Best Buys $10 And Under

100% Gamay from a blend of several parcels of vines averaging 40 years of age within the Thévenet’s home village of Pierreclos. The wine is vinified and aged in stainless steel, resting on the fine lees for one year. It is a light, unpretentious, charming little wine, lithe and supple and eminently quaffable

Organic

91 points Vinous
The NV Rosso Cala Cala is dusty and floral with a dark mix of dried black cherries, rose petals and spice. This is a juicy and pure effort with medium-bodied weight and citrus-infused wild berry fruits. It finishes with a surprising grip, maintaining freshness as hints of tart blackberry slowly fade. This rendition of Cala Cala is intense and has the balance to evolve positively over the next three to four years.

95% Nerello Mascalese and 5% Nerello Cappuccio

Organic / Biodynamic

This 100% Limniona hails from Tyrnavos, which is flat, flat, flat, and in summer punishingly hot, which makes the balance and delicacy that Christos Zafeirakis regularly achieves in his Limniona all the more striking. Ripe but restrained, with a tantalizing tug-of-war between floral and earthy, this Limniona speaks clearly of its soil. The 2020 is medium- bodied but heavy on complexity, offering in turn the sharpness of raspberries, a bloody tang wreathed in smoke, and the woodland character of the layer on the ground where old leaf litter dissolves into the earth below. Reminiscent of an earthy Beaujolais. 13% abv

Lava Cap’s Cabernet Sauvignon has long been recognized for producing age-worthy wines that showcase vibrant fruit and rich texture. The 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon holds true to this, with a dark purple color, and dark black fruit on the nose. On the palate, vibrant fruit mingles with allspice and clove, framed by vibrant acidity and well integrated tannins.

92 points Wine Enthusiast
This is a smashing deal every vintage, and this year's blend of 58% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 4% Mourv??dre and 3% Tempranillo doesn't disappoint. Fresh but savory aromas of roasted red fruit and baking spice drop into a tightly wound palate of snappy red currant and light pepper that rides a zippy acidity through the finish.

2018 Double Gold medal winner at San Francisco International Wine Competition! Made from estate grapes in our Hudson vineyard and totally dry. Light and complex, we get notes of cherry, herbs, and leather. - Winery

Vegan friendly.

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural

Meinklang Farm is a sprawling biodynamic operation in Burgenland, Austria growing grains, vegetables, and a variety of fruit, alongside a herd of cattle. Fusion is a co-fermentation of Gruner Veltliner grapes and Topaz apples. The two blend together into a fun, fizzy, pet-nat. Very refreshing, citrusy, and sharp.
7.5% abv

"Pale greenish yellow with golden and bright hints. Fresh, shows the fruity character from the beginning. Pineapple and peach together with small touches of hazelnut given by the French oak barrels. Wine with good structure, an excellent balance, fresh and lively acidity. Medium bodied with a long and dry end palate. At the end you find green pear and delicate hints of white peach complemented with toast impression. Perfect to enjoy with delicate fish such as grilled sea bass, sole or turbot, garnished with capers or herbs creamy sauces" Winemaker notes

Organic / Natural

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.

Light-bodied, bright, pale yellow with depth and a gold hue, even colour throughout. The nose is appealing and pure, with aromas of honeysuckle, tropical fruit and stonefruit.

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

Organic

With an elegant and attractive profile, it shows our commitment to sustainability and preservation of the environment. A combination of Aragonez, Trincadeira and Alicante Bouschet, the classic and timeless blend from Alentejo from the organic vineyard Vinea Maria. Fermented in stainless steel vats and aged for 12 months in new and used French oak barrels. Notes of black fruit jam, intense earthy perceptions, mint, green coffee and toast. In the mouth, it is structured, elegant, fresh and with a long finish.

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

As noted in the Oberberg Auslese Trocken note, this is one of the more powerful vineyards Hans Josef farms. It also tends to have one of the higher acidities and that tracks here - compared to the Sonnenberg, the Oberberg is a bit more structured, a bit more linear and zippy.Only around 20 grams residual sugar. - Importer

Organic

Although fermented in concrete, this is a fuller styled Cotes du Rhone with a good proportion of Syrah. Surprisingly serious for this price point.

"Versatile, crisp, and an ideal match for cocktails that also include orange liqueur, as well as its namesake classic cocktail. Light aromas include vanilla and a touch of juicy citrus. Flavors run to bitter orange, dark chocolate and black tea, finishing with a pepper tingle. Velvety feel, despite the brisk alcohol." Best Buy. 95 points - Wine Enthusiast

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.

"Rich, with smoky hints of roasted almond and toasted brioche, this crystalline Champagne offers a finely detailed mousse that carries the firm, citrusy acidity and flavors of patisserie apple, spun honey and tangy black cherry, accented by subtle, aromatic hints of ground cumin and clove, bergamot and chamomile. Disgorged August 2013." 95pts WS

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

95 pts Wine Advocate
The red flagship 2006 Viña Tondonia Reserva was inspired by the vineyards of the Médoc but produced with local grapes, 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacho, 5% Graciano and 5% Mazuelo, which achieved 13% alcohol in 2006. It always matures in used American oak barriques for some six years. The oldest of all the reds I tasted, it was also the one with more freshness, which speaks to the quality of the vineyard. This takes the lion's share of the 400,000 bottles the winery produces, with some 220,000 bottles filled over a period of 12 consecutive days in May 2014.

Dominican Republic- Aged for 23 years in American oak casks, this rum has a deep amber and copper color with an aroma of dried fruits and sweet, toasted breads. On the palate, initial hints of honey, toffee and caramelized sugar lead to subtler notes of almond and vanilla.

The nose is delicately spicy with lots of juniper. Green, piney-juniper, fir branch, with a bit of citrus tinged herbal notes beneath it. Absolutely and powerfully classic with a stunning aromatic profile.

Sipped, Hepple Gin begins with white pine needle, melon, lemon zest and lovage. Mid-palate this is a very classic and clean tasting gin. Hints of fennel seed and celery lead into a finish where subtle licorice backs a crisp juniper-forward finish. A hint of lemon comes through on the end as well.

Medium length finish that is elegant and classic. Hepple Gin is one of the best classic gins I've tried this year. - The Gin is In

45%abv