Best Buys $10 And Under

This is rich on the nose, with candied fruit, fruitcake, toffee and maple syrup. Full-bodied and medium sweet, with a brilliant aftertaste of fruit and caramel. Lasts for minutes on your palate. - WS92

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

93 points Wine Spectator
Lovely, with a mix of persimmon, white peach, hazelnut, green tea and singed alder notes all moving together in streamlined harmony. The long, elegant finish has nice latent energy. Drink now.

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

93 points Wine Spectator
Sleek and fresh, with dark plum and blackberry notes laced with singed alder and ganache. Shows nice drive through the polished finish as the fruit expands. Drink now through 2031.

Lean and restrained, with focused spicy plum and chocolate flavors, gaining some interest in the tension between sweetness and alcohol. - WS78

Silky and plush, this tawny sees about 3 years of barrel aging in small oak casks, giving it a rich, amber hue and deliciously decadent notes of butterscotch, toffee, vanilla, and dried fig. For port-lovers, this a great every-day sipper for the price -- a little bit of luxury in the middle of the week! -- PJ

Fresh and fruit-centric, the price here may be super accessible for everyday, but its treatment by this famed Douro producer is nothing less than classically old-school. The point in a young, vintage-blended ruby is to keep the fruit lively and juicy, with a texture that feels velvety-luxurious in your mouth and is nothing less than a pleasure on the tongue. Taylor Fladgate's Special Ruby NV port sees up to four years in large, oak casks and when you sip it, you can really feel that intense softness and supple texture from not rushing it through the process. It's got pretty notes of black and red plums and bright cherry, and is oh-so irresistible alongside some pungent, tangy Cashel blue cheese. -- PJ

Spicy cherry, minerals and maple syrup on the nose. At once smooth and structured, with excellent intensity and a firm backbone. Not especially sweet. Long, fairly powerful and slightly harsh on the finish. - IWC

Founded in 1820, and today housed in cellars that date from 1619, this small jewel of a company is still owned by the same family, its vineyard holdings built up over time through a series of marriages with other wine-producing families. Displaying a nutty, slightly toasty nose, with flavours of hazelnuts, and orange peel. The high acidity makes the wine taste dry on the palate, with a smooth, long, and memorable finish.

"Firm, fresh and complex, with an array of glazed apricot, ginger, maple and cream flavors. Features notes of truffle and mineral on the crisp finish. Drink now. 200 cases imported." Wine Spectator

There's something so luscious and decadent about this fruit-forward port, but with an underlying elegance and complexity that makes it stand out from the NV crowd. Ripe black and red plums, fresh Mission figs, and plump, juicy raisins dominate the palate here, with a velvety texture that won't quit. Grab the closest bar of good dark chocolate and have at it. -- PJ

Could use a little more complexity, but fresh and fruity, with lots of flavors. Medium sweetness. - WS81

Young, grapey and robust. Its flavors are dominated by raisin, plum and chocolate. Simple, straightforward and delicious, with a moderate grip. - WS84

"Firm, fresh and complex, with an array of glazed apricot, ginger, maple and cream flavors. Features notes of truffle and mineral on the crisp finish. Drink now. 200 cases imported." Wine Spectator

Light and fruity, with a slightly nutty character. Medium body and sweetness, with a light, silky finish. - WS81

Good medium-deep red. Aromas of red fruits, tar and smoked meat. Fat, lush and sweet; flavors of black cherry and earth. Slightly fiery but persistent back end. - IWC87

With flavors of dried figs, apricots and crushed hazlenuts, this tawny port -- a blend of mostly old vintages with a few more recent annums blended in to liven things up a bit -- manages to purport richness on the palate, but with a fresh, fine finish that feels deliciously bright instead of weighty. We love this with a post-meal plate of salty, nutty cheeses and nuts, or served slightly chilled for a pre-dinner appetite rev. -- PJ

Dense ruby/purple-colored, with an exotic, exuberant perfume of black fruits, flowers, incense, and licorice, this unctuously-textured, full-bodied port is one of the most concentrated of the vintage. Sweet, expansive, and succulent, this large-scaled, but remarkably well-balanced effort is surprisingly forward and accessible... - WA95

What's so lovely about Dow's non-vintage tawny is how wonderfully bouyant it is. Sure, it's got the intense, concentrated, succulent, dried-fruit sweetness you expect in an after-dinner sipper, but there are lovely notes of orange citrus and almond here that keep it aloft on your palate, and nicely complement a hunk of Asiago or Fontina cheese. -- PJ

#66 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2022.

96 points Wine Spectator
This is really vivid, with a beautiful range of cassis, cherry pur??e, boysenberry coulis and plum reduction notes unfurling across the palate while succulent licorice, warm fruitcake and enticing red and black tea notes sing back up. The long, refined finish has plenty in reserve for the long haul. One of the stars of the vintage. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Alicante Bouschet and Tinta Amarela. Best from 2040 through 2060.

"Firm, fresh and complex, with an array of glazed apricot, ginger, maple and cream flavors. Features notes of truffle and mineral on the crisp finish. Drink now. 200 cases imported." Wine Spectator