Best Buys $10 And Under

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural

85% Cartoixà (aka Xarel•lo), 15% Macabeu
Making of: the grapes are destemmed and pressed. After settling (debourbage) for 24 hours, the clear must is racked into and stainless steel tanks, where it ferments naturally for 18-20 days at low temperatures (around 14-15ºC). The wine spends 9 months in tanks with weekly lees-stirring (batonnage) to obtain a lush, smooth texture. No fining or filtration, no sulfur added.

Personality: a mixture of yellow peach, apricots and tropical fruits like pineapple, lychee and papaya. Generous, well-structured palate with zesty citrus freshness. A wine to enjoy every day, on its own or with light dishes like salads, fish, or vegetables.

The Celler 9+ vineyards are located only a few kilometers from the Mediterranean coast and benefit from its warm and mild climate – there’s enough rainfall, and the constant breeze called Marinada cools off and dries the grapes, helping them to stay healthy and ripen evenly.

The farm focuses on indigenous grapes and maximum sustainability. As Celler 9+’s winemaker asserts, "Our philosophy is that the future will be environmentally friendly and sustainable … or there won’t be one at all."

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural

50 % Blauer Zweigelt, 50% Merlot
This PetNat is a distinguished sparkling wine crafted from a balanced blend of Blauer Zweigelt and Merlot. Sourced from the esteemed vineyards of Hinterberg, Bassgeige, and Bodenleiten in Austria, the grapes are nurtured using organic practices that emphasize biodiversity and natural soil health.
This limited production of only 400 cases exemplifies Familie Bauer's dedication to quality and sustainable winemaking.

Located in the Grossriedenthal area of the Wagram region, Josef Bauer, alongside his wife Eva Maria, comprise the extraordinary winemakers of Weingut Familie Bauer. The Bauers believe in creating wines of the best quality by being conscientious of the environment by employing green covering of existing flora that cultivates the natural diversity of landscape and hence reflects the terroir found in their wines. In their modern cellar they craft crisp, clean wines from their 17 hectares of vines, including Gr??ner Veltliner and Roter Veltliner, the stars of this vineyard, as well as Sp??tburgunder, Zweigelt, Merlot, Blauburger and Riesling, among others.

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural

33 % Gr??ner Veltliner, 33% Roter Veltliner, 34% Riesling
This PetNat is a blend of Gr??ner Veltliner, Roter Veltliner, and Riesling grapes from the Spielberg vineyard in Austria. The grapes are harvested by hand and fermented with natural yeasts. The wine is bottled before fermentation is complete, which results in a sparkling wine with a slight fizz.
The wine has a bright yellow color and aromas of freshly squeezed grape juice, fig, and physalis. The flavors are fruity and spicy, with a hint of gooseberry. The wine is dry and has a refreshing acidity.

Located in the Grossriedenthal area of the Wagram region, Josef Bauer, alongside his wife Eva Maria, comprise the extraordinary winemakers of Weingut Familie Bauer. The Bauers believe in creating wines of the best quality by being conscientious of the environment by employing green covering of existing flora that cultivates the natural diversity of landscape and hence reflects the terroir found in their wines. In their modern cellar they craft crisp, clean wines from their 17 hectares of vines, including Gr??ner Veltliner and Roter Veltliner, the stars of this vineyard, as well as Sp??tburgunder, Zweigelt, Merlot, Blauburger and Riesling, among others.

Organic / Biodynamic

Kuyen's grapes are organically grown, which Espinoza believes gives his fruit a superior expression of terroir. The Kuyen blend is aged for one year in French oak barrels, then bottled and aged an additional six months in the cellar prior to release. Deep black fruit aromas with a hint of pepper & graphite on the nose. Chewy and structural on the palate the fruit notes of black plum & black cherry are dense with a slightly green finish.

Blend: 57% Syrah, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Carmenere, 2% Petit Verdot

Organic / Natural

100% Nebbiolo. The vines come from Loreto- sand-loam soils, planted in 1998, east-facing , Mompellini- sand-loam-clay soils, planted in 2008, west-facing, and San Grato, sand and limestone, planted in 1967, southwest-facing. They hand-harvest and ferment each vineyard separately. The grapes are destemmed then pumped into concrete and stainless steel tanks with around 3-5% whole clusters included. Fermentation starts spontaneously and takes, with maceration, approx. 2 weeks. They do soft pigeage and pump a small amount of juice over the cap to extract from the skins. After fermentation they press off in a basket press and then blend the 3 wines together. Loreto brings a fruity nose, some body and good acidity, Mompellini brings color and structure and San Grato brings elegance, floral aromatics and juiciness. After malo they rack one more time in concrete tanks outside (usually in November) and 2 weeks later they rack into botti, a used 500 liter tonneaux, and the rest in concrete. They blend those components together again and rack in April/May and then they don’t touch the wine until November. The wine is then bottled between November and January

93 points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Dry Riesling Wirz Vineyard comes from some of the oldest Riesling vines in California; the head-pruned, dry-farmed vines were planted in 1952 in Cienega Valley on limestone. It's spicy, delicious and hard to put down, opening with gregarious scents of white peach, candle smoke, lime, biscuit and loads of floral perfume. The light-bodied palate is dry and shimmery, balancing racy acidity with creamy citrus fruit and flinty undertones, and it has a long, spicy finish. 800 cases were made.

92 points Vinous
The 2021 Dry Riesling Nadi Wirz Vineyard is, as the name states, dry. It offers terrific tension and plenty of cut. The lack of sweetness results in an especially taut Riesling. Hints of green apple, slate, crushed rocks, petrol and white flowers linger. This is such a vivid and expressive wine."-

Organic / Natural

95 points Wine Advocate
The old-vine white 2021 Vinhas Velhas Branco was produced with the fruit from some 15 small plots of old vines aged between 60 and 130 years of age and planted with a myriad of old varieties (S??ria, Bical, Fern??o Pires, Encruzado, Arinto, Cerceal and Malvasia Fina) on slopes with granite soils. It's inspired by the natural vinification of some Burgundy wines. It fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in 500-liter barrels for 12 months and a further 10 months in stainless steel. It has moderate ripeness and alcohol (12%) with a pH of 3.33 and 5.29 grams of acidity. It has an incredible nose that is nuanced, complex, elegant and changing, with notes of herbs, wild flowers and earth. It has a very tasty and saline palate that is subtle with great purity of flavors, clean and precise. It reminds me of some whites from Ganevat. 7,900 bottles produced. As always, it was bottled with full malolactic, unfiltered and unfined. It was bottled in April 2023.

Organic / Biodynamic

60% Tempranillo and 40% Garnach blended from multiple parcels. Vinified seperately in order to get a fresh, and ?€?fluid?€? wine. A mix of saignee and direct press.

Organic

The Rotes Handgemenge is a blend of Zweigelt and Blaufrankisch. The juiciness of the Zweigelt plays well with the structure of the Blaufrankisch. It's meant to be an easy drinker on days when you don't want to take yourself so seriously. It's bottled unfined and unfiltered. This is opens up with a note of loamy earth, followed by graceful blackberry flavors which decorate the silky texture. It is lighter in body, but never lacking substance.

Organic

Verdea is a traditional appellation of the Greek Island Zakynthos that reflects the Venetian influence. The name references the apparent green color of the grape juice as fields with many different varieties were harvested together and, as they all ripen at different times, the unripe/green grapes would give it a characteristic color and the resulting wine a high acidity. This story is perhaps hard to square with the usual high alcohol content of the wines, which would suggest much riper grapes! Either way, high alcohol and high acidity were traditional ways of preserving wine before the invention of modern winemaking.

The Kefallinos Verdea is certainly not co-vinified as a field blend, but rather each variety is fermented separately in old oak barrels (4-6 years-old) and a total of 16 separate barrels are used to make the final blend. A lovely straw yellow gold color. This oaked white has aromas of grass, peach blossom, with hints of green walnuts and golden plums. The palate is weighted with lots of concentrated white peach and citrus peel notes, reminiscent of Viognier. Its incredible acidity makes the alcohol almost incidental.

Organic

100% Limnio, not to be confused with Limniona, is fermented entirely in stainless steel. This wine has a dark Nebbiolo like color with a slight orange ring on the edges. The wine is voluptuous on the palate displaying dark, brambly fruit notes, pepper, and earth. The wine is savory with chewy tannins that are slightly firm with the first glass. The acidity is perfect adding the perfect lift to this sumptuous wine. This is a fascinating wine. 13.5 % abv

Organic

100% Negroamaro

Organic

90 points Vinous
The 2022 Guilhem is airy and breezy, with the grace that makes it a real charmer. This pale-colored, beautifully textured Ros?? is impeccable in its balance. Pretty floral notes fill out the mid-palate effortlessly. Despite its light color, the 2022 offers plenty of depth and tons of stylish appeal."

35% Grenache, 35% Syrah, 30% Carignan

94 points Wine Advocate
Even the 2022 La Vizca??na La Vitoriana shows the effect of the warm and dry year with a darker color and higher ripeness and alcohol. It has notes of dark cherries and plums. It's under 13% alcohol, but the sensation of the wine is of higher ripeness. It has a juicy and velvety palate with fine tannins. 10.000 bottles produced

Saint Georges is not a site name, but rather the proprietary name they attached to this cuv??e, which is a blend of blocks off of the Santa Cruz Mountains (50?€? too low to qualify for what became the Santa Cruz Mountains appellation in 1981). The Zinfandel vines at this site were first planted in 1922 on gravelly loam soils, and have been farmed continuously by the Besson family since 1925. Fermented with native yeasts and matured in neutral barriques and demi-muid. Unfined/unfiltered.

The Traminette is a fruity and light hybrid grape based on Gewurtztraminer. It's off-dry at 1.5% residual sugar. - Winery

Vegan friendly.

93 points Wine Advocate
The oak of the 2021 Juan Gil (blue label) is subtler and feels more integrated into the wine. It's a fresher year of wines with more freshness and better balance, more elegance and length. It has 15.5% alcohol and finishes dry. 30,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2023.

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. - Eric Guido

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 ch??vre 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.

Organic / Natural / No Sulfites Added

92 points Wine Advocate
A new "clarete" light red from the "natural" range, the 2022 La Vaquita Natural is the first vintage for this unusual blend of 80% Malbec and 20% Torrontés that fermented together; the Malbec was with full clusters, and they do a semi-carbonic maceration. It has a pale color, with notes from the two varieties, with violets and orange blossom, and it is fine-boned, light and fresh but with clout, with 13.8% alcohol and fine tannins. This is a very gastronomical light red with tasty, clean flavors and aromas and a velvety mouthfeel. Very easy to drink. This is the first vintage from organic grapes and fermented with indigenous yeasts.

Organic / Natural

60% Pinot Noir, 40% Syrah

Raul Moreno spent a few years working at iconic domaines including Domaine Dujac. Focusing on organic farming and sourcing old vines, Raul makes wines that redefine what is possible in Jerez.

Organic / Biodynamic

Apple, pear, and gardenia on the nose. Medium body with concentrated orchard fruits and a persistent finish. 100% estate fruit grown on the Macari family vineyard.

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

97 points Wine Spectator
This has a very large-scaled yet properly proportioned core of cassis, plum and blackberry fruit flavors that are remarkably pure and focused. Buried deep within is a sleek, vibrant iron spine that drives the finish as the fruit keeps pace. Extra savory, tobacco and cedar nuances fill out all the remaining available space. A towering wine, with a buttoned-up feel. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2045

98+ points Jeb Dunnuck
The flagship 2020 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Baron is pure gold, a full-bodied, rich, powerful 2020 displaying the vintage's purity, focus, and structure front and center. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot, its dense purple hue is followed by a mammoth-sized bouquet of cassis, blackberries, smoked earth, graphite, and cedar pencil. With ripe tannins, a seamless, layered mouthfeel, and one heck of a finish, it comes closest in my mind to the estate 2010, and I think is clearly in the same realm as the 1989, 1990, 2000, 2009, 2010, 2015, and 2019. It offers pleasure today, but it certainly warrants 7-8 years, a decade if possible, of bottle age and will have 40-50 years of overall longevity.

98 points Vinous
As I found before, the 2020 Pichon Baron takes a while to open in the glass. Finally, it offers enticing blackberry and boysenberry fruit, peony and iris flower, hints of graphite and black truffle. The palate is medium-bodied with fine grain tannins, again, displaying outstanding symmetry and focus, fresh as a daisy with a strong and mineral-driven finish. Christian Seely and his team have overseen a splendid Pichon Baron for the ages. Blue-blooded Pauillac. (Antonio Galloni)

#8 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2023!
97 points Wine Spectator
This has a very large-scaled yet properly proportioned core of cassis, plum and blackberry fruit flavors that are remarkably pure and focused. Buried deep within is a sleek, vibrant iron spine that drives the finish as the fruit keeps pace. Extra savory, tobacco and cedar nuances fill out all the remaining available space. A towering wine, with a buttoned-up feel. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Best from 2030 through 2045.

"A nicely honeyed malty foundation is balanced by fruit on the front of the palate, with a pleasingly dry, spicy finish. It would benefit by being bottled at 43%, like the older two expressions. It is simple, straight-forward, and unpretentious, as one would expect in a 10 year old whisky." Whisky Advocate, 40% abv - Malt and Honey -

Organic / Biodynamic / Natural

Roodeberg Black is our classic red blend wrapped in an intense layer of dark ripe fruit entwined in deep toasted oak. On the nose, pristine red and black fruits with vanilla and mocha lingering in the background. Palate is markedly fresh yet intense with quality dark fruit balancing the mocha, vanilla and space. The finish is smoky, rich and intense; long and persistent like a burning ember, reminiscent of the fire that gave life to this blend

The Blend: 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Shiraz, 15% Petit Verdot, 15% Petite Sirah, 10% Tannat, 10% Pinotage, 3% Malbec, 1% Tempranillo, 1% Grenache Noir

This is a variety from D??o, that was brought more than 100 years ago to Vidigueira, with an extraordinary adaptation to the soil and climate conditions of the region, It is however a prima donna that needs controlled vigor and low production to produce extremely balanced wines with the capacity to maintain high acidity and vigorous tannins, which makes it so important in these sunny southern lands. This is our blue wine, due to its aroma of blue fruits, blueberries and ripe blackberries. It is elegant and balanced with surprising freshness and a long and harmonious finish, as if these aromas and tastes were notes that make up a song. That is why Alfrocheiro is Miguel Maria, the musician of the family.