tasted as a young wine. Speechless. Full-bodied and so intense, yet it remains fresh and agile. Traditional in every sense of the word, but this is clear and clean. A classic in the making. It will be in the market January 2022. Leave this for at least six to eight years. Try in 2027.
98 points Wine Advocate
The Bruno Giacosa 2016 Barolo Falletto Vigna Le Rocche sees its fruit sourced from the oldest vines in the Falletto cru. This wine boasts all the signature touches of Serralunga d'Alba with the massive structure, density and the long aging potential that comes with Nebbiolo grown in this village. The wine spreads evenly over the palate, imparting its considerable fruit weight and generally leaving a big impact. This Barolo is really quite lovely and beautiful. The bouquet is fluid and ever-shifting, showing new sides with firm fruit, blackberry, smoke, rusty nail and mineral with every swirl of the glass. I visited this vineyard site shortly before tasting this wine and marveled at the beautiful peacocks that roam free between the rows of vines.
98 points Wine Spectator
This red bursts with juicy cherry, blackberry, floral and mineral aromas and flavors fused to a firm structure, with dense tannins gaining the upper hand on the finish for now. Nevertheless, there is a beam of pure cherry throughout and this finishes long, with fruit and wild herbs gracing the aftertaste. Best from 2026.
W21015
Italy
Piedmont
Red
2016
.750L
Bruno Giacosa Falleto 2017
Bruno Giacosa Falleto 2017
Regular price Regular Price: $215.99 Sale priceYour Price: $192.97
Save $23.02
Available: 5
Sweet berries, smoke, cedar and olives on the nose. Floral. Full-bodied with firm, chewy tannins and a pretty background and ripe fruit. Flavorful finish. Hints of bitter citrus and smoke, too. Very complex. Powerful for Falletto. Drink after 2026.
W01164
Italy
Red
2017
.750L
Antinori Solaia Toscana 2019
Antinori Solaia Toscana 2019
Regular price Regular Price: $399.99 Sale priceYour Price: $369.97
Save $30.02
Available: 6
The Marchesi Antinori 2019 Solaia is another blockbuster success from Tuscany's leading wine estate. The blend sees a slightly higher percentage of Cabernet Franc and a slightly lower percentage of Sangiovese. The current mix is 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Sangiovese and 10% Cabernet Franc (which has been creeping up in recent years, especially as the climate changes). The soils at the Solaia vineyard are rich in Galestro rock, which is an especially happy pairing with Cabernet Franc in particular. Managing Director Renzo Cotarella tells me that that a vintage like 2019 is proof that the final character of a wine comes from its surrounding territory, not from the blend. This is a generous and extremely expressive edition with lots of dark fruit, spice and sweet tobacco. The tannins are beautifully velvety and soft. This is a beautiful wine that collectors will love.
97 points Vinous
The 2019 Solaia is fabulous. Deep and exquisitely layered, the 2019 is so expressive right out of the gate. Succulent dark cherry, plum, licorice, incense, pipe tobacco, chocolate and grilled herbs all take shape. Here, too, the aromatics are alluring. Cabernet Franc is bumped up a bit in the blend, and that works so well here. Solaia is often a bombastic, intense wine. The 2019 is incredibly refined and buttoned up. Readers will have to be patient. The 2019 Solaia is the sort of wine I would like to spend a whole evening with. Aging was 18 months in 100% new French oak. (AG)
W21565
Italy
Tuscany
Red
2019
.750L